Full review

With Benimar being a Spanish brand, you’d expect its first ever van conversion for the UK to follow a familiar floorplan for imported campers – half-dinette up front, fixed bed to the rear. But, whilst its highly successful coachbuilts – now in three ranges (Primero, Mileo, Tessoro) – are all built in the sunny climes of the Mediterranean, at Peniscola, its new Benivan models hail from the slightly less glamorous location of Grimsby, North Lincolnshire. So, the two Benivans available here (through the 12 Marquis outlets in England, plus the company’s partners in Scotland and Ireland) are as British as fish and chips.

Not only are they built here but they adopt UK layouts borrowed from Auto-Trail. This is the smaller of the two, based on the 5.99m long-wheelbase panel van. Of course, it’s a Fiat Ducato that provides the starting point – one that may no longer be the cutting edge of van design but does offer internal dimensions ideally suited to campervan conversion (including the possibility of transverse sleeping).

Here, Benimar has also gone for a surprisingly high standard spec. For a start, you’d probably expect the 115bhp 2-litre engine, or maybe the 130bhp 2.3-litre. But, no, it’s the 150bhp unit as standard – our favourite Fiat Euro VI motor on account of its generous torque output. A six-speed manual gearbox is fitted but you can have the robotised Comfort-Matic instead for an additional £2,100. That’s the only option as the Benivan comes comprehensively equipped.

Despite the enticing £43,995 price tag, this camper also features a DAB radio, cab air-conditioning, cruise control, sat-nav, reversing camera, cab chairs with twin armrests and height adjustment, 16in alloy wheels, a colour-coded front bumper, cab blinds, a leather steering wheel with radio/phone switches and even automatic headlights and windscreen wipers – all without paying more. The only economy seems to be the choice of colour – or lack of choice. It only comes in white.

Inside, there’s a similar omission of options but the 120’s classic two-berth design with a spacious rear lounge remains a top seller amongst couples who have no need of rear travel seats. The conversion has NCC approval and a specification that includes a fitted microwave, an underslung 25-litre gas tank, a 100W solar panel and Truma Combi 4kW gas/electric heating.

Up front, both cab seats swivel, while a convenient low-level cabinet on the offside makes a useful surface for coffee cups, etc. It’s a useful secondary seating area if your partner is a late riser! The kitchen has a combined hob and sink unit in stainless-steel and the worktop area at the forward end is supplemented by a hinged flap adjacent to the sliding door. The very light cabinetwork colour – called Mole – increases the feeling of space. 

Opposite the galley, the washroom includes a swivel cassette toilet, fold-down basin and mirror-fronted storage cabinet. There is a separate wall-mounted shower head, rather than one that doubles up as the basin’s tap, and all the design is familiar from the Tribute range.

It’s the rear lounge that is the reason to buy a van conversion like this and moulded plastic trim panels here give a clean, functional appearance. The long settees give room for up to six to sit here for an evening’s natter and scatter cushions are supplied for when there are just two of you and you want to stretch out with your feet up. At night the area converts into a transverse double bed with claimed dimensions of 1.85m by 1.37m.

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