Full review

Hymer working with van conversions? Yes, and the usual commitment to quality is here – and an obvious determination to do things differently.

Your bog-standard Ayers Rock is a medium wheelbase rear double bed high-top. The elevating roof option turns it into a family van conversion which makes more sense.

As is typical with Hymer, you have an endless list of options. What starts as a sub-£38,000 window price has leapt up to over £43,000 and there are still further possibilities. If this example is a bit of an eye-catcher outside (other colours are available), the interior reverts to more traditional browns.

Unlike Hymer, HymerCars stick with the original (more useful) lockable central Fiat glovebox. The cab (without extra options) looks utilitarian. The rest of the interior is a straightforward four-seater with an end transverse double bed you can pack away to allow for loading space.

The sliding door stays on our offside. But the rear travel seat does have a shape to it and the head restraints are height-adjustable, although you sit bolt upright. The side-fixing table folds in half, or flush with the side wall. You’ll need to put it away if you’re using the supplied roofbed ladder which is stored in the overcab but is tricky to put together within the confines of the ‘van.

The kitchen is more campervan-style with a two-ring hob with sink. At least the Isotherm fridge, opening into the side doorway, has a 65-litre capacity.

Kitchen storage is a single overhead locker, two drawers and a floor locker, with no grill or oven. But there is a neat worktop extension.

The washroom has a swivel-bowl Thetford toilet and a combined showerhead/mixer tap with a protective curtain for showering. The basin is a tray that conducts water straight to the waste tank. There are clever sliding hooks over the mirror, a mirror-fronted high-level locker, and a clothes dryer.

Nothing badged Hymer is ever going to come cheap, but this ‘van should hold its value well and there’s no doubting the overall build quality.

This is an abridged version of the full review, which you can read in the July 2016 issue of What Motorhome. Buy it now.