VW Buzz

I think that will be a huge success. Cool styling, eco credentials and so different to the vast majority of alternatives.

I am sure it will be a huge success. And whilst people run their petrol generator at a campsite, having driven their eco-wagon there, they can also charge up their batteries. The ultimate range extender campervan.... 

But like blarno I don' really get campers in general. Not just VW, but all of them. They seem to incorporate the worst aspects of camping - so small inside that you're basically living in the tented area attached to it, with none of the "advantages" (and I use that word carefully) of a caravan as you can't jump in a car and go somewhere from the campsite. 

So, they're cool for beach days and somewhere you can walk or cycle everywhere from, but then I'm struggling. 

Yep. This vs a Galaxy or Sharan. It's a no brainer.

I might be a country man at heart but these do nothing for me.

However, I get that many others go ga-ga for them. My brother-in-law, for instance, is a large blonde labrador of a man, and he is (unlike me) absolutely the sort of person who sees the countryside as one giant sports activity playground to be energetically invaded at the weekend laden with small children, tents, bikes, wetsuits, surfboards and half the contents of the nearest Decathlon, no matter the weather. I bet he'll love it.

Soon to be buzzing all over Cornwall.

Quite agree regarding Transits. If I needed a van, it would absolutely be a Ford Transit. I don't quite agree on the fact Transporters are awful to drive as the few I have driven have been OK, especially my mate's 57 plate 170k miler, which we drove to Paris and back in 24hrs to collect a load of percussion instruments, about 4 years ago. That munched the miles very well and was fine in the Paris evening rush hour.

I think the jointly-developed Transporter and Transit are due out late next year.

Yes, but they call them SUVs to feel more comfortable with their decision.

There's still a big difference between an MPV and an SUV - SUV's squander their height "advantage" for one thing, by having a raised floor.

Don’t you mean crossovers rather than SUV’s?  I still can’t believe you bought a Kuga rather than a Galaxy…..

If Ford had made a modern equivalent of the 2001 Galaxy that I had previously owned I'd have been tempted. The "problem" is that the Galaxy has grown so much it wouldn't fit in my garage, and it also went over to seats that fold into the floor rather than ones that could be taken out.... so loading weight was compromised. I had around 150 bricks in my old Galaxy at one point when part of the garden wall needed rebuilding, no problem as it had a strong, flat floor with the 5 rear seats taken out.  The Kuga was an unintended purchase brought on by a very good deal from the dealer and the fact that I was getting fed up with washing the C-Max daily.... I hope I never have another white car!

Ford do make a range of Transits that would carry the bricks you need to cart around do often, Chris. Many of them can even be hired at reasonable daily rates.

I don’t understand it either.   Thankfully my house-proud wife likes and appreciates a clean car plus helps by keeping it that way, she even takes the mats out and shakes them regularly.   She used to wash hers every couple of weeks, but since we’ve lived together that’s been my job along with most things outside such as mowing the lawn, cutting the hedges etc.    It’s a deal that works well in my favour, as I find cleaning the car therapeutic (I don’t need daily therapy though….every couple of weeks is fine!) and haven’t needed to use an iron in years or do much more than simple tidying and emptying the dishwasher, that’s partly because we get a weekly clean done but she still cleans bathrooms in between and the Robot Vacuum cleaner does a daily sweep plus mops every couple of days.

Agree on the Transit being the best van.
Mrs Tim and I drove a Citroen Relay down to Czech last summer and had to stop after about 40 miles to nip in to Tesco to buy some cheap pillow to help with seat comfort.
The fixed rake passenger seats were especially tortuous.

The Merc Sprinter we took down to the Lake District was less bad but still not great.

Conversely I've never had any issues in a Transit.

Transits are number 1 for a reason, they're the best in terms of VFM and driving quality (Which is vital when you spend hours a day driving) and they're not subject to scene tax.

I have a friend who runs a camper conversion company, his 2 favourite vans for conversions are Transits and Renault Masters as Transporters are just too expensive.