Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2024 i What Motorhome

WHEN it was launched, last summer, we liked Adria’s take on the compact campervan. We loved its twin sliding doors and the versatility of its Reimo sliding seat (far more comfortable than a RIB bench, too). We admired its design – more of a camper than a California Beach but not just a day van – and we appreciated its typically Adria build quality. What we didn’t like was the price. Fully loaded with options, it came to £77k! By December, though, Adria Concessionaires (the UK arm of the Slovenian maker) had had a rethink. With a new starting price of £52,990 – almost a ten grand reduction – the Active Duo suddenly looks a whole lot more appealing. This is a vehicle with European Whole Vehicle Type Approval, after…

DON’T rush down to your Bürstner dealer to order a Habiton, nor even your local Renault agent. Not yet. For now, this is just a concept but it’s tantalising to see that a company the size of Bürstner is dabbling with the idea of a campervan so small. After all, this Erwin Hymer Group brand also builds the nine-metre-long Elegance A-class, costing from £164,790… OK, so there are smaller, cheaper Bürstners – even a pop-top campervan in the 2024 range – but, surely, it’s the ever rising cost of entering the world of leisure vehicles that has pushed the company from Kehl, by the Franco-German border, into testing the water with this micro camper, which made its debut at last September’s Caravan Salon Düsseldorf. The Renault Kangoo, on which the…

SOMETIMES, when we’re out and about (no pun intended!), we spot a ’van on a dealer forecourt that just shouts “take a closer look.” That was the case at Choose Leisure, near Canterbury, with this Etrusco campervan. For a start, it looked really striking and unusual in its all-black livery. Secondly, Etrusco is not the best-known brand in the UK, being relatively new here. And, perhaps most interesting of all, as pointed out by Choose’s new MD, Dave Williams, this example was a left-hooker. Now we photograph plenty of LHD ’vans (at launch events and shows on the Continent), but this one was sitting on UK soil, waiting to wear UK plates. Many dealers here are reluctant to stock anything with the wheel ont’other side but Choose is only about…

SUSTAINABILITY is a key message from this converter, based in Barnstaple, and it goes a lot further than simply adding ‘Eco’ to the name of its latest, flagship conversion, which we spotted at the Southwest Motorhome & Campervan Show at Shepton Mallet. Maybe it was the £63,999 price tag that caught our attention first, or the fact that this VW was sporting the ‘swamper look’ with side bars and 18in Wolfrace Explorer wheels wearing General Grabber off-road tyres, but there’s more to this campevan than first meets the eye. ‘Eco’ isn’t just in the moniker of this conversion, Taylored Campervans even has an ‘Eco’ tab at the top of its website. The company is actively redesigning its conversions to use less materials, especially seeking a reduction of metal and plastic…

IF you want a Ford Transit Custom or a VW Transporter T6.1 campervan, there’s a vast choice out there. Except that’s maybe not as clear cut as it was a year ago. At time of writing (early February), some converters are still waiting for their first new Ford, ordered many months previously. Meanwhile, the VW GB website states, “Transporter 6.1 panel van has closed for factory ordering; please speak to your Van Centre to discuss current and future stock options which most closely match your chosen specification, and delivery times.” The new Volkswagen van (presumably T7) is still a long way off as a UK RHD campervan… So, it’s perhaps a surprise that more campervan companies haven’t seized the opportunity of building on the Renault Trafic, a van that drives…

LOVE Campers’ first ID Buzz conversion was probably also the first such camper in the UK (see August 2023 issue). Its vibrant yellow and white duo-tone wrap perfectly suited the VW’s retro looks, but the latest model from the Brighton-based converter is more like art on wheels, its exterior design being based on an original work by Cornish-based artist, Zee van Gils. Not that the ID Buzz isn’t eye-catching enough already. It takes inspiration from the classic bay window VW Type 2 and combines that appearance with up-to-the-minute EV running gear (for our full review of the van, watch our video at motorhome.ma/review269). With those looks, you might have expected the ID Buzz to take the camper world by storm but, so far, the lack of commercially available components such…

BENIMAR is a Spanish motorhome brand. Its campervan range, called Benivan, was previously built by Auto-Trail in Grimsby. However, the latest models, unveiled by sole importer, Marquis Leisure, last October come from a Trigano factory in Italy. In fact, all these companies are part of the huge Trigano empire. Benivan production had fizzled out as Auto-Trail, faced with supply issues from Fiat, struggled to meet demand for its own campervans. But this isn’t just a change of manufacturing site for the Benivan range; gone are are the UK-style rear lounge layouts, replaced by continental-type fixed bed floorplans. Two models now feature; the 144 (seen here) and the longer 161 with lengthways sleeping. In common with many imported campers, they have their sliding door on the offside, despite right-hand drive –…

JUST Camp is a brand-new range from Dethleffs for 2024, offering a selection of six layouts, all in low-profile bodywork (hence the ‘T’ in the name, referring to the German word, teilintegriert). All of the them are based on the Citroën Jumper (that’s the moniker of the Relay van in the rest of Europe), which is a sister to the Peugeot Boxer. Base vehicle spec includes the 140hp engine and six-speed manual gearbox (Citroën doesn’t currently offer an automatic option), as well as a wide-track rear axle. ESP, Traction Plus, Hill Descent Control and a tyre pressure monitoring system are standard, but there’s no spare wheel (just a Fix ‘n’ Go kit). The cab comes in Polar White with a matching front bumper. Alloy wheels and an upgrade to the…

IT’S hard to stand out in the VW campervan market, especially for a new name without the reassurance of National Caravan Council (NCC) approval or Type Approval. Spartan Campers has only been trading for just over two years but the example of its Adventurer conversion that it supplied for review certainly caught the eye. It’s not just the pale minty green and white duotone scheme but the repeating of the green on the door handles, mirrors, VW logo and wheel centres, while the side bars are in white. Those two-coloured 20in disc-style wheels are very striking, too, and should be easy to rid of the dreaded brake dust. However, if this look isn’t to your taste, then a huge range of alloys is offered, along with a wide selection of…

UNDER £20K If you’re spending less than £20k, you may find the occasional ’van at dealers specialising in lower-priced vehicles, but you might have to consider private purchases, too. The ’vans in this price range will probably be over 20 years old but, if well cared for, could still be an affordable way into the motorhome lifestyle. Just watch out for any issues with damp/water ingress, check for rust (especially underneath), and consider whether older engines (particularly diesels) will fall foul of low emission zones where you live or where you want to travel. 1995 SWIFT ROYALE 610 SE Price: £16,995 Berths: 4 Travel seats: 2 Base vehicle: Peugeot Boxer Engine: 2.5-litre diesel (86hp)  Length: 6.25m You won’t often find a motorhome at this price point at a mainstream dealer…