Watch people at a motorhome show and many will take no notice of the chassis manufacturer's badge on the front (if, indeed, it hasn't been replaced by the converter's insignia) and step straight in to examine the habitation area. But that could be a fundamental mistake as, if you don't like driving your 'van, it won't matter that the layout is perfect and the décor is exactly to your taste – driving is an important part of the touring life.
Almost all campervans and motorhomes start life as a light commercial vehicle (LCV) or, occasionally, the car or people-carrier derivative thereof (such as the Tourneo versions of Ford vans). This van, truck or chassis-cab (chassis-cowl for A-classes) is called the base vehicle and it – combined with the size and weight distribution of the conversion and the engine and gearbox option selected – will define how your motorhome drives.
Some leisure vehicle manufacturers convert a selection of base vehicles, while a few use just one basic type across their whole range. Some also offer a variety of cab spec or engine options, while for other models there may be no choice at all. It is quite common for a few key options to be listed together in a pack, while some vehicles will also be available with engine upgrades and an enhanced gross weight. A growing trend is to offer more automotive features, including extra on-road safety systems (lane keeping, trailer assistance, traffic sign recognition, automatic emergency braking and more), although these are often extra-cost items and their availability is variable.
Automatic transmissions are now much more widely offered, much more popular and better to use, too, than they once were in the leisure market, but they can be a costly option – £3k-plus is not unusual and there's a weight penalty, too, compared with manual versions.
Diesel remains the dominant fuel, with any exception to this being extremely rare. The latest diesel engines, however, are the cleanest yet and should be futureproofed against most low emissions regulations for some years. Electric commercial vans are available but their limited range is less viable for leisure roles and their prices remain high (see separate panel on page 46). Hybrids, in the style of the Toyota Prius, might seem like the answer but LCVs with hybrid options are only just starting to appear on the market.
In the meantime, emissions standards for diesel engines are becoming stricter and stricter. The Euro 6d-TEMP standard came in from September 2019 and was soon followed (in 2022) by a tighter version of Euro 6d – called 6d-Final – which resulted in chassis manufacturers having to update
