Ventura VR200 campervan

The concept here is not a new one. Take a typical side kitchen campervan layout and fit it into a larger base vehicle (here, a short-wheelbase Peugeot Boxer). The possible advantages are twofold – a good deal more living (and storage) space and a lower price tag (the VW T6 is an expensive van before a converter lays a finger on it).

Ventura has certainly grabbed the second aspect by the horns and has announced its new VR200 with a sub-£30,000 windscreen sticker. And, yes, you read that right! Don’t get too excited, though, because the model here is loaded with extra cost options.

For a start, the base model doesn’t even come with an elevating roof; though, to be fair, if you’re short, you might be able to stand up in a Boxer without a pop-top (something you won’t be able to do in the lower VW). The price of the roof is £2,995, plus another £780 if you want the upstairs bed and a further £80 for a ladder to reach that berth.

A portable loo is often an option on this size of campervan (it’s £70 here) and you might forgo the Webasto diesel-fired heating because it’s pricey, at £1,295. If you use campsites then a fan heater will be a more economical option, but only if you specify the £595 hook-up and charging system. Another near-essential fitment is the £299 automatic step for the sliding door. A standard VR200 might look a bit van-like, too, especially as the Boxer is a lot more Bob the Builder than the surfer-cool T5/T6.

If you want the bling, you’ll have to fork out £549 for the alloy wheels, £695 for the decal pack, and £395 for the colour-coded bumpers. With a swivel driver’s seat, reversing camera, towbar and on-board Wi-Fi, in addition to all of the above, you’re looking at £37,595 to match the spec shown here.

Now the VR200 is up against some much more serious opposition – a Hillside Birchover S on a brand-new Volkswagen T6 starts at £35,995… If you’ve driven the VW – or a Renault Trafic, Fiat Talento or Ford Transit Custom – you’ll not be impressed by the Boxer. Whilst this van is still very popular for larger coachbuilt motorhomes, it is showing its age and, even a decade ago, could come nowhere near the driver appeal of a Volkswagen. It feels a lot more commercial, as well as bigger, on the road.

Cab spec is reasonable, though – a DAB radio, air-conditioning, electric mirrors and ESP are all standard. The Peugeot may only be a fraction longer than a T6 but, as well as being wider, its overall height will preclude it from car parks with barriers. Inside, though, the extra space is obvious, not least in terms of the wider rear seat (with three seatbelts) which makes into a 1.82m by 1.34m bed.

That’s a good size for this class of vehicle but there’s a gap between the bed head and the rear doors (no tailgate option here). A swivel passenger seat (higher than the rear bench, so feet dangle in mid-air) is standard, while the typical side galley includes a 49-litre compressor fridge and a two-burner hob. Galley storage is in one large drawer and a tambour-door cupboard.

If you enjoyed this review, you can read loads more like it in What Motorhome magazine. You can get a digital version of this latest issue of What Motorhome magazine here.