Which engine?

I changed from the 130 to the 160 a couple of years ago, slightly older than the one you're looking at. I found my consumption improved slightly, I think due to being able to hold higher gears more, but more importantly it just drives so much better.

Firstly tax:  They are not likely to have a CO2 reading on the certificate of conformity so both road taxes will be circa £250 because you're under 3,500kg. If you were over 3.5T then your road tax would reduce to £165.

The nest thing being mpg etc:  One of the points to note is that a whole load of people prefer the 3-litre 177BHP lump to the new 2.3D 177BHP Euro-6 unit. They think the older unit is more refined and pulls better than the new Fiat engines.

If you were to compare both vans in the Alps then the bigger engine would probably achieve a slightly better mpg figure over the 130bhp unit which has to slog its guts out to make it up the hills.

The 130BHP is probably a wee bit more economical for UK motorway driving (50-60mph)  but other than that you can find a mix of driving conditions and roads in the UK can soon cancel each other out.

If you were to join the real big forum (Motorhome FUN), which I advise you do, then  you would get answers saying that both engines with sub 3.5T MTPLMs would give a fuel return of between 25 and 31mpg.

As a footnote, the 177BHP lump normally came with the heavier vans so do a check on the 2014 model which you have an eye on to make certain that you have sufficient payload available at 3,500kg. 

All the best,

Andrew

Thank you so much to both of you, you've been really helpful and put my mind at rest!