Scandivans SV 907 Layout 02 campervan

An all-season, off-grid Mercedes Sprinter conversion

Scandivans made its NEC show debut in February with a trio of bespoke campervans – this Mercedes Sprinter and a rear lounge Volkswagen Transporter, as well as a Land Rover Defender 90 pop-top. Despite the name, they hail not from Sweden or Norway but Manchester, where a small team has been crafting campervans with a Scandinavian vibe to customer specification for the past five years.

The largest of the Scandivans campervans is the Mercedes Sprinter-based SV 907 but there’s plenty of choice within this model – medium or long wheelbase, automatic or manual, then front, rear or all-wheel drive, and that’s just for starters. All the usual Mercedes features are available – the MBUX display in 7in or 10.25in sizes, 360-degree cameras, live traffic information, adaptive cruise control, and driver assistance systems such as Crosswind Assist, Active Lane Keeping Asist and Hill Start Assist.

And, if you can’t run to the £140,000 cost of the brand-new camper shown here, Scandivans can source an approved used Sprinter for conversion from £30,000 plus VAT, with conversion starting at £50,000 plus VAT. All the conversions are designed for off-grid living and come with a two-year warranty, plus a five-year water ingress warranty.

Scandivans are built to order, so, once you’ve discussed your requirements and chosen the finish, options and any upgrades, you’ll join the waiting list before the conversion takes four to six weeks to build.

The layouts

On the medium-wheelbase Sprinter (as seen here), you can choose from three layouts, all with a fixed transverse double bed over a garage at the rear. Layout 01 has an L-shaped sofa backing onto the cab, so there’s no walk-through but a three-seater cab can be retained. Layout 02 gains access from the habitation area to the driving quarters and swaps the L-sofa for a side seat opposite the sliding door. Then Layout 03 is the one for those needing rear travel seats as it has a forward-facing bench with seatbelts and Isofix.

The show model featured the optional SCA pop-top, making it a four-berth, but that would make most sense with the Layout 3 seating, rather than the small semi-circular seat seen here. Windows are the single-glazed, tinted glass of an automotive, rather than motorhome, style.  It also has chunky Black Crow off-road wheels with BFGoodrich all-terrain tyres, although this one was just front-wheel drive. 

Then, at the rear, a key feature of a layout like this is the garage. Here, the outside shower is no surprise but the showerhead does neatly clip onto the left-hand barn door. More unusual is the height of the garage floor, which is raised over a vast lidded storage drawer that pulls out of the back of the campervan. To the right of the space is a locker containing all the habitation electrics and, as this is a gas-free conversion (as standard), it’s good to see all the equipment comes from Victron Energy. There’s 400Ah of lithium batteries here in addition to the 300W solar panels on the roof. Glazing in the back doors is, again, glass with Wanderbug roll-up blinds for privacy.

Inside, the small side seat means that lounging relies more on the swivel Mercedes chairs in the cab, with a circular table provided for dining. Adjacent is the kitchen, with an induction hob, sink with extending hose-style tap and plenty of drawer-based storage. The 85-litre Indel B compressor fridge is positioned for easy access from inside or out.

On the offside, the washroom is a decent-sized all-in-one room with swivel cassette loo (or a composting toilet is offered instead), and the layout is completed by the end bedroom. Here, there are pods on either side to give sufficient bed length and the omission of cupboards on the nearside allows you to sit up.
 

Another entrant in the bespoke campervan sector, Scandivans offers a huge amount of choice. We counted at least 22 laminates, eight worktops, 18 choices of flooring, nine garage floors and 18 upholsteries in the brochure!