Anyone have a vito, if so would you recommend it? What is the mpg like?

I'm looking at getting one as I need to move onto van caging as a car is just not big enough now but still need 4/5 seats and vito's seem like the best option.

I dont have a huge budget so van will be several years old...

Thanks

I have a Merc Vito and absolutely love it :-) However, I have to admit I haven't dared to work out the mpg. I spent 18 months going round comps eyeing up vans & could never understand why no one could tell me the mpg of their vans. Now I know why. It's a means to an end! Like you, I out grew a car, and the only option is a van. Does it matter the mpg?! Yes, in truth it does, but I can't transport me & doggies around any other way so ....

I know I wont be doing much more than 40mpg overall :-(  In my estate I was getting 50-55 mpg!!!

I bought my van from a company specialising in ex-lease Mercs. So it was just 2 1/2 years old and in very good condition, serviced regularly.

The only downer I have for the Vito is the fact it's rear wheel drive. The majority of the time it's not a problem, until ... the slightest inkling of snow. For the slippiest road conditions you need the weight over the drive wheels, I have 6 collies in the back and they don't offer any weight for snowy conditions. Still, the last couple of years it's only been a few weeks of the years, so I'm happy to put up and shut up.

You will no doubt get people popping on saying NOOOOO don't get a vito, this person or that person says this that or the other. Having been an owner for 2 1/2 years, I am saying ... I LOVE MY VITO :-) I have had no problems at all with my Vito - 'cept for one of the sliding doors which was sorted out under warranty ...

BTW I am a bog standard van, with just the 3 front seats. However, I know plenty of Vito owners with rear seats added and they love theirs too :-)

I was hell bent on the idea of getting one until I started van sharing to shows with my girls breeder. She has one and having the 3 seats up front I can say they aren't that comfy for long distances. As for MPG, shockingly poor!! To Stafford show ground and back to the south coast was £70, We paid the same amount to Builth Wells and back in a Ford Transit, which may not have all the gadgets and look nice, it was much comfier and obviously better on fuel economy

There, told you :-D

Lol, however I do still like them, if money were no object i'd get one and make sure I had the 2 seats up front and they were the comfy ones, and a dual liner so has the side windows, makes it cheaper at toll roads ;-)

Lol, however I do still like them, if money were no object i'd get one and make sure I had the 2 seats up front and they were the comfy ones, and a dual liner so has the side windows, makes it cheaper at toll roads ;-)

Thanks for the feedback. I realise alot of it comes down to personal opinion...hence me asking :) I do NEED a van now, im upto 4 with a 5th later in the year/early next year and one of them is a GSD so there is no room at the inn for anymore dogs in the car and considering I do travel up and down the country to shows its essential.

>I know I wont be doing much more than 40mpg overall :-(  In my estate I was getting 50-55 mpg!!!

That is actually music to my ears....my volvo  does 20mpg...on a good day!!!!

> I realise alot of it comes down to personal opinion...hence me asking

Try a test drive.  We took a VW transporter out for a drive recently from a custom fit company (Transporterland).  You can get a range of different seats to suit your bottom and your budget - I expect the Vito is the same.

I was quite impressed by the comfort but it's not really what we want to do at this time so we didn't pursue it - just thinking about it gave me wallet cramps though as we looked at one with a double bed which would have cost 2.5k for the bed/back seat alone! :) 

Van wise for good engines my Dad (retired Car mechanic who still does his own and freinds cars/vans) recomends Merc Sprinter and Fiat Ducato.

Thanks, the sprinter is a bit big, the problem I have with other vans is finding one with 4/5 seats. Not easy.

What about the VW Caravelle? It has front wheel drive so very good in the snow and ice... It was the only van which got along my old road in these conditions.. Same as the Transporter but with rear seats and windows..

It's worth looking on these sites:

http://www.agilitynet.co.uk/clutch/fleamarket.htm

and

http://www.obedienceuk.net/eShop/tabid/85/uc/main/action/cat/parentID/1/Default.aspx

In fact, there's a 5 seater van for sale on the 2nd site - Fiat Scudo. May have done high mileage for the price, but might be worth looking at. The older Fiat Scudo/Peugeot Expert/Citroen Dispatch worth looking at - they're front wheel drive and really nice to drive. Not driven the newer style but didn't like the new design anyway.

If you can get a van already kitted out with cages you'll make a big saving. My van as I said was ex lease. Nice condition, but it's a bog standard white van. It was partially ply lined, but I fully ply lined it, insulated with sheeps wool, painted it all white inside, carpetted it, then had the £1,000 worth of caging fitted into it too. So I added quite a bit to my initial cost of van purchase with additionals and quite a lot of time. I'd been pestering a lady at obedience comps to sell me her Dispatch ... she was considering it & looking at newer vans, but when it came down to it I needed one NOW rather than in the 6-8 months time she was looking at swopping. So if at comps, worth asking if people are likely to be selling!

