Auto-Sleeper Symbol campervan

Base Vehicle: Peugeot Boxer Price from: £58,995 (inc Premium Pack, Winter Pack) Berths: 2 Travel seats: 3 Length: 5.41m Width: 2.26m Height: 2.64m Gross Weight: 3,300kg Payload: 450kg

The only Auto-Sleeper based on the medium-wheelbase Boxer window van, the Symbol can trace its development back to the Talbot Express-based Symphony of the early 1990s and this layout has seen unwavering popularity ever since.

Part of the appeal, of course, is its compact size and, when manoeuvring the campervans for filming and photography, it was noticeable how much smaller it felt (the turning circle reduces from 14.24m to 12.64m).

Despite that, and an overall length not much greater than some VW T6 campers, the Symbol packs in all the facilities of its larger stablemates, including a fully appointed kitchen and, crucially in these times, a proper toilet/shower compartment.

The galley is especially impressive for this size of campervan. There’s a Thetford Triplex cooker with three-burner gas hob and a combined oven and grill. A Russell Hobbs microwave is mounted above, while the sink is alongside.

Then the worktop steps up to a higher level over the 81-litre three-way fridge. That eases access to your cold drinks, while a pull-out panel increases the worktop space available here at chest height.

A mains socket is conveniently located adjacent and you’ll even find a set of crystal glasses in the top locker above the fridge. There’s a further worktop extension at the forward end of the kitchen, too.

Opposite the galley, the washroom is reasonably spacious but it does require a curtain to be pulled around when showering. The showerhead is separate to the tap for the tip-up basin, though, and there are twin drains in the tray.

Auto-Sleepers has even made a feature of the intruding wheelarch (with a moulded soap dish), but perhaps the best feature is the way the bathroom door opens out across the aisle to give some privacy for changing.

Up front, the lounge has a side settee and a forward-facing pew for an occasional rear passenger. With the (higher) cab seats swivelled, there’s room to seat five and you get a choice of coffee table or larger free-standing dining table.

At night, too, there’s a choice. Single beds are easy-peasy to make but the offside bed is much shorter than the nearside one (1.92m plays 1.67m). Alternatively, the settee backrest and two small infills fill the aisle to create a 1.84m by 1.47m transverse double.

So, the Symbol has plenty of versatility and all the features of the bigger models, but compact size is its USP.

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