Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2022 i What Motorhome

Welcome In this issue of What motorhome Is Fiat’s dominance of the campervan and motorhome market slipping away? And, if so, is that a deliberate policy now that the brand is part of the larger Stellantis conglomerate (which also includes Peugeot and Citroën)? At times, Fiat’s Ducato has claimed over 80% of the European leisure vehicle market, but increasingly manufacturers appear to be breaking away from relying solely on a single chassis supplier. Last month, the Erwin Hymer Group announced a new cooperation with Ford, using both the Transit and Transit Custom in future, although it’s not yet clear which brands or which ranges will use Ford cabs. In the UK, both Auto-Sleepers and Swift have launched small campers on the Transit Custom – will larger Fords follow? It’s not…

This month Mercedes updates the Sprinter With new engines, a new transmission, and a new all-wheel drive system, Mercedes-Benz has given its Sprinter commercial vehicles a comprehensive update that promises increased driving comfort. At the heart of the change is the adoption of the 2-litre OM654 diesel engine, which is already familiar from Mercedes’ passenger car portfolio and the smaller Vito van. The four-cylinder unit will be available in up to four different outputs – depending on the drive and body variant selected – 114bhp, 150bhp, 170bhp and 190bhp. All versions meet the relevant emissions standards, Euro VI-E or Euro 6d. The new power units also boast improved noise and vibration compared with the previous 2.1-litre and 3-litre engines. Smoother running characteristics and greater pulling power is claimed for the…

Fixed bed campervan comparison Dreamer D51 v Laika Ecovip 540 Sleeping beauties There’s already a huge choice of continental campervans with a fixed double bed at the back. Here, two of the very latest models go head-to-head… IF you’ve settled on the idea of a sub-six-metre campervan with a fixed bed, the selection of ’vans is truly bewildering. Models like the Adria Twin are as old as the current shape of Fiat Ducato, dating back to 2007, while brands more usually associated with coachbuilt motorhomes, such as Bürstner, Pilote and Laika, are loathe to miss out on the action in this expanding sector. It’s not just the big-name motorhome brands like Hobby, Hymer and Knaus that compete here, either. The market leader in Germany is Pössl/Globecar, a company that sells only campervans –…

New ’vans Ecowagon Expo+ Ecowagon Expo+ Is this the ultimate VW T6.1? We spend a week with a £109,000 campervan to find out… BACK in the December 2016/January 2017 issue, we compared a dozen VW T6 Transporter campervans, including the California Ocean – usually the standard by which all others are judged – and 11 rivals from all of the top converters in this market. The surprise winner was the Expo from the then relatively young and less well-known Cornish firm, Ecowagon. Since then, Kenny Green, who signs his emails The Big Cheese, has been beavering away near Redruth, refining and improving his ’vans. He ruefully comments that buyers have to pass virtually every other converter in the UK to reach him and is not put off by social media posts…

Looking to buy a motorhome? Be inspired by the very best motorhome reviews in What Motorhome. Every issue is packed with more motorhome and campervan reviews than any other magazine. It also includes expert buying guides, special themed issues and advice on insurance, accessories and more. Auto-Trail When you subscribe to the paper version of What Motorhome, you’ll enjoy all of these great benefits: • FREE day visitor entry to the Yorkshire Motorhome & Campervan Show & savings on day visitor entry to all other Warners shows • SAVE £5 on each show when you pre-book as a rallier at all Warners shows • SAVE money on the cover price • Get FREE delivery direct to your door – BEFORE it goes on-sale in the shops • PROTECTION against cover price…

Buying advice Peer-to-peer hire Hire education Is your ’van sitting on the drive, going nowhere, for far too much of the year? Maybe you should consider hiring it out to cover some of the costs of ownership… With ever greater demand for UK holidays, the idea of hiring a motorhome or campervan is becoming increasingly popular. This has also seen growth in the number of owners hiring out their own ’vans – potentially earning a few bob with it! In this feature, we are looking at the private hire market from the vehicle owners’ perspective, and next month we’ll look at the advantages of renting this way and why it is growing in popularity. Instead of letting your motorhome gather dust between trips, hiring it out comes with plenty of benefits,…

Special feature Campervans from Ford, Mercedes & VW The OEMs Ford, Mercedes and Volkswagen all offer their own campervans. In this special report, we look at which offers what and whether you should consider one ahead of aftermarket conversions… WHAT exactly is an OEM? Well, the letters stand for Original Equipment Manufacturer and the phrase is generally used for automotive spare parts, so OEM items are the same as your vehicle will have been fitted with originally by the factory (rather than possibly cheaper, or sometimes inferior, items offered as an aftermarket alternative). When we turn our attention to campervans, most are built by specialist companies – anything from the huge multinational groups, like Erwin Hymer Group and Trigano, to small converters who might only build between one and 10 vehicles…

Long-term report CMC HemBil Urban Urban life The Editor reports on two years with his latest campervan, a CMC HemBil Urban on a VW T6 IT was the summer of 2019 that set the ball rolling on a new campervan in the Vaughan household. A sudden change in family circumstances meant that we needed five seatbelts and our much-loved VW T5 California SE, like many ’vans of its ilk, had only four. After much deliberating, we cancelled camping that August and headed to France crammed into a small BMW hatchback instead. So, now the Cali was on borrowed time but, not wishing to borrow money, I was looking for an affordable route to update to a T6 with the requisite extra belted seat. The answer seemed obvious, having enjoyed our time…

Buying advice Accessories Accessories Want help choosing a campsite, or need an extra bed for a grandchild? We’ve got the answers to these issues and more with this month’s selection of goodies… SMARTWOOL HIKE LIGHT SOCKS If you think the price of campervans is ludicrous these days, have you ever checked out the price of technical footwear? However, if you were suffering with blisters halfway down Everest, or even Snowdon, you’d exchange a whole wodge of cash for comfortable footwear. And your very expensive technical boots can only perform as well as the socks inside them. Opt for regular cotton trainer socks and you’ll soon have wet feet from perspiration, which will cause friction and blisters, so it’s best to get some socks designed for the job. American brand, Smartwool, specialises…