Weinsberg CaraBus 541 MQ

Berths: 2+1 Travel seats: 4 (inc driver) Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato medium-wheelbase panel van Maximum weight: 3,300kg Payload: 650kg

Yorkshire’s Premium Motorhomes added Weinsberg to the other German marques it already represents - the first time the brand has had a UK face for a decade.

The 541 MQ is the smallest model from the five-strong CaraBus van conversion line-up. At a smidge over 5.4m, it’s half a metre shorter than the next-size-up Fiat Ducato base. For some, that makes for a more manoeuvrable vehicle.

Prices start at £34,761, but that’s for the 2-litre model that’s left-hand drive only. The 2.3-litre 130bhp unit and RHD mean an extra £571.

Our test model includes the Fiat Pack (cab air-con, electric mirrors, passenger airbag, cruise control, captain’s cab seats), the Weinsberg Smart Package (electric step, cab blinds, radio preparation with the neatest of rear speakers, and rear door blinds), and the Styling Package II (colour-coded front bumper, alloy wheels, front spoiler, skid plate, black grille, LED daytime running lights). It tips over the £40,000 mark with Premium’s own addition of a Thule Omnistor awning.

There’s a compact lounge, highlighted by a narrow rear seat and even narrower side-fixing table with no dedicated storage for it.

The kitchen, instead, takes up much space, extending to leave the narrowest of gaps through the sliding door. You do get a generous amount of permanent worktop either side of the two-burner hob and sink. But you might want additional protection from breezes.

The compressor fridge is a generous 65 litres, and to its left is a nest of deep drawers that will prove ideal for all kinds of food and utensils. To the right, what looks like a cupboard is actually the compact wardrobe.

There’s extra luggage space in hatches under the bed bases – as well as the huge boot area in the centre.
The washroom is tight on space. A partially inflatable shower curtain gets in the way. Storage is limited to just a couple of open shelves and a cupboard under the basin. But there is a superior shower tray with two plugholes.

The permanent transverse bed is a dream. It’s 53cm from the floor to the top of the mattresses. You can’t sit up fully here, but there’s a rooflight overhead and opening windows in each back door.

This is an abridged version of the full review appearing in the July 2015 issue of Which Motorhome.

German build quality and keen prices (assuming you don’t get carried away on the options) make this ’van an interesting addition to a crowded sector