Symbol v Duetto

We are thinking of upgrading our 1999 Symbol (2.0 petrol) which is in fine fettle and we have been very happy with. Perhaps to a 2005 ish model. We love the Symbol but may consider a Duetto, so all you knowledgeable people out there, what are the differences between the two (other than one is a Peugeot and one a Ford)

As a previous Duetto owner you are correct in saying they are almost the same layout but Ford rather than Peugeot. I may be corrected but ours was an N Reg Duetto and I thought it was based on a bigger van base. Ours was also rear wheel drive. 
We looked at a newer Duetto to replace ours and it seemed smaller so they may have used a smaller van base when they moved to the Mk6 Transit. 
As to choice of van I have a preference to Ford if only for the price and availability of spares. The Peugeot like other Seval based vans seem to be having gearbox problems as they get older and parts are not easy to find.

Put 'Duetto' in the search box top right.
'All the information is there you only have to look'
frederic

A great feature of our 2003 Duetto was that it was RWD which meant that with the single seat and rotated passenger seat two people could sit at a table at the same level by the side of the sliding door. I believe that A-S used FWD Fords towards the end of them producing Duettos, giving a similar problem to that we have in our Kemerton XL, my wife and I cannot sit at a table opposite each other by the sliding door.

I had a 2002 Symbol and it had a GRP roof grafted on to the top.  I used to look at Duettos and think they were high top vans so still had the original metal van roof and so were better in that respect.
I could be wrong though because it was a while back.

Our 1999 Duetto on a MK5 Transit had a GRP top, the MK 6 and 7 Transits used for Duettos had the normal metal van roofs.

Our 2008 Duetto on the MK7 Transit was Euro 4 and rear wheel drive.

Yes but with a thin (approx 1in) fibre glass plinth that all the vents and sky lights were fixed onto.
This was a source of water ingress (plinth to metal roof acknowledged by A/S) from which our Duetto suffered,
This problem was rectified by Willersley after a couple of attempts. (See search for Duetto) 
There was a batch of FWD Duetto sold by Marquis in 2010 ish see search also!!
frederic

I can confirm our Duetto had a separate roof add on because it leaked in the n/s corner above the door pillar allowing water to run down the inside of the A post. It had been bodged before we bought it blocking the post causing water to sit in the pillar until it rotted away. It wasn’t until we needed a new windscreen before we found how bad the rot was. 
Our Duetto had Tourano badges on the doors and  I found out was the German spec mini bus. The noticeable difference being heated front seats and a radio amplifier. The passenger seat was disconnected when the swivel was fitted. 
Maybe just my liking for Fords having a Rienza now but I thought the Duetto was a better base van but it’s each to their own preference.

Jeff Bennett..........you have a private message.

We are very pleased with our 99 Duetto on the whole, only real problem is with being quite tall I find a lack of shoulder room in the shower due to the sides sloping inwards but we like the layout compared to some other vehicles.
Bea and Graham

One of the things we miss is the ability to make a changing area outside the shower by fastening the door across. We have a bigger wash room in the Rienza and use the passenger seat to put our clothes on but you can’t close it off from the rest of the motorhome. 
I normally take muttly for his walk whilst management is in shower. It’s not appreciated when I let muttly in whilst she is getting dry and dressed. It’s even worse when muttly is wet and he shakes himself before I can rub him down. 

We have a 2007 Duetto and are very pleased with it.  The differences to a Symbol are very small but one we liked was that it has a little extra stowage above the side door and side window where the Symbol has small windows.  The driving experience is superb, it’s definitely the best van I’ve ever driven.

I wondered what size and how many propane cylinders fit in the Duetto gas locker which I believe is accessed from outside the van. Symbol takes one 6k cylinder and one 3.9k cylinder and accessed from inside the van

The 2009 Duetto the same but from outside.
frederic