Real Road Test: 2015 Vauxhall Movano! (Renault Master, Opel Movano, Nissan NV400)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ค. 2024
- This badge-engineered beauty is a third generation Renault Master, which was also sold as an Opel, Nissan or Vauxhall. It uses the M-Series 2.3-litre diesel, also used in the Navara, but what is it like to drive?
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Ahh, hazard light and ctrl locking switch are in the same place as my mk3 Espace up there. I actually quite like it, albeit only because whenever I operate them it makes me feel like an aircraft pilot!
We used to call my bosses mk1 Espace the "Intercity 125", not that i played at being a train driver you understand.
My Peugeot Expert has the electric window switches and the switch for the rear interior light up there. I like them for exactly the same reason :D
Ha ha! And I thought it was just me! I will often reach up and lock the doors completely unnecessarily for precisely that reason. Van pilots of the world unite!
Haha yes same for me I miss my 2012 Renault master very solid van
Judging from the way every van round here gets driven, I think you're the only person in Britain who knows the speed limit is 50mph on a two lane road.
Having spent a few years driving vans for a living I know this, but.... Either most police officers don't know this or, they or they choose not to enforce it!
It's also (in my opinion) a stupid distinction/difference from cars, modern vans are far safer and better handling that normal cars where back when those speed limits were set.
@@ChuckFickens1972 Except for stopping them when they are overloaded, so always.
To DPD and 'Highway Maintenance' drivers, 50mph is the _minimum_ speed limit!!!!
😠
@@ChuckFickens1972 I agree. I hope a time never comes about where they get electronically speed governed to this limit.
@@EdgyNumber1 I'm sure some do close to that up my cul-de-sac. In second gear...
I've had loads of these, normally the Renault version. Really like them. The hazard light switch sort of made sense to me because I normally have the button for my beacons up there. Good to be able to unlock the back doors and turn the beacons and hazards all on in the same place.
We do appreciate a good van review
My work daily is a 2019 Iveco Daily, although not a van. It's got a tray and regularly carries up to 2 ton without grumbling. The ZF 8 speed auto is a revelation too. Makes freeway queues and inner city traffic bearable. And rear wheel drive as the gods intended.
That ‘door open warning’ would have so got on my nerves. I’d have been searching the fuse panel to see if I could have shut it up. Used to drive both a Renault Master and Trafic (one F as it’s French) in the=late 1980s. The Master had a wheel chair lift and we towed a caravan with it! Now that was quite something. Little hobbit like me in such a high driving position made seeing all round a pleasure. That Master was a straight diesel. No turbo or anything but I recall even then it was a fun drive. Yes it was plodding and slow but it was a ‘community mini bus’ so what would you expect?
I remember when Tina of "Tinie Planet" was replacing her self motorhome-converted worn out Transit with a new project, she tried the Renault or Opel version of this van, and it was pointed out that the side door alarm would drive her insane because of that common fault, she ended up with a Pug Boxer on the basis that she planned at the time to take the van to the US where the same platform was sold as a Dodge Ram ProMaster or something, so spare parts would have been available. But the pandemic put paid to that for her, and she also had problems with the engine oiling system too, but she gave up on vanlife anyway so now she's residing in a flat somewhere in Portugal with a different channel of "Tinie Ann", worth a sub as she's lovely... :)
Most Excellent video mate! I remember a Taxi mini-bus driver that purchased a similar mini-bus to this in 2014. He was very pleased with it... He used to do 100,000 miles year and never had a single complaint about it in the 12 or more months that used know him and ride in his mini-bus at least 3 or 4 times a week during that time. In fact he only ever said it was very economical, when asked him about it... And the big bonus was, the manufactures service intervals were 25,000 miles per service. And that's fine with modern hi-tech engines, modern Engine oils, modern fuels etc,etc,etc...
Great video again. These are the vans that you find driving up your rear, pulling out in front of you and stopping where they like.
