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Hillside Ellastone and Wellhouse i800
Sections:
Featured in this review
Hillside Leisure Ellastone
| Model Year | 2012 |
| Class | Rising Roof |
| Base Vehicle | Renault Trafic |
| Price From (£) | 31,995 |
| Length (m) | 4.78 |
| Berths | 4 |
Wellhouse Leisure I800
| Model Year | 2013 |
| Class | Rising Roof |
| Base Vehicle | Hyundai |
| Price From (£) | 36,000 |
| Length (m) | 5.12 |
| Berths | 4 |
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Full review
Think campervans, think Volkswagen? Think again. Don’t want to save yourselves at least ten grand? Then stop reading this review right now. But, if you want a new campervan and are prepared to look beyond the VW horizon, stick with us.We’ve picked up on two absolute gems, coming from very different backgrounds as well as adopting two very different base vehicles. Both elevating roof models, and both with an interior layout that can only be described as traditional VW - but the differences come at you thick and fast.
Hillside Ellastone
The 115bhp Renault Trafic Sport features cab air-con, electric windows and mirrors, 16in alloy wheels, trip computer, metallic paint, CD/radio with steering column controls, cab seat armrests, front foglights and a TomTom sat-nav.
At just over £2,000 above a bog standard Trafic I wholeheartedly agree with Hillside’s decision to use this as its starting point for the Ellastone.
The width here is 1cm narrower than VW’s T5. But, despite attempts to soften the looks, it’s a boxier shape than both the T5 and the Hyundai.
Indeed, the Hyundai looks by far the more modern of the two vehicles in this review.
The Trafic is very much a van, to which Hillside adds double-glazed windows as part of the conversion – they look small but it’s impossible to fit anything bigger.
A final word about the Renault’s sliding door – it needs a bit of oomph behind it to ensure it closes properly.
ON THE ROAD
Don’t be put off by a test drive. The six-speed Quickshift option is a robotised manual and what seems like quite some lag between gearchanges soon irons itself out as you become accustomed to the drive – and it needs a few thousand miles to bed in.
Inside, the cab tends towards the more plasticky finish of a commercial vehicle and you certainly sit higher than in the Hyundai.
All the fittings are here, however. Belying its commercial vehicle roots, a cab passenger airbag is only a £220 extra. Rear parking sensors are also on the options list at £200.
Rather neatly, Hillside has managed to exactly match the standard issue Renault cab seat upholstery with the RIB rear seat (offering fully safety-tested travel for two).
As far as economy is concerned, Renault quotes 41.5mpg combined for the base van.
ON SITE
All elevating roofs are not the same. Hillside is actually the UK agent for SCA, whose rising roof features a superior locking device.
Easy to put up, it also offers generous headroom inside.
For both vehicles the floorplan is very much a nod towards that VW favourite: furniture along the offside, rear bench that converts to a bed.
There’s a lot more to it than this, of course (as this Showdown sets out to show).
Here in the Ellastone, a neat twist is the kitchen worktop extension, made possible by tipping the driver’s seat forward via a simple catch.
The extension, with electric sockets nearby, is also the ideal location for a small TV.
The Ellastone comes with Hillside’s take on what constitutes essential equipment in a contemporary campervan.
Fittings are good and solid, but perhaps lack just a bit of panache. A good example is the curtains.
They’re exceptionally heavy-duty and properly lined, but just look a tad retro, with curtain rail around the cab.
Likewise, the table is a rather narrow 80cm by 36cm – dictated by its stowage for travel at the back of the rear seat base and it sits rather too precariously on a pedestal with tripod foot.
ON THE BOIL
It’s no surprise to see both converters here using the same combined two-ring gas hob and sink unit.
For practicality it’s the tops – and the stainless-steel finish means it’ll last and last.
The sink and hob are the other way around here (compared to the Wellhouse) – if you prefer to sit while cooking it’s a win for the Hillside arrangement.
Perhaps a bit more controversial is the top-loading fridge.
Kitchen storage is pretty good, with two large cupboards at floor-level, also a fiddle rail over the kitchen itself.
ON-BOARD STORAGE
The main furniture units in both vehicles allow for a good sized wardrobe, while features like the open shelving above the kitchen help keep a feeling of space.
The Ellastone edges its competitor here for storage thanks also to a rather clever tray over the back seat. It’s only accessible when the roof is up, but these things do make such a difference.
ON TO BED
I can’t be the only one who finds the locking handles for the seat base and rear section slightly inaccessible.
