vito van

[SS LOZ]

hi guys n gals. i'm in the process of buying a vito and just wanted some feedback(good or bad) on fuel consumption, reliability etc. don't know that much about them but am looking at 2004 onwards. any help appreciated:wave:

[llucie]

hi guys n gals. i'm in the process of buying a vito and just wanted some feedback(good or bad) on fuel consumption, reliability etc. don't know that much about them but am looking at 2004 onwards. any help appreciated:wave: I have just gone through the process of elimination when purchasing a new work van - Mitsubishi Express , petrol engine only - Ford Transit , manual only and history of poor reliability (engine /transmission) - Toyota Hiace , 4 speed auto , not a lot of power for a 3 liter turbo diesel , difficult entry and exit from cab , uncomfortable in the cab as the seats are too close to the doors - Mercedes Vito , strange heritage , research seems to indicate that it's actually a Chrysler Nimbus and they are made in Spain or Mexico , reliability has been pretty ordinary with a rash of engine problems , the Sprinter is quite different and has good reliability and is made in Germany . We settled on a VW Transporter 2.5 TDI as it was a long way ahead in most areas when compared to all the others and the current model has been around since 04 so any bugs should have been ironed out by now , second was the Toyota for the "reliability" factor , the Sprinter would have been second but they don't have the range of models to select from .
Not much help , perhaps others have more experience .

[SS LOZ]

I have just gone through the process of elimination when purchasing a new work van - Mitsubishi Express , petrol engine only - Ford Transit , manual only and history of poor reliability (engine /transmission) - Toyota Hiace , 4 speed auto , not a lot of power for a 3 liter turbo diesel , difficult entry and exit from cab , uncomfortable in the cab as the seats are too close to the doors - Mercedes Vito , strange heritage , research seems to indicate that it's actually a Chrysler Nimbus and they are made in Spain or Mexico , reliability has been pretty ordinary with a rash of engine problems , the Sprinter is quite different and has good reliability and is made in Germany . We settled on a VW Transporter 2.5 TDI as it was a long way ahead in most areas when compared to all the others and the current model has been around since 04 so any bugs should have been ironed out by now , second was the Toyota for the "reliability" factor , the Sprinter would have been second but they don't have the range of models to select from .
Not much help , perhaps others have more experience .

Thanks for that.did you think the sprinter was a bit too large. thats my only concern with that one. have you heard anything about the turbo diesel motors in the vito or are they unreliable as well

[blwnhr]

A friend owns a car audio business, he bought one, Turbo Diesel Vito. Was awesome while it was going. Now it has blown up and he's looking at $10k for a rebuilt motor. $7.5k for a second hand one! Near $15k for a new one.

[zorro]

if you dont micd the extra space go for the sprinter. my old employer had a vito diesel and 2 sprinters, the vito was slow and for a turbo/d seemed to have very poor performance, and being FWD with the back fully loaded handled like a shopping trolley. the sprinters were the LWB with dualies on the back, left the vito for dead in performance and driving dynamics.

As for Transits, keep clear of older ones. mate has one as a freight forwarding business. he had the older 5 spd which was shit, blew 3 turbos and suffered fuel problems. got the newer 6 spd and hasn't looked back. pulls a full load aswell as a 6 pallet trailer pretty well.

If size isn't a problem, go a sprinter. If it is go for a new hi-ace

[JNP304]

Old 638 series Vito is not too flash, front wheel drive ect.
The new Vito (Late 2004 onward) is a very different beast.
Id reccommend the 115 Vito. It has 5 speed tiptronic auto and 2.2lt diesel turbo/intercooler with Common Rail Injection. Having driven many new 115 Vitos I say they are easily the best van on the market. Not the cheapest but way better to drive than the likes of Hiace and Transit. The 115 CDI drives like a car and accellerated like a rocket. I have got nearly 1000km out of a tank with city county driving combined. With standard stuff such as heated mirrors, elec mirror, elec windows full ESP system so it handles VERY well. Full rake and pitch adjustable steering column and IRS I think the new vito is awesome. Also they now come with a 200,000km 3 year warranty.
If you are interested pm me and I can T you up for a test drive, well worth it. Then go and test a Ford or Toyota. :)

