Full review

Words and photos: Peter Vaughan

IT’S not hard to spend £60k on a new VW campervan, which is simply too rich for a lot of budgets. Some buyers, therefore, turn to conversions on pre-owned base vehicles, but supply and demand has even pushed up the prices of used VW Transporter vans. And, much as we love the Vee-Dub, there are cheaper alternatives.

The Renault Trafic has always been a good vehicle to drive, without the price premium of its Teutonic rival, and Creative Campervans turns to this and its sister Vauxhall Vivaro (the pre-2019 model before it became a rebadged Peugeot). Not only does the Vivaro wear a built-in-Britain badge to please patriots, but in Sportive spec it comes with cruise control, parking sensors, Bluetooth, a trip computer and front fog lamps as standard.

Creative also supplies only one-owner base vehicles that have less than 40k miles recorded and are less than two years old, so the balance of Vauxhall’s warranty remains in place. Both short and long-wheelbase Vivaro vans can be converted, with prices ranging from £33,000 up to just under £40k, depending on the cost/age of the base vehicle. Wolfrace 18in alloy wheels add the ‘sport’ in Sportive, while a roof spoiler above the barn doors completes the cosmetic makeover.

The Creative X-Plorer conversion

Inside, Creative’s X-Plorer conversion starts with a rear-hinged rising roof from PopTop Roofs of County Durham, so it’s no surprise to find a standard side kitchen conversion when you slide back the side door. The layout includes a FabworX Eazy-Lift bench/bed, which is M1 tested. Once a knurled knob has been removed, it simply pulls forward and flattens to make the bed, while returning it to seat mode is assisted by a gas strut. It’s a completely flat double, measuring 1.82m by 1.11m, and a second mattress can be supplied for the bed board in the roof. As a seat, the FabworX unit is rather flat but it includes two three-point belts and small, integral headrest sections. Creative’s Russ Mason tells us that he’s especially proud of the company’s upholstery standards, with diamond stitching seen here (and on the matching swivelling double cab seat).

The kitchen unit is all made on a CNC machine for accuracy and is finished in typical grey laminate with some contrasting silver tambour doors and sparkle-effect worktops. Simple overlaid cupboard doors feature but there’s plenty of storage, as well as the typical fittings of a Dometic compressor fridge and a combined two-burner hob and sink unit. Top lockers above the galley increase cupboard space, especially in the roomy LWB model shown, but the boot area offers rather limited capacity compared with some rivals.

The X-Plorer is lined using recycled plastic insulation, which can’t retain moisture, and there’s full LED lighting, including downlighters over the cab and rear seats, plus a long strip over the kitchen. Blackout curtains are fitted and a 12-month conversion warranty is provided. An independent habitation check certificate is supplied with each conversion to reassure customers, while ’vans can also be tailored to personal preference in terms of the colour scheme and alloy wheel designs.

Images courtesy of Creative Campervans