2020 van conversion

Any know if autosleeper have any plans on base vehicles for van conversions next year?
Surely there will be huge numbers wanting a proper automatic which Fiat has now annoced or is there any hope they may move to a Merc like Wildax?

Most of the Mercs AS supply seem to be automatics.

The last time I asked about about a Merc based PVC  AS said they were too narrow which is a load of bumkum, others such as Lunar have produced them We shall have to wait and see what happens to Lunar, they have survived receivership before.

Hi
   I think AS are correct Roli ,they are narrow, some of the converters extend the body work , I presume for more leg room. I should think the main reason is cost. Pugs are so much cheaper but it is a Merc for me everytime
Alan

Wildax now have a Sprinter van conversion, the Elara.  We rented a Sprinter conversion in Australia from Britz this year and it did seem narrow, especially at the pinch point between the kitchen and shower room that were each side of the van.  I've no idea what the internal width difference is between a Sprinter and a Peugeot/Fiat/Citroen but ours seems wider and more spacious after using Sprinters for 6 weeks in Oz.

Tim

A friend of mine purchased a Mercedes PVC last year (not an Autosleeper) and when I had an chance to have a look in it, it was a really nice conversion but it was unbelievable cramped width wise, with a very narrow passage between the opposing bench seats, barely enough to comfortably squeeze through.  He only used it a couple of times then ordered a different Mercedes conversion with expanding sides.

I think Mercedes have a lifetime of European recovery and Peugeot only cover you for the first 12 months.
Other than that, I have no complaints about the Pug, it is powerful, efficient and reliable, at least mine have been (since 2002).

hi, as all the above have said, 
being a van driver myself and fork lift driver loading vans.
merc's are a very nice van to drive with good quality switch gear and motor, but, you only have to look while traveling behind all manor of vans to see the difference in rear profile and as such load capacity.
the merc tapers in from the waist up, Peugeot , fiat, straight up and square from the waist point to the roof.
ford is a good van but looks too much like the iveco van it is. good gearbox and driving position tho.
Peugeot vans have very low level loading area, well suited to van conversions because of this reason. the peugeot's stance is level from front to back, not like a ford, nose down * Inappropriate Word * up.
yes merc's are a quality van but if you want waist space in a conversion then you may have to make a few compromises with a merc.
as a top ten.
ford best gearbox.
merc best long distance traveler. ( first impressions are hard seats but in the end that's a good thing)
Peugeot, fiat, very good low floor , square rear profile, good for overhead lockers and waist width.
as for looks as a campervan.
Peugeot ,just in first.
then merc,
then every other van.
then ford , bullnose, last.
just my penny worth, you pays your money, you make the choice.
but you can see why as a base vehicle Peugeot and fiat are miles ahead for all the best reasons.
just a thought what about a Peugeot with a merc engine , ford manual gearbox , merc seats and quality switch gear??

I see you haven't mentioned the VW, any reason why ?

When the X250 came out Fiat made a big play about it being designed for the motorhome conversion market. That wasn't just PR puff, the shape of the panel vans gave the sort of room converters needed and the electrics on both panel vans and chassis cabs were ideal for motorhome designers. Peugeot and Citroen versions of the X250 have similar advantages but different engines and no autobox. The other van makers didn't prioritise the motorhome market and almost left it wide open for the X250. The VW T4/5/6 is narrower than any other of the vans and the sides taper towards the roof, making them harder to use for motorhomes. The larger VW is, I believe, a bedge engineered Sprinter with the same limitations.

roli wrote:Most of the Mercs AS supply seem to be automatics.

The last time I asked about about a Merc based PVC  AS said they were too narrow which is a load of bumkum, others such as Lunar have produced them We shall have to wait and see what happens to Lunar, they have survived receivership before.

Just in case your comments are seized upon by anyone associated Roli, I hope you will pardon me but I believe Lunar are in administration not receivership, a world of difference. Previously they underwent a management buyout.

