Full review

When Volkswagen launched the T6, it had the clever idea of using a two-tone colour scheme reminiscent of early splitty days, stuffing it with goodies and calling it Generation 6. But there is no California campervan version for the people who’d best understand the notion.

Step in Rolling Homes, whose Generation 6 lookalike or Classic is being offered as a limited edition (just 10 vehicles per annum) at an eyebrow-raising price of £65,000.

It’s a very close approximation. Differences? In standard specification the Classic lacks adaptive cruise control – that’s one of the few options, along with a DSG gearbox, 4-Motion all-wheel drive and a 201bhp motor.

Otherwise, its high specification is very similar, with climate control, multi-function steering wheel, DAB/Bluetooth radio, automatic driving lights, rear camera and parking sensors, cornering foglights and heated windscreen. Unlike Generation 6, you can choose your colour scheme.

We were delighted that Rolling Homes has chosen height-adjustable, swivelling cab seats. The revised torque curve for the 148bhp engine, reportedly greatly improving power from lower revs, should be a major improvement over the previous T5.

Inside, there’s Rolling Homes usual high-quality furniture in solid, lightweight wood, enlivened by body-coloured panels and sumptuous two-tone leather upholstery.

But this is a practical campervan, too, with an offside furniture unit and a two-travel-seater RIB settee. Four can lounge, with ample legroom, and the free-standing table tucks neatly into the sliding door’s lower panel.

The kitchen unit has a smart, robust Corian work surface with an inset integrated sink and two-burner hob under split glass lids. A very large drawer above the 50-litre Waeco compressor fridge has a clever internal pull-out work surface, also in Corian, while the big under-sink cupboard has two removable shelves. Lighting comes from two powerful LED clusters, with further lights over the sliding door and a single reading light on a flexible stalk.

SCA’s newest elevating roof, hinged at the rear, rises sufficiently to allow two adults to sleep with their heads rearwards without being totally claustrophobic and there’s the usual complement of three half-moon windows. This will probably be the preferred bed, the lower one being shorter and narrower.

A portable toilet in the under-settee cupboard has plenty of storage alongside, plus there’s the large wardrobe (with two huge shelves), accessible from the side and the rear. A cupboard below contains the leisure battery, water carrier and the metal gas locker.

This is an abridged version of the full review appearing in the July 2016 issue of What Motorhome. Buy it now.