Southvan – Camper as versatile as a Swiss Army knife

Vanlife is in and campers are booming. The conversions of box vans such as the Sprinter, Ducato and Co have overtaken the “yoghurt cups” with their plastic structure, especially among boys. A major reason is that the vans can still be moved roughly like a large car. The major outfitters have specialized in accommodating everything that goes with a real motorhome in a smaller van. That works if the solutions seem a bit cramped or obstructed. There is also another trend, namely a vehicle that is as versatile as possible that can be moved as a camper, but also as a van or bus. So a car like a Swiss Army Knife. The German supplier Southvan has presented such a marvel based on the Ford Nugget, which is only 4.97 meters long. That is hardly longer than a Passat station wagon.

Swiveling kitchen block

The design is based on a special kitchen block, the all-rounder. The kitchen block is attached behind the driver’s seat and can be swiveled out of the sliding door. It can easily be cooked outdoors in good weather. You can also lift the block completely out of the car. With a camper of this size class, life takes place as outdoors as possible anyway. A bad weather vacation is not an option with such a small vehicle.

For this purpose, the hotplate is not permanently installed in the kitchen block and can be used outside of the vehicle. There are two all-rounder kitchens on offer. The better equipped model costs 5900 euros. There is a small cool box, a Goal Zero Yeti 1,000X power station, an induction hob and a pull-out faucet that can be used as an outdoor shower. The cool box with 29 liters and the fresh and waste water tanks of 12 liters each are naturally small. The Allrounder Light for 4,690 euros dispenses with the Yeti power supply, the induction hob is then replaced by a cartridge burner, and the refrigerator grows to 47 liters.

Narrow second row

The second component of the camper is a compact three-seater back seat that is attached to floor rails. Another single seat can be installed next to it or the space can be used as storage space. With the two seats at the front, there is a configuration of 2 + 3 or 2 + 4 seats. In addition, three more seats can be installed in the last row – 2 + 4 + 3 is the maximum. And all of this without having to lift the kitchen block out of the car.

What is that good for? Nine seats will most likely delight coaches from youth teams. As an adult bus on long-haul routes, the seats are a bit narrow. The combination of two adult seats in the front and the narrow three-seater bench for children is exciting. It is also a little tight for three adults, but good for two.

The narrower bench makes the space miracle possible. It can still be converted into a bed, but leaves enough space on the side to take long items such as surfboards or bicycles with you. The photos in the gallery show that a really full-fledged motorcycle can also be packed up. The only thing that goes with the bank is a mountain bike. As with the Ford Nugget, there is also a 125 centimeter wide bed in the fold-out roof.

The offer is interesting if you want to take advantage of the flexibility. The bench can be pushed all the way forward on the floor rails or removed completely to enlarge the load space. A swivel bracket for the front passenger seat makes perfect use of the space. The optics are also interesting. Beautiful and valuable materials are used. The interior contrasts nicely with the pensioner look of most campers and, despite the technical adjustability, brings a touch of “van life” with it.

55,000 euro class

The camper starts at 51,990 euros and then builds on a Ford Transit Custom Trend with the 129 hp 2.0-liter EcoBlue diesel engine. The trail version for 54,300 euros has no all-wheel drive, but a mechanical limited-slip differential and a grille in the martial raptor look. For the price there is the car, the high roof with bed and the sliding bench, the rails and the beautiful design, but the kitchen module comes extra. With the Allrounder Light, the motorhome costs at least 56,680 euros.

It is always more expensive: Each additional seat costs 830 euros and additional equipment such as auxiliary heating, solar system, chemical toilet and roof luggage and bike rack options cost extra. A special taste always goes into the money. At this price level, you also get a much larger and very well equipped Pössl Roadcruiser Heavy based on Citroen. The advantage, however, is that the Southvan can be used as an everyday car without any restrictions. So you don’t choose an extra car just for leisure.

Those: