Full review

Words and photos: Peter Vaughan

The Knaus Tourer Van 500 MQ Vansation

There have been VW-based coachbuilt motorhomes for almost as long as there have been Volkswagen campervans, although they have always been quite niche.

Few readers will recall the South African Jurgens, based on the bay window Type 2 of the 70s, but the later Karmann Gipsy on the T3 might strike a chord and Auto-Sleepers’ Clubman of the 90s will certainly be fondly remembered by many.

But when the T5 came along, the only coachbuilt to appear in any volume was, once again, the work of German firm, Karmann-Mobil and, since the demise of its Colorado, there has been virtually nothing of this ilk for fans of the Bulli (as the Transporter is known in Germany) wanting more facilities than in a pop-top campervan.

So, VW fans were no doubt thrilled by the arrival of the Knaus Tourer Van. Here was a compact coachbuilt based on the current T6.1 Transporter that not only boasted a choice of layouts but even a super-low pop-top version (the Tourer CUV, still a coachbuilt), as well as a sister model from Weinsberg.

Knaus suggested at the launch that you could compare its Tourer Van with Volkswagen’s California camper, which is nonsense as this is a much taller, wider, longer vehicle but the point is that their prices are remarkably similar. Coachbuilts always have been much cheaper and easier to build.

A bigger question may be how much longer Knaus can offer these models, as preliminary details of the T7 van (a close relative of the new Ford Transit Custom) have already been announced.

Right-hand drive Tourer Vans have only recently started to appear, so your opportunity to buy a motorhome based on the (wholly VW) T6.1 may not last long…

The Vansation spec

Adding to the appeal is the fact that the Tourer Van can also be ordered in Vansation trim (as here), which brings the 150hp engine and automatic gearbox, as well as a host of extra kit both from VW and in the habitation area. 

Most surprisingly, perhaps, the spec includes a 3.05m Thule awning and an Oyster 60 Premium satellite dish  linked to a 27in TV.

Externally, it’s a mix we’re not used to seeing – the T6.1 cab with a low-profile motorhome body that increases overall width from the van’s 1.90m to a still-modest 2.16m. With running boards under the cab doors and the whole ensemble in Ascot Grey, it has an upmarket and unified look – and it’s compact by coachbuilt standards at 5.89m long. 

Caravan-style habitation windows perhaps take the edge off that just a smidgen but you may be more aware of how the VW’s 17in Devonport alloys appear inset of the rear wheelarches (rivals mostly benefit from a wide rear track). 

The drive

That set my mind questioning the wisdom of a T6.1 coachbuilt – would it still drive like a vee-dub?

As I sat behind the oh-so-familiar controls of this T6.1, adjusted the twin armrests and switched on the bottom warmers, I was prepared to be disappointed. 

Those long-armed mirrors look like they’ve been purloined from a truck, but everything else feels right. The Vansation even has VW’s Discover Media sat-nav, the Premium multifunction display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a pin-sharp reversing camera.

Also included are adaptive cruise control, drowsiness detection, stop/start, High Beam Assist, Emergency Brake Assist, inductive phone charging, automatic lights and wipers and front fog/cornering lights. Not many VW campervans come as fully loaded as this, but will that all be forgotten as I rue the Van Tourer’s near 50% increase in height? 

Well, it’s only minutes into a deliberately fairly rapid drive along Nottinghamshire back roads that I’m sighing with relief. I am genuinely surprised by how well the Knaus handles, how little it wobbles or leans.

And not only that, but the 150 horses under the bonnet still feel fit and willing as the famed twin-clutch gearbox slurs up through its seven ratios and we join the A1 south. 

We didn’t have to endure crosswinds on this test but passing HGVs at the legal limit without a worry suggests that this VW will be reassuring in all but the most extreme conditions.

As I pull back into Hawton Waters campsite, I’m grinning – I can’t remember the last coachbuilt I enjoyed driving this much. What the Van Tourer can’t do, of course, is offer the car-like manoeuvrability and all-round  vision of a campervan – there’s no rear window for a start. But, equally, the accommodation here is in a different league, beginning with a garage. 

The garage

This space has full-sized doors on either side and a commendably low loading height (36cm), although that comes with a commensurately low rear overhang, which might be a concern on some ferries. 

The garage measures 63cm wide at floor level and has a generous height of 1.23m. It comes with a light at either side, a three-pin power point and adjustable lashing points, not only at floor level, but higher up on the back wall as part of the Thule Garage Organisation System option, which also adds nets to keep your gear from sliding around. 

The exterior

Another neat detail is the awning winding handle clipped into place (not just loose on the floor), while the exterior shower is one of the very few optional extras fitted.

Another sign of Knaus’ attention to detail is the Service Box on the nearside, which provides access to the inboard fresh water tank (filling and servicing), the mains hook-up and the drain taps (in a winterised location) for both tanks. It’s just a pity that the tanks are rather small. 

