Etrusco CV 640 SB Plus campervan

Single beds and an optional pop-top, Italian style…

Etrusco may not be the best-known name on the UK campervan scene but it is gaining ground with four English dealers, one Welsh, one Scottish and one in Northern Ireland now giving you a good chance of seeing these Italian vehicles without travelling too far.

The brand is part of the Erwin Hymer Group, too, with its manufacturing base at the state-of-the-art Laika factory in Tuscany, so this is no small concern.

Fiat Ducato base

Predictably, its campervan range – prefixed CV – centres on the Fiat Ducato in either 5.99m or 6.36m lengths with fixed bed layouts. The 640 featured here is obviously one of the longer models, with SB signifying single beds. 

It comes as standard with the 140hp motor and manual gearbox, with the automatic gearbox as a £3,000 option. 

The exterior is white, with Expedition Grey or Metallic Black available at extra cost (£560 and £680, respectively), along with a painted bumper with integral fog lamps. The 16in matt black alloys are standard.

The 3,500kg maximum gross weight suits those with only a standard car licence, while still offering a respectable payload of over half a tonne in standard form. 

The optional Safety Pack (£1,410) adds an emergency braking system, lane keeping assistance, driver drowsiness detection and automatic lights and wipers.

Specification

Framed habitation windows are also fitted, as is a 4m awning with a casing in anthracite. The overcab Skyview is another welcome feature that’s part of the standard spec, creating a much lighter, more spacious feel in the front lounge. 

Here, it’s the typical half-dinette arrangement with swivel cab seats and a two-seater bench.

The table features a swing-out extension leaf and for transporting little ones the rear seat has Isofix. There’s a choice of four different upholsteries, too, so you can tailor the campervan to your taste.

LED ambient lighting creates a relaxing environment after dark and there are plenty of charging ports to keep your laptop, tablet, etc, topped up. The Italian aesthetics, meanwhile, mix graphite-coloured worktops and white furniture for a contemporary feel.

For the family

If you have kids, the most important option may be the pop-top roof, which comes with the lid finished in black. The ‘sleeping roof’ costs £5,140 and includes a large double bed (2.09m by 1.43m claimed) and a panoramic opening section around the whole of the front three-quarters of the canvas.

Even when the roof is down, there’s extra daylight coming into the camper as a large opening skylight is incorporated. Note that the roof reduces payload by 150kg. Of course, the main sleeping area is at the rear of the vehicle, where long single beds offer comfortable sleeping and easy access to the washroom in the night.

The beds are 1.92m by 1.08m and 1.84m by 86cm (manufacturer’s figures). Of course, there’s a large storage area under the beds, reached through the barn doors at the back, and, with the offside bed hinged up, you can even get a full-sized bicycle on board.

Kitchen and washroom

The kitchen comes with a two-burner hob and sink, as well as an 84-litre fridge at the end of the unit, where it can be accessed via the open sliding door when you’re enjoying al fresco life.

There’s a rail for kitchen accessories and a useful amount of work space for the cook. The cupboards and drawers feature soft-close mechanisms. Behind a sliding tambour door, there’s a Vario washroom that quickly converts the toilet area into a shower in one simple movement.

Standard equipment includes a 100-litre fresh water tank and 90-litre waste tank (heated and insulated as a £470 option). A second side window in the bedroom is also available, at £470, while upgrading the heating to Truma’s Combi 6 E gas/electric unit is £560.  

One of the more affordable campervans in this 6.36m class, even in Plus spec, much of the appeal here may be down to the Italian aesthetics inside.