Our Vans: Volkswagen T5 Transporter Kombi Sportline
19 December 2014: Perfectly practical in every way?
The Details
| Current mileage | 6101 |
|---|---|
| Claimed economy | 37.2mpg |
| Actual economy | 32.2mpg |
Having a van rather than a car does have its advantages. Mainly for others it seems. I've never been so popular as over the past six months with friends who need things moving. The Transporter has moved everything from sofas and beds to tumble driers, half an old kitchen, LOTS of boxes and even a set of double glazed French doors. Which turned out to be a lot heavier than I expected...
With several ratchet straps, an old blanket and a few bungee cords, I've been able to keep everything secure in the back of the Transporter. The towbar bike rack I usually carry around has had to be demoted to the garage but what has proved the most awkward is the rear row of seats. While having the kombi is handy when there's more than two of us, the seats can be a real pain when more space is required.
You can fold down the two seat bench fairly easily using the pull strap at the back, which makes moving big things like mattresses a little easier. However the single seat doesn't fold - it only angles forward. Useful if you want to access the load area from the side door, but no good if you want to maximise space.
Of course you can take the seats out. But it's not a job you want to keep doing. Unlocking them is fairly easy, you lift the seat using the bar underneath and they click out of the runners on the van floor. The problem is they're heavy. Very heavy. And awkward things to lift with lots of metal bits underneath seeingly designed to hurt your hands. Of course once out, you've also got to store them somewhere.
Sportline leather seats look good but are heavy and awkward to remove
Putting the seats back isn't easy either. You have to get the angle right and then hope they lock in before dropping them down. Removing and replacing the seats can be more work than actually lugging things into the back. More often than not I'm just tempted to try and work around the seats rather than take them out.
The rubber floor in the back of our Transporter is another double edged sword. On the one hand it's easy to keep clean and much nicer than a bare metal floor or a plywood lining. It's also very grippy which stops stuff sliding about. However that grip can work against you if you're trying to slide something heavy in or out. Like those French doors. You also have to be careful with sharp objects. I recenty moved some old wood full of nails and had to be wary not to puncture the rubber floor.
Our Sportline comes with a colour coded rear bumper - and as it's white this creates another problem. Moving a tumble drier recently, the bottom got caught on the bumper and scratched it, creating an ugly black mark on the pristine white. A few of those and the Transporter would soon start to look scruffy.
I'm also finding the rear tailgate a pain. It's big, awkward and not easy to close. I would much rather have the traditional van barn doors, even if it means slightly less rear visibility. The tailgate is a pain if you come back to your van to find someone has parked close behind you. Several times I've had to move the van forward before loading or unloading, merely because I can't actually open the tailgate.
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