FIAT or FORD?

[AnnPaul]

:-S :-S :-S

 

About to order a Hobby MH which should I go for Fiat or Ford? Whats the MPG like on a Ford?

 

They also supply a 80amp Gel battery will this be large enough as the Hobby has more lights than Blackpool!

 

Urgent suggestions needed asap

 

Paul

[Mike88]

I had a Ford Transit for 6 trouble free years but when they dropped the automatic gearbox I opted for a Fiat. The Fiat migh be a better drive but on reliability grounds I would opt for Ford every time. There is also a suggestion that the Fiat judder issue has not been entirely resolved. For me your decision is a no brainer.

 

The only Ford downside is that a new Transit is to be released next year so your model might not be current for very long.

[Tomo3090]

Can't comment on a Ford, never had one. But I have had my FIAT powered Autotrail Cheyenne 660 for over 18 months done 13,000 miles and it is the comfiest drive I've ever had and we've had no reliabilty problems at all.

 

As for the battery, I would go to the dealer and ask, as part of the deal "sweetener", (we did), for 2 X110 leisure batteries to be fitted to the van prior to delivery.

 

Then when you've had you van for a season or two, work out how you use the van, i.e how long away from hook up, 12 volt usage, lots of driving or in a place for a few days without moving etc. whether to invest further in either solar panels or some other sort of battery charging system.

[David Dwight]

We have had three Fiat based vehicles over the last 10 years and never had a problem with either of them. The present one only 2months old is a dream to drive.

David

[GypsyTom]

I asked this same question in this thread (below) and the answer is completely inconclusive!

http://tinyurl.com/yak6hhe

(Copy this link and paste it in your browser, or highlight it, right-click it and go straight to the thread.)

Some love Fiat and others rave about Ford. I would advise that you forget the chassis and go for the 'van that you like best. The thing to look at with some Hobbys is the payload. Some are very generous and others parsimonious. The Van Exclusive L on a Ford has a superb payload but it's slightly less on the Fiat chassis where it's called the Van Exclusive DL.

I would stop worrying about MPG as well. The differences are peanuts when you stack them up against the real killers of depreciation and investment costs.

The difference in cost between a 'van doing 10,000 mile per annum at 25 mpg or 30 mpg is about £350. When you consider that against all the other costs MPG is the last thing that you need to worry about when choosing between two similar 'vans.

[lennyhb]

Have to agree with Tomo, our Fiat has been faultless.

Before we brought we hired a couple of vans, one was a Ford the other was a Fiat. The Fiat won hands down for pleasure to drive, handling etc., although the ride is a bit firmer, it will go round corners faster than you would ever want to in a Motohome brilliant drive.

 

Most importantly the wider cab with the deep windscreen gives a nice airy feel and made us decided on a low profile rather than an A class.

 

MPG I get 26 - 28 the wife manages 30 (and gets there quicker she doesn't miss all the turning & ignore the satnav like me). The Ford we hired did about the same.

 

If like us you rarely use mains hook ups you will need a second leisure battery, we have 2 x 80 a/hr Gels & I've changed all the halogen lights to LEDS. We can last at least 4 nights in the winter, don't know about the summer never stopped in the same place for more than 2 nights.

 

Another point if the Fiat version is on the special camper chassis you get superb handling but not a lot of ground clearance, our first major outing I modified the bottom of the gas bottle locker, have now done a proper mod to give another 2" ground clearance.

 

 

[Bazza454]

AnnPaul - 2010-02-24 10:05 AM :-S :-S :-S About to order a Hobby MH which should I go for Fiat or Ford? Whats the MPG like on a Ford? They also supply a 80amp Gel battery will this be large enough as the Hobby has more lights than Blackpool! Urgent suggestions needed asap Paul

Hi Paul,

We have a Hobby Van on a Transit and since new have averaged 32 mpg. As already stated, payload is excellent.

We had the same concern as you with the habitation battery therefore opted for an additional 80 amp gel fitted, but they ain't cheap. Using the power sensibly we can easily go 6 or 7 days without hook up or moving the van. 

[spospe]

From personal experience I can say that if a Ford goes wrong you are in with a chance of getting it fixed and a fair hearing from the makers, if a Fiat goes wrong the makers attitude is not to be helpful at all.

