Best Vans

My New Toyota Hiace 2024 – Received the Van earlier than expected December 20 2024 rather than Jan 2025 Great So far so good it handles well although the new apple carplay is… Read more

mainly for gps music messages I'm getting used to it the call sending and receiving is way clearer than old van Sirri is a major player on screen Going to Sydney in a couple of days so will put to the test on fuel economy as I went to Euroa only got 9.5 litres per 100 on fuel economy light load last van we go 12.5l per 100k this one has Barn doors so we can load with fork lift getting used to them also the centre console was a great improvement with drink holders a quad lock system for phones would be good I'd Like to Mention Patterson Cheney they were great with Keeping me posted on my order they went beyond expectation as to sales and after sales Service this is my 5th Van purchased from them service is great they do what they tell you they going to do nothing Else unless they ask me so no unexpected bills Anyway I will do review when I get back on fuel economy and yes ill reset it on start to give it a fair go

I have had, from brand new ( 2014 ) a Hyundai iload with just over 200000klms. I am a bathroom renovator/ tiler by trade so this van cops an absolute… Read more

hiding when it comes to working hard. I can honestly say its been absolutely fantastic. Its constantly loaded with heavy tools, tiles, cement bags and anything else I can fit in. Add to that weight is a trailer loaded with sand and sometimes, concrete blue metal and it just goes with no complaints. Only replaced the aircon compressor last year (2025) and thats it. Regular services with using fully synthetic oil and no genuine issues at all. My brother had a 2010 model that blew its turbo just after 200000klms but other than that, no issues and in the same trade. Cant say why some go the distance and others dont, but personally, I can thoroughly recommend the iload.

By far the worst vehicle I have ever owned. Bought a T4 1997 2.5 Petrol automatic camper conversion (Trakka) with 88,000 kms. Consistent service… Read more

history, owner changed oils every 10K and had receipts of parts being replaced such as tyres. Only it wasn't driven much, perhaps on a couple trips a year. The camper conversion was fantastic! Even fridge and plumbing still fine after 28 years. Sadly, that's about the best I can say about the vehicle.

Within two months and less than 1,000 kms of driving, I already had to replace these components as they were malfunctioning or irreparably faulty:

Refrigerant, Alternator, Battery, Drive belt, Fuel pump, Fuel filter, MAF sensor, O2 sensor, Catalytic converter (!), Transmission fluid and filter, Transmission had a leak - why?, Timing belt (and water pump with it)

And now, it still isn't fully driveable, because the torque converter seems to be on the way out! So after spending over $5K (that was meant to be for fuel) on diagnostics, parts and labour, it sounds like I have to have a whole new transmission. And the air-con compressor may be on the way out. After all the above, I could live with that in comparison.

Positives: it is comfortable to drive. Lots of space in the cabin, comfortable seats, armrest, steers well, turns well. It has that good 'driving experience' which is perhaps VW's best asset. It's hard to enjoy your drive when you're constantly worrying if that sound you're starting to hear is yet another $2,000 part breaking down.

In comparison, I've had an 'unreliable' 2007 Ford Focus for three years and have had done nothing to it other than CV joints, battery and tyres! What a world of difference. After this experience I would never recommend a German car to anyone unless you are just after the prestige. But even then you should get Audi or Mercedes. VW has none of the prestige but all of the cost after you factor in the constant expensive repairs you will be doing.

Still going strong, at approx. 230000kms, we will have this for hopefully another 100,000kms, converted for wheelchair van access and has outlasted… Read more

many other models that people I know have i.e. Kia, it's excellent on diesel fuel as well, very important given the current fuel prices

Bought this people mover brand new from the dealer in August 2025. Never expected that Mercedes-Benz car will be of such a poor quality. In January… Read more

2026 it started notifying that the automatic daytime running light is not working, contact workshop. After sometime it started notifying automatic emergency break assist system is not working. In addition to this I also found that the airconditioning is inadequate. It does not cool quick enough even in moderate temperature. The engine oil level has become half just after running 7000 km and I had to fill 20 litres of adblue. The "Hay Mercedes" voice assistant is completely cr#p. It is beyond imagination that the company will roll it out without testing. The system does not understand most of the voice command and keeps saying " I did not understand you this time. The automatic upper beam system also works at its own mercy and does not provide any meaningful support during night driving. The buttons are harsh and make loud click sound. The automatic assisted parking system misses most of the parking lots and abruptly cancel the parking leaving the driver fumbling with the controls when the vehicle is stalled in awkward position.

