Full review

Sales of the Fairford campervan have doubled this season compared with last year, when it debuted. That, perhaps, reflects the popularity of a campervan that not only has the ever-popular rear lounge but also four belted travel seats and two double beds

It’s fair to say that the make-up of the front bed in the original 2015 Fairford was a hindrance to sales, but this was soon improved, not only with a simpler dinette-to-bed conversion but also fewer cushions and, therefore, less joins in the mattress.

This was then followed up with the option of flat seat cushions in the rear lounge to create a better bed in what is likely to be the primary sleeping quarters. This option (deleting the previous knee-rolls) now accounts for two-thirds of Fairford orders.

Of course, the Fairford doesn’t just come with two areas in which to sleep, as, in the day, beds become a pullman dinette up front, with a wall-mounted table, and a rear transverse lounge with two small, island leg tables. Each lounge area has a wind-up sunroof above and large doors adjacent so, on a good day, you can enjoy the comfort of your ’van and the fresh air. Unusually, the front seating area in this layout is a full dinette, with forward and rearward-facing benches, where the rival Swift/Autocruise has a more expected half-dinette.

The kitchen has some surprises, too. Firstly, there’s a lot more worktop than you’d expect. There’s a lot of kit, too, with a three-burner hob, oven/grill, microwave, plate racks and even crystal glasses. There’s good through vision between the two seating areas, too, as there’s no high-level furniture to interrupt the view. The fridge is a compact (81-litre) under-counter model and the wardrobe is concealed under the forward end of the galley.

The washroom, sited opposite the kitchen, comes with a swivel-bowl cassette loo and a sliding washbasin, which shares the shower head for water supply. You don’t have to fight with a clingy curtain to shower in here, and the basin moves to free up more space, but the bathroom lacks storage.

Locker space elsewhere includes top cupboards throughout and under-seat space in both lounges. As ever with this type of layout, the gangway between the washroom and galley is quite narrow, restricting access to some kitchen storage.

The side glazing is all flush-fitting athermic glass with a dark tint and only small opening sections. Four exterior colours are available – three metallic and Bianca White, while alloy wheels are one of the numerous features in the de rigeur Premium Pack, priced at £2,500. This Premium Pack also adds everything from cab air-conditioning and cruise control to a Thule awning, colour reversing camera, sat-nav and solar panel. No Auto-Sleeper would be complete without it.

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