I am in the market for a VW camper and was wondering which engine is the better ,the 1.9 or 2.5 6 speed ,also anybody have any idea of fuel consumption and reliability of both models .

To save adding another VW Transporter thread 1 from me if you don't mind. How easy is it to fit bikes in the van with a rock n roll bed down at night?

To save adding another VW Transporter thread 1 from me if you don't mind. How easy is it to fit bikes in the van with a rock n roll bed down at night?

In my non-professional opinion – No way could you have the R&R down and fit bikes in.

agree – there's no space in our T4 for bikes inside with the rock and roll bed out. The long wheelbase version may be a better bet, but I doubt it.

looking at VW forums
1.9 roughly 33 to 38mpg
2.5 roughly 26 to 30mpg

They all say the 1.9 is the one to buy.

I have the 2.5 174 and it will cruise fully loaded at 80 and do about 27 – 30ish mpg I should think, but when I need to I can overtake slower vehicles as it has plenty of poke so am happy with that trade off as it makes it more fun to drive it's also very comfortable on a long run.

Do a search for campers and stuff on the forum plenty of past posts about getting bikes in and various solutions.

>They all say the 1.9 is the one to buy.

Not to mention becuase the engines are a little more robust (tho' dual mass flywheels seem to be a consumable, albeit an expensive one…)

I would think the 1.9 is underpowered, I had a 2.4 5 cylinder (Non turbo)several years ago, as long as you dont want to drive like a prat and treat it as a long term work horse its fantastic, so on those grounds go with the 2.5 and I think at some point power wise they have a 5 cylinder in the range, go with that, its a very smooth motor.

agree – there's no space in our T4 for bikes inside with the rock and roll bed out.

Pop on the front seats?

Ive got 1 of each 1.9 and 2.5×174, id go with the big one if your doing long journeys and loaded, i do a lot of long trips and the 2.5 is lurvely to drive and has a lot of power when needed, they have both been reliable, 2.5 is a bit dearer to run tho, and the 1.9 does struggle on a long hills when loaded, but for shorter journeys is great.
Dimmadam, why not get a tow bar fitted with a rack, lock and bike cover.

1.9 is just too weedy and needs thrashing. The 2.5 (in T4 form but even more so with the T5) is a cracking engine and copes with the van's weight much better. You'll get similar mpg because the 2.5 doesn't have to work nearly as hard.

I've owned and run both 1.9 102bhp and 2.5 130bhp versions. The 2.5 would do 40mpg per tank driven sensibly a the 1.9 is very similar tho my best from it is 42mpg despite it having 163k on the clock. The 1.9 is just coming up to needing the clutch and flywheel changing for the first time at 163k as well. How long they last seems to be mainly about how they are driven.

Reliability wise both have their issues, the 2.5 is gear cam so no chains or belts to change but there are problems with driveshafts an injector seals going causing fuel pump/turbo problems. The 1.9's generally seem to be more reliable.

The 2.5 was nicer and more relaxing to drive but theres not a huge amount in it. If you have any other specific questions feel free to email me.

Got a T4 2.5 and had no problems with it at all(touch wood)for the year and a bit I've owned it. Pleanty of poke as they say when you need it but as a rule I'm a pretty sedate driver.
Couple of mates have had theirs for a few years and all are happy.
I've got a raised three quarter size futon in the back that extends out to full size. The bikes are happy stashed underneath and on the front seat when needs be.

T5 2.5 issues are:
water pump failure
breaking drive shafts\diffs due to the power

If I was getting another T5, it'd be a 1.9.
2.5 good in a T4 though

Remap the 1.9 and get a bit more power and economy

Be careful when remapping it can sometimes bite you in the balls not all the internal components in the lower powered engine are designed to take the extra stress produced by remapping. Though on the brightside if you go for it it doesn't affect mpg much.

Are you sure you can't get bikes in with a R&R bed?
I could get a couple with front wheels raised in between passenger and drivers seat with a normal fold out bed, rock and roll isn't much longer is it? Or just take front wheels out.

May have to try to find someone with one and have a mess around!

What if the bed was down the side with no cabinets?

Can't get bikes in and bed down – pah! We have a T5 have 2 bikes in the back side on, a ply 'headboard' and rock and roll bed which can go down full length no problem. When I had the bed fitted I put the bikes in the back to get the position right. If anyone can host a few pictures i'll pop out and get some photos?

I just sold my 2005 t5 after a run of clutch dmf random electrics problem stuttering and then final straw to complete the full house was drivers side driveshaft. It was the 1.9tdi. Has enough poke when loaded but you will have to ring it's neck a bit. I was lucky that I came out slightly up on my sale despite the costs of breakages. Probably unlucky but I wouldn't go there again. Back to using the tent etc which for me works as well. Driving it every day was a ballache compared to a car.

