Carado CV541 Pro campervan

Inspired by Hymer's award-winning Venture S but a quarter of the price!

It started as a concept in 2019 and then Hymer’s Venture S appeared as a production model at the 2022 Caravan Salon Düsseldorf. It immediately grabbed our Motorhome of the Year title for 2023 and still attracts gawps and stares wherever it appears. It remains a one-of-a-kind. Or does it?

Here, from Hymer’s budget brand, Carado, is a brand-new campervan that has a similar rear lounge floorplan and that same concept of a built-in staircase – yes, real stairs – to an upper double bedroom.

OK, it’s not a coachbuilt motorhome, nor is it a Mercedes Sprinter, and it doesn’t have four-wheel drive – instead, this is a modest Fiat Ducato panel van, but the Off-Road Pack (with 18in black alloys shod with M+S tyres, plus a front bull bar) does give it something of a 4x4 vibe (and some extra traction) for a lot less cost.

Yes, a LOT less. While a Venture S can top £240k with options, this Carado can be ordered in its most basic form for just over a quarter of that – £61,490 (with the eight-speed automatic transmission included).

Something unique

Now, we’re not pretending that a Venture S customer is going to hesitate in the showroom and save themselves 180 grand by choosing a C541 Pro, but it’s nice to see the concept coming down to a level that most campervanners could consider. Great, too, to see something unique on the market (although there is also a Sunlight version from Dethleffs’ budget brand).

The Carado, as its numbering suggests, is based on the medium-wheelbase Ducato, at just 5.41m long. Where it differs from just about every other mainstream model is that the cab bulkhead remains in place, so there’s no access from the front into the living area. You have to get out and go around to the sliding side door, or rear barn doors, but at least it’s a smaller area to heat in winter without heat loss through the cooler cab area.

Small rear lounge

At the back of the camper, there’s a small rear lounge that allows the same inside/outside feeling as in the Hymer, albeit without the sundeck. It’s probably the most conventional part of this campervan and comes with a free-standing table that stores under the false floor between the benches (access is by opening the rear doors). As an option, you can turn the two sofas into a transverse single bed but, really, this is a couple’s campervan.

A real staircase

Like its expensive cousin, you go up a fixed staircase to bed. The stairs back onto the cab and hide extra storage and the 64-litre compressor fridge. Up top, though, it’s not the Venture’s sophisticated four-layer pneumatic roof but a standard campervan pop-top, although you still get a big bed – 2.06m by 1.43m (according to Carado’s figures) on a sprung base. And, of course, those stairs are much easier to negotiate for a night-time loo visit than a ladder.

Bathroom & kitchen

The washroom comes with a foldaway backless basin, an opening window for ventilation and a bench cassette toilet. Unfortunately, you do have to use a curtain when showering.

The kitchen has been kept quite simple, too, with a stainless-steel combination unit incorporating the sink and two-burner hob. There’s a reasonable amount of storage and hot water (and blown-air heating) comes from a 4kW diesel Truma Combi.

Optional extras

You can upspec your Carado with a wide range of options. The Chassis Pack, Digital Pack, Safety Pack (including adaptive cruise control) and Co-Driver Pack add toys to the base vehicle but also add a good deal of cost. You can choose from four exterior colours and two fabrics, but the most useful extras are probably the heated waste tank (£520) and second 95Ah AGM leisure battery (£290).

This campervan will be a Marmite model – you’ll love it or loathe it! Whichever camp you fall in, it looks good value and offers something completely different to the norm.