Efficiency of vans?

clv101

clv101

clv101

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Looking at any car comparison website or the manufactures sites, it's easy to see the mpg of cars and compare them. The same data doesn't seem as easy to find for vans.

The T5 is available with five different 2.0 TDI engines ranging from 84 to 180PS, with 5, 6 or 7 speed boxes, with or without 4-wheel drive and in SWB or LWB. Loads of numbers on the websites but no mpg figures!

Surely from a commercial point of view this is useful information - why isn't it provided? What kind of efficiency does a 2800 kg 2.0TDI 140PS SWB T5 return? That same engine in a 1500 kg Golf will return 70mpg on a run - what would the T5 return?
 
a lot less than the Golf tbh.

Bear in mind the 2800kg is its max weight with a load, it will weigh a fair bit less empty.

Ultimately they have the aerodynamics of a brick and that is what hits the MPG most.

A workmate has a blinged up T5,a 180 from the badge on it,and,as is the scene for some daft reason, its got the silly bling all over it - he's constantly bemoaning its crap economy.

I presume he thinks because its a diesel it'll do 50+MPG

As far as MPG figures are concerned you'll struggle to find figures as they are designed to pull a payload in various configurations, you may find figures in road tests / reviews on some sites I'd have thought.
 
Used to get circa 30-35mpg from a swb transit with no / a pretty light load if that is in any way useful (you're talking new vans, 8 years ago).

I doubt more modern engines have improved that much or at all - for an empty SWB T5, lets say 140 I'd be surprised if you could better that by much, if at all
 
Tbh I don't think they bother listing mpg as any person with a van will include fuel expenses in the prices they quote for the job they do.
 
tummelv said:
Tbh I don't think they bother listing mpg as any person with a van will include fuel expenses in the prices they quote for the job they do.
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That's a very good reason to know the fuel expense. A more efficient van allows lower quotes!
 
tummelv said:
Tbh I don't think they bother listing mpg as any person with a van will include fuel expenses in the prices they quote for the job they do.
Click to expand...

I'm sure the manufacturers will have MPG figures listed somewhere, fuel economy - especially with large fleets - will often be the deciding factor that could clinch an order.

As I said in my earlier post though, the figures will vary massively depending on configuration of the vehicle and would only be a rough ballpark figure.

To be taken with a pinch of salt, pretty much as you do with cars!
 
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Hidden away, not included in the data tables like with the VW car website site, I've found the efficiency data:
https://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/fleet/reduce-your-costs/fuel-efficient-vans/

So the 104PS standard Transporter is returning 37.7mpg combined, the BlueMotion version increased that to 44.8mpg. the Golf the same engine will be getting around 60mpg combined. I guess as a rule of thumb you can expect a T5 to use around 50% more fuel than a car with a similar engine. Does that sound reasonable?
 
i use to drive a t5 2.0 for work quite often and it got around 30-35mpg. it was very slow and because of that it was hammered constantly. They were pretty uncomfortable too but that was because i am tall and use to try and sleep in them.
 
Muffin` said:
http://vanfueldata.dft.gov.uk/vehicles.aspx
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Interesting.

Now, admittedly my 30 year old VW T3 Diesel couldn't pull the skin off a cup of cold tea, let alone a custard. She is however loaded "Plimsoll Down" and yet I can still get low to mid 30's urban.

However, despite 30 years of technical development, these modern VW vehicles don't even come close! :eek:

Customers often ask why I don't get myself a new van. Seems that this is yet another reason to keep my old one going methinks!
 
I work with some one who has a vito 116 cdi 176bhp 2.2 and can get 40mpg motorway driving if he sticks to 60, but round town its about 30mpg
 
My work van is a vw transporter and get around 25 to 28mpg with ladders on the roof and quite a lot of weight onboard. It's a T28 blue motion if this helps
 
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