Best large campervan

WINNER Murvi Pimento XL SB (Ford)

Base vehicle Ford Transit Travel seats 2 Berths 2 Gross weight 3,500kg Payload 500kg Length x width x height 5.98m x 2.06m x 2.58m Price from £69,311

Murvi winning another award is a bit like Manchester United winning a trophy – a pretty regular occurrence. While one plays football (and hasn’t branched out into skiing), the other simply builds front lounge campervans and does so better than just about anyone else (never venturing into coachbuilts and has long since moved away from VWs).

Its Pimento XL SB is available on a Fiat Ducato or Ford Transit, but we’d choose the latter every time because its cab has better ergonomics and it’s simply a nicer vehicle to drive. As an added benefit, it also has a better kitchen than the Fiat version.

That galley is at the rear and L-shaped, with a washroom adjacent – that’s the oh-so-successful Murvi formula. And the lounge has a lovely, long sofa facing the side door, through which you can enjoy views of the outside world on a warm day.

This is a sub-six-metre campervan, so it’s a great size for manoeuvrability and saving you money on ferries, but you could easily be convinced that it’s a bigger ’van based on the amount of space inside.

Unusually for a layout like this, the Pimento also has plenty of room for your outdoor gear, so this won’t have to clutter up the interior. Open the offside rear door and you discover a fl oor-to-ceiling locker for all your bulky stuff . With two sturdy adjustable/removable shelves, grippy rubber fl ooring and even a hanging rail, you could use this space for everything from bodyboards and wetsuits to a barbecue and some super-luxury outdoor chairs.

On the outside, Murvi keeps things subtle in the extreme but it lets you choose the colour and spec. Limited or Trail derivatives of the Transit up the ante, and you can even have a four-wheel drive version.

If you intend to go off-grid, the standard 150Ah lithium battery bodes well and you can add a 175W solar panel and a 350W inverter. Heating is diesel powered and there’s a 30-litre underslung LPG tank to supply all your cooking needs for ages.

While Murvi, like other campervan makers, offers a wide choice of interior décor (not just upholstery but also cupboard doors, worktops and carpets), here you can also select the culinary kit. A three-burner hob is standard, and (depending on the size of fridge) you can also have an oven and/or a microwave. The cooler can be a three-way or compressor type, with capacities from 60 to 115 litres.

Then, at night, the lounge can be made into single beds (2.10m and 1.83m long) or a double. There’s plenty of room for your duvet under the settee and converting the sofa into a bed or beds is a doddle.

Murvi’s attention to detail even means that a first aid kit, fire blanket and spare set of vehicle bulbs are all included.

HIGHLY COMMENDED Consort Reef S2

Scot Naylor’s experience in living the campervan lifestyle really shows through in his campervan designs under the Consort Motorhomes brand. Exclusively rear lounge two-berths based on the Fiat Ducato, the recipe may be a bit ‘beans on toast’ but the delivery is far more haute cuisine.

Star feature is the rear boot, under the U-shaped lounge, for all your outdoor furniture and gear, but storage throughout is well-planned and shows real attention to detail (including a waist-height 90-litre fridge and plenty of kitchen drawers). The wall-hung worktop extension works better than one hinged from the end of the galley, while the sink gets a drainer tray and a wireware drainer. Converting the lounge to your bedroom is also oh-so-simple, too.

Standard spec includes a solar panel, twin leisure batteries, flush-fitting double-glazed windows and an underslung 25-litre gas tank, while all the usual options are available. Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Travel seats 2 Berths 2 Gross weight 3,500kg Payload 500kg Length x width x height 5.99m x 2.05m x 2.58m Price from £69,950

HIGHLY COMMENDED Vantage Rio

Whilst it’s easy to see the attraction of a rear lounge campervan, especially one as well finished as a Vantage, wouldn’t it be great to have rear travel seats, too – and a proper second seating area for when the back is a bedroom? Well, of course, the Rio isn’t unique – far from it – in having a half-dinette up front as well as the larger rear seating area, but it does it better than most.

Vantage has improved the front lounge since the model’s launch, while the U-shaped arrangement aft is inviting and incorporates a large boot area accessed via the back doors. It makes into twin single beds or, super easily, a huge double.

The kitchen includes a 77-litre compressor fridge at waist height, while the washroom has a fixed corner basin that’s infinitely superior to most flimsy flip-up units. Flush glazing, a 100W solar panel, twin leisure batteries and a choice of tables are included as standard, while everything feels practical and durable. Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Travel seats 4 Berths 3 Gross weight 3,500kg Payload 380kg Length x width x height 6.36m x 2.05m x 2.60m Price from £72,500