I used to own a mk1 Renault Master T35D 2.5 Normal aspirated Renault engine, the van was massive inside!
Done a few house moves with it, lent it to a mate with his bookstall once, it had the heaviest steering on a van I’ve ever encountered! The Head Gasket eventually blew so it was sold cheaply for spares.
The Movano/Master is a great van, very practical and not too bad on the go go juice.
Thanks for this Ian, I’m liking the blue Hubnut tool T shirt, I think I’ll be heading for the Hubnut store soon.
Another great video has always Ian and miss hubnut and hublets and hubmutts
I’m always impressed with the smoothness of Renault Diesel engines. Also very linear power delivery.
Dribble of disappointment is that going on a t-shirt you make me laugh Brilliant video Ian 👍
Smear of sadness.
Nice vid Ian, keeping us on our toes.
Those door handles are a pain, had a similar gen Vivaro to this and the drivers door handle kept breaking 😡😂
Got to love a hire vehicle 🤭😁
This is why I watch Hubnut. Haven't driven the van, but went in a smaller Vauxhall Vivaro Taxi. Was similarly impressed at how quiet and smooth the diesel was. You honestly couldn't hear it when moving. French always make great diesel engines! 👍
Yet to drive one of these have driven plenty of transits, crafter, the latest Peugeot Boxer, Crafter and a Vito. One day I would like to get a second hand one and transform it into a leisure van. Excellent review as always.
Nice one Ian, I think van reviews are very handy when considering hiring or even buying, many thanks from another former Midlander. Oh and thanks for the merch that arrived yesterday.
I also value his views and advice a lot
The gentle English humour of Ian's commentary is always a delight. The park anywhere lights have certainly become the fail safe way to drive if you're a delivery driver who's driven up from the Brazilian rainforest.
As a driving instructor I'm always amazed how normal sane people become absolute nutters when sat behind the wheel of a white van. I was waiting for Ian's brake test where he proves that stopping distance in a white van is 10 times less than a normal car. 🙂
Being in a job where I use vans I find these movanos play second fiddle to the mighty transit! Infact at work this week we received a poverty spec transit custom. My Xmas came early!
A hazard switch worthy of the Italians. I've had the rear drive, twin wheel lwb version of this on hire (Renault) and enjoyed it greatly. It would, I heard, top 90 given an empty road and returned 30mpg. 20 seconds to 60 with 125bhp not too bad considering. I've also had a side door completely fall off a Citroën Relay on a customer's drive...
I have a mk2 movano that I’ve converted to a camper van some time ago and love it.
Very light body life, engines probably never seen below 3000 ripems, until now! I had a lwb hi top 3500 moovan (tactical replacement of lettering) very basic, very nippy for its 2002 2.2 dci engine as a work van, lived on the redline. Only thing that's these achilles heel is the balsa wood gearboxes and bloody door handles. Oh and the "60mph limit" on dual carriageway. Thanks gosafe, berstards!
The quirky wipers had the jets on the wipers! Very satisfying wash/wipe until they froze.
I love driving vans, hired a fair few and driven a few at work lol. Great video Ian
My dad had one a old Renault master petrol engine. Believe it or not Easter go like a rocket so did the fuel 🤣 thankyou for a great video take care and the hubnut family 😊
A French van with lots of broken stuff is very on-brand.
When looking for a van to transport a motorbike we looked at these and others. My lasting memory of the short wheelbase version of this van was that the majority of the van length was taken up by bonnet and cab. Not enough space for bike in the back.
I drive a 2005 boxer minibus conversion for my family the 2.8 ltr hdi engine in it is a lovely engine, no complicated bits, just a good old school block!
I've got a Dacia Dokker from last year and I have to say, a lot of the switch gear is exactly the same as in this one.
Dacia are part of Renault. Owned by them since 1999.
