Sunlight Vanlife 540V campervan

Upstairs – real stairs – to bed in this unusual campervan

In most campervans you live on one level, like in a bungalow. The Sunlight Vanlife, then, is more like a house – you really do go upstairs to bed.

In other ways, it’s not so surprising. It’s based on the ubiquitous Fiat Ducato panel van. It has a rear lounge, plus a kitchen and washroom. But, although you can make the rear seats into a bed (perhaps if it’s windy or stormy outside), the intention is that you climb those stairs up to the roof bed.
 

Spec and options

It comes as standard with the 140hp engine, eight-speed automatic gearbox, Traction Plus, ESC, ASR, crosswind assist, a leather steering wheel, black alloy wheels (with M+S tyres) and white paint (metallic black, Expedition Grey or Lanzarote Grey are optional extras). An awning is included in the £61,690 price tag. 

The Chassis Package (£1,580) adds parking sensors, an electric parking brake and electric folding mirrors and the Digital Package (£2,810) gives you automatic air-conditioning, a 10in touchscreen, wireless phone charging and a rear view camera. The Safety Pack (£1,460) then completes the spec with adaptive cruise control, automatic lights and wipers, and various driver assistance systems.
 

Only 5.41m long

The Vanlife, 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 cab area (always the coldest zone and the hardest to keep cosy).

At the back of the camper, there’s a small rear lounge that allows that desirable inside/outside feeling with the barn doors open when the weather is suitable. 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 and stepping outside). If you turn the lounge into a bed, it's only 1.80m by 1.00m, so more of a single than a double – it’s also a £300 option.
 

Upstairs

Better then to go upstairs to bed. The stairs face the sliding door (which is fitted with a flyscreen) and back onto the cab; they hide extra storage and the 64-litre compressor fridge. Up top, the typical campervan pop-top is unlocked electrically, raised manually and features a big bed with a 2.06m by 1.43m cold foam mattress on a sprung base.

There’s a panoramic rooflight in the lid and a full flyscreen for hot summer nights. And, of course, those stairs are much easier to negotiate for a night-time loo visit than a ladder.
 

Washroom

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, but you can also pull the showerhead out through the window when you’re on the beach.

And there’s a rail in the washroom to hang up your wetsuit. A wooden duckboard is £80 extra.
 

Kitchen 

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. The leisure battery is a 95Ah AGM unit (add a second similar one for £290), while water tanks are 100 litres for fresh and 90 litres waste (the latter can be heated and insulated for an extra £520).

Other options include pre-cabling and a bracket for a TV (£290), framed habitation windows (£570), a bike rack (£480), spare wheel (£260) and full LED headlights (£950).

This new Sunlight won’t suit everyone but if you’re happy to sleep in the pop-top and don’t mind the lack of cab to habitation access, it offers a totally different concept with bags of appeal.