When it comes down to it, it's going to be how much money you can spend (which is why the VW transporter was ruled out for me, at the time, an equivalent to the van I got would have cost a good £1,500 more :-O) and if it is going to be your only form of transport. My van is my only vehicle. The only thing I would say if you do end up heading for a Vito, I've got the 109 ... I hope one day to have another Vito but it'll be the next one up, think the 111. Whilst my fuel consumption is reasonable on motorways, where I live it's very hilly, & I don't think we do so well.

I could probably send you some figures to work out how much mpg I get in my Vito - yes, I have them written down somewhere ... but I really don't want to know. It's a means to an end, I can't manage with a car & I'm not entirely sure I'll be happy with the mpg I'm getting - I'm hoping it's around 40mpg. No, I haven't even worked out the capacity of my fuel tank 'cause then I could work out the mpg!!! But let me know if you want the figures to do the sums yourself, I'll look out my little book :-)  (It did frustrate me so much when I spoke with van owners at comps and not one of them could tell me the mpg ... I now understand why - scared!).

I recently bought a secondhand vito dualiner so it has 3 seats in back as well. I love it. MPG is probabaly about 40 or so on a run, less when pottering around locally. I love it. we travelled to Amsterdam and back with 5 of us and 4 dogs, very comfy and driving carefully not mega heavy on fuel. Because it is more .car' than van it is probabaly more comfy. I have spent £1000 to have back fitted out and in reality could accommodate upto 8 dogs (german pointer size) Then you can car share to shows.Till then I just loved my Fiat Doblo but this is nicer . Have heard about the rear wheel drive but not experienced it in snow yet
We also have had a scudo van in the past but to be honest I did not find it very comfy on long journeys.

Snow socks is what you need for the snow :-) Made a huge difference to where I could actually get to in my van (they really are rubbish ... if you cram in 8 St Bernards you might be ok, but my 6 collies just don't carry enough weight :-D ), that's if it's not heavy enough for chains (expensive and fiddly). Winter tyres also make a big difference, but more expensive than the snow socks!

What are snow socks?

They're fabric round thingies you put on your driving wheels to give you 'grip' :-D

http://www.autosock.co.uk/

Various different makes but they all do the same thing. They really do work!

We put snow tyres on our Skoda Octavia (goodyears) and it copes like our old Nissan  4x4 (obviously without the clearance) on snow and slush - (we are highland perthshire and also use it to access Scottish ski centres).  We found them not too much more expensive once you make the initial outlay, we simply swap the tyres around in October and then back again in April.  We tried snow socks but, tbh, I found them a bit of a pfaff to put on and off......but I am, to say the least, not the most practical person in the world lol!

These are snow socks

http://www.snowchains.co.uk/snowchains/Weissenfels+WeissSock+Snowsock/?gclid=COPLh57prq0CFYuIfAod8UKRng   These are the ones we have used

http://www.autosock.co.uk/

Thanks, I'm regularly keeping a lookout on agilitynet and obuk, the scudo you mention, I have been in touch with the lady selling and its not for me unfortunately.

The more vitos I look at the more I like them. Mpg isnt the be and end all as like I said my volvo does 20mpg so anything up on that is a bonus! And like you say, I do need the room, a car just isnt big enough anymore.

If you have a five seater there is still l;oads of leg room. Even with my crates fitted ther is a large gap behind seats wher another dog or lots of luggage can go. I am told the vito engine is the same as VW transporter too but they are a bit cheaper. I was apprehensive at the thought of driving it cos its bigger than Doblo but its cool, really tight on the turn too.

Just to say a friend of mine bought a vito van and added extra seats but it did invole some welding I think as there are no runners in the van to install them

We had one, lovely van but cost so much as in services, parts etc, now we have a 6 seat transit. Hubby said he definately prefers the transit for running costs etc but the vito was more comfy. So i suppose its what you'd want to pay out in the future??

What about the newer model Peugeot Expert?  I have a Doblo and as much as I like the room and higher driving position, I know mine is starting to wilt and I need something else, probably bigger.  I like the look of the VW Caddy Maxi too.

> I have a Doblo and as much as I like the room and higher driving position, I know mine is starting to wilt and I need something else, probably bigger. 

I've got the new Doblo maxi and its huge. I love mine,had it caged out into 4 compartments and even my big lad has plenty of room in it.

I liked the look of the VW Caddy Maxi too ... think probably more economical on fuel. When I got my van they were too new so none 2nd hand :( Not sure whether you'd get decent sized 2 up 2 down caging in though, would you? Not much difference in height but quite a bit narrower than Vito & similar.

Another one you might want to consider is a Ford Transit Connect? I know someone with this, just the van, you can get a combi (with rear seats) version, I'm pretty sure, and as she has the long wheel base model the roof height is greater, she's got 2up 2down caging in. Must admit I ditched the Connect early on - sorry, just didn't like the shape :(