Full review

Words & photos: Peter Vaughan

The Etrusco CV 640 SB Type X

Sometimes, when we’re out and about (no pun intended!), we spot a campervan on a dealer forecourt that just shouts “take a closer look.” That was the case at Choose Leisure, near Canterbury, with this Etrusco campervan. 

For a start, it looked really striking and unusual in its all-black livery. Secondly, Etrusco is not the best-known brand in the UK, being relatively new here. And, perhaps most interesting of all, as pointed out by Choose’s new MD, Dave Williams, this example was a left-hooker. 

Now we photograph plenty of LHD campervans (at launch events and shows on the Continent), but this one was sitting on UK soil, waiting to wear UK plates. 

Many dealers here are reluctant to stock anything with the wheel on t’other side but Choose is only about 40 miles from the tunnel, so, for a lot of local buyers, left-hand drive will make perfect sense.

And the argument in favour of LHD is even stronger if it can save you some cash. Chassis manufacturers usually charge more for right-hand drive (citing lower demand) and often there can be further sweeteners to help a left-hooker sell. Certainly, this looked like a lot of campervan for £66,000.

The exterior

That said, the external appearance might be a bit, well, Marmite. Not only is it black all over (perhaps not the best colour if you’re heading off to the Med), but even the tinted windows ‘disappear’ visually into the bodywork.

The lid of the pop-top is black, too, and so are the alloy wheels. Only the chrome strips and chevron logo of the Citroën grille provide some aesthetic relief. If you’re planning some wild camping, though, this campervan is sure to slip under the radar. 

The roof bed

It’ll only become obvious that it’s a campervan if you raise the roof, something that’s usually an optional extra on these Etrusco campervans. It turns the CV 640 SB into a practical four-berth, with a really large roof bed measuring 2.12m by 1.43m. 

Better still, the bed sits on plastic springs, so it’ll be comfy for adults. Unusually, there’s a wind-up sunroof in the pop-top’s lid, too, so you don’t lose out on daylight when the roof is folded back down. 

The bedroom

As you may have surmised from the numbering of this model, it’s based on the extra-long (6.36m) panel van.  Etrusco also has 540 and 600 models in its CV range; this is their big brother with the benefit being in the rear bedroom.

Here, you can sleep lengthways – much better for popping to the loo in the night without waking your partner. The beds aren’t separate singles but actually conjoined for most of their length, with a cut-out at the foot to aid access. 

The taller sleeper will need to occupy the offside, where the mattress measures 1.91m, but the nearside bed isn’t that much shorter, at 1.83m. You won’t be short of room, though, because the bed is a whopping 1.94m wide at its broadest. 

With opening windows on three sides of the bedroom, you won’t want for ventilation, either, while reading lights can be adjusted on rails to their ideal position.

Under the bed, the garage measures 1.45m by 0.92m, with headroom of 73cm. Want more? The right-hand side of the bed hinges up against the wall, creating a full-height load space. 

The kitchen

In the kitchen, it’s no shock to find just a two-burner hob to cook on – this is a continental camper in continental spec, after all – but the pluses  are the very generous worktop area and the 84-litre compressor fridge that can be reached through the sliding door. 

The washroom

Even better, in many ways, is the toilet cubicle, with plenty of space around the loo, loads of worktop around the fixed basin and an opening window. Pity, then, that you need a curtain when showering and the washroom door clonks against the kitchen when fully opened.

Where to buy

Etrusco has five dealers spread out around the UK. In England, they are Choose Leisure (Kent), The Motorhome Depot (Midlands) and SMC Motorhomes (Nottinghamshire). In Wales, it’s 3A’s Leisure and, in  Scotland, it’s Struan Motors.