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Lunar Vacanza
Sections:

Key Features

Model Year 2013
Class Rising Roof
Base Vehicle Nissan NV200
Price From (£) 29,995
Length (m) 4.40
Berths 2
Belted Seats 4
Main Layout End Kitchen
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At a glance

PRICE FROM £29,995 ex-works PRICE AS TESTED £33,000 estimated OPTIONS FITTED Portable toilet, leather trim, Smev grill, 230V water heater, chrome side bars, exterior mains socket and satellite TV connection TYPE APPROVAL European Whole Vehicle BERTHS 2+1 TRAVEL SEATS (INC DRIVER) 4 DIMENSIONS 4.40m L, 1.70m W, 1.96m H INTERIOR HEIGHT 2.05m (max) MAXIMUM WEIGHT 2,000kg PAYLOAD 340kg BEDS Double 1.83m x 1.39m (max)/ 0.97m (min), roof bed 1.36m x 0.91m

Full review

The Vacanza couldn’t be more different to the big, traditional Roadstar coachbuilts that were produced at Lunar’s Leyland factory up until 2009. But this ‘camper car’ is reflective of where the market is heading, the company believes, and it represents the culmination of a seven-year relationship with Nissan.

It’s also the first UK conversion of the award-winning NV200, a vehicle that Lunar was privy to prior to its British debut and which is converted in people-carrier Combi SE trim, rather than a basic panel van.

Size matters
The biggest surprise is, perhaps, just how small the Nissan is. At 4.40m long, it’s half a metre shorter than a SWB Volkswagen T5, but it’s the 1.70m width that really alters its stance and makes it remarkably similar in size to the old Mazda Bongo.

On the road
Unlike the Mazda, though, this is a modern front-drive base vehicle with an efficient 1.5-litre diesel engine that not only meets Euro V standards, but can claim over 50mpg in official combined cycle statistics and just 138g/km CO² emissions.

Its 89bhp output sounds modest by today’s standards but our test drive revealed a quiet motor that reaches 70mph willingly and in stress-free fashion.

Around town its lightweight controls (and notchy five-speed gearshift) are typically Japanese, while excellent visibility, sub-two metre height and diminutive dimensions make it totally at home on the school run or the trip to Asda – and even severe speed bumps elicit not a single squeak from the conversion.

Get the look
The Vacanza conversion looks, at first glance, quite conventional – front-hinged rising roof, swivel front seats followed by two forward-facing single seats, and twin galley units either side at the rear – but unusually Lunar have developed everything from roof to seat systems inhouse using CAD systems, and the whole conversion has not only achieved European Whole Vehicle Type Approval but been fully crash-tested.

Innovative bed
The biggest innovation is reserved for bed-time. Where other campervans with this layout often come with narrow, lumpy beds that are awkward to make, the Vacanza introduces Flexare, an inflatable mattress (using technology borrowed from lifeboats) that sits on top of the seats.

It’s six foot long, completely flat, easy to make up and you can even adjust the firmness of the mattress. The necessary compressor to pump up (and deflate) the bed is built-in, and understandably, the system is being patented.

The bed leaves room to access all the kitchen facilities in the rear of the camper.

And above, a bi-fold carpeted panel unfurls to create a kiddy bed with a one-inch foam mattress on top. With a length of around 4ft 6in, though, this is best seen as a bed for one primary school age child.

If you need more space, as you probably will for longer than weekends away, Lunar is working with a leading tent manufacturer to produce a bespoke awning for the Vacanza.

And there’s more…
And if you’re wondering where to store that, the firm is also developing a stylish matching trailer with 750kg payload for all your sports and outdoor gear.

Other options are likely to include Sport and Lux packs, adding features like full or part-leather upholstery (standard is the original Nissan cloth trim), external mains and satellite sockets (hidden under the rear bumper), chrome side bars and more.

Certainly, you will be able to add to the galley’s three-burner hob with a separate Smev grill, while hot water can be fed to the sink from a mains-powered five-litre boiler.

Lunar is also in talks with Webasto about diesel-fired blown-air heating for the Vacanza.


Read the full version of this review in the digital April issue of Which Motorhome

 

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Our verdict

Its thorough engineering and clever Flexare bed set Vacanza apart and it is smaller and cheaper than most obvious rivals.

Advantages

Fully crash-tested and European Type Approved
Isofix on rear seats
Practical awning and trailer options
Easy-to-operate elevating roof
Totally rattle-free drive
Car-sized with standard reversing camera
Well priced

Disadvantages

Limited storage space
Single slim table
Roof bed only for small children
No automatic option

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