Full review

The choice of VW Transporter-based campers is quite bewildering, but conversions on the latest Mercedes Vito are far rarer. Perhaps that’s because earlier iterations of the little Merc were often rather disappointing, but Rolling Homes believes that the latest version has a number of advantages over the ubiquitous Volkswagen. The new Magellan is the result, with a traditional side kitchen campervan layout, similar to Rolling Homes’ Columbus.

Of course, it’s the handcrafted solid oak furniture that’s the real USP – base vehicle aside. Combined here with beautifully finished leather upholstery (a £2,190 option), complete with Bentley-style quilting, the Magellan makes a strong first impression.

Your choice of Vito spec can have a significant impact on the price. Going up to 114bhp is £1,674, but the rear-drive versions (136bhp and upwards, from 2.1 litres) add at least £3,342 to the base price. The top-dog 190bhp model (automatic) costs over nine grand extra!

All Magellans are based on a passenger-carrying derivative of the Vito, rather than a basic panel van, and all have a six-speed gearbox and a multi-function steering wheel as standard. Rolling Homes has also grouped together a range of Mercedes features in its £3,995 Executive Upgrade. This includes air-conditioning, cruise control, body-coloured bumpers, rear parking sensors, automatic wipers and driving lights, leather steering wheel, foglights, heated mirrors, a Category 1 alarm, alloy wheels and electric lumbar support. Sounds like a no-brainer…

The Magellan’s offside furniture is the same width as the unit in the (VW) Columbus, but here the bed is wider – 1.12m by 1.90m. There’s a second double bed – 1.27m by 2.00m – in the SCA Deluxe roof, with the mattress resting on flexible plastic springs for added comfort.

The Vito doesn’t just offer a little extra interior width over the T6 but additional length, too, while overall height is reduced (to just 1.93m) – important for garaging and car parks. There’s less headroom with the roof down, though, so Rolling Homes has had to get RIB to modify the rear seat to avoid heads rubbing on the underside of the roof bed. There’s still room to keep a chemical loo under the seat.

The side galley finishes short of the driver’s seat so that tall pilots can be easily accommodated, while the second sliding door provides access to some of the storage, via a door in the back of the unit. Corian worktops and soft-closing drawers add a luxury feel to the kitchen, while the depth of the drawers and the flip-up worktop extension add practicality. A stylish new Thetford hob/sink combination is used, with a 40-litre top-loading compressor fridge alongside. The table, meanwhile, stores on the back of the rear seat, in the boot area (not as convenient as the Columbus’ California-style storage on the inside of the sliding door).

Whether you choose VW or Mercedes in the end may come down to badge loyalty or the greater range of VW options (petrol engines, four-wheel drive, etc), although the longer, lower Mercedes is said to be easier to get in and out of if you are not as spritely as you used to be!

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