Joining the Compass campervan family for the 2020 season, the new Avantgarde CV60 offers something a little different to the other models in the range, as well as most of its competitors.

Compass Avantgarde CV60

Price from: £38,599 plus OTR charges
Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Euro 6d
Layouts: French bed/rear lounge
Berths: 2
Travel seats: 2
Length: 5.99m
Gross weight: 3,500kg
Payload: 654kg

This new model, which is based on the LWB Ducato, like its CV20 and CV40 brethren, doesn’t offer a lounge in the traditional sense. Instead there are two seating areas.

The forward one is simple. Just swivel the cab seats and you have a seating area – many say these cab seats are the comfiest of all anyway. There is a pedestal fitting in the floor for a coffee table, while a half-height cupboard next to the driver’s seat can also serve for drinks, too.

Then in the rear, a tapered sofa faces a media unit (a low-level locker with the connections for a TV aerial lead, 12V and mains). You may think this a rather unusual shape until you go to make it into a bed.

Lift the seat base slightly and slide out smoothly; the backrest drops into place and now you have a French bed at the rear instead of a lounge.

What’s great is that you could actually leave this made up as a bed if you wanted and then just use the seating area, or fold it back into a seating area, for better floorspace and TV watching comfort.

In between the two you’ll find the all-in-one washroom (simple, but efficient) and the well-equipped kitchen, with oven/grill, three-burner hob and eye-level 90-litre Thetford compressor fridge.

Practical features include a 25-litre underslung gas tank, and 4kW Whale heating system with a quiet night-time setting.