Hobby Vantana K55 F campervan

Berths: 2/3 Travel seats: 4 Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Gross weight: 3,300kg Payload: 605kg

Hobby has form here, having been the first to feature the now-popular slimline tower type of motorhome fridge. But this latest 90-litre cooler in its Vantana van conversions is even more a talking point.

In a class – fixed bed high-top campers – where so many rivals look so alike, its eye-level fridge could be just the thing to give the Vantana range a real USP.

At first glance, you might not even spot the fridge in this K55 F model because it’s not sited where you’d expect. In fact, it fills the range of top cupboards over the galley.

It’s an all-electric compressor model with its workings installed under the floor and it comes with a quiet night mode, as well as a pull-out compartment for up to four 0.7-litre bottles and two 1-litre Tetra Pak containers.

With no tall fridge to interrupt the flow of furniture below, there’s a greater feeling of space in the vehicle and there’s more worktop, too.

This is a thoroughly conventional approach to continental van conversion design. There’s a fixed bed, – a transverse double – and a half-dinette seating area with swivel cab seats and wall-mounted table. In between, the usual sandwich filling is of washroom and kitchen.

The half-dinette bench provides the two rear passenger places but, on site, the base of the seat can be extended – from 0.90m to 1.00m.

The galley comes with a good range of drawers, all fitted with soft-close mechanisms. The hob (with two burners) joins forces with the sink in a stainless-steel combination unit, while essential extra worktop comes in the form of a flap at the forward end of the unit. A novelty is the pull-out tea towel rail between the galley and the low-level wardrobe.

The washroom is of the type that extends into the aisle using tambour doors. To enter, step onto the shower tray’s cover and rotate the two doors around you. Now you’ll be surprised how generous the washroom dimensions are for such a compact ’van (especially one with a fixed bed). It comes with a fixed basin and a window but in use it completely blocks access through to the rear bedroom.

The bed has a good, thick mattress which narrows from 1.37m on the offside to 1.16m on the nearside. Bed length is 1.86m.

Cream plastic mouldings cover the walls at the head and foot of the bed, so the only windows here are the opening ones in the back doors. There’s no rooflight, either, but mood lighting over the top lockers and a pair of reading lights stop it seeming gloomy.

A high standard spec in the UK means that the Starter Package (including an awning and Remis cab blinds), Chassis Package (with air-con and leather steering wheel, etc), Multimedia Package (featuring sat-nav) and Light Package (extra interior lighting) are all included as standard.

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