If you’ve got a big family, a van-based people carrier could make your life a lot easier. Just make sure you consider the downsides, too…
Think of the term ‘lifestyle vehicle’ and the car you’re picturing probably has the blunt outline of an SUV. Indeed, it was first used to describe those SUVs that were geared more towards family-friendly practicality than go-anywhere performance.
Times have changed, though, and today a lifestyle vehicle is simply a large, practical and comparatively inexpensive car that allow you to enjoy an active, outdoorsy lifestyle. And some of the best are based on vans.
But while a van-based MPV can suit some, it’s also important to consider the potential downsides of using one as a lifestyle vehicle. In this feature, we’ll look at the pros and cons.
Lifestyle vans – Day-to-day life
Van-based MPVs make tremendous family vehicles when you’re not taking in the great outdoors. Modern families tend not to travel light, so a trip to the shops can often entail child seats, a pushchair or two, mobile devices, space for coats, space for new coats bought when shopping, plus a stop at the supermarket on the way home.
A small hatchback simply isn’t going to be able to cope with all that on a regular basis, and the prospect of an offspring-induced meltdown is never more than a heartbeat away.
That’s where a van-based MPV comes in. Vans are designed from the get-go to be big and boxy, so they can carry a whole load of stuff. And if you buy one with a few seats in there, they offer the flexibility of origami seating with a decent-sized boot thrown in too. Everyone’s kept a decent distance apart, so peace and love prevail.
The downside here is that if a van-based MPV is your only vehicle, it could prove difficult to park in the sort of spaces you’re likely to find in supermarket car parks or around town. And while they’re big and practical, no van-based MPV is going to give you the sort of driving enjoyment you’ll get in a smaller car.
Lifestyle vans – Outdoors life
Van-based MPVs often have roof rails, or at least the facility to carry a whole load of extra stuff on a roof rack.
That means you can keep all of the camping/activity equipment that generally gets dirty on the outside, while you and your clothing stay warm, clean and dry inside. MPVs that have been converted into campervans without roof racks often have centre sections of the roof that can be raised to provide an extra sleeping area.
It’s worth thinking about the size of car you need, though. While a van-based MPV will be practical, you might quickly find you need more space, which is why you might want to look at a full-size motorhome instead, which will be better equipped for overnight stays and is likely to have more storage space.
How many sizes of lifestyle vans are there?
There’s a whole range of van-based MPVs out there, from small ones such as the Peugeot Rifter to the huge Volkswagen Transporter-based Caravelle and Multivan models. Look at any campsite that’s aimed at adventurous types, and it’ll be full of either van-based MPVs or the slightly dog-eared vans they’re derived from.
Indeed, there should be something to suit most people’s needs. These range from the full-on campervan with as many of the comforts of home as possible, down to more of a ‘day van’, providing sitting and sleeping accommodation, and maybe an awning.
With the day van experience, you’ll be cooking outside, and as for washing, you’ll be using either the campsite’s facilities or a nearby stream.
Is there a downside?
Well, there are a couple of things to be aware of. First things first, a van-based MPV tends to be a little larger than the sort of hatchbacks most people are used to driving.
That can make them feel cumbersome on country roads, and downright laborious in a multi-storey car park. And that’s if your vehicle will fit under the height restrictors at the car park entrance in the first place.
Secondly, they’re quite tricky to park on the street, because of their dimensions.
And thirdly, they’re not cheap. As with everything in life, it’s a case of matching what you want with what you can afford. There’s no denying that even a medium-spec MPV-based campervan is quite expensive – a Volkswagen Beach Camper starts at almost £60,000.
They’ll be more expensive to run on a daily basis, too, with economy figures down on what a car would do. Modern hybrid and electric setups can mitigate this, but not entirely.
This is the point at which you need to work out whether you need all that space and flexibility all the time, or if a family car would suffice and free up funds to hire a campervan for a week instead.
Is a lifestyle van right for me?
A van-based MPV is an undeniably capable machine to have if you like getting out into the back of beyond at a moment’s notice. Given that they’re based on vans, the interiors tend to be slightly harder-wearing than a conventional MPV’s, and so are able to take more of the abuse that a weekend away with the family might bring.
Such vehicles tend to be slightly more rudimentary than a conventional campervan, too, so are perhaps not ideal if you plan to spend more than a night or two away from home.
However, if you just need some shelter and the ability to take your gear everywhere, a van-based MPV makes the ideal weekend-getaway machine.
Keyword: The pros and cons of van-based MPVs