I have a LWB one we converted to a camper. It's a solid truck and pleasant to drive. Loads of storage space in the cabin as you say. Our side door doesn't latch well either. An accurate review all told.
I found the aluminium wedge that aligns the doors doesn't have enough adjustment.. You can cut the dowels off it allowing it to move further which sometimes works (kinda a bodge tbh but ok in a pinch)
@@ratchetfox8111 Oops. I meant the hook-latch at the bottom rear to hold the door open. It seems to droop so doesn't latch to the door. Now you mention it, I did have to play with door adjusters and rubbers to get the door to close without positively slamming it.
@@darrylwebb3625 ah! I get you, yeah the doors can be a pain to get aligned, had to do it after i changed the rollers when they decide to disintegrate at like 50k
Mate! It's been a while since I watched one of your vids (massively enjoyed the whole story of the Invacar - Tuk, is it? Forgive if I've spelt it wrong!) Warms my heart that you gave this van such a glowing review. I bought a 2016 Renault badged version of the above three months ago. The L3H2 version, 67,000 miles on the clock, and I've been delighted with it so far. Similarly to you I've driven mainly Crafters and Sprinters in the past and was going to buy another, but with the crazily inflated second-hand vehicle market at the moment, the Renault pricing was much more agreeable budget wise. Fabulous fuel economy - I spend about half my time crawling around London and the other half out free on the open roads of Kent and Surrey, and I'm averaging just over 33 mpg combined. Lovely to drive, if a little more sluggish (and I use that word advisedly) than the VW or Merc. Only real moans are that I can't lock the cab when the back or side doors are open - bit of a design glitch when you're loading and unloading and have to leave it for a while in a major city, although so far no one's nicked any CDs! And it kangaroos very slightly in first if I don't give it relatively high revs when pulling away. #FIRSTWORLDPROBLEMS, as the kids say! Thanks for such a great video, always a pleasure to watch.
I was impressed it wasn’t a bad drive when I had one on hire still prefer a transit though
Great vans those, used to drive one all the time and really liked it and indeed the side door used to squeal all the time.
Hi hub nut. . it's a Renault . . Beautiful looking vans . People fall for the name is a vauxhall ect .the van is french . .I've driven Peugeot boxer vans and they are just as nice . .X the Citroen I had a Renault master 425.000 miles on the clock .X still going strong . Beautiful ride love the video . Its a Renault through X through not a vauxhall . And a Renault engine is bullet proof this is why there are so many on our roads X keep going strong
Got all excited when I read the title then read it a little closer - so so close 😂
rented a 2010 Master to go from Dorking to Plymouth and back for a wedding gig and it made THAT noise.....all the way there and all the way back. Rental place said 'yeah, it'll do that'. 11 odd hours of beepcore drowning out everything, heard that beep in my dreams for a week afterwards
I drive a version of this for business reasons. In my case its a 66 plate Renault version 3.5 tonne box van. I do about 500 to 700 miles a week in it. The typeface on the instruments on mine doesn't have the 'upside down' issue. It has a 125 bhp engine - visually similar to your one. The back of the centre seat can be folded down to make quite a good table - looks like yours would do as I noticed the release handle in your video. Mine has been pretty reliable and I agree with all your comments about how good it is to drive.
Loved driving the original - a fantastic van! The Traffic was also a lovely reliable things. [were going back to the 80's here] Hated the Ducato and Talbot Express! If we go back to the seventies I loved the Datsun E20 with it's column change! [still seen in Africa]
I've owned a nv400 H2L2 for 5 years now. Decent van to drive, let down by poor build quality, especially door handles. Had the same issue with side door setting the beeping off. Pull the contact off on the left and rewire it to make the van think door always shut. Was bliss when it finally shut up!
If it was my van, I would certainly have done this!
Why not just adjust the door height? That's all mine needed, peace in the van was restored. I've owned mine for just over two years, overall I've found it more comfortable and a hell of a lot more reliable than the mk6&7 transits i was driving for 15 years beforehand. Turning circle isn't great compared to similar sized Transits, but the Movano is far better overall to live with.