The 102ps 1.9 is powerful enough, just. You need a fair bit of room to overtake anything. Very tempted to get a remap done on it. With a camper interior a 102 would be pretty slow even if you thrash it.

I'll see if I can get these pis to work, I kitted out the interior myself from scratch, audi TT leather seats on swivel bases (too a bit of modification) IKEA units and work top, leisure battery, LED lighting, spot lights etc, its the 2.5 130 and a bit, goes quite well, is eating tyres with my driving!

outside

carpetting

bed down

bed up

both swivel

fits 2 bikes with front wheels off, room for both wheels in boot

2.5 TDi T4 here, plenty quick enough, 90,000 miles and going strong (touch wood).

2.5 T4 Multivan here. We just put the bikes on the front seats if they need to be stored in the van when the (full width) bed is down

I can get 4 bikes in mine easily, while in the double bed. It does have an elevating roof mind.

It's a 2.5 which means loads of poke to get past slow movers up lakeland hills. something over 30mpg on back roads to work, so should be better on motorways.

If you are going for a T4 i'd recommend the 2.5 TDI ( 102 PS )

I've got a T5 174 PS at the moment with 150k on the clock. dasnutis absolutely right about the faults i've had a drive shaft and the water pump go. Other than that it been totally reliable and i get a consistent 35-37 mpg driving with a half a ton of gear on board all the time. Perhaps the 2.5 130 PS would be a good compromise.

cheers for replies keep them coming ,I think I will start looking at the 2.5 lwb versions then as I will be using it for euro Alp trips with the family and 3+ bikes also live up north in a hilly area ,I have a focus tdci at the minute so I am going to miss the economy but the extra room should make up for it ,anybody use roof bars with thule carriers on reimo pop up roofs ?

As far as the bikes are concerned, no way are you getting two bikes in with the bed down without seriously messing with the upholstery, with the possible exception of an LWB conversion. You might just squeeze two in with one behind the front seats and one on top of them, but that leaves you exiting by the back door.

Not sure if it's that much of an issue though to be honest, why not just leave them inside when the van is unattended and lock them to a rear mounted rack when you're sleeping. If anyone tries to nick them, you're going to know about them and in a perfect position to give the thieving scrotes a thoroughly good thrashing with a rolled up copy of Camping & Caravanning monthly.

As far as engines are concerned, are we talking T4 or T5?

I've got a 95 T4 Westfalia 1.9 TD. Despite putting out only about 68bhp. It goes fine, and will cruise all day on the motorway at 75 but can struggle a bit on hills when it's fully loaded without a decent run up… you have to drive it in a bit of a singlespeed style if that makes sense. Personally I love it.

The 2.5TDI is loads more powerful, but most VW mechanics seem to really like the 1.9TD and it's far cheaper to fix if anything goes wrong. You'll certainly get more power with a 2.5 TDI, but will pay a premium. Horses for courses basically… both decent engines, but don't touch the non turbo 1.9.

T5s are a completely different story. The 1.9 TDI puts put about 102 PS I think, so I guess there is less of a performance gap.

anybody use roof bars with thule carriers on reimo pop up roofs ?

Google Vamoose and ring them about pop tops and roof racks etc.
How would you lift the bikes up there?
Tow bar rack is the way to go.

Vanbodies in Morecambe can sort some different seating arrangements too (and Rob the boss is an mtber)

I've got roofbars fitted to my Westy pop top – sure a Reimo would be similar. Supplied and fitted by Rob at VWCamperSales near Gatwick.

Anyone got pics of their vans with the bike in and bed down?

It's important to note what SprocketJockey mentions, there is a big difference between the T4 and T5. My current T5 1.9 103ps pulls a lot stronger than my previous T4 2.5TDI with the same fuel economy and is nicer to drive.

The older T4 2.5 non-turbo 5 cylinder was pathetic power wise in comparison to either.

I've got a T4 2.5, does 34mpg most of the time, fully converted. However just cost me a new engine when the cambelt snapped at 115k! Not happy had fsh as well

Dimadan – see above both bikes fit in the 'boot' behind the ply bulkhead. Sproket jockey –'no way can you fit them in', well we do it every weekend!

Gareth

Sproket jockey –'no way can you fit them in', well we do it every weekend!

To be fair I was referring to a standard VW camper conversion where there is no bulkhead behind the bed, and where the space underneath is taken up with water tank, battery etc… I guess with a custom conversion anything is possible, but personally I'm happy to leave bikes outside for the sake of more comfort inside.