Confident car to drive – Bought 313 cdi MWB high roof new in 2017 very happy to drive van smooth and enough power to do the job great on freeway even on windy days has great… Read more

control did good as a locksmith van Only did 15000 kms a year so the service timing was pricey but overall ok with me but if your driving a lot of kms would recommend more regular oil change Good fuel in the van is a good thing no cheap diesel 3 year warranty service is not enough as it passed so quickly now they are offering 5year warranty as it should be overall quality is good compared to other van to choose from

Beware warranty not worth paper it is on – Had issues with new SWB caddy. Injectors and then Catalytic converter. It was new, filled with correct fuel and despite this had to get it towed.… Read more

Dealer claimed it was my fault. Not covered under warranty. Total crap. Despite paying, not fixed. Asked Volkswagen Aust for help with dealer, they just ignored the issue despite shoddy repair and claims of what the issue was. All other warranty issues now invalidated due to this being blamed if anything occurs. Well practiced behavior by Dealer .... and Volkswagen

I bought a Renault master 2016 and u can only select Auto forward gears can't select reverse or neutral or manual modes got checked by transmission… Read more

specialists and found the code no indication of any gears selected found out Gear select damaged said u can just u screw tge 4 screws and unclip the power plug and replace new is $1000 and used is $500 going to try to fix myself will keep u informed how I go and to select reverse on the left of the selector is a slot u put your screwdriver in to push the button to interlock mechanism to change to reverse and then back to forward gears will attach a pic with red circle showing the slot to put put in screwdriver use the front slot.

Rubbish, rubbish, unreliable vehicle. Never buy any ldv vehicles and never trust any dealerships that sell ldv range. I bought a new G10 back in… Read more

early 2021 and nothing but problems. From water leak problems to electrical issues. Battery drains power. (New battery) I have to jump start my car every day. Remote/central locking not working. BCM issues. Took it back to tynan motors service centre (within the 3 yr warranty period) over 14 times and been there around 35 days in total to be fixed and still nothing. They can't fix it. Now I'm left with a lemon and out of pocket to be fixed. DONT TRUST! DONT BUY! Vehicles faulty from manufacture .

This is a review for a 2019 350L 6 speed auto FWD Transit. My boss bought the van new in 2020 for an AusPost run in rural NSW and I then bought it… Read more

from her at 130,000kms when I took over the contract. Initially we both loved the van. Great to drive - comfortable, quiet, plenty of power, handled and drove like a big car. All the mod cons are there - heated seats, heated windscreen and mirrors ( fantastic on winter mornings to de-ice the windscreen ), great view through high mounted rear camera, nice low seating position ( great for reaching letterboxes etc ). Fuel consumption was pretty good for a 2.5 tonne vehicle - 8 litres per 100 km on the highway, rising to 11.5 litres with the stop/start nature of the post run. Tyre and brake use is pretty high - front tyres last around 40,000kms, rears 50,000, and brake pads around 60,000kms - but that’s to be expected with a large van doing stop/start driving at highway speeds. Lots of design details are really well thought out like the way the rear barn doors fold back flat without the big metal stays of the Renault Master, and the 1001 storage pockets in the cabin. All up it was a revelation compared to previous vans (Hiace, iLoad, Master). It even looks pretty good, as far as vans go.