I drive the 2020 revised version of the non emergency Renault masters you mentioned it’s a nicer vehicle and they have moved the hazard light switch to a better dashboard position. The side doors do seem to be very tinny with electrical contact issues.
You'll be pleased to know they've relocated the hazard switch on the latest incarnation.
Nice video. Honestly, its hard to tell who makes what any more. I haven’t owned a van since the early 90’s (Darth-a 1979 Chevrolet Heavy Duty G20, lovely 6.6L built by a NASCAR shop, TH350 gearbox, long tube headers, my shop truck/chase vehicle-I think about the Dark Lord at least once a day still). In the USA, we are rather limited in our choices of small vans; the new Kia Carnival seems the most appealing to me. I wish we could have some of the larger vans from Japan, and many of the newer VW’s. It was nice riding along with you. Cheers.
You get some oddities in the US too, like the Dodge Ram Promaster, which is a Peugeot Boxer/Citroen Relay/Fiat Ducato to us.
@@HubNut Hi. We also have Ford Transit and Transit Connect, Doblo and Ducato, along with the ubiquitous (and overpriced) Sienna and Odyssey. I think I’m going to base my next purchase on how much I like the lights and wipers. Otherwise I’ll move into the oldtimer market. Have a good day.
I had the previous gen Movano, 2.5 DTi on a 53 plate. Could get a decent shift going when empty, it always rode so much sweeter with a pallet of something heavy-ish in the back (like most commercials really.). Only one major issue in 300k miles was the clutch going, you can’t say that’s bad going. It liked front tyres though.
My first van experience was with my father's works Bedford CA. Not a hot performer with a detuned Wyvern//Victor 1508cc engine but very flexible with three speed column shift which was rarely needed. Great fun emulating London evening paper drivers by opening the sliding door and hooking the leather loop over the handle. You quickly got used to looking down at the road and you shut the door by unhooking the loop and braking! Alarmingly, about three weeks after I borrowed it the steering fell,apart, it hit a tree and the regular driver was killed. The worst van I used was an early Transit V4 - you don't know vibration until you have tried one of them.
Good story, nice to hear some perspectives from long ago. (Presumably?)
Mk1 Sprinter had a lovely floor change gearbox, then they face-lifted it in 2000/2001 to the nasty dash mounted stick. I had a 5 pot 312 and it was fab!
Yep. I got lumbered with the gen 2 at work when they had just come out. I saw it and thought "yes - nice new van" but by the end of the day I couldn't wait for it to go back. Dead steering, horrible, rubbery and notchy gearchange and a throttle that was more like a suggestion.
Luckily it blew a turbo at 1500 miles (probably been faulty all along - hence the throttle response) which managed to let oil and water into the engine and wrecked it. It was sent back and I never saw it again. We only went back to Sprinters a few years back and the 2016's are a lot nicer to be in. Much quieter and smoother and since its auto I couldn't care less what the gearbox does.
Interesting what Wrenching Wench mentioned, I agree! I used to work maintaining a (national) rental fleet of vans as well, I wonder if its the same company 🤔 Honestly the engine is the best bit by far! (Van nerd rant warning) the door open warning is more common than not, the door handles fall apart, they tend to weave on motorways, turning circle is enormous on the bigger ones, rear door mechanisms are made of low-grade cheese in fact the only thing made of lower grade cheese is the gearbox that exists on a diet of its own diff bearings! Oh and the undertray is a complete pig to get off on a 4 post lift 🤬 I drove one with 15k on it between Coventry and Leicester and came back in a 100k Sprinter luton with a tail lift. The Movano was a genuine handful to keep straight and true where the sprinter was battered but cruised along without any bother on the same roads. I had another one's brake master pop on me and had to stop on the hand brake and using gears when picking it up from the dealers for other warranty work! Sorry for the rant but it needed to come out 😁 I feel better now
Sounds like the same gearbox issues that plague the Trafic. Apparently the preload on the bearings is something horrific, so they just chew them up.
