Full review

MORE torque than a Porsche 911. Turbocharged 2.5-litre engine with variable-vane turbo and intercooler. 174bhp and permanent four-wheel-drive. No, you’ve not inadvertently picked up a copy of Top Gear. This really is a review of a motorhome.

The motorhome in question is the latest Bilbo’s Nexa camper, based on a Volkswagen Transporter T5 4-motion.

We decided to head to the Lleyn Peninsula towing a race boat. With the ’van filled with touring gear, we hitched up the boat.

Happily, the Nexa’s powerful engine and wheelspin-free drivetrain made light work of pulling the boat. As a replacement for a car it makes a convincing case and the powerful 174bhp engine enables rapid progress, while the handling and ride are both excellent.

Parked on the beachfront, it was very handy for slipping into a wetsuit and then padding down to the beach, and for a boating enthusiast would work very well.

Parked near the beach, with the window open giving a great view of the bay, water boiling for a brew on the hob was fabulous.

After all the excitement of the Lleyn, we headed to the Conkers Camping and Caravanning Club site near Tamworth for an overnight stay.

On-site, the real simplicity and thoughtful attention to detail really comes to the fore. For starters, there’s the elevating roof. Secured by two straps, you simply slacken and unhook them and then just push on the roof. Gas struts then ease it skywards.

The whole process takes 20 seconds. There are small loops sewed into the fabric of the roof and you initially wonder what these are for. It’s only when you’re lowering it that you realise these are finger holes so you can pull the fabric inwards while the roof is dropping down to avoid pinching the fabric on the rubber seal.

This means you don’t have to go outside and push the fabric under the seal so you stay dry if it’s raining. Thoughtful. All the on-site equipment is housed in the rear of the ’van and with the tailgate up you have access to the mains cable, switching the gas on etc.

Once you’re on site the driver and passenger seats can be swivelled around to form four very useable seats.

The dining table is stored in the back of the ’van and clips to a side-rail with a single leg supporting it. With bonded edges it’s well made, but only really suitable for two diners. An additional free-standing table would be needed for four people to have a sit-down meal.

The two rotated front seats form one end of each single bed and the rest of the bed is formed by pulling a stiffly-sprung handle on the rear seat base though 180 degrees.

The backrest then drops down flat in a similar manner. The resulting beds are flat from the head end, and taper and angle slightly where your feet meet the front seats. This is more comfortable than it looks and at two feet wide at the head end there’s sufficient room. It’s worth noting that Bilbo’s also offer a double bed option on the Nexa (the driver’s side rear travel seat gains a sliding mechanism and an infill panel is added).

With both single beds made up, the central walkway is unimpeded, making access to the loo in the night a doddle.

The optional roof bed consists of two covered panels that slide in channels. Covered by foam these give a bed that’s suitable for a couple of young children, possibly even teenagers.

The kitchen area itself has all you really need with a three-burner hob (an automatic lighter being provided), a cutlery drawer, stainless steel sink and plenty of worktop space.

An excellent feature is the 12V only Waeco compressor fridge. This works in an identical way to a domestic fridge and is far more efficient than the usual convection fridges usually fitted to motorhomes (which can take an age to cool down). We actually ran the fridge for three days without connecting to a hook-up, so it’s ideal for wild-camping.

And that is the appeal of this vehicle – it can easily replace your family car, take you virtually anywhere thanks to the capable drivetrain, and yet still sleep two in comfort. As a family vehicle for a longer trip it is less well suited as space is at a premium, but for active couples seeking a camper to accompany their leisure pursuits, very few vehicles are this capable.

Verdict
Bilbo’s have been building on VWs for years and it shows in the great attention to detail in this well-made conversion. A versatile camper that can easily replace the family car and is a pleasure to drive. Best suited to couples as storage space is a bit limited but the two-year warranty on the conversion is a big plus.

A full version of this motorhome review was published in the July 2009 issue of Which Motorcaravan magazine. To find out more about the magazine, click here.