But then the problems started at 50,000kms with a wheel speed sensor intermittently putting the van into limp home mode. Not long after, a DPF sensor failed which meant the filter wasn’t doing a burn. Both annoying but minor issues fixed under warranty. Then the first of five CV joint failures. These are not covered by warranty and at $1000 each (fitted) more than just annoying - not just the cost but the time off the road and hassle of organising a rental etc. My neighbour has a Toyota Corolla with 400,000 on the clock and still has the original CV joints. The Transit on the other hand has now averaged 1 CV joint failure a year since 2020 - hopeless. Then the auto gearbox died at 150,000kms. Valve/solenoid failure apparently. Replaced under warranty, but was off the road for 6 weeks. Ford paid for some, but not all, of the rental van costs. Another CV joint failed at 190,000kms and the wet belt (timing belt) and accessory belt were replaced at 200,000kms (standard maintenance rather than failures, but $2,500.00 nevertheless - why not use a timing chain like every other diesel?). The van was then good until 240,000kms when the gearbox died again. It overheated the transmission oil and contaminated the valve/solenoids. Now out of warranty, it cost just under $5000 to fix and $2000 in rental van costs. None of that covered by Ford. It now drives beautifully again, but for how long?

If you’re going to build a commercial vehicle, make it tough enough to do the job. Surely? I own and run the van. I pay for the fuel, consumables like tyres and brakes and servicing, so there’s zero incentive for me to flog the thing. I service it by the book and treat it with respect. Two dead gearboxes and five CV joint failures is unacceptable. It could be that in lighter duty use, as a camper van etc that it’s a solid and reliable choice, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend testing that theory.

Great to drive, but unreliable in commercial use. NOT recommended

These vehicles would have to be the worst ones on the road today in Australia. Had mine for 10 years now and it has been nothing but headaches and… Read more

trouble for 10 continuous years now. Gearbox problems are its worse defect. The van has been on the road for 10 years and is currently on its third gearbox. And now the gearbox has broken down again. This time it an 'Actuator' will cost $10 K and one has to wait 13 weeks for it to arrive from Italy and then pay $2 K to have it fitted. If its not the gearbox its the diesel injectors or the door keeping on alarming or a host of other problems. In 10 years it has been off the road for repairs for about 2 years of that time. Has cost me thousands in repairs......my mechanic is a happy man though. Conservatively has cost my business $150 in sales. As far as I am concerned ALL FIATS should be towed into a dealers yard ( well I would be surprised if it drove there ) then doused in petrol and had a match chucked on it......thats all they are good for......a giant candle. Well once bitten twice shy now I am wrecking a vehicle with 130 K on the clock has never been driven hard but is utterly useless. . And it will never see the road again. A WARNING TO ANY PROSPECTIVE BUYER......STAY WELL AWAY FROM A FIAT. THEY ARE COMPLETE AND TOTAL RUBBISH.

Being a cheaper built commercial van I wasn't expecting it to be the best but I used a few for work 12hrs or more a day on the road and I wouldn't… Read more

recommend it commercially, private use there fine but I had a list of things that went wrong within the first 100,000km of use. And it happened to 3 out of the 4 I had on the road as a courier but they do have good things aswell but there better for private use where there not getting hammered on the road 12hrs a day

There are pros and cons to these vans. Overall in my experience, I would never buy a VW again. I purchased this van (RWD, LWB) to replace my 2020… Read more

Mercedes Benz Sprinter as I change vehicles approx every 4 years.

What attracted me to the VW was the fact it was over $20,000 cheaper than a new merc. It didn’t take me long to realise why…

Cons: - worst turning circle of any vehicle I’ve ever driven - noticeably worse fuel economy compared to the merc despite the same size engine - Apple car play doesn’t work properly & half your callers can’t hear you at all. - worst reverse camera I’ve ever seen - much lower undercarriage clearance than the merc - 8 speed auto transmission can’t work out what gear it wants - service intervals are twice that of merc

Besides that and compared to the merc, they aren’t as comfortable to drive and the engine is noisier. The last merc sprinter I owned (516 LWB, 2020 model) had 200,000km on it and it was still more comfortable and enjoyable to drive than the brand new VW.