[mike 202]

I had a Fiat X250 for a few months and yes it drove well forwards, reverse well !! - you must have read the forum. So I chopped it in for a Ford and have not looked back. Been to Spain 3 times in the 18 months that I have had the Ford and I still love it. Both motorhomes were coachbuilts.

 

So for me it will never be Fiat in any guise, motorhome or car.

 

good Luck

[Clive]

Ford

[Brian Kirby]

Until their present mechanical uncertainties are definitively resolved, I would avoid any of the Sevel vans.  If you want Hobby, that means Ford or, if large, Iveco.

Whether the battery will prove adequate will depend on how/where you use the van.  If only occasionally without hookup (say two/three days max) providing you economise on lighting etc, don't have a telly, and there are no laptops etc to charge, the 80AH should be fine.  After all, because it has a lot of lights (I think you will find some are LEDs), it doesn't follow you have to have them all on at once.  But, if you don't use hook ups, I'd go for the extra battery, and also re-lamp as many as possible of the non-LED lights (especially in the washroom!) to LED sources as well.

[BGD]

Hi Paul - Just to add more into the mix:

 

Are you REALLY sure you are ready to take the monstrous financial depreciation hit that'll accompany buying a brand new motorhome?

 

I only mention this because you are concerned about mpg, a factor which is frankly almost irrelevant when compared to maybe the £5,000 to £10,000 drop in the value of that now new vehicle in say only 1 years time.

 

OK, so you only get hit with that as/when you come to sell it.....but it's nonetheless, on it's own, likely to be a MUCH bigger cost than the cost of all the fuel you pump into it throughout your period of ownership.

 

Buying secondhand does tend to dramatically reduce this horrendous cost by quite a substantial amount, as the curve of financial depreciation over years tends to be (very) steepest at the fornt end.

 

Just a thought......

[mirage]

I have a Peugeot X250 and have no complaints drives very well, interesting to note that as more Transits are sold so the stories of defects are creeping out. Fiats etc have had a bad press probably in part simply due to the numbers that are sold. No matter what they say, how flash they look, your base is a delivery van its not a luxury car. Paying high prices for a motorhome on a Peugeot, Fiat or Ford base to have some twinkly lights above your bed is about as realistic as paying for a Ferrari built on a Nissan Chassis.

[rupert123]

Fiat by a mile.

[neil malcolmson]

Ford by 2 miles

[Airstream]

Ford just voted "most reliable van in Britain" for the third year running

Ray

[neil malcolmson]

Paul I think you have your answer.. (^)

[Brian Kirby]

From all of which you may safely conclude:

A) Unless it has a noticeable fault, people tend to favour the vehicle on which they've just spent a large amount.  (Applies equally to cars!  :-))

B) If it has a noticeable fault, some will then hate it, some want to keep quiet about it until they can sell it, and some will just live with it.

C) Luck makes a large contribution to whether or not the one you buy has a noticeable fault.  For some makes, it is bad luck if it does: for other makes, it is good luck if it doesn't. 

Your call!  :-)

[colin]

I have not driven the latest model tranny, but have found the driving pos'n on last model tranny to be superior to X250, tony I think made a similier comment, so drive an example of each (in any make or model) before buying.

[Colin Leake]

We came very near to buying a new Hobby on a Ford at the NEC October show. However when we went back for a second look I tried the driving position with swiveling front seats and found them to high to give a comfortable position. I also found the seats no where near as comfortable as the Fait ones. Finally with the layout we were looking at it would have been neccessary to use the front seats for lounging. The narrow front cab prevented them from swivelling completly making a comfortable lounging position impossibe.

 

I have always like the new Fait but in view of the serious problems some have encountered we decided to keep our present Rapido, with which we have been very happy, for another year at least to see if Fait really have solved their problems.

 

My obvious advice would be to make sure you try before you buy imagining you were using it on site and on the road. If you still like the Ford go for it as although it may well have some niggles they should not be as potentially terminal as those some owners have encountered with Faits. Servicing, spares and customer care should be good with Ford who have a very good reputation in these areas.

[Brian Kirby]

In common with many vans, seat swivels do raise the seat.  However, on ours (Hobby/Transit) the seat heights are adjustable at both front and rear edges, so giving rake adjustment to the squab.  I would add that ours is the "tiddler" and, at my driving position, I can release the seat swivel catch, and rotate the seat over 180 degrees without further adjustment to either backrest rake or seat position.  The passenger seat rotates with equal facility.  Different adjustment of the seat may cause problems with swivelling.  I am about average height and build, and the only minor irritation is the Remis windscreen blind "pelmet", which can make high mounted traffic lights a bit of a pain to watch!

