In our second Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show highlights package from Birmingham NEC, our magazine team reports on its pick of the most interesting new campervans, caravans and accessories it’s seen here.
Volkswagen California 6.1.
Making its UK debut at the show, the Volkswagen California 6.1. has been brought right up to date both inside and out. For 2020 it’s now available in two guises, Ocean, and the all-new Coast, which replaces the previous Beach model.
The California has been a firm favourite for campervan owners over four generations and to ensure it stays that way, VW has brought in touchscreen technology that lets you control functions such as the roof, heating and the fridge. It’ll even tell you if the van’s parked on level ground.
Both Coast and Ocean models have a two-litre Euro 6 diesel engine and you can get the Ocean model with four-wheel drive if you need it. Prices start at £55,000 for the Coast model.
Rally Pro Air Tailgate Awning
If you’re a proud campervan owner, or buy one at the show, you might be tempted by the look of the Rally Pro Air Tailgate Awning from Kampa. It’s potentially very handy for anyone with a panel van-based campervan, especially if you need more room to the rear of your pitch. It has a clever pulley system that means you won’t need a step or ladder to pitch it, and its profile means it’s also suitable for the barn-style doors you find on many campervans of this type. In fact anything from about 2.2m to 2.75m. It’s normally priced at £1,250 but you can buy one for £980 at the show this week.
Van Tourer pop top Knaus
Van Tourer is a new German campervan brand that arrived in Britain for the first time last year. Built in Hungary at the Knaus factory, and sold through south coast dealer Harbour Creek, it offers a number of layouts on Fiat Ducato and Peugeot Boxer.
The models claim greater storage space in the rear boot area, which gives room to load a bike thanks to the manual operated drop down rear bed.
An elevating roof is an option for all models, such as this 600D, starting at just over £66,000.
Westfalia James Cook
One of the more eye-catching campervans at the show is the Westfalia James Cook. It was actually launched back in the summer of 2019 but it’s still turning heads at the NEC. Its’ based on the new Mercedes Sprinter, but the most interesting aspect of this conversion is the slide-out rear extension, which means you get a decent bed length of more than 2m inside.
Prices start at £73,300.
Bailey
The Bailey Alicanto Grande range of 8ft wide touring caravans launched in Autumn 2019, but the Bristol-based manufacturer has held back its fourth and most interesting model to launch at the show.
The twin axle Faro is a four berth like the other models in the range, but it’s at the rear where it’s different – there’s a central washroom on the nearside.
When it’s in use there’s no issue moving from the massive rear transverse island bedroom to the kitchen and lounge. And when it’s not in use, the door provides privacy for the end bedroom.
Like the rest of the range, it’s heavily specified with Alde wet central heating, a 100W solar panel, and external connections for satellite TV, gas BBQ and 230V electric, but it’s not cheap at £29,999.
Swift
Swift’s Basecamp 4 – its family version of the successful Crossover Camping Vehicle it launched back in 2016 – measures 5.59m so it’s nearly 50cm longer than the regular Basecamp.
The floorplan has been tweaked – the kitchen unit is now on the offside in front of the washroom, and on the nearside at the rear is a dinette that that turns into bunk beds.
With the bespoke Vango porch awning attached to the rear it won’t quite fit on a regular Club Site pitch, but with an MTPLM of 1161kg, it’s still towable by a VW Golf sized tow car by drivers with just the B entitlement on their licence.
Prices start at a little over £20,000 on the road and the Club has also joined forces with Swift to give away a Basecamp 4, adorned with a custom design by the world renowned graffiti artist Paris, as part of its 'No B+E licence? No Problem!' campaign, which will run through the camping season. Visit the Club’s competitions page on its website to take part.
Accessories
The Camping Cinema is a portable cinema package that means you can watch your favourite movie or show outdoors on a big screen on your camping break.
A pack for a couple, which includes projector and tripod in a padded bag, plus 2 wireless headphones, power chargers, a 60in projection screen and tripod, memory stick and DVD software will set you back a little over £1000.
Colapz has designed a range of collapsible products made from eco-friendly material, that compact down for storage. We particularly like the 45-litre fresh and waste water containers, which come with a trolley, plus the plug-in connectors for the caravan’s waste water outlets.
Also, a special trunk for attaching to an onsite fresh water tap for easier filling of containers such as an aqua roll is a smart and simple solution.
Then there’s the 7 in 1 utensil tool, which incorporates a spoon, form, knife and serrated knife, bottle opener, tongs and chopsticks, and comes in a microfibre towel bag.