@@HubNut We ran the Vivaro and yes, I suspect so. On road test after a first service it wasn't uncommon to hear them rumbling away, it got old very fast! Shame as the previous shape Vivaro (up to 2013-14 ish) was genuinely very good. Had a very holey grille that let lots of stones go through the rads but apart from that they're smooth, handle well and pretty hardy. I'd strongly recommend a go in one if you get the chance!
Ive had all three of the main contenders in this sector Ford, Renault and Citroen and this one is by far the best of the bunch - much better built than the other two and much better engine and more fun to drive - just sold an 03 Renault like this with only 50k miles and was SO solid around sills and in important suspension and steering areas - still have a newer Transit that has just had to have £1k of welding done for MOT
Definitely a Goldie Lookin Chain tribute 🥳
A few weeks ago, a friend and I drove a 2017 Peugeot Boxer (in 17-seater minibus guise) to Wales to transport our Uni's hillwalking club for an away trip, and overall I was not a fan of it. The extra width of the doors made it feel wider than it actually was, the engine sounded coarse and unrefined, and the full-beam action of pulling the indicator stalk back and up slightly meant you constantly put the left indicator on accidentally when switching to full beam. The aux jack for the stereo was the Boxer's stupid item placement equivalent here - it was buried far back in the dashboard's central storage and was impossible to see at night when we drove it for the first time.
I quit my previous job when they replaced my MAN van (which wasn't a good as the Sprinter I had before) with one of these things. You're right about the LWB turning circle...
Used to do drycleaning deliveries in both the Renult and Vauxhall LWB versions of these vans. I used to tear about, great vans. The Vauxhall ones were older but were spec'ed with a bigger engine. I was about to say my only criticism was the small cupholders.
Thank you for highlighting that Transits rot so badly - everyone gets so obsessed with the "bakbown ov bri'an" thing that they forget they're rotting within five years...
Great review, but that beeping would drive me crazy! 😆
Moving home?
I have just hired a van for that reason and chose a Crafter, it was lovely and I wanted one immediately after handing it back, even though I have no use for one.
Our family business here in Cornwall had had Renault Masters from the late 1980s until 2019. When it came to fleet renewal then, the pricing was all wrong and inflexible. We went Peugeot Boxer and have been pleasantly surprised.
The pissistently raining reference made me chuckle. Was it Two Ronnies or Les Dawson? With reference to a Young Ones quote there are tribes in sub-saharan Africa that knew you were going to say "tractable" 🤣🤣
I presently have a vw t6, this is my fourth transporter and have been very impressed with them. My only small criticism is the front passenger seat and seat belt are designed for people of supermodel stature- regrettably I have never had the need to have one in my van 👍👍
I have the need, but unfortunately no suitable candidates!
I drove these as Renault minibuses for ten years, though ours had the 2.6 diesel and a better instrument layout than this. The only nagging issue was that side door, which often failed to lock open if facing downhill -it's very heavy if it comes back unexpectedly. Even with nine people and a couple of wheelchairs aboard they pulled well.
I had a 30 year old Talbot Express with less broken on it than that. Kind of sad to hear that the modern Ducato/Boxer versions have problems. They were always much better rust protected than Transits.
It had the occasional electrical issue that was always down to a poor earth contact. Sandpaper sorted out all of it :)
Just rented a 2012. Couldn't see any rust on it which leads me to believe is a far better buy than a Sprinter or Transit. Very comfortable , good steering, good ride , struggled to fault it other than the radio looked poorly made (and didn't work) and there was nowhere for your left foot to go .
