Full review

The Travel Van has been a fixture in the Bürstner brochure, albeit as a slightly niche model, since 2008. It is the company’s entry in the slimline low-profile market, with a width of just 2.20m, compared with 2.30m of the Harmony Line and Ixeo coachbuilts. Today, it comes with just one layout, the 620 G, boasting fixed single beds over a garage.

You’ll probably have guessed that the Edition 30 comes with a lot more kit than previous Travel Vans. That starts in the cab, where a Pioneer double-DIN multimedia unit includes sat-nav and a rear view camera (which can display what’s behind even when you’re going forwards). There’s a leather steering wheel, driver and passenger airbags, cab air-con, ESP with Hill Holder and Traction Plus, central cup holders, aluminium-effect dash trim and height-adjustable seats, too. The few optional extras (none of which featured here) include automatic air-con with pollen filter, front foglights, a 120-litre fuel tank and heated cab seats.

At £56,995 it looks extremely good value. That figure even includes the 3.5m roll-out awning with full-length LED strip light. Then, of course, there’s a substantial rear garage area, which is a key part of the appeal of this model. It has an internal width of 0.98m, height of 1.12m, heating and lighting, tie-down hooks, and, best of all, two full-sized loading doors.

Some compact low-profiles of this type place a wardrobe behind the driver’s seat (which tends to feel intrusive), others put a small inward-facing seat here. Travel Van has both. The wardrobe unit is slim and shelved, so it’s the perfect place for folded clothes (or you can remove the shelves and use the coat hooks within). The seat is more of a ledge, too small even for the most petite supermodel’s derrière until you pull out the base cushion. Then it becomes a potentially useful fifth place around the table or, better still, a footrest for the occupier of the swivelled driver’s seat – just right when watching the telly. No TV is provided but a bracket is mounted over the rear travel seat.

The upright half-dinette seating is another minor downside, along with the compromised front bed – both common to many rivals. Drop the heavy table onto a lower rail, add a large infill cushion and a child’s bed is created. But, even with feet on the cab seat, that child needs to be small.

What is lacking is kitchen worktop, especially as there’s no extension panel. However, a loose cover for the sink and a little area in front of the three-rings-in-line hob do their best to save the day. Storage is much better, thanks to a trio of large soft-close drawers. Alongside is a 96-litre Thetford fridge with automatic energy selection. Then, across the gangway, coat hooks and a full-length mirror on the washroom wall are welcome details.

Inside the washroom, things get better still. There’s no shortage of room to use the swivel cassette toilet, the basin is large and comes with a swish waterfall tap, and there’s a large backlit mirror, a soap dispenser and a mug. Only the lack of any towel hooks is a negative. There’s a decent-sized shower with two drain holes and a concertina screen to cover the door. Top marks!

There’s more to like at the back if you’re in the market for a motorhome with single beds. These are easy to access (three steps), a very good size (over 2m long on the offside), have five-zone cold foam mattresses (extremely comfy!) and they feature heating ducted all around them (from the 6kW gas/electric Combi system). The heater controls are conveniently placed at the foot of the nearside bed, but there’s no privacy screen or curtain to shut off the bedroom from the rest of the living area. 

If you enjoyed this review, you can read the full version and more in the August 2018 issue of MMM magazine. You can get a digital version of this latest issue of MMM magazine here.