Bürstner Nexxo Van Active T 700 low-profile

Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Price from: £66,095 Berths: 2 Travel seats: 4 Length: 6.99m Width: 2.20m Height: 2.82m Gross weight: 3,500kg Payload: 565kg

Words and photos: Peter Vaughan

The Bürstner Nexxo Van Active T 700

The Travel Van was a long-standing member of the Bürstner range, offering coachbuilt comforts to those seeking something compact on the road (or on their drive). For 2022, though, it has been usurped by the Nexxo Van, which is not only a useful 12cm narrower than other Bürstner motorhomes, but also more affordable than the Delfin and Lyseo line-ups. In fact, this range kicks off at £62,595 (2022 season price), which is almost a £10,000 saving over the cheapest Delfin T Harmony Line.

Keeping the word ‘Van’ in the title is the usual German motorhome-speak for a compact low-profile motorhome. The Nexxo Van doesn’t just offer the typical transverse rear double bed or twin single bed garage layouts, but also a French bed and this T 700 island bed format. Of the five models, this is joint longest, although it’s still only 6.99m overall. More importantly, you’ll find no direct rival in compact ranges from Dethleffs, Hymer or Knaus, although Adria and Rapido do each build island bed motorhomes of a similar size.

This £70k motorhome is also described as entry-level by its maker. However, as usual, it gets extra equipment as standard when purchased from British dealers, such as Camper UK, which not only supplied the motorhome we tested, but also the pitch on its campsite near Lincoln.

The options

One such upgrade is the Active Package, which includes eponymous branding on seats and bodywork, 16in alloy wheels and a ‘spoiler protection tube’ (a chromed bar under the front bumper). Along with these details, the Nexxo Van gets completely flush habitation windows, a colour-coded front bumper and GRP roof (for better protection against hail damage), while the tall ‘n’ thin tail lights give the rear a typically Bürstner look. The 4m Thule Omnistor roll-out awning on this example is a £1,310 option. Another extra fitted here (priced at

£1,540) is the height-adjustable rear bed, which can increase your garage space. As standard, you get a large locker door (1.05m by 0.80m) on the offside and a much smaller hatch (630mm by 330mm) on the nearside, next to the gas compartment (which intrudes into a corner of the garage).

Even though all Nexxo Vans have a 3,500kg gross weight, total payload is over half a tonne – plenty, then, to add a spare wheel if the absence of one as standard troubles you.

Considering the price of the option, I would have expected to press a button to increase the garage headroom from 890mm to a very bike-friendly 1.21m, but no, you’ll need to employ a winding handle and some elbow grease instead. However, as standard, the garage does come with adjustable tie-down hooks, a heater outlet, light and a 230V socket. There’s also access here to the 120-litre fresh water tank for maintenance.

You’ll need to deploy the slide-out electric step to enter the motorhome via its offside door, but this Hartal entrance features two-point locking linked to the Fiat remote control, as well as a flyscreen and deep, fixed window.

The cab

Before that, though, let’s look at the cab specification because, more and more, different Ducatos are no longer born equal. Here, the 140bhp engine (adequate for a motorhome of this size) is mated to the new, improved manual gearbox. That engine is still listed as an upgrade but, actually, the old entry-level 120bhp unit is no more. Conversion noise hasn’t been totally eliminated, but it certainly has been minimised and on-road performance benefits from the Nexxo Van’s lack of size/weight.

It comes with ESP and ASR included in the spec, along with the usual cab air-conditioning, cruise control, Traction Plus, etc. What you probably wouldn’t expect to see is the fully digital dashboard, which is a standard feature, as is the 7in Uconnect touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (but not sat-nav). There’s also a reversing camera fitted, using a separate display on the right of the fascia.

On the road, you’ll soon appreciate the T 700’s compact width if you like to explore on B roads, where the van-spec mirrors don’t have the bus-like width of bigger motorhomes. Before that, you won’t have the usual stretch down to the right for the handbrake as, here, the parking brake is electronic and it releases automatically as you drive off – the first time we’ve seen this feature on the Series 8 Ducato.

The interior

Step inside and it doesn’t strike you that you’re in a narrower motorhome, but it does feel light and bright. The Pacific trim shown here is one of three upholstery options, all including the same beige faux leather element, but the Brava is Hobson’s choice when it comes to wood finish (just as white is the only paint colour outside). It mates pale woodwork with high-gloss cream cupboard doors and chromed handles. Equally light in colour are the optional carpets; perhaps not a great idea, especially in the cab!

Above the driving quarters, the opening sunroof is the largest rooflight in the Nexxo Van (those over the lounge, kitchen, bedroom and washroom are all modestly sized). There’s no usable storage above the cab and you’ll soon spot one cost-saving aspect – floor-length unlined curtains rather than cab blinds.

I did appreciate the coat hooks inside the door, however, and an array of lighting that includes ceiling downlighters, ambient lights above the top lockers and a reading lamp that can be relocated anywhere along its rail. Pity there are no reading lights over the front seats, though.