I've driven a few of these, when empty they will beat literally anything off a roundabout. However when fully laden they do feel like they lack a bit of torque. But apart from that they are great vans. Get one with cruise control and a long journey in it is very easy and comfortable.
Only snag with the ride is the wheelbase is exactly the same as the slabs on the concrete sections of the M25, so you hit the joints with both axles at the same time and it's a hell of a thumping 😂
I have a 135 transit and it will destroy most vans on the road even today
Back when I was young and daft I had an early mk1 version of this. At the time I didn't click on that 3.5T was its gross - I thought that was what it could carry.
I took on a bit of catalogue delivery work for a bit of extra income and wondered why it looked so low with "only" around 2 tonnes in the back.
Fair play to it though - it never let me down and climbed every hill the cotswolds had to throw at it.
I remember it being ultra short geared for a diesel (non turbo) aswell. It would do about 75 flat out but that was all the revs it had rather than running out of power. 1st was a crawler ratio and was good for about 7mph flat out.
It rattled, let the wind in and generally wasn't a very relaxing thing to get about in but it was huge, carried anything I wanted and never gave me any issues at all until rust killed it one MOT.
I bloody love a good van, just rented a 21 plate transit jumbo rear driver to empty my dad's place out and it was awesome in many ways, very smooth ride, excellent mpg, nice low gearing for loads but good cruising, surprisingly good stereo but it was super boggo so it had front and rear PDC, auto city brakes etc but no air conditioning or cruise control so demisting was annoyingly heater based and motorway driving tedious. Terrible seats too for long trips. Panel fit and door latching was poor though, nothing seemed fully 'shut' ever. Had to replenish the adblue immediately, national hire company....
Sounds like enterprise to me!
I had a 21 plate hired Transit box van for 2 days while my Master box van was being serviced/MOTd. Not too bad although the stop/start system was a pain and its empty weight was greater than that of mine by 300KG! Effectively meaning that I could carry 300KG less. (I put that down to RWD and a tail-lift - neither of which my van has).
Vauxhall have come a long way since the Estafette 😊
I drove a 70 plate Fiat version of this van today, the dash looks almost the same although the dials are different. It wasn’t too bad a van but in torrential rain the water coming of the screen got blown across the quarter light glass obscuring the mirror making it difficult to see behind you! This model didn’t have flick wipe on the wipers either which was a pain and some of the dash and door panels were brown plastic…….very 70s.
Last rental I drove was a GMC Savana 3/4 ton courtesy of U Haul. The Chevy V8 small block really gets a shift on, 85 to 90 on the interstate was nothing with a full load.
We have a 2019 movano, and it's lovely to drive. Plenty of torque, good feel in the pedals, and the steering feels direct. Unfortunately it also has the same fault with the side door, infuriating when you have to travel half way up the country. We also have 2016 vivaro's and they're horrible in comparison, the boost comes in too late, steering feels vague, no feel in the brakes. They've also both had the egr's go (a common problem from what I gather) which has meant one has had to have the engine out.
The last one of these i drove the side door was the same!
I'm looking at a Transit, to go boon docking stealth, they come with a 12 year anti rot, l think that's good, you can have the underneath treated, and an engine cover.
A proximity sensor and privacy glass is a nice cheap option, when you are in the back, plus two slide doors at no extra cost, paint is expensive though, but a nice choice other than refrigerator white.
Can see the Renault switchgear used throughout the cabin and typical Renault warning chimes and turn signal sound. Have owned a couple of Renaults which I loved but with all the beeps and bongs, they would drive you crazy
It is 100% Renault, that's for sure.
