Autohaus Spartan

This Ford Tourneo-based campervan combines top chassis spec with family-friendly features to create an award-winning camper

There are many reasons to buy your campervan conversion from a well-established company. Not least among them is the fact that they have an uncanny knack of seeming to know what you’re likely to want before you know yourself.

Somerset-based Autohaus is a great example. It might sound German, but it’s as English as warm beer and cricket on the village green. 

For more than two decades, the company has been building high-quality campervans designed to meet – and exceed – the expectations of its customers. From humble beginnings, Autohaus currently produces almost 200 campers a year at its Minehead-based factory.

Father and son team, Tony and Chris Payne, pride themselves on identifying the ever-changing needs of buyers and developing their campervans accordingly. In this business it pays to be one step ahead. 

Until recently, most of the Autohaus campervan range was built on VW Transporters but, at last October’s NEC show, the company said there were signs that, rather than wait for the new T7, customers were preferring to go with alternative base vehicles, such as the Ford Transit Custom and Renault Trafic.

One of those Ford-based campervans is the new Spartan. And if you were to draw up a wish list for your perfect pop-top campervan, there’s a really good chance it would look a lot like the Spartan’s specification. 

DRIVING PERFORMANCE

The Spartan is based on the new Ford Tourneo Custom, the people-carrier version of the Transit Custom, which provides a comfortable, car-like drive. 

It starts at £69,995 and is based on the 150hp manual with a standard AGM leisure battery, gas hob, sink, gas locker, fabric upholstery and standard alloy wheels, in white. The fully loaded version that caught the eye at the NEC – and is tested here – comes in at a much heftier price of £83,995, but if you order before the end of the February NEC show you’ll get it for the special show price of £79,500.

For that, you get a family-friendly campervan packed with features, including a pop-top roof with sprung bed, a 280W solar panel, electric cooking and diesel heating and plenty of storage.

It comes with all the Tourneo’s spec, including a raft of driver assistance and safety systems, such as parking sensors, speed limit assist and a lane-keeping system. You also have a choice of drive modes – Normal, Eco, and Slippery – designed to make driving easier in different conditions. 

Keyless entry and starting means there’s no need for an ignition key (just a fob) and the electric parking brake creates more space in the cab and allows you to walk through to the back of the campervan without obstruction, as well as making it easier to swivel the (heated) front seats.

The fully digital dashboard provides no end of useful driving data and the 13in touchscreen is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as having a built-in sat-nav and rear view camera.

If you’re impressed by the Tourneo’s cab spec, you’ll be just as wowed by its external looks – its modern shape, flush, tinted windows and colour-coded bumpers and folding mirrors.

It’s soundproofed, insulated and lined, as well as being built at the Autohaus factory in Somerset using top-quality materials, fixtures and fittings. And you have the reassurance that the workshop is fully NCC approved and the campervan comes with a three-year warranty. 

The vehicle tested had an individual vehicle approval (IVA), but Autohaus’ campervans usually have National Small Series Type Approval.

As Tony explained, “We’re a bit different from most manufacturers in that we tend to make everything ourselves. So, we manufacture all our furniture in-house, we manufacture a lot of our upholstery in-house. And we buy in the best products we can from across Europe, like Reimo pop-top roofs on the majority of vehicles and Dometic appliances, so it is all type approved and NCC approved products.”

The fact that the Spartan looks fabulous and drives superbly meant that it was always going to be a strong contender to land a prize in the Out & About Live Campervan Awards. And so it turned out: the Spartan impressed the judges so much it won the hotly contested Best Pop-Top Campervan category. 

It also turned heads when we took it out to test along the Somerset coast. First impressions count, and on the outside the Spartan certainly caught the eye thanks to its red paintwork (£1,000 extra) and contrasting black graphics. 

Inside, it looked just as stylish, with red-trimmed black leather upholstery, sustainable bamboo wood throughout and coloured LED lighting strips. Tristone worktops and Vöhringer furniture complete the classy interior look and feel.

But, of course, it takes a lot more than a snazzy appearance to win an award and the Spartan delivers much more than mere aesthetics. 

Whether you’re a couple or a small family, it’s a well-equipped campervan that is practical for everyday use without missing any of the features that are essential for comfortable holidays.

STYLISH KITCHEN DESIGN

There’s nothing particularly unusual about the layout, which has the tried and tested side kitchen set-up. But there’s a reason why that layout is so common – it works. 

As part of its environmentally friendly credentials, the campervan is designed to be totally gas-free, so has a double induction hob by British manufacturer, Sterling, for cooking. 