The layout

In standard spec, the Nexxo Van is a two-berth, although its half-dinette lounge adds two extra seatbelts for rear passengers. They’ll travel comfortably, too, with a knee roll for support, automotive-style height- adjustable head restraints and a floor level continued through from the cab. You can remove the wall-mounted table but there’s no specific storage for it, so the safest place would be in the rear garage.

Nor does this table have the usual swing-out leaf to enable the swivelled driver’s seat to become a diner’s pew, but two (or three) could be accommodated at mealtimes. And, if you do want to take a grandchild with you occasionally, it is possible to pay extra for a dinette-based bed (claimed dimensions 1.70m by 1.15m max). You can add Isofix as an option, too.

On site, the cab chairs rotate easily to make a four-seater lounge, but this won’t suit those who like a long settee to sprawl upon. Instead, this is a more continental design, in which the front seats are probably the ones you’ll choose much of the time. Certainly, that’s where you’ll sit to watch the TV.

If you add a flatscreen, the simple wall-mounted backet for it is above the rear passenger bench. Underneath the half-dinette, you won’t find any storage, but this is where the Truma boiler is, as well as the RCD unit. For the UK, the heating is upspec’d to gas and 230V power and the 6kW Combi, which should be able to turn this small motorhome into almost a mobile sauna.

The kitchen

Long before you spot the enhanced heating, the amelioration of the kitchen will have caught your eye. Here, the German market two-ring hob has been banished and, in its place, comes the popular Thetford Triplex unit with three gas burners atop a combined oven and grill.

Bearing in mind the size of the motorhome and the inclusion of a proper bedroom, the galley is necessarily small, but what it lacks in worktop preparation area it makes up for with a pretty generous amount of cupboard space. Note the use of the word ‘cupboard’ specifically, though, because it would have been nice to have had more drawers for easier access to your culinary tools, without having to get down onto the floor to find them.

There is, however, a large soft-closing cutlery/utensil drawer and a small drawer (without any fancy closure) under the fridge. The Nexxo Van also comes with a little slot-in worktop extension by the door, but this isn’t shown in our photos as it was missing from the test motorhome.

Present and correct were the removable/adjustable shelves in the top cupboards and, of course, the tall/slim 139-litre Dometic fridge with automatic energy selection.

Not so clever was the galley’s only mains socket, in the underside of the upper locker, over the hob. And it seemed odd that, while the bedroom has flat blinds that let in a little light at the bottom, the kitchen (and dinette) windows have the superior concertina blinds – wouldn’t the flat type be easier to wipe clean where it may get splashed with soup or sauce?

The washroom

All bar one of the Nexxo Van range get the Vario washroom, with a wall behind the basin that swings over the cassette loo to create the shower cubicle. There’s nothing new in that, of course, but here it does seem particularly well designed.

As a toilet room, there’s super-sized leg and shoulder room when parked on the ubiquitous Thetford throne. Equally impressive is the fixed basin with its waterfall-style tap and tall backlit mirror. There’s a tall cupboard next to the loo, too, and smaller storage under the washbasin (including a hidden toilet roll holder, with the paper poking through a slit).

When it’s time to shower, there’s just a plastic catch to release at ceiling level and round to the right swings the basin. This leaves a gap, which is filled by a concertina screen (importantly, not a curtain) that also covers the door and the result is a surprisingly spacious showering space with two drains to let your soapy suds escape to the heated and insulated grey tank.

When you step out of the washroom, though, you’ll need to have all the front curtains and blinds closed if you’re still in your birthday suit…

The washroom door is hinged on the left, so you can’t hide behind that as you open it, but you can cover up with your towel and quickly nip into the rear bedroom, where two doors (one sliding, one hinged) create a private dressing space.

The bed

The bedroom is also up a small step, so headroom reduces from 1.97m to 1.86m. There is then a further step on either side of the mattress (hiding ‘secret’ storage under the carpet), making access to the bed easy – as long as the bed is in its low position. The arrangement back here is the usual one, with wardrobes and bedside tables on either side.

The nearside wardrobe has a removable shelf, if you don’t want to hang clothes here, and you’ll find a 230V socket this side, too, with twin USB ports by the opposite bedside surface. There’s also a pair of reading lights over the head of the bed but, surprisingly, no ambient lighting.

Most important, though, is that you should be assured a good night’s rest. The EvoPoreHRC cold foam mattress is not only very comfortable, but it can be extended (with a simple slot-in cushion) from a reasonably generous 1.90m long to a basketball player-sized 2.01m. And, with the extension in place, it’s still (just) possible to squeeze around the foot of the bed with the bedroom doors closed.

Motorhome supplied by Camper UK
Tel: 01522 411252
camperuk.co.uk

Insurance: £398.67
Tel: 0800 975 1307
shieldtotalinsurance.co.uk
For quote details: motorhome.ma/QuoteInfo

Bürstner adds a slim campervan with an island bed model that’s as stylish and high quality as you’d expect from this German brand and with a relatively reasonable price tag. It has been upspec’d to suit UK buyers, although in a few areas you can still see that it’s an entry-level model. Its island bedroom is a winning feature.