Full review

WHILE the Nu Surf is really tiny by coachbuilt standards (just 5.27m long and 1.90m wide) it is just a little larger than the model it replaces (mainly because the cab is longer).

It also has twice the fridge capacity of the old Surf (now a sensible 60 litres) and with a four-burner hob and grill, electric step with auto retraction, blown-air heating and optional hot water and shower, the spec is not as miniature as you might expect when looking at the outside.

Or when considering the price – from just £25,995 on-the-road.

Inside that coachbuilt body you’ll be really surprised by just how roomy the Nu Surf feels. And that side door makes it seem more like a proper motorhome, with a more sociable, less corridor-like layout.

Of course, as Nu Venture are a small company who build to order and aim to please you can still have a Nu Surf with the old rear door layout (the main reason for the change apparently was to enable easier carrying of bikes on the back).

Likewise, this demonstrator has a visually appealing arc to the roof, but if you want a Heki sunroof fitted, a flat roof is possible too.

I’m sure you won’t feel any need to change the basics, though, and especially the lounge area with its two side-facing sofas. Hinged panels tip the backrests to a comfortable angle and scatter cushions complete a lounge that’s actually better than many much larger vehicles can muster.

There’s plenty of artificial lighting too, and the side windows are as big as they could possibly be.

The bathroom is actually just a toilet cubicle as standard. There’s an electric flush, swivel cassette loo and plenty of room to use it, plus a shallow shelved cupboard behind the toilet.

The room has a heater vent (from the Truma gas-fired blown-air system) and a loo roll holder, plus a couple of plastic hooks that may be used for coats rather than towels as the Nu Surf has no wardrobe.

There’s no washbasin, either, so you’ll have to wash (in cold water) at the kitchen sink. If you want to upgrade (which may well depend on whether you do all your camping at Club sites, or whether you prefer rallies and CLs), then a shower tray, shower and Truma boiler can be added for an extra £1000.

In standard spec you’ll need to boil a kettle when washing up at the generously sized stainless steel sink and drainer, while the Smev four-burner hob and grill also impresses with being far better than you’d expect in such a small motorhome.

There’s a good-sized cutlery drawer too, and all the cabinets seem very well finished, but they lack the safety of positive locking, so heavier items will need to go under the seats or in the overcab (there is next to no low down stowage in the galley).

Generally, though, storage space is pretty good, with large under-settee lockers easily accessed by drop-front doors and a luton compartment that is simply vast.

At night you can pull your duvet down from the overcab onto a double bed that just stretches the tape measure to 6ft long but is the full width of the vehicle so you’re not short of space.

You sleep lengthways with simple flaps and infill cushions extending the bed into the cab once the front seats have been pushed forward. Incidentally, those bed extension flaps make useful coffee tables, while those of less than 5ft 9in in height could sleep across the vehicle and enjoy even simpler bed-making without the extension into the cab.

Alternatively, you can also choose to have twin singles, once again sleeping with feet in the cab where the beds are narrower.

A full version of this motorhome review was published in the July 2009 issue of Which Motorcaravan magazine.