VW Campervan ultimate showdown

here we are at which motorhomes latest ultimate showdown a group test of very similar competing motorhomes this time VW camper vans again and we've got 11 of them here today all different styles but models that break away from the traditional side kitchen layout the first van we're looking at today is the damn reactive based on long wheelbase Volkswagen Transporter and with a front hinged Remo elevating roof it has a rear kitchen and toilet to design of layout and we'll have a look at that now dan Brie's own design of rear seat doesn't have head restraints but they do adjust for rake and of course they make two single beds here table stores clip to the wall just lies flat against the wall when you're not using it but the real interest is perhaps at the back as masses of light and Headroom at the back of this Dan Brie but more unusual is this cooker this Voyager II only only has two burners but it comes with a combined oven and grill on the other side is more typical small Waco compressor fridge and under the glass lid there's a sink but then there's some neat ideas like a little extra work top the slides out on this storage area here again more convenient than trying to dive into the back of a cupboard and of course there's a bench star cassette toilet at the back wardrobe on this side and various bits of storage behind and there's even a shower to hose yourself down after a muddy walk or a day on the beach perhaps for the kids or the dog here's the sauna from Djerba camp offense now gerb are based in in Scotland not far from Edinburgh but they attract customers from all over the UK because of their quality design and their special that specialist in VW camper vans this model has a rear kitchen again and is on a long wheelbase t5 but there are some subtle differences which are shown inside the sauna the seating area is conventional with to swivel cab seats but the rear seats of IRIB and they have these neat height adjustable head restraints so if you're carrying adults or children that the head restraints can adjust accordingly tables are this one mounts on the wall and against doors against the wall and this one is on a cranked leg so you can use it lengthwise even swing it out of the door and turn a lot of times that would be all you'd need have to leave this one stored unless unless you using it as a 4 berth camper at the back it's the kitchen that impresses in terms of worktop space list of a look at that there's no oven or grill here just a two burner hob with push-button ignition but look at all these preparation space even with both the glass leads rise for the sink and the hob the other thing we like here is these rather nice positive locking catches which have a definite feeling of quality to them but also there's plenty of drawers but it's not just cupboards there's a really big wardrobe here too and this particular Sun has been specified as a 4 berth so there's an adult sized roof bed bit narrow maybe for 2 adults but under quite a thin mattress but it could be used certainly by two teenagers or two to slim adults and that just pops up against the roof with with gas struts then if you want to use the toilet it's a cassette again but this time oh yeah a swivel just lift that flap up some neat little storage cubbies behind and privacy has been thought about with this wardrobe door that unfolds across the vehicle and just press studs into place and a thoughtful little detail here is the way they've hidden the fresh water filler and the mains socket behind this original VW panel Remo is one of the best names in VW campers because they supply the elevating roofs and high tops for so many other brands but this one is Ramos on conversion the multi style sold in the UK by UK Rhino agents concept multi car again it's a long wheelbase t5 with a rear kitchen but it has some differences chief amongst those differences is the use of Ramos own rear seats in the back like the riaa seats they have height adjustable head restraints but they're usefully a bit lower and less lengthening the squab so if you're not very taller if you're carrying children in the back they're much more comfortable by for traveling and on site otherwise it's much the same with four seats around this one crank leg table but it's quite a decent size and it spins around wherever you want it so that's quite quite a neat feature let's plenty of storage here and these drawers have a nice soft clothes feature and the Hopman sink is in one integral stainless steel unit there's a decent sized wardrobe on the other side but the toilet is all neatly hidden eyeing this big with a door that swings out and of course it's the swivel toilet so that spins round to give you a bit more room the ears and this storage behind it - and this is the one they're all talking about the heimer car Cape Town Homer and Volkswagen never worked together before - very big names in camper vans and motorhomes coming together for the first time makes a great story and this is seen in Germany as being the perhaps long-awaited rival to the California something totally different to the California but seen in the same way as a top end product pricey but let's see if it's worth it I'm really thought about totally redesigned the whole concept of a VW camper look at these seats in the back their proper automotive style seats this one's even got twin arm rests you can replace that too