Ford Nugget Campervan

What is it?

With the conversion carried out by well-known specialists Westfalia and available through selected Ford dealers with a full manufacturer’s warranty, the Nugget is Ford’s latest camper van, and with five-seats it can also double-up as your main means of transport.

On the road

The new Transit is quite a powerhouse, and rather quiet - so don’t forget to pack your pots, pans and cutlery properly as you’ll be frustrated with the odd rattle from poorly packed and stacked gubbins.

It’s powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine with a choice of 2 power outputs; 128bhp and 18bhp with the option of an automatic gearbox. Our Nugget was the latter, and I had to be careful when accelerating from junctions in the wet as even a moderate right would leave the front tyres spinning.

It’s a comfy bus; speed bu mps and potholes mean nothing to it, but on undulating country roads that does translate to a a bit of a bouncy and wallowy ride. Fitted with adaptive cruise control it’s a lovely motorway cruiser, and in cruise it holds its speed whilst driving downhill, which seems to be a rarity the days. Visibility isn’t the greatest due to the rear window being partially obscured by the cupboard sides and the kitchen units, but that’s to be expected. Thankfully it has huge door mirrors with front and rear parking sensors as standard and an optional rear camera.

Off road

If you like to go camping on challenging terrain, or even soggy fields, note that there's no four-wheel drive version, so it’s worth buying a set of all terrains, oh and track mats - just in case.

Interior - up front

It’s a Transit, so it has lots of practical features including plenty of places for bits and bobs. If you’re looking for comfort then the seats are lovely, but everything else up front is made from hard wearing plastic, there’s no attempt at sprucing it up a little. On the subject of seats, although it can be a bit awkward both front seats can be rotated through 180º to face the living area.

Interior - the important bits

Heck, where do I begin?

The Nugget is a bit unique in the camper van world as most others have their kitchen units along one side of the van. The Nugget on the other hand has the kitchen at the back, which allows the fitment of sliding doors on both sides of the vehicle, a huge bonus for many reasons.

The kitchen has the usual mod cons; deep fridge, twin burner hob and sink..

It’s from the kitchen where you release the Nugget’s tilting roof, a necessity if you're tall and want to use the kitchen. What I liked about having the kitchen in the back is that when cooking a meal you’re away from the middle section where kids, or adults could be lounging.

Speaking of the lounge area, behind the front seats, that incidentally have plenty of space in between them to walk through, there’s a three-seater bench that’s on runners with an OSOFIX attachment.

To lower the large double bed you unclip it from the roof, and access is via a ladder that clips on to the kitchen units.

The Nugget has two beds, the lower one one that seats the rear passengers, and one up in the eaves. To access the latter there’s one clip at the rear that allows the rear part of the roof the lift.

Slide the bench forward, which isn’t the slickest, and folds flat into a fairly comfortable double bed.

Once you’ve woken from your slumber, sliding back to its seating position requires a bit of muscle.

Rummage under the base, and in two parts (stem and the table) you have the ‘dining room’ table.

The Nugget also comes with a shower attachment, two outdoor camp chairs and an outdoor table that’s attached to the huge rear lift up tailgate

Beneath the bench there’s a huge storage area for all manner of kit, and you’ll also find the handle for the Thule awning, a handy shelter from the rain, or sun which worked an absolute treat.

Conclusion

The Ford Nugget may not have been able to take me up mountains or along gnarly green lanes to the most secluded spots, but as one of the few fully equipped fiveseat campers it makes sense for a lot of families.