And, before we move inside, it’s worth taking a look at the Van Tourer’s rear. We’ve seen the FoldXpand back panel before but the way Knaus has integrated its Cateye Evolution LED tail lights (with dynamic indicators) helps to reduce overall length, as well as giving a more cohesive appearance.

The interior

The habitation door had been upgraded here from Komfort to Premium, so there’s a window, umbrella holder and even a shopping bag in addition to the coat hooks and flyscreen but, sadly, still no central locking. 

Another option was the external electric step, but the internal step is already so low that it hardly seems necessary. 

Then, when you step aboard, you’ll be dumbstruck if your sole motorhoming experience is VW campervans. If, on the other hand, you’re familiar with compact continental coachbuilts, it’ll look quite familiar. 

There’s a half-dinette lounge, central galley and washroom and a transverse rear double bed – a popular floorplan for a 6m motorhome. 

Despite the slimmer VW cab, the front seats rotate easily without opening the doors (you do have to release the handbrake, however). 

What’s more noticeable is how low you sit, so the lounge floor is down a step from the entrance and kitchen  to match the cab floor level).

The huge overcab sunroof increases the feeling of space and, despite the lack of any directional reading lights, there’s plenty of artificial illumination, both in the form of ambient lighting and downlights. Drapes and Roman blinds add to the ambience and storage around the overcab area seems better thought out than in most rivals.

It’s worth noting, too, that the rear bench offers plenty of lumbar support and the table includes a swing-out leaf for the swivelled driver’s seat.

But it’s the cab chairs that you’ll occupy to watch the telly, although you do stare up at it almost like being in the front row at the cinema. It works better if you swing the TV around to face the rear bedroom.

The kitchen

From the lounge, you step up into the kitchen area, which still offers almost 2m of headroom. 

It’s appointed more in line with a campervan than a UK coachbuilt (with just a two-burner hob for cooking), but there’s a decent amount of worktop, as well as two large soft-closing drawers and a pair of top lockers.

The compressor fridge is mounted at the end, facing forwards, so it can (just) be reached for a cold drink without entering the motorhome. 

Again, the space is well lit, while, surprisingly, there are three 230V sockets here.

The storage

If you’re looking for more storage, there’s another top locker over the lounge but no space under the dinette bench (which is home to all the habitation electrics, including the leisure battery).

Then, there’s a wardrobe under the end of the bed, with a small shelved section as well as a hanging rail with a modest 66cm drop. 

Its best feature is that your clothes will be warmed by the Truma boiler beneath, which here is the Combi D 4 diesel-only system.

That also explains the small gas locker for a single 6kg cylinder.

The bedroom

The designers must have agonised over squeezing a fixed double bed and a decent washroom into such a compact motorhome; they achieved it by making the bed and washroom share space.

It’s just a very small (30cm by 10cm) and slightly wobbly folding step that eases access to the rear bedroom.

Here, there’s a transverse double bed (on sprung staves) that’s wider on the nearside. 

However, the reading lights are located on the offside and a small shelf and the window make sitting up slightly awkward, although there is sufficient headroom.

A second bedroom window (on the nearside) had been specified as an optional extra, so, with the MPK rooflight above, there’ll never be a lack of ventilation. 

There are 230V and USB sockets on the back wall, too, under a row of top lockers and you can even switch the lounge lights on and off from here.

I can’t help feeling that you want to sleep heads to the nearside where the mattress is wider and sitting up is easier (so the reading lights are in the wrong place).

The washroom

Opposite the galley, Knaus calls it an Xpand Bathroom and it’s a feature that’s a new innovation for the Tourer Van. 

With the bed fully in situ, you can still access the toilet room to use the washbasin or the cassette toilet, but not the shower. The basin has plenty of worktop around it and a large mirror-fronted cupboard behind (shelves are fitted with practical upstands, as in the kitchen).

Space to use the toilet, however, is quite tight. It’s best to reverse yourself in to sit down and I found my left knee jammed against the door when on the throne. 

There’s a slight gap in the washroom wall but that doesn’t look difficult to overcome. In any case, if you’re used to a Porta Potti in a campervan cupboard…

The magic ‘xpanding’ bit happens when you lift out a corner of the rear mattress, enter the washroom, release a catch and pull a handle up to the ceiling to create the shower cubicle. This is an ingenious bit of design.

There are two sections of shower screen – upper and lower – and once you’ve unfolded those you have a good-sized separate shower – in a T6.1! 

There didn’t appear to be any issue with water going where it shouldn’t, water pressure was good and there are even twin drains to ensure it all flows away. 

A drying rail is fitted in the ceiling and the only downside seems to be the relatively small water tanks. If you’re camping off-grid, you’ll be filling and emptying these rather more often than you’d like.

Motorhome supplied by SMC Motorhomes
Tel: 01636 60760
smcmotorhomes.co.uk

Insurance: £756
Tel: 0800 975 1307
shieldtotalinsurance.co.uk
For quote details: motorhome.ma/QuoteInfo