Campérêve Family Van

Fiat Ducato 35 Heavy Panel Van 2.3-litre, Euro V+, 130bhp, six-speed manual Six berth Five travel seats 5.99m long Maximum weight: 3,500kg Payload: 460kg

Somerset-based Highbridge Caravans has bagged itself a nice little UK exclusive with the Campérêve franchise. The French manufacturer – part of the Rapido Group, which also has Westfalia under its umbrella (so there’s not exactly a shortage of expertise here) – certainly has an innovative line-up of van conversions to offer to us for the season ahead. Some 12 models, in fact, if you include the left-hand drive/available-to-order-only Ford Transit-based Cap Land.

Don’t even worry if you’ve not heard the Campérêve name before, either (it’s pronounced ‘Campay-rev’, by the way). It’s been quietly converting vans since 1978, counting the likes of Toyota’s Hiace, Volkswagen’s T4 and T5 Transporters and, of course, Fiat’s Ducato among many conquests.

The silver paintwork on show here certainly looks the part, even though it’s an optional extra. But note that it includes a matched finish to external fittings such as the fridge vent covers, mains hook-up and water filler flaps, etc. Complementing all this even further are chrome side strips.

The conversion doesn’t switch from its native France to full right-hand use, hence the sliding door stays on the UK offside and the floorplan is unaltered. It’s a standard lounge at the front, with a travel seat for two that converts into an L-shaped settee on-site, and a seat just inside the sliding door itself that comes with the fittings to make it into the fifth travel seat – a rear-facer.

As for sleeping, the main bed is the double that is hinged and pulls down manually from the ceiling. Crucially, the arrangement allows you to stow your bedding up there (including pillows) when it’s pushed back up for the day ahead. Like the bunks across the back, it’s a Bultex mattress, which offers more than adequate comfort.

Finally, that £43,000 starting price is too good to be true. The actualité is, if you’ll pardon the French, that you’ll find yourself shelling out at least £299 for the Campérêve Pack, while a careful selection of individual options to suit your specific needs should see you inching up to the £45,000 mark. Which actually isn’t bad at all.

This is an abridged version of the full review that appeared in the March issue of Which Motorhome.

It’s all very cleverly executed and, whilst it would be great to see uptake from families with children, we wonder if its immediate appeal is to downsizers who want plenty of flexibility.