Xplore CV X9 campervan

A third campervan joins the Xplore range, with a rear bedroom/garage and a pop-top roof

Launched firstly as a concept in 2023, Xplore campervans – from Erwin Hymer Group’s UK arm, based in Consett, Co Durham – stand out from the crowd with their metallic black exterior finish and green contour line graphics. The CV X8 came first, featuring a rear lounge, but it was soon followed by the CV X5 with its rear double bed and garage. Now there’s a third model in the line-up, the CV X9, which takes the latter’s layout but adds a pop-top to become a four-berth.

Fiat Ducato in metallic black

The colour might be an unusual choice but the base vehicle is the very familiar Fiat Ducato in its latest form. It comes with the 140hp motor and manual gearbox as standard but the automatic transmission is also available with either 140hp or 180hp. It also comes with automatic lights and wipers, a Pioneer radio with 9in touchscreen, leather steering wheel and front fog lights. Completing the adventurous looks are matt black off-road-style alloy wheels, dark tinted windows, black low-level body mouldings, black accents around the rear lights, front mudflaps, flared wheelarches front and rear and cab window deflectors.

Optional extras

If you want all the cab toys, go for the XT Pack which adds a keyless entry, a heated windscreen, electric parking brake, rear digital camera, 10in radio, full LED headlamps, a spare wheel and winch. Also available are the Connect+ Pack (solar panel, heated/insulated water tanks and mobile WiFi), Security Pack (alarm and tracker), and Entertainment Pack (USB socket, microwave and dual-fuel hob). Then individual options include a bike rack, towbar, back rack and cab blinds.

Rear bed and garage

Xplore is described as the brand for adventure seekers so, while there are similarities between its campervans and those of sister brand, Elddis, this new CV X9 layout is not available elsewhere. Its rear bed floorplan (1.83m by 1.31m) ensures that you’ve got plenty of storage for all your outdoor gear and you can greatly increase carrying capacity by simply folding the slatted bed base against the nearside wall and even removing the under-bed bulkhead for longer loads. There are lashing points on the floor, cupboards along the nearside and a very neat slide-out unit on the offside.

Since the debut of the CV X5, the bed height has been raised by 10cm but access is still easy via a step built into that removable bulkhead panel. There’s plenty of room to sit up in bed as top lockers are only fitted on the offside (where there’s also an opening window). There are swivelling reading lights on the nearside.

Roof bed, too

Of course, the Xplore also has another double bed in the roof. Larger, at 2.14m by 1.43m, the upper bed is reached by a folding ladder that stores on the overcab shelf. The roof features a panoramic fully opening canvas as well as a large rooflight that ensures the front lounge isn’t dark with the top down.

Interior design

The seating area is a conventional half-dinette but the inclusion of Isofix reinforces the family-friendly nature of this model, while the part-leatherette upholstery continues the topographical pattern from the exterior and its ActivCare fabric is wipe clean.

The furniture is Tibero & Grey with positive locking cupboards and drawers and Porcelain White worktops. There’s a three-burner hob with combined oven and grill below, while the 87-litre fridge is mounted at waist height, over the wardrobe. Across the narrow aisle is the washroom with a boutique-style washbasin and wall-mounted combined tap and showerhead, as well as a swivel cassette loo and opening window.

Heating comes from Whale’s CompleteHeat 4.7kW gas/electric unit with an eight-litre boiler. Water tanks are underslung – 90 litres fresh and 45 litres waste. There’s a 95Ah leisure battery and a 25-litre underslung gas tank.

The latest Xplore joins the crowded market for rear fixed bed campervans dominated by European brands. It comes with a pop-top, making it a four-berth, but its main differentiators are the colour scheme, off-road looks and the UK-spec kitchen with oven, microwave and mains hotplate.