Pilote Vega V630S campervan

Multiple configurations for the bedroom in this new family campervan…

Pilote has been perfecting its campervan range of late, with high-spec Évidence models and improved layouts. Then there’s the V630S, which is all-new and boasts a highly modular bedroom/garage area at the rear. 

Modular design for bedroom and garage

If you want maximum load-carrying potential, then it’s possible to create a full-width, full-height garage. Open the unglazed barn doors and headroom here is 1.81m with a depth of 94cm and there are lashing points at the sides, while unusually there’s no intrusion from water tanks, gas lockers, etc.

In this format, the bedroom (entirely separated, forward of the garage) has two single beds, one above the other, bunk style. There are reading lights and USBs on a rail system, while top cupboards are replaced by suitcases that clips onto the walls – as they are removable, they don’t reduce sleeping space, and they can be carried indoors for packing.

Alternatively, if you need four berths, the top bed can be extended to create a transverse double measuring 1.85m by 1.70m. Headroom here is 58cm and there’s a small rooflight for ventilation.

Underneath, you can turn the space into a larger double bed. On this lower level it’s possible to sleep lengthways, with 1.99m mattress length on the offside, 1.85m on the nearside. And because the bed fills the width of the campervan, it’s 1.81m across. 

Headroom, though, is still limited (to 65cm) because you have another bed above. But you retain full-width storage under the end of the bed, with a height of 42cm – plenty of room for outdoor furniture. But those are just two of the possibilities. 

You can have an upper double bed and still have enough room for bikes in the garage down below.

Or you can slide the top bed back into single-berth mode, to create more headroom (and easier access) for those sleeping below. Or you can remove a section of the lower bed to make two singles. 

And, of course, you can switch it all around for different trips, depending on how many people are travelling or what kit you’re taking. 

Just remember that, as this is an H2 panel van and not the extra-high H3 version, space to get in and out of each bed is quite limited and, of course, you need a ladder to reach the upper bed.

Conventional lounge and kitchen

Most of the rest of this campervan is much more conventional. The base vehicle is a 6.36m extra-long Fiat Ducato with 140hp engine and manual gearbox (the automatic transmission costs £2,640 extra).

It comes with all-season tyres, a 90-litre fuel tank, ESP and Traction+. The Bumper Pack adds colour-coding and front fog lights for £440, while an electric parking brake and automatic headlights are packaged together at £880. The Safety Pack (£1,320) encompasses all the usual driver aids.

Alloy wheels are £880 and a variety of extra-cost paint finishes are offered as an alternative to the standard white. The lounge is the typical half-dinette (quite comfortably shaped) with Isofix for child seats and a wall-mounted table with swing-out extension leaf.

There’s a choice of upholsteries, either Annecy or Pyla furniture, and a flyscreen is fitted on the sliding door. An overcab Skydome sunroof can be added for £1,320.

The side kitchen, adjacent to the entrance, has good drawer-based storage and a worktop extension flap, while a two-burner hob and sink are in a combination unit. The standard 90-litre compressor fridge can be upgraded to a 138-litre model, as seen here.

Easy-access washroom

Split tambour doors (one sliding each way) make for easy, wide access into the washroom with a swivel cassette toilet, tiny basin and the option to add an opening window and duckboard.

Showering requires a curtain but you don’t have to pull it all the way around, just across the wall side.  

A fixed bed campervan that offers numerous permutations of sleeping and storage for active families on the move, but check out the beds to ensure they’ll suit everyone.