I think the Vauxhall Movano is quite a funny van, I think it's hilarious how this model Movano is based on the 2010 Renault Master, and the "brand new" Movano is based on the 2006 originally Fiat/Citroën/Peugeot Ducato/Boxer/Relay model, so a new van actually based on an older design
Mercedes sprinter every time for me Great video 👍👍👍👍
work bought a 68 plate new 800 miles a week for 2 years meant the side door pins died after 2 months - pain in the arse rattly tinny as you saw - complete crap - they hurriedly went back to transits - latest 21 plate has done 24k in 7 months and never had a problem
Great and enjoyable video.. Love the humour... The gears are a bit, urgh.... 😆😆
They have come a long way since the days of the Master and Traffic in the late eighties. They were terrible things, like driving a tin can down the road. The Ford Transits of the same era were like luxury compared to those old Renault rattle cans. So nice to see they are some what more refined these days.
All these problems are the same as in mine. The door latch is because they seem to use glue instead of grease on everything. My bonnet latch and gear shifter got stuck as well. WD40 to free it and some more sensible grease fixed them all.
You can actually make the faulty door switch shut up... Put a piece of cardboard or paper between the sensors - the "door-open-noise" will stop after maybe 30 seconds and won't start again since the door sensors "think" that the door is continously opened.
Other than a smoother ride the driving experience doesn't really change with a heavy load
Many of these will turn up to music festivals converted to campers. Some with dodgy make shift windows added to side panels. But they really do seem to take abuse. People that have converted them swear they are easy to drive even when fully loaded, but you need a loud radio as they can get a little loud engine wise.
On the door warning problem on the door pillar join the bottom 2 wires together the van will think the door is permanently closed will stop the beeping it will still lock and unlock on remote.
I have had loads of these it a common problem.
Where I used to work at had two of these, the door switches broke all the time. We'd get them repaired and they would last maybe 2 days before getting broken again. Horrible vans, the 370k-mile Sprinter they replaced was much nicer in every way.
I drive these for a living (The Nissan version) and they're absolutely shocking how poor quality they are. There's always something breaking on them.
Gearbox went on one with less than 140km (90k miles maybe?)
Anothers clutch master cylinder broke and left me stranded in the middle of nowhere. I could've limped it back with no clutch but given the gearbox is made of chocolate I didn't want to be held liable for fucking up another gearbox.
One positive thing I will say, the pedals are perfectly placed for heel and toe-ing even with work boots which can make it a bit more fun to drive. Turning circle on them is shocking as well. Especially on the LWB.
@@MrManBuzz Ours were LWB and a real unpleasant time to drive in London as the rear wheels are so far back you can't get round any of the corners in the tighter areas. The only reason my company got them was because of the higher load capacity compared to a Sprinter
@@EdsPlasticCars Don't get me started on the turning circle. Getting into houses on tight country lanes and residential areas are always stressful in that thing.
I've driven a few Sprinters while the Nissans were in the garage getting fixed and for the most part, it just felt like a much higher quality van. The Engine was much smoother, and much less rattles. The engine on these are very rough when you get a feeling of the ones in the Crafter/Sprinter.
One thing I've noticed on the modern Peugeot Boxers is that the electric fan always likes to kick in
The company I work for has a massive fleet of Sprinters and rumour has it they are going for a different manufacturer in the future. Confirming my thoughts on the latest Sprinter being fancy but lacking in quality in many areas, the transmission, the cab, seats, lights, dashboard, switches etc. etc.
Good van these, often see them as luton box vans and vehicle transporters with massive mileage and running perfectly. Plus these won't rust like a Transit or Sprinter will.
The latest version of Transit's with the 2.0 'EcoBlue' engines are an absolute disaster for injector problems. The timing belt is also immersed in oil, a lot of them are either snapping or clogging the oil pickup at a very early stage.
Renault often seems very good for rust proofing. My mums 2013 Dacia, hasnt got a spot of rust, even underneath. I was shocked when I had it on the lift. And that is a 10k-11k £ car when new, even with the "largest engine" and all "options". Of course, it rides as crap compared to almost anything else made after 1995 or so, but bang for buck transportation it cant be beat, more or less.