You end up needing a dual action to fold each bed piece into position. Not impossible, just slightly trickier than it needs to be.
It does make for a sizable double bed, however.
Up in the roof, there are two mattresses. They’re necessarily thin, and access isn’t the easiest (although children are unlikely to be fazed).
ON THE LOO
Both manufactures offer the same portable toilet as standard, it’s just the stowage location that differs.
Here, the Dometic unit stows under the main seat and therefore nearer the sliding door.
Another coincidence, both vehicles offer exactly the same exterior shower.
ON QUALITY
There’s a more restrained feel to the Hillside Ellastone (certainly compared to the Wellhouse in Bianco trim), but it’s underpinned by solid engineering.
Fittings like the Eberspächer heating, SCA roof, RIB seat and other proprietary components also point to a campaign for top quality.
ON VALUE
It’s a world-beating start price, but… over the long term? Who knows? The four-year warranty (including roadside assistance and annual servicing) deserves further consideration, though.
Wellhouse i800
Meet the Bianco version of Wellhouse’s Hyundai – white is the prevailing colour, inside and out.
Over and above an already generous specification, Biancos get 18in alloy wheels, Fiamma awning, armrests to both cab seats and an interior like no other – boasting an allwhite Italian gloss furniture finish complemented by a two-tone leather upholstery.
This example also came with the 168bhp engine and automatic transmission.
Wellhouse retains both the sliding doors – the offside one acts as a service hatch (for access to the back of the fridge, cooker, electrics, water pump etc), also keeping the original two sliding windows.
ON THE ROAD
With 168bhp and manual and 440Nm of torque the Hyundai is an exceptionally refined performer. There’s no conversion noise, either.
Unusually, these days, it’s rear-wheel drive - a plus for towing.
It’s very car-like in the cab, with a heated driver’s seat, even an iPod socket and USB, as well as two 12V sockets.
And if the travellers up front are mollycoddled, it’s pretty luxurious at the back, too.
Here’s a fully safety-tested seat (by Reimo), and it will take up to three, though it's rather snug.
ON SITE
The living area sliding door closes with minimum effort and noise, it also sets the tone for a well thought out conversion.
The water tank filler cap, tucked neatly away in the footwell is a nice touch.
When it came to developing a rising roof, Wellhouse turned again to Reimo, and sure enough it's a good quality affair, though the straps holding it down do seem retro compared to the locking mechanism used by Hillside.
ON THE BOIL
Because of the hob's lcation, Wellhouse fits a splashguard behind the drivers seat, and there's the most miniscule of work surfaces to the right and at the front of the hob/sink.
A typical criticism of any campervan kitchen is where the worktop doesn't meet the side-walls of the vehicle, acting as a potential final resting place for crumbs and other spills. That's not an issue here thanks to the sliding door access.
ON-BOARD STORAGE
In a camper, you'll always struggle for storage. This model has an oven/grill too, which really impacts on storage space.
The base vehicle shape doesn't allow for any higher-level storage, but you do get the all tambour-doored lockers - with the main food/crockery storage under the sink.
There's also, no cutlery drawer.
ON TO BED
The main Remio bed is pretty straightforward to make. Just hinge over the seat base, then drop the backrest into the gap created. It's pretty flat and rectangular too, just pinching a little at the head end.
Upstairs the optional double is larger. It comes with a ladder.
Night-time lighting - all LED - is good and the curtains are exemplary.
ON THE LOO
A portable toilet is supplied. It's a Dometic 972, housed in its own dedicated floor locker. Like the Ellastone, there's a shower fitting, just inside the tailgate for use outside, useful for hosing pets.
ON VALUE
It's an amazing starting price here, especially considering the refined vehicle on which it's based. With wellhouse matching Hyundai's five years of warranty, there's a lot of peace of mind, too.
Will it lose its value over time? Possibly the opposite - it might just turn out to be incredibly sought-after on the secondhand market.
This review is an excerpt from April 2013 Which Motorhome. To purchase a digital copy, please click here.
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About Campervan magazineOur verdict
Would I be happy to have either of these parked outside my house? Absolutely. And I can’t see any of my neighbours complaining, either.
Hillside Leisure Ellastone
Advantages
Cracking campervan
Sturdy quality conversion work
Disadvantages
Trafic base is beginning to date
Lacks a bit of pizzazz
Wellhouse Leisure I800
Advantages
Full car manufacturer backing
Five-year warranty (base and conversion)
MPV base vehicle (for quality and specification)
Disadvantages
Limited storage
Kitchen configuration
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