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Who cares, as long as it's XL? 
Van
- Thread starter securespark
- Start date
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- Joined
- 11 Jan 2004
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- Reaction score
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- Country
Well, I've done the deed. Went up to Windermere last week with the Transit and dropped off.
Went back this AM with a Crafter and did the pick-up. Both journeys were just over 200 miles.
The Crafter is more economical, using £34.56 worth of diesel, against £41.10 for the Tranny, but the Crafter is bigger and heavier. There's a surprise. On both journeys, I did not exceed 2500 rpm and let go of the right-hand pedal going downhill, trying to save a bit more.
The latter trick worked much better when the van was full!!
The Crafter is also longer. Our flagpole just fitted in the Tranny using the deadspace over the cab. In the Crafter, it fitted in fine with space to spare and there is no over-cab void in the Crafter.
The only thing that weed me off (and it would wee me off big time if I drove one full-time) is the handbrake. In vans like the old Transit, the handbrake was a stretch, but you only needed to release the handbrake and let go and it would drop to the floor and be fully off. In the Crafter, you drop the handbrake then move off. Immediately, there's a beeping noise. Looking down, you find the handbrake warning light on the dash is on: it needs to drop a little more to be fully off. Arrrghh!!
And while on site, neither van like reversing up slight gradients on loose gravelly tracks. I ended up turning round in a tight clearing. No mean feat in a van that length...
The Tranny has more cupholders, but seeing as I don't guzzle hot drinks, that don't bother me!
But all in all, the Crafter impressed more.
Thought this might be useful if anyone looks this up because they're thinking of hiring or buying one of these vans.
Went back this AM with a Crafter and did the pick-up. Both journeys were just over 200 miles.
The Crafter is more economical, using £34.56 worth of diesel, against £41.10 for the Tranny, but the Crafter is bigger and heavier. There's a surprise. On both journeys, I did not exceed 2500 rpm and let go of the right-hand pedal going downhill, trying to save a bit more.
The latter trick worked much better when the van was full!!
The Crafter is also longer. Our flagpole just fitted in the Tranny using the deadspace over the cab. In the Crafter, it fitted in fine with space to spare and there is no over-cab void in the Crafter.
The only thing that weed me off (and it would wee me off big time if I drove one full-time) is the handbrake. In vans like the old Transit, the handbrake was a stretch, but you only needed to release the handbrake and let go and it would drop to the floor and be fully off. In the Crafter, you drop the handbrake then move off. Immediately, there's a beeping noise. Looking down, you find the handbrake warning light on the dash is on: it needs to drop a little more to be fully off. Arrrghh!!
And while on site, neither van like reversing up slight gradients on loose gravelly tracks. I ended up turning round in a tight clearing. No mean feat in a van that length...
The Tranny has more cupholders, but seeing as I don't guzzle hot drinks, that don't bother me!
But all in all, the Crafter impressed more.
Thought this might be useful if anyone looks this up because they're thinking of hiring or buying one of these vans.
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