Danbury Trail

PRICE FROM £33,995 PRICE AS TESTED £36,377 EXTRAS FITTED Sliding windows in side door and opposite (£375), rear parking sensors (£260), cab air-con (£948), passenger seat swivel (£299), black woodwork (£500) BERTHS 2 (2+2 with optional roof bed) TRAVEL SEATS (INC DRIVER) 5 INTERIOR HEIGHT 2.11m (kitchen area) MAXIMUM WEIGHT 3,000kg PAYLOAD 860kg BEDS Double 1.92m x 1.24m FRESH WATER 12 litres GAS 1 x 2.75kg (Campingaz 907) LEISURE BATTERY 85Ah

THE VW camper market has seen a resurgence of late the like of which we haven’t experienced since the 1970s. Many buyers are choosing new conversions based on used T5 panel vans, circumventing the cost of Type Approval (for now, at least) and bringing the cost of ownership more in line with that of a family hatchback.

But what if you want a recognised name to have carried out the conversion, so that its resale value will be more than diddly squat? Danbury thinks it has the answer with the new Trail, a camper that is more in line with the original values of the marque than its more recent offerings.

IT’S STILL A VW
It’s a T30 base here (rather than the lower payload T28) but the engine pumps out a piffling 84PS (that’s 83bhp). The entry-level engine for a Ford Transit Custom is 100PS and some T5s boast up to 180PS. If you’re happy to tour at a gentle pace, this engine might be enough; just get used to changing gear more often.

Driver and passenger airbags, a radio/CD, traction control, remote central locking, electric windows and mirrors, heated rear window and rear wash/wipe are all standard. More importantly, the cab seats are both height-adjustable and the steering column is variable in reach and rake, unlike in so many vans.

THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT
The exterior is fairly bland, despite the bright colouring. There is mains hook-up (along with an 85Ah leisure battery and charger) as standard, with the necessary input just behind the driver’s door. However, there’s no water filler because there’s no fitted tank and, likewise, there’s no waste water reservoir, just a plastic flap underneath that hides the drain from the sink.

The roof itself is Danbury’s own design. Rear-hinged, it rises easily once the two security straps have been undone. It pulls down easily too, with straps provided to aid those who might otherwise struggle to reach, and we had no issues with material getting trapped by the lid. There is an optional roof bed at £599.

BACK TO BLACK
The kitchen unit is fixed and it runs across the vehicle from the side wall behind the driver to roughly the middle of the camper. Most of the top of the unit is taken up by a single glass lid, which lifts to reveal a combined stainless-steel unit with two-burner hob. The drawer has no partitions for cutlery but should be big enough for all your tools, including tin and bottle openers and the like.

Alongside the fridge, a small door reveals the portable 12-litre water carrier which serves the sink. Returning to the front of the galley, the unit is completed by an elasticated magazine pocket, an exposed set of habitation area fuses, mains and USB sockets and a battery condition gauge. Alongside that lot is the door to the gas locker, home to one Campingaz 907 cylinder.

TALL ORDER
In the rear of your Trail you can choose between a wardrobe unit alongside the seat or a bed/seat-heightupholstered section that unfolds at night to make the bed the full width of the camper. The wardrobe is less effective as contents stored in quickly get mixed up.

Storage in the rear ‘boot’ area, top section (above the mattress) is extremely limited, leaving room for just a couple of pillows. A portable loo can be loaded in at the back and a duvet can be stuffed through from the front but you may want to rig up something to separate the two.

FIVE-SEATER
The big-boned may struggle to squeeze between the front passenger seat and the galley without rotating the chair first, but aft the living area is open and generous for a short-wheelbase camper.

The swivel cab seat (a £299 option) makes a better on-site pew but you’ll be fighting over this if the Trail is to be a couple’s camper as the driver’s seat cannot turn. At meal-times you’ll need to sit side-by-side on the bench to reach the pedestal table. Neatly, both the tabletop and its island leg store on the inside of the sliding door.

TOP TO BOTTOM
When it’s time for shut-eye, making the bed won’t take much longer than switching off the lights. A handle underneath the bench seat is released and it rolls forward and flattens until it touches the kitchen. At over 6ft 3in long, it’s a good size and there’s a couple of inches extra usable width over the mattress’ 4ft 1in measurement. Try before you buy, though, or pack a mattress topper, because although the bed is  good and flat, it is most definitely on the firm side.

THIS REVIEW
The full review appeared in the December 2014 issue of Which Motorhome magazine.

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A simple camper at a fantastic price, the Trail just needs the promised changes to the bench seat and wardrobe to be a winner.