with a double passenger seat and that seat there is completely removable and there's the table firmly attached to the wall you just flip it up and a nice little coffee table or dining for two here then if if you want full meal it just folds over and you've got quite a substantial surface to dine from but at the back there's even more difference the kitchens at the back which is totally different to the California but just look at the quality of finish here there's plenty of storage in all these compartments a water goes in there gas at the bank the tap at the sink pulls out and doubles as a showerhead perfect for washing off the dog after walk maybe sand off the kids after a day on the beach then there's a socket at the bottom for you to fill your water tank from an external water container at night bed makeup is unique to with a double bed that falls on top of the galley Hilux this is the author sleep of topaz or two sleepers once famous for cam prevents this size but now this is the only Volkswagen in their range and the smallest camper van they do despite this being a long wheelbase high-top model unlike the other high-tops we've seen today with a long wheelbase high tops this one year's is all to sleep as own roof rather than a Volkswagen factory roof so they can incorporate Windows where they want and so on and use a tailgate at the back rather than 20 inch doors inside it's the bathroom that makes the Topaz special so we'll start at the back of the VIN it's the most comprehensive washroom you'll find in a VW camper probably with a bench cassette toilet tip-up washbasin there's a decent size and the Wardrobe over here so you can use the whole thing as a changing area shower trays in the middle and you use this shower curtain to just pull across and protect the door if you are taking a share in there enough room on a good facility if you want to use CL campsites and farm sites rally fields that sort of thing whole thing just shuts off with these twin sliding doors inside it's more like one of all two sleepers bigger per show based conversions squeezed into a slightly smaller space you've got this single seat here which is rather long in the squab perhaps not a great travel seat but useful on site nevertheless especially with the little table slotted in here and then on this side there's a bench seat so on the road it sits at most a three seater but with the cab seat swivel around this quite a decent amount of space for a couple then at the back you've got separate two kitchen area cooker on this side sink and fridge on this side sinks got an integral drainer and the fridge is a three-way model unlike the compressor units used on most VW campers also spot there the latest light oak furniture and for this 2014 OTT or two sleeper topaz Bilbo's at the current holders of our campervan of the year title with their long wheelbase selects this is its sister model the long wheelbase nexor same base vehicle same side hinged elevating roof which is unique amongst this group gives standing room writer length along the length of the vehicle and quite a lot of lighting through those side windows but completely different layout to the selects which is the traditional side kitchen this one's got a rear kitchen and a twist on the toilet arrangement no surprises up front for individual seats swivel cap seats and then these are I be fully crash tested seats in the back not sir perhaps then ideal if your short in the leg but they do have the feature of adjustable right to the back resident they have got properly integrated head restraints it's all very familiar Bilbo's style in the back with these modern looking cabinets like grey being the predominant color and it's beautifully finished as you'd expect from what's probably the country's leading converter a VW camper vans lots of work top lots of headroom lots of storage space at the back on this combined sink and hob unit has 3 burners that's one up on mostly opposition down below little grip grill and warming oven there again a smooth unit on the other side wardrobe and the compressor fridge is mounted up off the floor for convenience talking of convenience down below is your toilet this is slide it out for use so they've fitted a very much larger than average porta potti so it's you're not sitting right down sort of almost on the floor it's it's a sensible size and height and but you're not wasting so much storage space to a cassette toilet our second Bilbo's is the lizanne again based on the long-wheelbase t5 but this time with Volkswagens own factory high roof with the twin full height back doors this one's on the pre-facelift t5 but of course if you buy a new one it'll have the latest front and latest 2-liter TDI engines inside the interesting thing perhaps is at the back of the vehicle so we'll start there there's no shower but there is a proper toilet area in the back of this vehicle underneath this sate which slides off is the usual thick furred bench cassette toilet and there's a little stainless steel wash basin behind little vanity unit in there too with a mirror on the inside somewhere to keep all your toiletries and wardrobe over here so you can use the back end of the vehicle the changing area as well because privacy is ensured by this dividing screen nothing unusual about the lounge area with the Riv seats again and a choice of tables this little crank leg table here or one that mounts on a wall