Which engine is better for motorhome

It is often said on forums, including this one, and I agree with it very much, the biggest problem with motorhomes (and probably any vehicle) is that if they are left standing and not used regularly then problems develop.....

In work we ran a large fleet of non premium (Ford) vehicles.  They were used all day & all night by different shifts.  They were driven hard (very hard) but as a consequence were subject to a servicing regime of every 5000 miles or 3 months whichever came first.

I was always amazed that they were almost utterly reliable, I never had a breakdown in one of those vehicles despite covering many tens of thousands of work related miles, and some of them had approaching 200k miles on the clock...

The secret seems to be regular use and regular servicing.....

Write your comments here...I think if any MH maker used a base vehicle that required servicing every 3 months they would not be very popular.  I tink Fiat currently say 20k or 2 years for servicing, personally after a eyar I think I will get a oil change and quick check over by local Fiat garage but thats a persoanl choice and to keep teh warranty only really need to have it done in 2 years which keeps costs down (a bit)

agree with Tintent and Micheal's response...

when looking for a good second hand car, a highish milage, fleet maintained vehicle would attract me more than one that had been driven a few miles to the shops once a week....

re: the MH, we will be having ours done in Jan at its 2nd birthday, as there is no reqt to service the base vehicle after a year, unless the mileage is really high...

the recent Fiat chassis is a pretty damn good base unit, i'd look at a Merc but currently not many brands use them....im not an Autosleepers 'person' and some of the Continentals have move over exclusively to Fiat...Pilote for example...some of the larger vans now moving over to Iveco (Ford)...

a nice Frankia Merc might be just the ticket.....

Sorry, TT, but that's a promotional publication and AutoTrail are hardly likely to say (for instance) "We build on the Fiat Ducato because it's cheap and enhances our profit margin so why would we use anything else?". 

I'm not rubbishing the Fiat but I wouldn't expect anything other than a glorious write up from a converter. That applies to any converter using any base vehicle.

I had to do some extensive research in 2012 on m/homes with the SMMT for a barrister handling a legal personal injury claim and recall that there are very very few manufacturers who are prepared to supply commercial m/h builders with cab and chassis units, therefore their ''extensive world search for the best' shouldn't have taken them long.

Re the base vehicle.  Mine is an automatic Renault Master.  Not many of them around and probably all from continental makes. I've had it for a year and am happy with it.  It will be serviced every year by an independant local garage even although it will only have done 6000 miles.  I'd rather not be worrying about it on long journies.

I havent read all five pages so this may have already been covered - 

Is the fiat engine different to the Peugeot and Citroen?

I've always driven vans, I own a small fleet (building company owner). I have recent Peugeot Boxer and Citroen relays and they're identical. They're good value and have been reliable, I usually keep them 3-5years and then trade in. I always thought Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat developed the vans together and they were all the same.

My immediate answer to the title is -- A Merc engine. 

But since the OP asked between what in effect is a Fiat engine versus a Ford engine, the old maxim --- FIAT-- ( Fix It Again Tony)   might be a bit of a clue. 

 

Cheers ............... K

I think that manufacturers old reputations still echo on. For instance most of us wouldn't of touched a French motor from yesteryear with a bargepole but now they're a different beast.

When I first started looking at campervans I asked two close friends about VW's engineering. One friend owns a VW dealership and the other owns a VW service & repair centre.

I asked "is VW's engineering  so much better than fords, citroens etc that it justifies the VW price point".

My dealership mate replied " that the VW is a fine bit of engineering which has always had a great reputation. Years ago it was head and heels better than your Fords and Citroens but now there's nothing in it. However VW are happy to hold on to the reputation that they're better than the others and will charge a premium for this reputation".

Same question to the VW engineer, his reply - if you buy a VW transporter / camper you're paying a club premium, there's a bit of a cult following for them. They're no better or no worse than anything else out there, I enjoy working on them because I know my way around them. VW boast that their vans drive like a car and that's because they're built like a car, the doors shut nicer, the cabs are nice and quiet, they're more refined, but engine wise they have the same issues as any other modern engine. It all comes down to how they're driven and serviced".

Just thought it interesting. Incidently I opted for a transit camper, I bought a 2007 model Leisuredrive which cost me £14K. I also looked into a 2007 VW Leisuredrive conversion which was priced at £24,999 !!!! 

W, the Fiat engine is a Fiat unit, whereas the Citroen/Peugeot variants have a PSA/Ford jointly developed engine, i believe...

re 'quality'....whilst the oily bits might have evened out a bit over the years, there is still a huge gulf in the interior quality/robustness of trim etc in a VW than in a Citroen.

W, the Fiat engine is a Fiat unit, whereas the Citroen/Peugeot variants have a PSA/Ford jointly developed engine, i believe...

re 'quality'....whilst the oily bits might have evened out a bit over the years, there is still a huge gulf in the interior quality/robustness of trim etc in a VW than in a Citroen.

hi BB, yes, that's the impression I got. I think cab comfort is actually on par but cab fitment quality is better on a VW. But, £10k better? Not sure about that

Another interesting comparison. On a building site a plumber asked what I paid for my Citroen Relay, £13,700+vat was my reply. His top of the range transit custom was £24,000. He said that he enquired in to a top of the range VW transporter, it was £33K!!!

These reviews are all written in 2016. Are there any more recent experiences please? 

Not had any problems with my Ducato 130 { 2014 to present } nor with the Citroen Dimension I had before it.  Indeed I've only ever changed my Motor Home / campervans, { 1972 to present } call 'em what you will, for the reasons anybody changes their motors ~~ to see what's  on t'other side of the hill  

I have the Fiat 2.3 150 BHP multi-jet with Comfort-Matic gearbox & very happy with it's handling & performance..... not quite worked out the average mpg

I've recently seen new ambulances using this base cab & more to the point find them more aesthetically suited to the motorhome body.

hth