I think that's a MWB- used to drive loads of these when I was a lease vehicle/ demonstrator delivery and collection driver. Yup, the hazard warning light really stumped me- what a stupid place to put it! Should have known to look up there- because French- and because my Laguna Mk1 (an under-rated car if you ask me) had an immobiliser whereby you had to 'plip' the key in the general direction of the rear view mirror in order for it to work.
Much preferred driving the previous gen Transits though- much more grunty than the Renault unit- although that engine always seemed much more potent in the Navara.
So the old LDV that my son-in-law uses that's had one failure In about three years might be a good idea after all! 🤣
The Crafter also has rust issues like the Transit and the Sprinter because the Crafter is literally a Sprinter with Volkswagen engines and badges (excluding the new ones) I've even seen 2017 Sprinters with rust. It's like Mercedes put salt in the paint. Ford added better rust protection for the Transit in 2013 for the Mk8 model.
I drive a few the Nissan version of these for work and I've gotta say, the build quality of them has been very poor.
Door handles breaking, door hinges coming loose, gearboxes going bang, clutch master cylinder breaking. And that's only what's happened when I've been driving them 😂
I've driven most of the vans on the market (rental vans that were given to us when the Nissans were being fixed) and it really does feel like the cheapest van on the market. The engine is very agricultural in comparison to the engine in the Crafter or Sprinter. The Transit is somewhere inbetween the Master/NV400 and the Sprinter/Crafter.
The turning circle on them is very poor. The gearbox is pretty smooth and shifts reasonably well, but it's made of chocolate.
The main thing I like about them is the pedal placement is really good and makes it perfect for heeling and toeing. (yes I heel and toe in my van 😂) The Transits pedal placement is horrible.
Overall, they're probably decent vans for a tradesman, but as a van for a courier, they're really quite poor and don't handle the abuse very well.
Park anywhere lights.... LOL! 🤣🤣
My work van is exactly the same as that, same short wheelbase which seems quite uncommon. My work had a whole fleet them, mainly in lwb but mine is the last one they have, and sadly due to be replaced soon (with a transit I think....)
Good vans though imho, only thing mine lacks was ac which would have been nice, though least these don't have the great design feature of a cabin intake plenum above the engine like Mk6 transits, those are fun in summer in heavy traffic......
That side door warning issue was very common, the terminals wear out or get corroded, had to swap out a few over the years.
My step dad had the LWB and his problems are side door latch and he mentioned something about when he indicates left it hyper flashes but its not a blown bulb its something to do with a unit in the steering column but it doesn't bother him. He converted his to a camper
The side door indication on my Mk2 L3 H2 ex NHS bus is the same, the dash is a lot easier on the eye though and the hazard button is in a sensible location. The electrics are far too complex, I suspect that might be a function of making as few looms as possible to suite the many variants.
I drive a 2000 Hiace SBV long wheelbase with over 400000 Kms (200000 miles) and the only problem I've had is that the previous owner put a heavy duty clutch in it which kept destroying the slave cylinder which I remedied in the first fortnight of ownership.
Up in the north around where i live most of the ambulances are fiats, not seen a vauxhall ambulance for a good long while
Ran 4 of them as minibus's. They completely fell to pieces at around 90K, one needed a complete new wiring loom, others has problems electricals and mechanicals etc. Engine and driving experience was OK if you don't mind the body roll and feeling like it's going to roll over, but best avoided really ! there's a reason why lot's of parcel company vans are Mercedes or Ford.
It has the turning circle of a super tanker
I used the Renault version on it and there not bad
Hazards on our Renault Espace are on the ceiling too! Not brilliant when trying to put them on in a hurry
I find totally insane that something as important as a door open alarm would be considered a common problem without being take care of by the manufacturer. You can try cleaning the nubs on the sensors to make sure they make good contact to see if that helps. I hate the fact that you have to open the passenger door to reach and open the fuel door.
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Nice Van! I’d have the Renault version to avoid the Vauxhall badge.