Bodans Pentire campervan

Berths: 4 Travel seats: 4 Base vehicle: Volkswagen T6 SWB Startline Gross weight: 2,800kg Payload: 850kg

It takes a confident company to launch a new model into the already very, very competitive Volkswagen campervan market, but Bodans has done just that with its new four-berth Pentire, which joins two other new campervans in the range, all of which are based on the T6 Transporter.

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The company also converts used VWs but it is this new conversion on a new base vehicle that gets our attention here.

Based on the short-wheelbase T6, the standard specification is high and the company uses high-quality equipment in the conversion, including a Reimo colour-coded rising roof with bed, which provides sleeping quarters for two.

Downstairs, you’ll find the side kitchen layout common to many Volkswagen campervans, with an RIB crash-tested rear seat, which folds to provide the second double bed.

The side kitchen is well equipped and practical with a two-burner gas hob, a gas oven and grill and a sink with smoked glass lid, all these fittings coming from Smev.

There is also a front-loading low-level 50-litre Waeco compressor fridge and, as usual, a flip-up table clipped onto a rail.  Standard spec includes an on-board 19-litre fresh water tank but there’s an option to have an underfloor 48-litre tank.

The base vehicle comes in basic Startline spec, or you can upgrade to the better equipped Trendline or Highline, which cost an extra £1,000 and £3,000 respectively.

If you stick with the Startline, you get the base 102PS turbo-diesel engine coupled to a five-speed manual gearbox. In the cab, the driver gets power steering, a CD/radio and driving aids such as ABS, ASR and ESP. There are twin airbags as standard.

A swivel base has been added to the passenger seat. Meanwhile, in the rear, daytime illumination is provided by three privacy-glass side windows and the (heated) tailgate window, which also has wash/wipe.

In the evening, lighting is provided by a suite of all-LED spots and stalk-mounted reading lights in the rising roof.

The habitation area is fully insulated with carpet lining and vinyl flooring and you get blackout curtains (including cab thermal screens) as standard. There is also a Fiamma Bi-Pot toilet located under the bed.

Something that’s always an issue in campervans is having enough storage and Bodans has addressed this by providing a cupboard below the oven, as well as a worktop-level locker with tambour door. There’s also a larger rear corner storage unit and overhead cupboards above the kitchen unit and over the back seat.

There’s a variety of exterior colour options including Blackberry, Acapulco Blue, Indium Grey, Cherry Red and Candy White.

The model pictured has Bodans’ additional Appearance Pack, which costs £1,995 and adds alloy wheels, side bars and front and rear spoilers. It also has two-tone leather seating (£2,200 extra) and diesel-fired Eberspächer blown-air heating (£1,095).

If you enjoyed this review, you can read the full version and more in the June 2017 issue of What Motorhome magazine.

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