[llucie]

Thanks for that.did you think the sprinter was a bit too large. that's my only concern with that one. have you heard anything about the turbo diesel motors in the Vito or are they unreliable as wellThe vehicle I bought is part of a Courier fleet , the Mercedes Sprinter is just too big and too high and won't fit into a lot of standard car parking spaces and it won't fit into undercover car parks - the people that I spoke with regarding the Mercedes Vito were Courier operators (owner drivers) who were quite scathing over the reliability and the Manufacturers (not dealer) assistance in sorting out what were to the "operators" major issues affecting their earning ability , unfortunatley I don't remember the problematic models model numbers but I can probably find out , they had about a one tonne carrying capacity .

[Dacious]

Friend had a Vito for his carpentry business. 5 minutes (literally) out of warranty it blew a fuel hose. Replacement at a Merc dealer? $300. Special hose, you can't go out and buy it. Since then it's been OK but he remains sceptical longterm.

[Ghia351]

I'm looking at replacing my T4 ’97 VW Transporter which has 280,000km (pet/lpg) and I’ve also been looking at the Transit, Vito, T5 VW as well…Hi-ace is out because I need rear fork-lift access and it’s underpowered any way. We need to carry a tonne and tow upto the same once a month on a 400km metro/farm run.

The current Transporter has been great, drives like a car and is very comfortable. The wear and tear is now starting to get expensive. New clutch (remember its fwd) and cv joints set me back $2500…so I need a new vehicle with the security of less down time at my expense.

The new Transit is the best yet, 6 speed and tdi fly yet I’m also concerned of the historical problems of the first series although Australia Post keeps buying them…I need a MWB so I’m forced to get the mid roof and this cuts out all CBD carparks. No rear wipers on the van models (only bus) yet the interior is a big improvement and less truck like then past model. The payload is also greater then the other vans, 1200kg + and it drives better then I remembered yet not as good as VW/Vito as they have an IRS. Rear load dimensions are greater then the other vans and it’s the cheapest of the lot.

I'd also take out a 5y/30% deal and trade in after 3 years...my mistake this time.

The Vito is now RWD and it also drives beautifully for a van. Its high level of passive and active safety features put most cars to shame and it has enough grunt to haul loads while giving you some luxuries not seen in commercial vans. It can drive into most cbd carparks and even in auto has good economy. It is considerably more expensive though the higher feature list counts back some. The rear load area is not squared off as the others and so if your carry boxed items the Ford will provide the most space and ease of loading.

I’ve always loved the Transporters and still think it looks nicer then the Ford while the Vito is probably the most stylish yet its rear shape sacrifices some functionality. The VW in 128kw/400Nm tdi has some real grunt, although it starts with a higher tare weight and with the six speed auto is van driver’s heaven on wheels…or so I thought. The stop-start traffic of CBD work would push me to an auto and I would guess if serviced correctly with maybe an extra tranny oil cooler would save a clutch change. It also drive like a car thanks to a good IRS setup and again as like the Vito has a very high feature list as standard. The FWD setup hasn’t effected me when towing and I never had t/c/abs/ esp, even as options, on my van although the load proportioning valve on the brakes works brilliantly when you go from fully loaded to empty and face your first hard stop.

If money were no object I’d go the VW Transporter and option it to raise the load capacity to 1200kg, Vito close second however I need the wider rear profile. The Transit is not a shameful third, it’s just the more workman-like van, now has a much better interior and has the greater payload while also can match the others for active/passive safety features, just some are options (still cheaper then the others). The no-auto option is silly while in the UK there is a petrol/lpg option and it will be here soon while an lpg conversion on the petrol VW/Vito kills your warranty although the thought of a 3.2L V6 LPG VW LWB sounds like light commercial vehicle nirvana….

I'd also take out a 5yr/30% deal and trade-in after 3 years unless you're really racking up the kms...my mistake this time.

[SS LOZ]

thank you guys so much for all your input, will be test driving a new vito 115cdi crew cab tomorrow. we'll see how that goes:driving: :wave:

[Ghia351]

thank you guys so much for all your input, will be test driving a new vito 115cdi crew cab tomorrow. we'll see how that goes:driving: :wave:
Let us know as well.:driving: