Full review

Based on a Startline model, but upgraded with cab air-conditioning and parking sensors to the front and rear, the Artesano is powered by the 140bhp version of VW's 2.0-litre Euro 6 engine and is finished in the understated colour of Ocean Blue. It’s a good choice of base vehicle specification and has all that most buyers would want, while the conversion has been really specced to the maximum with some high-end kit fitted as standard. It’s impressive for it’s £59,995 price point. But how does it work in practice?

Having now driven several versions of the new Crafter, on both medium and long chassis with both the 140bhp and 177bhp engines, there’s no doubt that the Volkswagen is one of the best-driving large vans out there. If not the best. Although the entry level model sports a 102bhp engine, that’s probably a little underpowered and the 140bhp engine of the test vehicle is a much better bet. The 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel offers plenty of low down torque (300Nm from 1,400rpm to 2,250rpm) and felt quite zippy when accelerating down the sliproad to dual carriageways.

Stock Startline models don’t come with air-conditioning, so I was grateful that Leisuredrive had ticked the option box for this as it was yet another burning hot summer's day during the photoshoot. Both cab seats have been retrimmed with beige fabric centres and brown leather outers, which wouldn’t be my first choice (I drive a lime green van, so what do I know?!) but it does match the rest of the soft furnishings and looks homely. You can obviously choose to spec your Artesano in a massive range of seat fabrics, carpeting and cabinet boarding. 

One thing that Leisuredrive have always done well is the side settee layout and it’s been employed to good effect on the Artesano. Throw open the side door (which is on the UK curbside) and you’ll see one forward-facing seat by the door and a long settee opposite. The layout can either be arranged as a side settee or can be made into an extra forward-facing travel seat by sliding the centre section of the seat base rearwards.

By not placing any of the kitchen galley across the sliding door, they’ve kept the panoramic view out of the side of the van. So many other makers block the sliding door opening by sticking a load of ugly cabinets in the way, which defeats the whole object of being somewhere scenic in a campervan! The lounge also benefits from a couple of 240V sockets by the sliding door and comes with a wall-mounted Avtex TV and DVD player.

Two sliding side windows are fitted and with 6ft 3in of headroom, most people can stand without stooping. They should be warm, too, thanks to the standard-fit diesel-powered Webasto Dual Top heating system, complete with a digital control panel that’s sited above the microwave in the kitchen galley. This is an expensive bit of kit and can kick out up to 6kW of heating power, so it should keep you warm all year round. It also includes an 11-litre boiler to provide hot water to both the kitchen sink and shower room.

As well as keeping you warm, Leisuredrive have also been thinking about keeping you cool (probably prompted by this remarkable summer!) and have included Dometic habitation air-conditioning as standard. This is a great bit of kit to have, especially if you like to holiday elsewhere in Europe and is not common on campervans. One unusual thing about the lounge is that the cab seats are not on swivel bases – they experimented with them but found that they made the cab seats unacceptably high.

Another area in which Leisuredrive have really pushed the boat out is in the kitchen. While the hob is only a two-burner unit with a combined sink, you also get a warming oven and grill underneath it and, on the bank of cabinets opposite, a 700W mains-powered microwave and a 60-litre three-way fridge. There’s lots of storage, too, with two drawers, lots of roof lockers and a handy variety of cupboards of different shapes and sizes.

Worktop space is a little limited, though, and you’ll need to use one of the dining tables to prepare your food on. Thoughtfully, Leisuredrive have included two dining tabletops for maximum flexibility. A small one lives behind the nearside travel seat backrest, while the other is hidden in a recess behind the side settee backrest. There are also two pole in the hole fixings in the floor so you’ve got a choice of table positions.

Silvered screens seal out the light in the cab area at night-time, while sliding rail blackout curtains shut out the light from the side windows (no rattling cassette blinds here!). To the rear of the van, you can either just shut the tambour door to the washroom at night (or close the curtains fitted to the rear barn doors). The bed itself can be set up as either a double bed or as a couple of single beds. As the single bed layout is a bit on the short side with 5ft 6.5in long beds (swivel bases could be used to bring the cab seats into play if you don’t mind raised seating) so it works best as a transverse double.

The bed is formed by placing the two tabletops across the central aisle and rearranging the cushions and is bit fiddly. The resulting bed is a decent length and Leisuredrive have cleverly built a recess into the side panel to maximise the bed length to 6ft 3in long. LED striplights dotted around the lounge and in the kitchen and washroom area give ample light, though it would have been good to also add some hidden LED mood lighting for a bit more ambience.

At 5.99m long, the Artesano is compact for a large van and is only a fraction longer than a long-wheelbase Transporter (5.4m) so it’s impressive that it’s been treated to such an effective washroom. This extends across the full width of the rear of the van and includes an electric-flush Thetford bench loo on the offside and a decent-sized sink and vanity unity on the nearside. The central area forms the shower tray, with a shower curtain enveloping the whole area. A tambour door keeps the washroom private from the lounge.

Although there is no garage or large lockers in the Artesano, it makes up for it by having lots of cupboards in all areas of the van. These included lots of roof lockers above the lounge and kitchen, as well as no fewer than six storage bins on either side of the washroom. There are also two large wardrobes and storage bins under both of the rear travel seats.