Expect to be doing 3 point turns at roundabouts if you own one of these vans. To think a vehicle manufacturer that has been around as long as VW still don’t know how to make a van with a proper turning circle makes no sense to me. It becomes obvious when approaching some of the smaller roundabouts that I won’t make it.. I then have to dangerously hold up traffic as I attempt a 3 point turn to get around it - something I’ve never had to experience on any van before of any brand. Can you imagine doing this with a trailer attached?

I have been told the Renault Master is also bad in terms of turning circle, but I can’t speak from experience as to whether it’s better or worse than the VW. Just know that this is a real and extremely frustrating thing with the VW. I constantly misjudge reversing into driveways even though I drive the van most days - the turning circle is just so bad I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it.

One of the first things I noticed with this van was the fuel gauge going down noticeably faster than the merc. After looking into it, I realised that the main cause is the fact it revs between 100-300RPM more than the merc at any given speed. Over time, this adds up significantly with fuel consumption.

Facts: - At 80km/h, VW sits @ 1800+rpm while the merc sprinter sits comfortably @ 1700rpm. - At 100km/h, VW sits @ 2200rpm while the merc is @ 2000rpm. - At 110km/h, VW sits @ 2500rpm while the merc sits @ 2250rpm. - At 115km/h, VW sits @ 2600rpm while the merc sits at 2300rpm.

Another extremely frustrating thing with these vans is the Apple car play system. Every second caller can’t hear me at all - it’s got to the point where I have to answer the phone asking “hello can you hear me”?. Once I realise they can’t, I’m forced to use the phones loud speaker to take the call. You can imagine how annoying this is. After speaking with other VW owners and VW dealership themselves, I’m told it’s a common problem and they are too dumb to know how to fix it. The mercs apple car play was faultless.

The reverse camera displays a very low quality image. Very unclear. The worst I’ve seen in any branded vehicle. Useless cr#p pops up on the screen every time I use reverse making it even more annoying.

Expect the towbar to scrape people’s driveways or the undercarriage to get stuck on a driveway with a small hump. This causes damage to the van and the driveway. Another problem I never encountered with the merc even when it was loaded heavier than the VW. You also can't open the rear barn doors when a trailer is attached - it hits the hitch handle! Some of the dumb things VW have done in the making of these vans is laughable.

You’d think the 8 speed auto would be more state of the art than the 7 speed the merc has to offer. The VW’s is cr#p. Can’t decide what gear it wants up hills and keeps changing trying to work out what it wants. If I compare this to the Merc, night & day difference. The mercs gear changes are very precise and quick. Knows what gear it needs and wastes no time in getting there.

VW crafter service intervals are 20,000km. Merc sprinters are 40,000km.

I quickly realised the $20,000+ saving I thought I was getting when buying the VW was not a saving at all. By the time I minus the extra fuel consumption & service intervals over the next 4 years, I’m probably worse off.

As for the pros of this van, I can say that mechanically it is better/more reliable than the Merc so far. In each of the 3 sprinters i owned, I had engine issues before the 15,000km point. As I write this, the VW has 21,000km on it and I have experienced no engine issues at all. I prefer the VW dash as it is more simple without all the annoying buttons when all you want is a simple feature.

The VW also has 12v sockets in the cargo area where the merc doesnt.

That’s about it. I will edit & add more to this over the next few years with updated info specifically on the engine & reliability. If I get a lengthy amount of kilometres out of the engine trouble-free, I’ll upgrade my rating to 3 stars max. Due to the major inconveniences mentioned above, the bad outweighs the good in all other areas.

UPDATE FEB 2026 Surprisingly, it's just hit 60,000km and the engine hasn't missed a beat. The only benefit i have found with this van over the Sprinter is the fact it's more reliable. Having said that, i've just ordered another Sprinter i am done with VW. The turning circle & Apple car play is enough for me to get rid of this after just over a year of ownership. The reverse camera too.

I have 2x iveco dailys 2013 and 2018 ..got over 300000k on them with few little issues . The auto trans is the way to go ..I have deleted the emissions and remap . They got really well. I will be buying more from brian Boyce at black trucks Show details