Landseer Ford Transit Custom campervan

Base vehicle: Ford Transit Custom Price from: £62,595 Berths: 4 Travel seats: 5 Length: 4.97m Width: 2.08m Height: 2.13m Gross weight: 3,200kg Payload: 700kg

Words & photos: Peter Vaughan

The Landseer Ford Transit Custom

Landseer sounds like an appropriate name for a campervan which should, after all, take you to see the land. But that wasn’t the reason the moniker was chosen and nor are these new Ford Transit Custom conversions named after the eponymous breed of dog. In fact, the company takes its title from Edwin Landseer, an English painter who also sculpted the lions on the base of Nelson’s Column.

So, what has that got to do with campervans, which still weren’t much in evidence in 1873 when Edwin passed away? Not much, except that he is a favourite of company owner, David Heeney, and the brand logo (a stag) comes from the Monarch of the Glen, painted by Landseer.

The spec

While we’re on the subject of paint, you can choose from 10 different Ford shades for your Landseer camper, which will be based on a Ford Transit Custom Kombi. You can also have either short (as here) or long wheelbase, 130 or 170PS engine, manual or automatic gearbox and a 3,200kg or 3,400kg maximum gross weight.

Whatever spec you decide on, it’ll come with 16in alloy wheels, heated cab seats, an 8in touchscreen with DAB radio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and a reversing camera.

Matching that kit list is a top-notch elevating roof from German brand, SCA, complete with TÜV approval and crash testing certification. It’s a panoramic roof that opens fully at the front, too, and it’s fitted with a roof bed (measuring 1.90m by 1.11m) on Clima Plux springs.

As standard, you get manual pleated blinds, along with insulated underslung tanks (40 litres each, fresh and waste), a Webasto diesel heater and 150W solar panel, so the spec is pretty comprehensive.

The options

This is an upmarket camper that bears comparison with the best and it is priced from £62,595 (130PS, manual, SWB), rising to £69,375 (170PS, auto, LWB) before options.

Extras that you might consider include a Webasto hot water system, diesel hob and an electric folding e-bike that slots neatly into the boot.

This show model boasted full leather upholstery (£2,450), a 2.6m roll-out awning with LED light (£849), Smev mini grill (£420) and a Porta Potti (£120), for which a specific kitchen cupboard is provided. More unusually, you might also want to add the novel remote control electric blinds that provide one-touch blackout for an extra £995.

The layout

Of course, the layout is the typical side kitchen arrangement but the big plus here is the Schnierle SL3 sliding seat system, which can be locked into position anywhere along its track. With three seatbelts, three automotive head restraints and Isofix as standard, it adds a good deal of versatility as well as the reassurance of a high-quality, crash-tested German seat. At night, it then converts swiftly into a flat 1.89m by 1.27m double bed.

You can add extra individual rear passenger seats (£1,020 each) to make the Landseer into a seven-seater, while, as standard, the conversion includes swivels for both cab chairs and a drop-down handbrake to ease their rotation. A small coffee table is provided for the front passenger seat, while the main table is free-standing on a tripod base.

The kitchen

As well as the optional grill, the galley comes with a combined hob and sink unit from either Dometic or Can and a 42-litre front-loading compressor fridge supplied by Dometic or Isotherm.

Top lockers are fitted over the kitchen and above the back seat for extra storage, while two drawers cater for cutlery and utensils and there’s an illuminated wardrobe in the rear corner.

Summary

It’s the quality of finish of the furniture – complete with real oak worktops – that makes the biggest impression, though. You may not have heard of Landseer – campervan or artist! – but this is a brand that you should definitely look out for.