Full review

THE target market for vehicles like this has often been younger buyers who don’t necessarily need palatial washrooms and kitchens, and only want somewhere warm and dry to eat, sleep and chill out at the end of a hard day’s play.

The real difference with this sort of motorcaravan, though, is that the vehicle has to be good enough, dynamically speaking, to cut it in the outside lane of the M25 on a Monday morning – and that’s just as important as providing accommodation for two adults (and possibly a couple of kids) over the weekend.

Its target buyer will want it as a second – or possibly an only – car, and traditionally only a camper with a VW badge has ever really fitted the bill.

Roy Wood Transits make it a policy to replace the most basic 85bhp engine with the much pokier 110bhp alternative, both of which transmit their power through the front wheels via a precise and slick-shifting five-speed gearbox.

Our test model, however, came equipped with the superb 130bhp engine, also allied to a five-speed ’box. Better still, this already potent engine/transmission combination is soon to be replaced by a 140bhp unit and a six-speed gearbox. No auto option, though, which is a pity.

Roy Wood Transits’ premises aren’t that far from the M4, so I was soon up to motorway speeds and, far from being a mobile chicane for other road users, found the Nugget more than happy to keep up with the flow of traffic.

It was just as at home tackling increasingly demanding A- and B-roads as it was motorway slogs.

The only downside of Nugget motoring is that it is rather taller than most VW-based campers. At over 7ft tall it won’t go in height-restricted car parks or domestic garages, and that does sadly count against it as an everyday vehicle.

The Nugget’s galley comes with a full-sized sink (cold water only), a pretty basic two-burner hob (devoid of spark ignition), and a small (40-litre) compressor fridge. If you were expecting to see a fitted grill or oven in here, then you’ll be disappointed.

The small fridge is a top-loading model, which holds more than its modest capacity would suggest, but the downside is that the act of keeping its lid clear means losing much of the Nuggest’s otherwise pretty generous worktop space.

The unusual L-shaped galley (positioned backing onto the forward-facing rear passenger seat) rather restricts through access from the lounge to the kitchen area, too.

The small, but undeniably handy ‘mezzanine’ shelf is worth its weight in gold, though, and runs the entire width of the kitchen area.

The Nugget has a truly excellent lounge area. The settee base can be adjusted fore and aft and its backrest tipped backwards and forwards.

Back in weekday MPV mode it also offers a full-width headrestraint and three three-point seatbelts, which really is a unique selling point.

Bed next, and like all good campers, make-up of same proved to be pretty straightforward.

The 7ft by 5ft 4in roof bed is rather bigger than the 6ft 6in by 3ft 7in to 4ft 2in ‘downstairs’ bed, but it was a fairly chilly night with a reasonably brisk breeze coming in off the sea, so I opted to stay ‘downstairs’.

Upstairs, meanwhile, there’s plenty of headroom but you do have to sleep with feet to the front (due to the slope of the roof), which means climbing up (via a short ladder and the kitchen counter top) and turning around before snuggling down into your sleeping bag.

You need to remove part of the lounge carpet in order to allow the settee to slide all the way forward (ensuring the cab seats are also positioned as far forward as possible), but from here, it’s a simple case of tugging on a lever and folding out the rock ‘n’ roll bed. Slap in a small infill, and your bed awaits.

I kept my bedding in the roof bed area at first, but opening out the downstairs bed also reveals a handy stowage area behind the settee that is perfect for this purpose. Investigating this area further also reveals the fresh and waste water tanks, together with the batteries and gas locker, behind the rear passenger seat.

My final job for the night before turning in was to programme the Eberspächer diesel-fired heater to keep the chill off the air. Westfalia locate the main control conveniently on the top of the dashboard, and from here you can operate the fridge and heater (this latter on a timer, if required) via simple push-buttons and a clear LCD screen.

There was the usual Sea Harrier roar as the Eberspächer got up to temperature, but by the time I’d closed my book and switched off the last remaining light, it had faded away to a barely noticeable whisper.

Verdict
The Nugget is an unusual camper with a unique layout. The five-seater travelling capacity (all with three-point belts) will be a real bonus for some buyers, but lack of storage space will count against it for longer trips.

A full version of this review first appeared in the August 2008 issue of Which Motorcaravan. To subscribe to the magazine, click here.