Joa Camp 60F low-profile

Base vehicle: Citroën Jumper Price from: £62,600 Berths: 2/3 Travel seats: 4 Length: 5.99m Width: 2.30m Height: 2.85m Gross weight: 3,500kg Payload: 900kg

Words & photos: Peter Vaughan

The Joa Camp 60F

Here’s a fixed bed motorhome that might be considered as an alternative to a campervan. At 5.99m long, it’s the same length as a long-wheelbase Fiat Ducato panel van. It is, of course, wider (and with flat sides), though, which makes for more space inside (but less suitability for the smallest of back roads).

Not only does the latest Joa Camp’s size put it into contention with some van conversions, but its sub-£63k price tag actually makes it an affordable option, too. This French marque is all about entry-level vehicles, after all.

The options

However, as ever, there are options packs to consider that may see the cost rise beyond its keen £62,600 base figure. The Chassis Pack (£1,140) adds a leather steering wheel and gear knob, aluminium-effect finish on the dashboard air vents, Bluetooth and steering wheel-mounted controls, plus 16in black alloy wheels.

Then, the Living Area Pack (£960) comprises a cab carpet, opening Skydome overcab sunroof, a habitation area door with both window and flyscreen, a folding towel rack in the washroom and a crash-sensing regulator to allow the blown-air heating to be used while driving.

If you want to go all out with the toys, then finally the Extra Pack loads your 60F with a 100W high-efficiency monocrystalline solar panel, DAB radio with 8in screen and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a reversing camera, additional sleeping capacity in the lounge, Truma Combi 6 EH gas/230V heating and an insulated waste water tank for £3,260.

Tick all three boxes and you’ll still be under £70,000 and you can’t upgrade the base vehicle, which comes with a 140bhp motor and six-speed manual gearbox. There’s no auto option on the Jumper chassis.

The bed

Inside, it’s obviously the layout that’s the key feature – a French bed is not offered in Joa Camp’s longer 70 and 75 models and nor is such a format often seen in campervans. As well as the useful storage for your outdoor

furniture below (max height 600mm), it’s not hard to see the appeal of a double bed that you can just slide into at the end of a hard day’s sightseeing, but do check this one out for size.

Length is generous, at 1.96m, but the width at the head end (1.28m) reduces to just 1.02m at the foot. There’s a corner shelf for your specs and a pair of reading lights, but the big plus is that there’s loads of room to sit up. A curtain runs around the bed for privacy, too.

The washroom

Alongside the bed, a wide tambour door gives easy access to the washroom, which adopts the same swing wall arrangement as we’ve seen in the larger Joa Camp motorhomes (and some Pilotes). Just rotating the basin around over the loo creates a good-sized shower with a shelf for your shampoo.

It’s a proven design and the toilet is the superior Dometic unit, too – a real bonus at this price point and there’s more than enough room to use it comfortably.

The kitchen

Forward of the bathroom, the kitchen is necessarily compact but it includes a 139-litre Dometic fridge, which beats most campervans for cooled capacity. There are just two burners on the hob, though, and you’ll probably have to use the table for additional preparation space when cooking.

The lounge

The lounge is of the half-dinette variety to include rear travel seats, while a small offside inward-facing seat takes the possible head count around the fixed table up to five. That single seat makes a good footrest when you swivel the driver’s chair (RHD models) but the table (960mm by 800mm) is simply too big for this small motorhome.

Finally, between bed and lounge is the good-sized wardrobe, which has a shelf in front with twin USB ports.