Recently our existing Bilbo’s conversion headed back to the factory for an additional awning rail (It has double sliding doors) to divert the rain drops from creeping in when you open the door. Due to some rather unfortunate luck with Bilbo’s incoming electrical power supply our poor van (and everything else in the factory!) became trapped inside. Not a big problem except the following day I was driving from Essex to Melrose in Scotland to see friends for Christmas.
This is where Bilbo’s stepped up a gear - no if, buts or sucking teeth. An honest genuine ‘sorry we will fix it’. We took the courtesy car back home and the following day a brand new demonstration van, brimmed with fuel was delivered to Essex no quibble whatsoever. O.K. It wasn’t quite the same specification, I’d go so far as to say one component happened to very different....
The van in question is the ‘first’ petrol TSI T6 transporter Bilbo’s have converted, the first since T4 production ended in fact. Pretty much a factory standard ‘window van’ which means once converted it can officially be treated as a passenger car (rather than a van) for British speed limits - 70 not 60 mph! (I’d soon find out the fabulous A1 featured ANPR 40 mph along its breadth).
So the T6: 150 TSI 6 speed manual, standard ride height, sliding centre windows, air conditioning and electrical mirrors & windows. Also it had the cab comfort pack (armrests, extra sound proofing, extra seat pockets, extra grab handles, carpet) selected. Additionally alloy wheels had been fitted.
The conversion is a Bilbo Celex: Standard VW rock and roll bed and side kitchen, fridge cooker, hob, sink, wardrobes in a row behind the driver. The roof is unusually side hinged and pvc not canvas.
My trip involved effectively travelling from the M25 (London) to Melrose in Scotland (Edinburgh). Cannily I’d chosen December the worse time of year to A) camp in a metal tin, B) drive from one end of the country to the other. At one stage the exterior temperature reached an almost tropical* 4 degrees! The lowest temperature recorded whilst driving being -2 degrees, with -4 degrees being reached during the night.
Driving wise the T6 is very good, if you have never driven one really it is a large people carrier not a van experience. Despite traction control 1st & 2nd gear need a delicate touch, but you adapt, it is possibly worse/more eager than the diesel in this respect. Gearing wise it is 10 mph a gear - select 6th under 60 mph and the whole van starts a shaking resonating, ditto 5th below 50 mph. It has plenty of power everywhere - never breathless at all - and really this 150 PS model is amply all you need. The internet boasts you NEED at 300 PS van, simply you don’t. No modding or chipping needed, if you want to go faster buy a Porsche not a recreational vehicle. This advice is the same petrol or diesel. The glitzy alloys could have been more discreet, rumbled due to the size and profile. Personally I’d stick with 17” which come in plenty of approved speed/load rated tyres you recognise the brand of.
It has faults: Those woeful lights, so please note H7 OR LED LIGHTS - IF YOU ORDER NEW SELECT ONE OR THE OTHER!!!! I cannot stress this enough, H7 is part of the light and vision pack plus (halogen headlamps) @ £610 LED’s @ £1180 both plus vat. Other niggles are the hopeless rear wash wipe jet at speed and the radio volume knob that’s *just* out of reach - go for a multi function wheel with volume control. The sliding door needs to be slammed within an inch of its life so power latching is a noticeable improvement (fitted to my own van). Lastly that cab carpet - I just don’t get it. In a vehicle used on grassy/muddy fields why would you want it? It’s not even of a great quality either.
The conversion is plain, discreet and obviously created by people who use these vehicles as intended. Everything works as expected and bar the oven is silent and creak free. Decide if you really need an oven because EVERY one ever made rattles. Either choose another cupboard, or a microwave. Realistically with the price point of these vans you can afford to eat out. Did I mention the oven is really annoying?!
The rock and roll bed is Bilbo’s design and is very comfortable, wider than normal and seemed fairly long for my 5ft 10 frame. Obviously like all similar converters layouts of this type the double bed is cramped for a couple and when used for rear passenger carrying suffers the lack of things to hang onto and inability to hear the drivers voice upfront. Rather dissapointly a lot of vehicle metal work shows, the blue coach work making this particularly noticeable.
The roof is a little different - instead of the favoured tilting back pop top (indeed you can specify one on a Celex) it side hinges on the drivers side. Being PVC rather than canvas it retains the heat far better too. My worry about condensation was undfounded - along the top edge of the PVC is a seemingly negligible strip of breathable fabric. This strip allowed far more air to circulate than I imagined. It is easy to open and close by one person with no mystery locking down nobs poking through the roof lining.
Additionally a ‘petrol’ webasto heater had been supplied fitted internally under the drivers seat. No different to the diesel model seemingly and it produced ample heat inside the van - remember this is December in Scotland below zero degrees - it never become stuffy which I have encountered before, so the van must breathe very well. It did however have the new style programmable controller which had a easy to use control nob and awful to use (with cold sausage fingers) flush buttons. Go for the old style rotary nob would be my advice.
So the $64,000 question: Yes it used more fuel than a diesel. Yes it demisted very quickly. Yes it was very quiet and tractable too. Yes the petrol pumps weren’t greasy!
Our trip was over 846 miles on A & B roads, and motorways, up an down hills, in traffic, stop start. We demisted the van, had the petrol burning webasto heater running, had the air conditioning on (to keep steam free) kept up with traffic and speed limits on the motorway. Not in the slightest hyper-miling or driving unrealistically economically, just usual real world use. Temperature range 4 degrees to -2 degrees.
Measured at the pump tank to tank: 25.5 mpg. Would I buy one? Yes I would had the option been available.
