Full review

East Neuk is best known for its award-winning Fifer Touring, based on the short, medium or long-wheelbase Citroën Relay. These continue, but ENC is branching out with new base vehicles, including this Renault Trafic.

The Scottish firm makes its own GRP roof on site in the company’s new glass-fibre workshop. ENC’s roof is 16.5cm higher than Renault’s, affording valuable extra internal height (up to 1.95m), whereas with Renault’s standard high-top headroom can be marginal. Storage is improved, too, especially in the overcab.

The base van is a high-spec Trafic Sport Nav, which features air-conditioning, cruise control, front foglights, 17in alloy wheels, leather steering wheel and parking sensors. As the name suggests, it also has the MediaNav infotainment centre, with Bluetooth, DAB radio and sat-nav.  The engine here was a sprightly 1.6-litre turbo-diesel producing 118bhp (120PS), but new 2-litre Euro 6d units have recently been announced for the Trafic.

Inside, the Fifer Combi has an ‘aisle’ layout, with swivelling cab seats opposite two single forward-facing travel seats, each alongside a sliding side door with opening window. Behind the nearside rear seat is the linear kitchen, with a compressor fridge opposite and toilet cupboard below.

Newly introduced with this model is tough, modern woodwork called Grey Bardolino. It’s a pale but warm, oak-faced board made of HPL (High Pressure Laminate), incorporating Formica for strength. With internal glass-fibre mouldings (manufactured in-house) and charcoal upholstery, the Fifer Combi’s interior has an airy ambience. Lighting (LED throughout) is good and there’s a midi-Heki over the lounge.

The cab seats have a big range of vertical adjustment, so even though the cab floor is higher than the habitation area, you won’t suffer from dangling feet. Also, the rear seats can be pulled out and used in settee or feet-up mode. A pole-mounted table sits between the two offside seats, but is a bit of a stretch for those on the nearside.

A useful storage area at the offside rear is suitable for an extra free-standing table and a couple of chairs. You’d watch TV from the cab seats – the optional 16in TV’s bracket is attached to the rear offside wall of the lounge – and adjustable reading lights serve each rear seat.

At night, the rear seats make into single beds, combining with the cab seats (which have shaped cushions to level them), to give a length just over six feet – but there’s no double option.

Most rivals with similar layouts have a fixed cassette toilet at the rear, concealed by a hinged worktop; however, valuable storage space above is lost, as that would interfere with ‘enthronement’.

Perhaps these are considered ‘higher-class’ than the Porta-Potti 565 in the Fifer Combi. However, the ENC’s toilet is completely hidden in its cupboard and slides into the centre behind a pull-out wooden privacy screen. The kitchen sink is there for ablutions and, as the Trafic is appreciably wider than VW rivals, there’s more space. Meanwhile, there’s room for a 60-litre compressor fridge above the toilet compartment and a reasonable wardrobe alongside.

The kitchen unit has split worktop lids to reveal a Can two-burner hob and integral sink, with extra worktop alongside. Below the sink, a drop-down-flap reveals good space and a cutlery tray; beneath that, another flap conceals a large storage area; and, at floor level, further drop-down flaps hide the gas locker and more storage. Overhead, there’s a large cupboard and lipped shelf, which extends around the corner above the tailgate.

Storage is good – the overcab cupboard is big enough for your bedding and the seats both have further space underneath, though that on the nearside also contains the 40-litre fresh water tank and the offside houses the leisure battery.

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