Five and a bit reasons you need a Transporter

I suppose I need to go right back to the very beginning to explain how we ended up with our 'diamond in the rough' T5.

While heavily pregnant with our latest child I finally gave in to the husband's increasing demands to get rid of our trusty, speedy Golf GT TDi and replace it with a tatty around the edges work horse of a Transporter.

It was very calculating of him to play on my raging pregnancy hormones and primeval urge to nest, nest, nest.

I mean the Golf was great - sturdy and like the proverbial off a shovel when your foot hit the floor - but how would we fit in a rugby playing 12 year old, two child car seats with toddler and new born attached, a crazy springer and all the baby and toddler paraphernalia needed for our many family fun days out?

We needed a vehicle with space, style and speed.

I wanted to be sure a Transporter was the best vehicle for us, so we looked at Land Rovers, Shoguns and L200s but once a vdubber always a vdubber. Tourans and Tiguans were nice but the Transporter won hands down. Here's why:

1. Reliability. Ok. Ours may not be the finest example but generally speaking Transporters are robust vehicles. Why does the AA and RAC pick 'em for their patrol cars?

2. Versatility. Transporters offer luxury executive travel (last year's I'm a Celeb contestants were transported from the jungle back to their five star hotel in T5 Caravelles) right through to daily white van man runabout rides. What other car brand covers such a wide and diverse audience?

3. Driveability. I was terrified about stepping from behind the wheel of my lovely little Golf and stepping up into a Transporter cab.  But after a shakey practice run or two I have fallen in love with driving our T5. It's a pleasure to motor in. I can even reverse park with no rear windows. Get me boys, lol.

4. Space. We have oodles and oodles of space. Out for a picnic and it starts to rain? Spread the picnic rug in the back of the van and we can all dine al Volkswagen in the dry. We are planning getting a swivel base for our double cab seats in the front so we can turn round and dine with the kids in the back when we feel like it. Kids need a nap? We flip out our caravelle three seaters and hey presto, we have a day bed!

5. Endless options. Twin cab or single cab seats up front, swivel seats, three seats, twin seats, captain seats, rock n roll beds and tables in the back - some that slide in and out on rails. You can get pop tops, drive away awnings and even pull out pods to double the size of your van. (Check it out at www.doubleback.co.uk) It's an adult's pick n mix sweetie shop, albiet an expensive one.

That's five reasons already but before I sign off I really have to add one more. When you buy a VW Transporter you buy into a lifestyle.  One where on a sunny Saturday morning you can pack up the van, chuck in the kids and the dog and in a few hours time be parked up at the coast with bacon sarnies cooking and coffee brewing on your custom made van kitchen pod.

That's exactly what I plan to be doing once the husband has finished our bespoke kitchen pod with integral coffee machine.

Personally, I think any family above the size of the normal nuclear needs a VW Transporter!

One life, drive it.