Full review

Words & photos: Peter Vaughan

The CamperKing Pursuit 4

The beauty of a VW-sized campervan is its ability to be an everyday car, people-carrier, even perhaps a van, as well as a holiday vehicle. But, for some buyers, the day-to-day role – shopping, school, run, going to the office (if anyone still does that!) – is far more important than the camping side. 

Not everyone needs – or wants to pay for – a comprehensive fitted kitchen on board and, if you’re forking out tens of thousands, you probably want your vehicle to be as multipurpose as possible.

With this in mind, VW Transport specialist, CamperKing, reckons its new Pursuit fills a gap in the market by catering to those who want a vehicle that provides for their everyday needs during the week, in addition to the quest for weekend adventures. It is designed for the school run, the daily commute or transporting work equipment, as well as camping trips.

This new day van has been almost a decade in development, CamperKing says, and the company describes it as an entirely new class of vehicle, designed to bridge the gap between a Kombi van and a fully spec’d Transporter campervan. 

Of course, day vans as a concept are nothing remotely new – VW’s own California Beach is an obvious rival – but the Pursuit certainly does meet the needs of a specific type of customer.

The spec

Based on the Transporter T6.1, it’s available as a two-berth, the Pursuit 2, with standard VW tin roof and no standing room, and the four-berth Pursuit 4, with CamperKing’s own pop-top. You can also have it in short or long-wheelbase form.

Rather than listing all the standard kit, we have to start this time with what’s not included!

You won’t find a cooker (not even a portable one), there’s no fridge and no storage lockers. A sink is not part of the spec, and you certainly won’t find a washroom, or even somewhere specific to store a portable loo.

The flexibility

What it does have, though, is a lot of space and flexibility, thanks to the floor rail system, onto which is mounted a sliding three-seater rear bench, manufactured by Mobiframe. This folds flat into a full-width double bed, measuring 1.91m by 1.50m – a lot wider than the typical VW bed.

Depending on how you are using the vehicle, you can slide the seat forward on its rails to create a huge storage area at the back, or slide it towards the rear to give you more living space. Or, if you need even more capacity, you can remove the seat completely to turn the Pursuit back into a van.

The storage

However you use it, this day van will give you plenty of room to carry whatever you need – from bikes and  camping kit to paddleboards and fishing gear. 

Two further floor rails let you attach a range of accessories and equipment, including jump seats. With these, you can increase the number of travel berths to a maximum of eight. 

What’s included

Modular cooking or washing pods are also available and these can be moved in and out of the vehicle as required, or you can simply use your existing camping gear – there’s plenty of room to store it.

The only other camping equipment included is a 60-litre underslung fresh water tank, an outdoor shower, three 20Ah lithium leisure batteries and 230V, 12V and USB sockets. 

A Webasto diesel heater can be fitted as an optional extra and a 60W solar panel on the roof is also offered.

Summary

Arguably, models like the CMC Urban and Reimo City Van offer even greater versatility, being a bit more camper and less van, but the key alternative here remains the California Beach, which has the undeniable advantage of being a wholly VW-built product.

Where to buy

CamperKing sells direct from its showrooms in Warmington, near Banbury, where, at time of writing, its website was listing over 70 VW campers in stock, with prices ranging from £23,000 to £75,000 – all of them converted and ready to drive away.

All conversions are covered by a 12-month warranty, which is renewed every time you return for a habitation check. 

You don’t have to go to Banbury to see a CamperKing camper, though. It also lists 13 dealer locations: Christchurch, Chorley, Derby, Falkirk, Glasgow, Newcastle, Rickmansworth, Rushden, Southampton, Stourbridge, Stratford-upon- Avon, Tarporley and Winchester.