Danbury Surf campervan

Berths: 2/4 Travel seats: 4 Base vehicle: VW Transporter T6 Gross weight: 3,500kg Payload: N/a

In recent years the Danbury name may have become synonymous with ‘bay window’ campervans imported from Brazil and converted in Bristol, but the company has always offered T5 (and, of course, now T6) models alongside for those seeking a modern drive – and look. Now that production has finally stopped of the South American 1970s-style vans, the T6 is even more prominent at Danbury – along with new conversions on used T5s and its range of highly acclaimed Ford-based campervans.

Danbury’s current T6 range includes Trail (a weekender-type camper), Surf (shown here), Surf 5 (a Surf with wider bench/bed and slimmer kitchen), Active (rear kitchen/loo) and Royale (long-wheelbase, rear kitchen). It’s the standard, four-seater Surf that takes the most traditional approach to VW campervan design.

That’s traditional, but not copycat. Danbury likes to do things its own way and, rather than buying in seat systems, elevating roofs, etc, it develops and fits its own. Its high-backed rear seat offers more storage underneath than some, but less space in the boot area behind. It also makes a long, flat bed.

Here, the Surf comes with the usual style of rear-hinged rising roof, which looks much like any other. A roof bed is a £599 option.

The side kitchen floorplan might also, at first glance, be much like the vast majority of VW campervans, but there are key differences. Firstly, there’s a very wide range of finishes – both in wood trim or plain colours (some of them rather bold).

It’s not just a flat run of furniture, either, as

the unit becomes slightly deeper just behind the driver’s seat, where a pair of tambour doors hide both the 50-litre compressor fridge and, above, a slide-out worktop. The stainless-steel sink (a sort of curvy triangle in shape) resides under a glass lid but the cooker is hidden under a section of worktop – and it’s not a unit you’ll see elsewhere. The LP Talisman hob might look rather dated but the plus is that it comes with an integrated grill underneath.

More tambour doors reveal a selection of galley storage, plus the larger-than-average wardrobe. There’s a slide-out rack for tinned foods, too.

Popular Danbury options for its Surf conversion include an inflatable drive-away awning, roof rails, a tailgate-mounted bike rack (or one fitted to a towbar), diesel-fired heating and a tracker system. Fully lined curtains, LED lighting, twin sliding windows and a 110Ah leisure battery are all standard.

The price shown here is for the entry-level 84PS engine, but the full gamut of Volkswagen power units is offered, as well as 4Motion four-wheel drive and the excellent DSG automatic transmission.

Costs can soon mount up, though – a 204PS motor is a whopping £6,263 and there are many other useful gadgets to consider, such as front and rear parking sensors at £456.

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

You can get a digital version of this latest issue of What Motorhome magazine here.