Panama P57 rising roof campervan

An unusual pop-top campervan that comes with a loo compartment

The Panama P57 campervan

Panama may be a completely new brand on the UK market but with campervans based on the all-new Ford Custom starting at under £60k, it’s sure to make its mark in double-quick time – especially as it has the marketing might of Marquis Leisure behind it.

There are just two models to choose from, the P12 with its conventional side kitchen layout featuring up to seven travel seats (five as standard) and this much more unusual P57.

Here, we have the long-wheelbase Ford, a different floorplan with a shower and toilet but still a great-value price tag, from £63,995. 

As with the smaller model, there are no optional extras – not even a choice of exterior colour – but  little that you’d want to add, bar the usual dealer-fit items such as an awning and bike rack. 

The Ford base

Under the bonnet is Ford’s EcoBlue diesel motor, pushing out 136hp and, crucially, driving through the latest eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard. 

As you’d expect, perhaps, from one of the newest base vehicles on the market, it comes with keyless entry and starting, speed sign recognition, lane keeping assistance, driver alertness monitoring, traction control, trailer sway control, ESC, Pre-Collision Assist, Hill Start Assist, side wind stabilisation and LED headlights with cornering function. 

Or would you really expect all that, considering the super-keen cost? 

The only obvious omission is a spare wheel. Actually, that’s not strictly true as Panama does supply one (as well as a compressor kit), but there’s nowhere to keep it as its space under the campervan has been reallocated to the 50-litre fresh water tank. 

Maybe they just didn’t want a mountain of tyres at the factory… 

The cab

Step into the cab and it’s all up-to-the-minute here, too. The instrumentation is fully digital

and in the centre of the fascia is Ford’s latest SYNC 4 multimedia system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, DAB radio and even gesture and voice controls. 

There are front and rear parking sensors as well as a reversing camera, plus climate control for the summer and heated seats for the winter (or maybe the British summer!). 

And it’s all in a package that’s still quite compact on the road, even if 5.44m is a bit long for a normal parking bay and 2.06m is just a tad tall for some height barriers.

The interior

Just as importantly for a vehicle that could replace the typical SUV as a daily driver, the P57 comes with twin sliding doors for safe entrance and exit wherever you park. 

And inside, the rear bench seat not only has height-adjustable head restraints but Isofix for kiddy seats, too. 

Unlike the P12, though, the P57 is just a four-seater. As in its little brother, the seat system – from Mobiframe – is mounted on rails and it’s a comfortable, automotive-style unit. 

With the cab seats swivelled, there’s plenty of room for four on site and, in good weather, having both side doors open would only add to the appeal.

For dining, you add a free-standing table that stores in its own compartment behind the rear bench. At 75cm by 54cm, it’s a good size and, of course, you can use it outside; used inside, its four legs do rather restrict human legs from moving around.

The bed

Of course, the bench seat also converts into a bed – one that doesn’t use the cab chairs. First, slide the seat forward, then fold the rear section of mattress flat and slide the seat back again.

Next, you flip over the bench’s squab and unfold a mattress topper to make it nice ‘n’ flat. Your heads go to the cab end as your feet slot under an overhanging cupboard to the rear.

It’s a simple bed-making process but the bed itself is slim, so you need to be, too. It measures 1.92m by 0.97m, which is more of a single in our book. 

So, maybe the kids sleep here and parents go in the SCA roof.

The pop-top

With this layout, the ladder for the bed in the pop-top is much more of an essential than in a P12 (where it’s there to meet NCC regulations). 

Note, too, that the roof here slopes the other way, giving maximum headroom at the back of the camper. 

Again, you can fully open the canvas for maximum ventilation in the Med, but in Mablethorpe you might bemoan the limited amount of daylight available without fresh air, too. 

Nevertheless, you can’t fail to be impressed by a roof bed (on Caraflex plastic springs for comfort) that measures 2.33m by 1.18m. 

There are flexible wand reading lights for the upstairs occupants, too, while LED strips underneath the bed give good general illumination to the interior. 

A big plus over the P12 is the pleated cassette blinds fitted at the side and tailgate windows.

The exterior

The big rear hatch doesn’t provide an alternative entrance to the vehicle but there are downlighters under the open tailgate, as well as folding rails to hang wet gear. 

A kitchen drawer slides outwards (as well as inwards when you’re inside) for when you’re barbecuing and there’s a corner cupboard for stuff that you don’t want cluttering up the interior – mains lead, levelling wedges, etc. 

You can also use the shower outside for boots, dogs, etc. 

The washroom

Inside, the toilet/shower compartment in the rear nearside corner, behind a tambour door, is the P57’s USP. 

You’d have to shower sitting down as the cubicle only extends to the height of the campervan with the roof down and that, of course, also limits privacy on the swivel cassette loo. 

You’ll need to try this space for size (it’s obviously quite small) but your left leg will go under the washbasin when you’re sitting on the throne, so it seems quite well designed and a big step up compared with the P12’s Porta Potti in a cupboard.

The kitchen

The kitchen is also quite impressive for a campervan of this ilk, especially in terms of the amount of worktop created by giving it an L-shape design, running aft of the offside door and across half of the rear wall. 

Its two-burner hob, sink and  42-litre compressor fridge are similar to those in the P12 but the biggest consideration here could be the rather slim aisle – 39cm wide – which will dictate only fairly slim chefs working here. 

Of course, there are always going to be compromises in squeezing all these facilities into a campervan small enough to use as a daily driver. 

What impresses here is that Panama has tried something new, spec’d it well (even the Webasto diesel blown-air heater is standard) and still managed to keep the price below £65k.

Where to buy

Panama campervans are sold exclusively through the Marquis dealer network in the UK, with 12 branches from County Durham and Lancashire down to Devon, Dorset, Hampshire and Surrey. 

A compact, well-priced, well-specced Ford-based campervan that even has its own loo area.