Full review

Westfalia has made a name for itself with its premium campervans, as well as the iconic Mercedes Marco Polo and Ford Nugget that it builds for the OEM market. However, it has never really cracked the entry-level high-top camper sector with its Amundsen range.

Now, though, it reckons this new line-up for 2020 should change that. The layouts, which include transverse fixed double beds and lengthways fixed singles, remain unchanged so, instead, the company has focused on lowering the price of the Amundsen without losing the high quality, while also giving these camper’s interiors a more modern look.

Literally from the ground up this Westfalia has a new look – the flooring is a much more practical grey. You can see this to full effect in the garage – and it is also here that you’ll spot one of the other big differences compared with the 2019 model. The bed now has an aluminium frame with no wooden base. Instead it uses a slatted system, which saves weight. The multi-coloured slats used can also vary support strength, allowing customers to tailor their sleeping experience to personal taste. This bed measures 1.97m by 1.40m.

Cab seats swivel to face the half-dinette bench with contoured seats, making for a more comfortable journey for rear passengers. The removable table has a swing-out section, while the raised floor (created to bring the rear travel seats up to the same level as the cab seats) contains storage below. Underneath the bench you’ll find the heater as well as storage. This area can be made into a 1m-wide single bed that runs 1.60m lengthways.

Unlike many other campervans of the type, the kitchen area is relatively spacious, thanks to an under-counter fridge and a lack of tall furniture along the offside. The 95-litre compressor fridge creates usable worktop space above, where the galley unit is also deeper, while fittings include a sink and two-burner hob in a combined unit with a glass lid.

At the forward end of the kitchen there’s a fold-up worktop, along with two pockets for more storage. The rest of the unit is taken up with three drawers with soft-closing mechanisms. Recesses on the wall have a solid metal retaining rail, but are not massively practical when on the road.

The rear double bed has its mattress and bed base in two sections. Unusually, the mattress is split along its length and the rear section hinges up to get taller loads – even bikes – on board. There are also four high-level lockers in the bedroom area, along with a small hanging rail (not enclosed). There’s no full wardrobe.

The washroom door is furnished with a metal handle, which belies the entry-level status of this model. Plus, the latch disappears inside the door frame when open, so you don’t catch yourself on it. The little room itself has a swivel seat cassette toilet, deep corner basin and a small amount of worktop. The twin-mirror-doored cupboard is compact but perfectly adequate for the two people’s needs. And even though this is a fairly bijou space, the shower tray has twin drain holes. The tap pulls out to create the showerhead.

You get 4kW Truma Combi heating and hot water as standard, while a 100-litre waste tank matches the capacity of the fresh water supply.

The standard engine is the new 120bhp Fiat unit, but you can upgrade to the 140, 160 or 178bhp versions, with or without the nine-speed automatic. There’s a selection of 12 different body colours to choose from, plus three upholsteries (including leather).