rail behind me being a high-top you've got this useful sliding door cupboard over the over the cab seats perhaps somewhere to keep your bedding and then you just pull it down onto the single beds at night also useful of the little windows in the roof ideal if you need to keep the pet in the vehicle perhaps and to give ventilation and useful at night for a bit of through through our when when it's hot outside kitchens in the middle of the vehicle with a larger than average compressor fridge on this side an opposite 2 burner hob sink and a little grill and warming oven we like these slide-out unit for keeping your tins of food as well here's the Danbury double back it looks like conventional VW camper on the long-wheelbase t5 with a rear hinged elevation roof and when you open the side door the kitchens facing you there's a bench seat at the back so very traditional you might think but it's got a secret up its sleeve all I have to do now is press this button this one's got rather fancy leather trim in the cab but that's an option what comes as standard is this nice sized sink to burn hob with a grill underneath and some neat kitchen features like this work work top that slides out storage for your tins and this storage for a porta potti in here but you have got to lift it down from that cupboard down to floor level now this one's empty if the reservoir in there was full it would be quite heavy to live but with a slide-out extended you can see just how much bigger this feels than a normal VW camper you've got the usual bench seat at the back but also these simple fold down rather thinly upholstered seats on the on the side and there's a table that drops in here to that cleverly stores on the sliding door a bit like a Volkswagen California so there's lots of space lots of floor space you can invite your friends in here but storage is very limited and you have to ask yourself do you need all this extra space this is the hillside average named after a Derbyshire village because hillside is a Derbyshire company and this is on the short wheelbase t5 it's the only short wheelbase high roof t5 we've got in this group although I think you can have a dove ridge with an elevating roof if you need to go into pocket and garage you're going to multi-storey car parks on the line high top of course gives you a bit more insulation for the winter and this SCA roofs quite attractively styled I'm inside it's a rear kitchen layout which has been squeezed into the short wheelbase fans who would take a look at how they've done that it's the familiar four seater lounge area for individual suits up front using swivel cab sights but these aren't the original VW chairs they're replacements which aren't quite as supportive out quite as comfortable as Volkswagens own and these rear seats too are a bit up right there then not the RI B or rye Maya seats which have a substantial steel frame and these head restraints are just mounted onto the furniture so back seats aren't so good for carrying passengers but there's some quite clever touches in the rear considering the size of the vehicle they've squeezed a lot in this combined smurf you in it to burn a hob and sink is as you'd expect in a VW camper but the fridge mounted up high off the floor that's quite practical so there's no sort of bending down to get milk thick on flight and there's a grill and warming oven here to the usual smurfy in it but again nice height so you can see that you're not burning the toast without scrambling around on the floor or standing on a stepladder as you are in some motorhomes domestic toilet I'm is hidden under this seat which could make a practical place to sit when you when you're cooking here and want to access the cupboards and so on and but just remove the cushion and there's the latest domestic toilet the definitely a more upmarket looking lower than you get in other small camper vans this is the rolling Holmes Livingston on a short wheelbase t5 with a front hinged elevating roof by SCA now rolling Holmes is relatively new name in camper vans and this one's been built to customer specifications so it's got the grey bumpers no fancy alloy wheels but it has got chrome bars along the side so a little bit of an unusual specification but as every rolling Holmes vans built to order you could have a higher spec base vehicle if you wanted inside it's the furniture that makes the difference now gray laminate might be the in thing with the likes of Bill Bowes and Romo but rolling homes have their own more traditional style yes the fittings and this combined cooker and sink unit by Smith and the Waco compressor fridge are all very familiar but just look at the quality of this cabinet work very traditional pure wood no sort of fancy paper finishes this is proper cabinetry up front though it's still the same four seater lounge area with two RI B rear seats falling down to make two single beds and when it comes to the toilet there's no fitted cassette in this one just a porta potti hidden in this low-level cupboard just slides out is you you

Channel: MotorhomeCampervan

Views: 1,253,972

Rating: 4.5529337 out of 5

Keywords: review, video review, models, VW, van, conversions, van conversion, motorhomes, out and about live, Campervan (Body Style), VW CAMPERVAN, what motorhome, MMM TV, MMM magazine

Id: HIUwrCRNj3M

Length: 20min 7sec (1207 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 13 2013