Internal width

Ducato/Boxer/Relay 1.87m (6ft 1.5ins)
Sprinter is 1.736m (5ft 8ins)
Transit Custom 1.775m (5ft 10ins)
Transit 1.784m (5ft 10ins)
VW T6 1.692m (5ft 6ins)

So a T6 is 7.5ins narrower than a Boxer.
And a Sprinter 5.5ins narrower than a Boxer.

In a panel van conversion you have to allow about an inch each side for insulation and trim.

On a Boxer that means you're left with about 6ft width, but on a Sprinter just 5ft 6ins which isn't enough for widthways beds. In addition side benches have to be at least 2ft deep, which with one each side leaves just 18ins of aisle on a Sprinter, whereas a Boxer would have 2ft and that allows for the Boxer to have the luxury of 2ft 3ins benches and still have an 18ins aisle.

groundhog wrote:

roli wrote:Most of the Mercs AS supply seem to be automatics.

The last time I asked about about a Merc based PVC  AS said they were too narrow which is a load of bumkum, others such as Lunar have produced them We shall have to wait and see what happens to Lunar, they have survived receivership before.

Just in case your comments are seized upon by anyone associated Roli, I hope you will pardon me but I believe Lunar are in administration not receivership, a world of difference. Previously they underwent a management buyout.

And the management buyout occurred because the Dutch company that owned Lunar at the time were in financial problems.

steamdrivenandy wrote:

groundhog wrote:

roli wrote:Most of the Mercs AS supply seem to be automatics.

The last time I asked about about a Merc based PVC  AS said they were too narrow which is a load of bumkum, others such as Lunar have produced them We shall have to wait and see what happens to Lunar, they have survived receivership before.

Just in case your comments are seized upon by anyone associated Roli, I hope you will pardon me but I believe Lunar are in administration not receivership, a world of difference. Previously they underwent a management buyout.

And the management buyout occurred because the Dutch company that owned Lunar at the time were in financial problems.

Tirus Group went in to liquidation in 2007, I have not looked at Lunar's accounts since the management buyout but they, Lunar, were profitable at the time so must have gone downhill since. We are now going off thread so back to Merc conversions.
How about the 2019 Winnebego Boldt? Seems to work for them so why not AS?

It boils down to you can't fit average length beds across a Sprinter, unless you fit an awkward looking bulge at the appropriate point for heads or feet. You can fit good length benches lengthways and join them to have a lengthways double but it will mean niggardly width benches and aisle. Quart into pint pot comes to mind.

Sorry about the error on Lunar. I for one would be sorry to see them go.

I hadnt noticed the reduction in width from mid way that Dave C points out.

The Sprinter cant be that much narrower (at lower level) than the X290 as we had to take the arm rests off the cab seats to allow us easily to pass between cab and habitation areas

The cab's a different thing to the loadspace and it's the loadspace that converter's designers have to work with.

I think the point I was trying to make was that the peugeot is getting very dated when compared to the Merc, Crafter or the Transit.
Fiat have now fitted a proper 9 speed auto which may appeal to many owners but it's still on a old van that does not ride as well as some of the new manufacturers models.
Will autosleeper stay with the Peugeot of find that many owners will demand the van on a Fiat or a better chassis, or just loose sales to newer concertos and of course VW with the California xxl

Now A/S is Italian owned things could change or stay the same. Willersey could be kept as a quintessential British arm of their empire with a unique take on layout and design. Or they could just lose the heritage and use it as another production line of identity Continental vans. Trouble is, once you move away from unique factors they tend to be gone  for good 

As to base vehicle's, I'd be very surprised if Peugeot didn't pull an upgrade during the next year and as they're built in the same factory as Fiat there's no reason that they can't drag themselves into the 20th century and offer an auto too.

Anyone who makes Campervan conversions will have some serious competition soon when Ford start making their own Transit based van to compete against the VWs etc.

Why does nobody mention Renault. Devon and Wildax make conversions on the Renault.

Devon have stopped offering Renault and Wildax were totally Citroen but that might be changing now they're owned by Rapido.

Wildax use Renault and Merc and Ford as well as Citroen.

Paulmold wrote:Wildax use Renault and Merc and Ford as well as Citroen.

  
They never used to. Duncan must be mellowing with age.