The kitchen unit also features a sink and cold tap, and a 50-litre Dometic fridge with a freezer compartment, which is perfectly ample for either a couple or a young family on the move. There are two soft-close drawers here, too, and a cutlery drawer directly below the cooker, which is compartmentalised to stop your knives and forks rattling around when you’re driving.

As you’d expect in a campervan of this size, there isn’t a lot of work surface in the kitchen, but it does have a small drainer and the sink has a removable lid, which integrates with the black acrylic worktop.

A Russell Hobbs microwave is an optional extra but, if you don’t think that is something you will need, then you can go for more cupboard storage instead.

That’s not to imply storage is limited; quite the opposite in fact. There’s a sensibly sized locker at eye-level, as well as a cupboard above the back seats and an open-fronted storage area and slide-out cupboard under the seat. 

Two open-fronted storage cubbyholes are located alongside the kitchen, one of which houses a wireless charger for phones or other compatible devices. 

Here, you’ll also find 12V and 230V sockets, as well as a pair of handy USB ports – both USB-B and USB-C – meaning you can leave the chunky adaptors at home. 

A full-colour touchscreen control panel gives you control of the electrics, the lighting and the diesel-powered Webasto blown-air heating system. That heating proved to be very welcome on a sunny, but very chilly, November trip to the coast!

For off-grid capability, there’s a 280W solar panel, 160Ah lithium power system and a 3,000W inverter, all of which should be enough for two or three nights away, or longer in the sunnier months. 

SETTING UP THE BED

The Mobiframe rear bench, which provides belted seating for up to three passengers, converts quickly and easily into a 1.29m wide by 1.85m long double bed. This width is made possible because of the slightly narrower kitchen unit, which steps out at the end of the bed to accommodate the fridge and cooker.

The downside here is that you lose access to the microwave and some of the cupboards when the bed is set up – but, thankfully, you can still get into the fridge for that early morning breakfast in bed! 

The Reimo front elevating roof lifts and closes manually, although the gas struts mean it doesn’t require a lot of effort. Up top is another spacious double (measuring 2.03m by 1.30m), which is sprung for extra comfort – many rivals feature mattresses directly placed on the flat baseboards, so this is definitely a welcome feature. 

Two LED strip lights in the roof provide illumination.

A PVC window at the front of the pop-top and two side windows can be zipped open to provide spectacular views (depending on where you’re parked up, of course!) and, in hot weather, the whole canvas can be zipped fully open for maximum ventilation. When it’s open, don’t leave the kids up there unattended, though!

Back ‘downstairs’, in daytime mode the living area is spacious enough for a small family. The dining table, which is stored behind the driver’s seat in transit, can be quickly fixed into place in front of the rear bench, and the cab seats both swivel to provide more lounge seating. 

LOTS OF STORAGE SPACE

I mentioned that there was no shortage of cupboard space and that theme continues towards the back of the campervan, with two storage lockers alongside the seat, including one with a mirrored door. These are designed with angled doors to allow access with the seats upright as well as when they’re folded down into a bed. 

The rear seats are on a sliding rail so can be shifted forwards, closer to the cab, while driving, particularly important if travelling with your children. The seats also have Isofix fittings for child seats.

And then there are the multicoloured LED strip lights (operated with a remote control handset), tinted windows with blackout curtains, and a 30-litre water tank fitted underneath to maximise interior space.

There’s yet more storage in the boot, including a spacious drawer and a top-access storage locker. A cupboard in the boot area provides storage for a Fiamma Bi-Pot 30 portable toilet, although I would have preferred it to have a more easily accessible home in the main body of the campervan. 

On the plus side, it’s not stealing kitchen storage, but it means you’ll have to carry it around to the living area at night. On that subject, you can just about squeeze the toilet into the space at the end of the bed when it’s set up at night.

Toilet storage aside, generally lots of thought has gone into where everything is stored. The winding pole that is used to operate the Fiamma awning, for example, has its own dock above the sliding side door, and the leg for the dining table can be clipped into place under the back seats when it’s not in use. 

As mentioned earlier, the table itself sits behind the driver’s seat and has a simple catch to lock it in place.

To help get you started, the campervan comes as standard with a 25m hook-up cable, an insulated screen for the cab window and Autohaus cab mats.

The Spartan is a standout Ford camper that blends comfort, style and practicality. With its impressive driving spec, gas-free kitchen and thoughtful storage solutions, it’s perfect for small families or couples. The stylish interior, spacious sleeping areas and excellent build quality make it perfect for road trips and everyday use and the use of recycled materials give it green credentials for the eco-conscious camper.