Full review

Here are the first fruits of WildAx becoming part of a much larger pan-European organisation and the first British outpost of the French Rapido Group, which also owns manufacturers in Germany and Italy. It’s the brand’s first entry in the VW Transporter-sized campervan market and shares some of its design concept with the Dreamer Cap Land (see October 2018 issue). The elevating roof and the Type Approval for the travel seat were subject to a combined development effort with the French factory.

Where the new WildAx Triton differs from the Dreamer is in its lounge layout. While the Cap Land goes for a pullman-style dinette, its British in-house rival has a more open-plan arrangement but loses the possibility to access the vehicle from either side – at least in four-berth mode. The offside still has a second sliding door but you can’t get in this way, though you can access some of the under-seat storage space.

So, there’s a side-facing settee on the offside, a double forward-facing rear passenger seat on the nearside and a swivel cab seat. The driver’s seat can rotate, too – as an option – if a fold-down handbrake is fitted. For a campervan of this size, it’s a very spacious lounge area with a generous area of unobstructed floor in the centre – great if Fido is coming camping, too.

At night, the side settee slides out and flattens to create a double bed that’s claimed to measure 1.83m by 1.30m. Infill cushions are required to complete the mattress and these are stored in the seat bases, so you’ll need to check that there’s enough room left for bedding, as well as bulky outdoor gear (boots, mains lead, levelling wedges, etc).

A further option is to remove the offside seat, thus reinstating twin door access, and leave it at home. Then, you’ll have to sleep in the roof bed – said to be 1.90m by 1.20m – unless you’re just using your Triton as a well-equipped day van.

Of course, this camper also has a rear tailgate. Lift that and you’ll see a bench cassette toilet on the nearside and a small Vitrifrigo compressor fridge above a tambour doored cupboard on the offside. There’s even a shower tray in the floor here – and a shower curtain that press-studs into place – but you’d have to sit down to hose yourself off. It’s all part of WildAx’s aim to provide a full motorhome-type spec in a campervan and you’ll also note that a gas/electric Truma water heater is included as standard.

The kitchen, however, is more camper-style. There’s no oven or grill here, just a two-burner hob that’s part of a stainless-steel combination unit with the sink. Galley storage is good, though, with four large drawers and a recess for five bottles. And there’s a very slim wardrobe between the travel seat and the loo. As ever, a campervan of this ilk cannot compare with a side kitchen layout in terms of storage capacity.

Other noteworthy features of the Triton include pleated blinds on the sliding doors’ windows and a pleasing lack of carpet trim around the glazing. A mix of Ford OEM and bespoke WildAx finish results in a more polished overall look.

The demo’ vehicle here was further enhanced by leather upholstery, fancy alloy wheels and an automatic gearbox but the starting price of £47,995 looks competitive. You’d certainly pay more for a VW-based equivalent campervan, but don’t let badge snobbery rule the day, this latest Transit Custom is a good steer.

If you enjoyed this review, you can read loads more like it in What Motorhome magazine. You can get a digital version of this latest issue of What Motorhome magazine here.