Bilbo’s Celex Pro Campervan Review

Almost 50 years’ experience in building VW campervans.

The most notable first impression of the latest Bilbo’s camper, as seen here – apart from the clever CE11 LEX number plate! – is the Reimo roof. We’ve become used to seeing the Surrey-based converter fitting its own pop-tops, called Low-Lie.  

In fact, Bilbo’s has long offered what it refers to as a ‘Continental front lifting roof’ as a factory option. Here, it adds £5,000 to the price, including a 1.96m by 1.12m bed with its mattress mounted on Zomi plastic springs for comfort. The Low-Lie roof can’t match the Reimo’s bed size but it does have the appeal of being very easy to use, offering the same headroom front to rear (as it is side-hinged), and the windows built into the canvas ensure there’s plenty of daylight coming in. Unless you plan to sleep up top, we’d take the substantial saving and go for the Low-Lie version, especially as the new securing catches on the roof fitted here were a bit of a struggle to release.  

A room with a view

However, it’s worth noting the pluses of the Reimo roof compared with its rivals. This version has a panoramic, fully unzippable canvas but, when the weather isn’t tropical, you can still get daylight in through a front window and some ventilation via flyscreened panels on either side. 

With a Low-Lie roof, the Celex starts at £69,500, based on a 110hp Commerce-spec van with manual gearbox. This demo model upped the equipment level to Commerce Pro and the drivetrain to a 150hp motor with eight-speed automatic gearbox, raising that figure to £77,750. It looked extremely discreet in metallic Graphite Dust grey (£1,000 extra) with matching Montreal Grey 16in alloy wheels (another £75) and it was a surprise to see no Bilbo’s branding anywhere. The other external feature to note is the single sliding window (fully opening) on the offside, behind the kitchen. 

If its not broken...  

After nearly 50 years of building Volkswagen campervans, you wouldn’t expect Bilbo’s to throw the baby out with the bath water and the new Celex carries over much of what made the previous T6/T6.1 version so successful for so long. Not only is the Celex NCC (National Caravan Council) approved but Bilbo’s is one of just six UK companies to have VW Motorhome Qualified Converter status.

The Celex is quite a traditional design and retains curtains, rather than fitting blinds, for example. Bilbo’s also continues to fit its own fixed seat/bed system, which, like the Low-Lie roof, you’ll not see anywhere else. It only caters for two rear passengers but it comes with a nearside armrest and automotive-style head restraints. Importantly, it’s one of the easiest seats to turn into a bed, with the backrest simply pulling forward over the top of the seat squab. There’s a slight ridge in the middle of the bed which needs a little refining of the infill cushion’s size/shape but this double bed offers generous width of up to 1.36m (mattress length is 1.88m). Under-seat storage is good, too, with a compartment for a loo on one side and a large cupboard adjacent. 

Cooking facilities

The side kitchen carries on this practical approach to storage, with three good-sized drawers (so much better than cupboards) and a Dometic 55-litre compressor fridge. A gas grill is available as an option (replacing a drawer), with a two-burner hob fitted as standard. The table mounts onto a rail on the front of the galley and can thus offer extra meal preparation space. A second table (a £25 option) is provided for al fresco dining. 

Full-height storage begins alongside the back seat. This unit is shelved, while a wardrobe with hanging rail is found to the rear. Boot area storage is particularly capacious, too, but with a fixed seat it can’t be extended.

If you admired Bilbo’s practical approach in the past, then the latest Celex carries on in that tradition.