Our front seats are standard Ford issue.  We have now travelled 18,000 miles in two and a half years, and I experience no discomfort at the end of a day's driving, nor while driving. 

The engine is 130PS (140PS on latest models) and has comfortable power and good torque.  The steering is light, direct, and responsive, the brakes are well up to the job and progressive.  The clutch is a little sharp, and despite the (now standard), "anti-stall" programme, which generally works extremely well, this can still be the cause of a stall.  The "A pillar" causes some loss of vision on uphill, left hand, bends (LHD van) and needs the head to be moved to eliminate this at times.  The ride is better than our previous 2.8JTD Fiat base, but is firm.

Fuel consumption has averaged a little under 29 MPG since new, over the whole range of European roads, passes and plains.  I tend to drive at 65MPH on motorways and dual carriageways (generally using the standard issue cruise control), and 60 MPH elsewhere on de-restricted roads.  I avoid motorways where not needed for "clinical" A to B driving.

The van runs at around 3,250Kg (MAM 3,500Kg).

[Derek Uzzell]

Paul

 

I think this is an odd question (Sorry!)

 

Whatever the make of chassis, Hobby can build as bad (or good) a motorhome on it. Similarly, Fiat or Ford can produce a chassis that is seriously faulty when it leaves the factory of develops serious faults in the short term.

 

If two Hobby models are being compared, one on Fiat the other on Ford, then there are usually dissimilarities in their respective layouts and one might reasonably expect a prospective buyer to choose the layout that most suits his/her requirements. If there are major chassis differences - like one has a Ford RWD chassis and the other a Fiat Al-Ko 3-axle chassis - then there's little point asking for guidance on the base-vehicle as it's like asking which is 'better' - a sheep or a dog.

 

Only if the Hobby models involved are so close in specification (ie. same design, same layout, same size, same price, etc.) that it's just the make of chassis that separates them will it (perhaps) be worth asking which model may be the better choice.

 

Based on Poppy's experiences, you might want to check which Hobby models have been dropped from the 2010 range, as there's no point setting your heart on soul on a motorhome that's no longer available. For a Hobby purchased new in the UK, I think the base-vehicle warranty would be 3 years for a Ford version and 2 years for a Fiat.

 

Assuming you are considering near-identical design Hobby models, you might as well move into the background everything that's been said about how good, or less good, the Ducato and Transit are when compared with each other as driving machines and concentrate solely on the one thing that every forum member understands separates them - the Fiat juddering problem.

 

I know one motorcaravan vendor who, when people visiting his dealership are considering buying an X/250-based motorhome but express concerns about 'juddering', suggests that they should purchase something else. His attitude is simple - if anyone has serious reservations that a new motorhome may have inherent flaws, then they'd be foolish to choose it

 

If you believe there's a chance that, if you order a new Fiat-based Hobby, you'll end up with a judderer, then you'll need to decide how great that risk is and whether it's worth taking. Logically, purely because it's not a Fiat, you should pick the Ford, but when did logic influence motorhome selection?

[RogP]

Our current MH is a 2007 Auto-Trail on a Fiat 2.3lt 130 , our previous was a 2007 Hymer on the Transit 2.4lt.

 

I cant report either base vehicle as having given us any issues todate and both MHs were similar in size , weight and layout so fairly like for like (Autotrail probably slightly heavier to be fair).

 

What I can say is that the Fiat definately drives far better than the Ford , the drive seems very smooth and progress seems effortless. I also felt the Ford struggled and needed some hefty right foot and more gear changes to keep it going. The Fiat gets moving very easily and even on some steep inclines needs fewer down changes and holds it revs better.

 

As I say I'm comparing 2 very similar vehicles and of similar ages so to me a fair comparision.

 

Putting reported faults asside I like the Fiat more for its drive and for its comfort.

 

[Derek Uzzell]

RogP - 2010-02-26 10:43 AM

 

As I say I'm comparing 2 very similar vehicles and of similar ages so to me a fair comparision.

 

 

Fiat=FWD, Ford=RWD

[Porky]

I apologise for my ignorance, but do Hobbies not have a choice of engine sizes? I assume they do in which case I would recommend the 3l automatic. Try one and see what I mean.