Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2025 i What Motorhome

AMONGST CamperKing’s range of VW-based campervans, the Santorini is a six-seater and long-wheelbase only. To get a sextet of seats, however, you’ll have to opt for a double passenger cab seat which, as we all know, is uncomfortable to travel in, awkward to swivel, and prevents any walk-through to the rear. So, a five-seat Santorini, with individual cab chairs (each with armrests) is the way to go unless you must have room for six backsides. As well as those separate seats, luxuriously trimmed in red leather with a cross-stitched pattern in the centres (a £1,080 option), this particular Santorini seemed to have all the options thrown at it, resulting in a list price – deep breath time! – of £80,000. Those red seats pick up on the striking exterior in…

ETRUSCO is an Italian brand from the Erwin Hymer Group that offers everything from campervans to A-class motorhomes, all in the entry-level part of the market. Here, we’re focusing on its seven-model campervan range, the big news in which is the arrival of a pair of ‘Plus’ models with increased spec. Like all Etrusco campervans coming to the UK, these are based on the latest Fiat Ducato. The new models, the CV 600 DB+ and CV 640 SB+, are based on tried and tested layouts but with a variety of extra features not previously offered on the CV range. The CV 600 DB+ is compact, at 5.99m long, while the CV 640 SB+ makes use of Fiat’s longest, 6.36m, Ducato. Externally, the new Sky-View overcab sunroof is said to give…

WITH the starting price of the new VW California Ocean closing in on £80k, one way to join the Volkswagen campervan fraternity on a lesser budget is to choose a brand-new conversion on a pre-owned van. So, all your habitation fittings are factory fresh, no one has slept on the bed, and you can potentially save tens of thousands. This example isn’t a last-of-the-line T6.1, as it pre-dates that 2019 VW facelift. The T6-generation Transporter ran from 2016 to ’19 and the camper shown here is an 18-plate long-wheelbase model in the more basic Startline spec. Unusually, though, for a base model it has the highly desirable 150hp motor (the favourite for campervans) and the DSG twin-clutch automatic transmission. We suspect that the engine/gearbox combo alone meant this camper didn’t…

THE Campeo TD made its public debut at the Caravan Salon Düsseldorf last September, with a UK appearance a little over a month later. It’s a brand-new line-up of low-profile motorhomes that replaces the Delfin and Limited in what Bürstner calls the “lower mainstream segment” and it sits below the best selling Lyseo Harmony Line. Unusually for its price point, it has a technical double floor, and, perhaps even more unusually, one of the first layouts to be released is one aimed at families. One of five models so far announced, the Campeo TD 676 G is a fairly modest 6.71m long and, like the rest of the range, it’s designed to be a 3.5-tonne motorhome (although upgrades are available if required – to 3,650kg, or 4,400kg with the 180hp…

JOA Camp launched in the UK for in 2022. Now, three years on, Groupe Pilote’s budget brand has some important updates, the most obvious of which is a switch from Citroën to Fiat. Now, an automatic transmission becomes a possibility (as a £4,400 option). Built in the same factory as Pilotes, the Joa range is simple to comprehend and aimed at first-time buyers. There are just five motorhomes, with four of them offering a choice of island bed or twin beds in either 6.99m or 7.39m overall lengths. This is the longer single bed layout. Since its launch, the base price has risen – haven’t they all! – but a starting figure of £64,900 looks more competitive than ever as the standard spec has been increased, too. Better still, Joa…

SUNLIGHT, the budget brand from Dethleffs, offers a wide range of low-profile motorhomes (as well as campervans and A-classes), using Citroën, Fiat and Ford chassis. The Transit-based models were introduced for the 2024 model year and encompass the more compact T 670 S and island bed T 690 L, as well as the T 680 that we focus on here. Like its sister models, the 7.36m-long T 680 is based on a Ford chassis with 130hp motor and six-speed manual gearbox (165hp and automatic options available). It has a sporty appearance thanks to its black metallic cab and standard alloy wheels. It also comes with all the kit – front parking sensors, an uprated front axle, rear view camera, stop/start, electric parking brake, wide rear axle, leather steering wheel and…

IF you aspire to own a campervan to drive every day, then the chances are that you’ll be thinking about a VW Transporter. We’re yet to see conversions on the new T7 but when they do appear they’re likely to cost considerably more than the £56,695 of this Cambridge Campervans conversion on a 24-plate van with just delivery mileage. Of course, it’s the lilac bodywork that stands out here and you’ll either love or hate it, but the rest is much more down to earth, starting with the 110hp Startline base vehicle with the added Business Pack, so it’s not too Bob-the-Builder basic. There are even heated seats and a reversing camera (both extras), while the 20in wheels (too big?), Leighton Vans front bodykit and side bars complete a visual…

IF you plan to go motorhoming with four or six people on board then chances are your top priority is space. LOTS of space. So, you want a big ’van. And, as the name suggests, the Dethleffs XL Family A 7872-2 is BIG. Really BIG. It measures 8.60m long and a lofty 3.27m high and sits on a Fiat Ducato with tag-axle Al-Ko chassis to give it a whopping 5.4-tonne maximum gross weight. In standard form there’s over one and a half tonnes of payload, so for once you’ll be able to make full use of its huge heated rear garage. Not only does this have full-sized loading doors on either side, but its interior headroom is a super-generous 1.45m, load capacity is 250kg, and the space can also be…

ON the face of it, this looks like another one of those continental campervans with a fixed bed at the back, a half-dinette at the front and a washroom and kitchen in the middle. Same old, same old. But hold on a minute… Most campervans of this ilk are really two-berths in terms of sleeping accommodation with four travel seats for a bit more versatility, then perhaps the possibility of turning the dinette into an extra bed for a grandchild who might (a) have to be pre-teens in terms of size or (b) able to sleep without complaint on a mattress with more ridges than the Dolomites. The answer if you need a true four-berth in this class of campervan is usually to add a pop-top, at an extra cost…

UNDER £20K If you’re spending less than £20k, you may find the occasional ’van at a dealer (especially those specialising in lower-priced vehicles), but you’ll probably have to consider private purchases, such as those on eBay. The ’vans in this price range will mostly 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. 2011 WHEELHOME VIKENZE Price: £14,995 Berths: 1 Travel seats: 3 Base vehicle: Fiat Qubo Engine: 1.3-litre diesel (75hp) Length: 3.86m Campervans don’t come any smaller, or much cheaper, than…