Nothing is “such a pain in the backside” (maybe the overly firm suspension) but my criticisms come not from a place of comparing the Transporter to other brands but rather from a mindset of: if I were designing the Transporter from scratch… it would actually have been quite possible to have addressed the points I raised and design these simple/trivial every day improvements into the build. Every one uses their vehicle differently and I definitely stick by the issues I raise. They’re all minor but they would all be improvements in my eyes. Obviously I love the Transporter. Have had two in the last 18 months

Agreed. I think you've pretty much summed up the Van market. No manufacturer appears to be reinventing the wheel when it comes to vans. I'd say VW gets away with doing just enough to make it feel fresh and class-leading. New prices are absolutely out of control though. The only saving grace is the retained second-hand value on VW. There's some surprisingly cheap motoring to be had if you take care of a van. Sold my Caddy Maxi last year. After 6 years it retained 65% of its value

@@matthewmakingmemories Absolutely right, that's why I brought a VW, it's gone up in value! 😄

Collected my LWB Pure Grey Sportline back in December after a 17 month wait! Had my previous 2005 T5 for 13 years. Best van on the road!

@@Vwfan You're not wrong! I wouldn't even consider anything else now :)

@@Vwfan oh man i had a T5 2004 130ps for 13 years it never let me down, after changing everything on the Van hybride turbo and so on it was a monster on the road.

I'm glad someone else noticed the footrest issue. Such a seemingly minor detail but would make a big difference to long journey comfort

Just driven 4,300 mls in my T6.1 lwb Kombi dsg, and didn’t even notice the footrest missing, most of the journey using adaptive cruise though, so feet were flat 😂 it’s now done 4,500 mls, and regarding the tie down points inside the van, mine has seatbelt anchor points up top, so I got some floor rings and bolts from the seatbelts and put them up top, makes lashing stuff so much better

@@russartist6359 it’s something you would defo get over. I guess jumping in to a loan van from Vw straight from a T6 made it more noticeable. I mentioned it when I dropped it off and they said the passenger side is where the room is lol. Just cost cutting from Vw being a left hand drive vehicle originally. Steering is the big difference

@@davem4131 yes, I’ve seen other comments about it being noticeable, there are a few little annoying things like that, but overall it is an excellent van

@@russartist6359 my original Transporter order arrived last week, so I’m now out of the “temporary” (9 months later) and have the one I ordered 18 months ago. Have just completed a 700 mile journey over the weekend in it. I did soon get over the footrest issue. Not a major problem! Now I’m in my long-term van, I’ll definitely be improving the lashing point situation in the rear too

I can totally understand. It does baffle me why they don’t allow for just a couple more inches of seat adjustment in the cab. I wonder if anyone’s ever considered a modified bulkhead, to allow the seat to slide back a little further…

@@matthewmakingmemories so, 4 days later ,around 800 miles done.. it does drive nicely. But I'm really not enjoying the seating position at all. I'm so uncomfortable, and the height difference between the brake and acceleration pedal is a strange one!

@@chrismorton5460 I'm not particulalry tall so i think i get away with it but as an experiment I am considering taking out the top section of the Bulkhead. Fortunately its in two sections. I have a feeling with the top section out, the drivers seat would slide back further and allow more recline, improving the seating position as a whole... all it would take is for VW to give the Bulkhead an indention to accept the drivers seat back. This would allow more range on the seat adjustment

@@matthewmakingmemories yes I agree, it would certainly be an easy thing for Vw to do from the factory! I had thought about modifications to the bulkhead, but due to the nature of what I have to carry, the bulkhead needs to be solid!

@@chrismorton5460 Seems like there's an aftermarket business opportunity here. The potential sales may only be two units to the two of us, but we'd certainly appreciate it :)

As with most other vehicles I drive, it is nice to have map visuals in the main cockpit, working in conjunction with Nav functionality and control on the center dash. Similar to having a Head-up Display + Nav elsewhere simultaneously. And without question press and hold for parking the mirrors is simply not as convenient. Especially when the feature is possible with an aftermarket remap.

Its a van

@@464iggy a £60k van and paint cost still the same whatever the vehicle and way more expensive than Xpel and prevention is better than cure. Would rather buy one with no damage and most body shops will never match it and cost a lot more, we see it all day every day.

Thank you :) and i couldn't agree more. I'll certainly consider the carpet lining option for the bulkhead. That could be the solution I'm looking for. You're spot on with the DSG too. It does occasionally have a moment where it lags a little. Undoubtedly could be remedied with software but probably not a priority for VW.

@@matthewmakingmemories Pendle will solve that issue

The Sportline is majorly expensive! and definitely hard to justify but My logic is that I always really look after my vehicles and do low mileage and will keep for around 5/6/7 years. So the high purchase price is somewhat offset with a much stronger second hand value when compared to other brands and models. Prior to the Transporter i sold my 6 year old Caddy Maxi and managed to recoup 70% of the original purchase price... As for the Sportline suspension: the official brochure wording is Eibach 30mm Lowering Springs. Sounds like just a Spring modification to me.

@@matthewmakingmemories yeah I think that’s good logic and the same reason I went for a fully loaded high line, I hope the resale value will be around 70/75%. Although it’s going to be a tough decision to make in 5/6 years as the new transporter doesn’t look as nice as this current chassis but I think that’ll just push the 2nd hand value of the 6.1’s up and up. I couldn’t justify the cost of a sportline, but I was tempted, just to get the virtual cockpit! Looks mint. Nice van dude 👍🏻

@@HughieMunro all in all i am very pleased with the Sportline. Definitely gives me a lot of pride to be driving it. I'll look after it as well as I possibly can but most importantly just enjoy it for however long I keep it. We shouldn't really get overly precious about our vans, should we.!? I know it's difficult though. :)

No problems at all. Takes a little longer to warm through but definitely not an issue

They’re from UK CUSTOM COVERS. I found them to be a little cheaper from their eBay store

Yes, anything less than the Highline and there's no AC I'm afraid. Ridiculous these days. Especially at these prices :(