Leisure activity vehicle

An MPV is a compact utility vehicle or even car with great interior height. The term is now used for the vehicle class that was created in 1996 by the Citroën Berlingo and is mainly present in Europe.

  • 5.1 van
  • 5.2 VW Fridolin

General

In one of the compact class corresponding base high roof station wagons have a roof height from 1.7 to 1.9 m, an internal height of 1.0 to 1.2 m and a resultant load volume of 2.5 m³ to 4.0 m³. More common are one or two sliding doors for rear passengers and a vertical tailgate or rear doors. The target group is mainly young families, since the vehicles are inexpensive and, for example, a stroller without folding can be placed in the trunk. For most high-roof station wagon, there is also the possibility to accommodate three child seats in the rear.

Most of these vehicles are available ( usually referred to as " Combination "), both as a passenger version as well as a commercial vehicle variant ( "Panel "). The van, in contrast to the combination often reduced equipment and increased payload, and in any case no side windows and only in the case of double cabins and seats back. To distinguish between the two versions, the high-roof station wagons often carry a spare in the model name, such as Opel Combo Tour, VW Caddy Life and Fiat Doblò Cargo.

Specifically, the commercial vehicle panel van variant, there are often also in extended versions, and some with a raised roof. To whom they are further additions to names, eg Fiat Doblò Cargo Maxi ( long-wheelbase version ), or markings, such as L1H1, L2H1, L2H2 for length and height versions. Since 2011, with the Fiat Doblò the first " MPV " in a flatbed version. This shows that the transition between MPV and vans is not only fluent, but this class of vehicle has now established itself as a compact / smallest class of vans.

Models

Representatives with vehicle height between 1.70 m and 1.80 m

With the trio to the Peugeot Bipper the class of high-roof station wagon was extended in height down after the first high- roof station wagons these manufacturers have grown strongly in the second generation from 2008. Nevertheless, these models have their width of about 1.7 m, a load volume of 2.5 cubic meters ( or 2.8 cubic meters with the passenger seat folded ).

  • Peugeot Bipper, largely identical with Fiat Fiorino / Qubo and Citroen Nemo

Representatives with vehicle height between 1.80 m and 1.90 m

This size class includes the first and most typical representatives of the high-roof station wagon.

  • Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Partner largely identical with
  • Fiat Doblò
  • Ford Transit Connect / Tourneo Connect
  • Mercedes -Benz Vaneo, Mercedes -Benz Citan
  • Opel Combo ( from Generation "C"), which is also available under other brand of GM
  • Renault Kangoo, largely identical to the Nissan Kubistar offered 2004-2009
  • VW Caddy

Graphs of the widths

Adjacent models

High roof station wagon with a larger loading volume form an almost seamless transition to "normal" vans. These are mostly models from 4 cubic feet of cargo volume, eg the models:

The lower limit of the class of high-roof station wagon, there are combos that are only slightly higher than typical station wagon. Secondly, so-called microvans or minivans that will be higher due to the design.

  • Škoda Roomster
  • Dacia Logan Express
  • Toyota Yaris Verso

Predecessor

Van

Predecessors and pioneers in this vehicle class were the French models, such as the Kastenente, one based on the model 2CV small vans, and the Renault R4.

These vans, the box was placed even in the classical sense, the protruded mostly in width, but always in the height above the roof of the driver's seats.

Even these models were used in the 1950s and early 1960s, both as an inexpensive family car, as well as transporters for craftsmen and tradesmen. As a car but they never reached the popularity of today's high-roof station wagons that were attractive with the introduction of a rear door for families.

VW Fridolin

The VW Fridolin, which would be counted in the category of high-roof station wagon as of today, was a specially developed to the Federal Post Office requirements small van with two cubic feet of cargo volume.

Dimensions and loading capacity of the van

The dimensions and loading characteristics of the high roof vans and adjacent models are compared in the following table. There are also various long / short versions listed, but not virtually identical models from other manufacturers or brands.

Swell

  • Commercial vehicle
  • MPV
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