Recommend me a true MPV, for passengers, camping and cargo

[Squiggs]

Okay, I'm after suggestions. What I want is a vehicle that will do the lot - I want a vehicle to do the following:

 

 

1. To carry passengers, for use as a car (5 seats are enough, but other removable seats are okay)
   
2. To use as a van - enough space to load roughly a pallet in the back. This won't be at the same time as carrying passengers so if seats fold up or remove that's fine
   
3. To use as an occasional camper. Whether that's seats that fold down to make a bed or seats that fold up or remove to give enough room for an airbed and sleeping bag/s on the floor, that's fine
   

 

It has to be non-modified and not a minibus - I did agree to purchase an LDV pilot minibus with the back rows of seats removed but that opened up a world of modified minibus insurance - with business use that was approaching £1K pa so was a no-no

 

It doesn't have to be a performance vehicle - my main transport is a recumbent pedal powered trike, this is only to be used for weekend jaunts into the peak district, the occasional few days away in the lakes etc, 1 trip a week to the cash and carry. Probably doing 6000 miles a year tops

 

The Nissan Serena ticks a lot of boxes but I am aware they are noisy, slow and a struggle in wind. The old Post Office LDV crewbuses are another option but I'd rather keep on car insurance rather than van if possible - though twin rear doors are a plus for potential forklift loading of a pallet rather than a liftback (not my biggest concern)

 

Prefer a diesel - also prefer something serviceable - the Kia Sedona is offputting being a budget "modern" vehicle, I'd take older serviceable technology over comfort and trim level

 

So, any suggestions of vehicles to consider? Hyundai Trajet - is that more "basic" than the Sedona for instance?

 

Oh, and budget is around £2500 (though less is better -lol) - don't want to spend a lot for something that isn't going to get daily use

[speedypete0]

toyota estima 2.2 diesel very versatile seating?

[tinfoilhat]

Hard not to look past a van to be honest, pretty much any van. That said you could get a kangoo or even better a berlingo with seats and windows even though they ate based on a van they are, I think, classed as cars rather than vans.

 

Failing that an old land rover defender 110. £2.5k won't by you anything younger than about 20 years (bear in mind LEZ is you plan on traveling to London.) but parts are cheap as chips.

[Shogun]

Have a look at a Mitsubishi Delica 4x4 the 2,8 diesel ones are the best ones.

[Number Six]

A Fiat Multipla. 1900 litres of space with the three back seats out, and a flat floor that's about 5ft square. 500kg load capacity from memory.

 

When you have the seats in you have 6 full size, individually adjustable seats. The boot is fairly decent sized with them all in, but for camping you might want to whip the middle rear out for a bit more room. Some ideas of how you can arrange the seats (with pictures) here http://www.fiatforum.com/multipla/274158-versatility-multipla-seat-positions.html

 

The flat area in the back is not quite long enough to get an air bed in, sadly, but you I can lie flat in ours on the diagonal - I'm 6ft. The front nearside seat only has four bolts holding it on though, so that's pretty quick and easy to remove for longer loads or if you are really tall.

 

I can get 50+mpg out of mine on a run without problems, and high 30's / low 40's around town. And you can buy one for almost nothing. They are shorter than a Golf, so they're easy to park too (although they are a bit wide) I don't know why everyone doesn't have one.

[Muldoon]

A Fiat Multipla. 1900 litres of space with the three back seats out, and a flat floor that's about 5ft square. 500kg load capacity from memory.

 

When you have the seats in you have 6 full size, individually adjustable seats. The boot is fairly decent sized with them all in, but for camping you might want to whip the middle rear out for a bit more room. Some ideas of how you can arrange the seats (with pictures) here http://www.fiatforum.com/multipla/274158-versatility-multipla-seat-positions.html

 

The flat area in the back is not quite long enough to get an air bed in, sadly, but you I can lie flat in ours on the diagonal - I'm 6ft. The front nearside seat only has four bolts holding it on though, so that's pretty quick and easy to remove for longer loads or if you are really tall.

 

 

 

I can get 50+mpg out of mine on a run without problems, and high 30's / low 40's around town. And you can buy one for almost nothing. They are shorter than a Golf, so they're easy to park too (although they are a bit wide) I don't know why everyone doesn't have one.

 

I second that Number 6. I hired one to go to Anglessay camping, it had three people, 3 dogs, the tent and all the beds and bits and bobs. Lovely comfortable ride and a pleasure to drive. Goddam ugly but fantastic motor.

[Number Six]

I second that Number 6. I hired one to go to Anglessay camping, it had three people, 3 dogs, the tent and all the beds and bits and bobs. Lovely comfortable ride and a pleasure to drive. Goddam ugly but fantastic motor.

 

I'd agree re the looks although they are growing on me - the 'broken nose' on the pre-facelift ones mean that the main beam lights are higher up than on most cars so they are brilliant. And of course the more people think it is ugly, the cheaper it is and the less likely it is to be stolen There are only 3 of us so it's perfect if we need to shift big things as nobody has to travel with half a chest of drawers and a bicycle banging into them at every corner.

 

I've just had a quick google on dimensions because 5ft square sounded a bit big, and I think it's fair to say that it's more reliably 4 1/2 ft wide and 5ft long, depending on where you measure - it's not quite square because of the wheel arches which intrude, albeit minimally. Still plenty of room for a full size euro pallet (120 x 100 in the largerst size) or ISO pallet (48 inch x 40 inch)

 

Also - total payload including passengers is 680kg.

Edited February 27, 2012 by Number Six

[Lucyjackson]

Renault Scenic

[medusa]

The seats are quite hard to remove in a Scenic though, which does limit your boot capacity a bit (I know you can pull them up vertically behind the front row of seats, but it does eat into the available space a bit if you're trying to get a pallet in the back). It works fairly well with the seats folded flat though.

[Phanerothyme]

I've never owned any of these, but having travelled in a Multipla carrying cargo, it's a brilliant vehicle in many ways. Ease of access getting awkward loads in and out is a big plus.

 

And the ugliness factor is a big pull. Ugly on the outside, but you're on the inside where you can get a great view of everyone wincing at it.