BEST FIXED BED CAMPERVAN
Fixed bed campervans based on the Fiat/ Peugeot van are available from a bewildering number of brands and, in layout at least, they all look much of a muchness. So, here’s a category where you, perhaps, need some guidance more than any other, and the models on this page should definitely be on your shortlist.
The Summit Shine is the latest range from a German brand that builds only campervans. It has a reputation for excellent build quality and, with this newcomer, it has also introduced some interesting innovations.
There are larger Summit Shines, based on the six-metre and 6.36m vans, but it’s the smallest model in the line-up, the 540, that gets our vote. Not only is it usefully more compact and more manoeuvrable but it has fewer direct rivals. And, in the reduced space it’s harder to fit a fixed bed layout as successfully as here.
In the half-dinette lounge, there’s another key difference, the Easy Move table. This lifts and folds flat against the wall, greatly increasing the feeling of space in what is inevitably quite a compact seating area.
The kitchen is located where you’d expect it, but its worktop flap isn’t – lifting across the aisle, it doesn’t block the door. Storage in a stack of soft-close drawers is another plus, as is the 98-litre compressor fridge whose contents can be reached from outside.
The rear transverse double bed takes full advantage of the Ducato’s interior width to offer a mattress length of 1.93m, while a step makes access easier. A wardrobe is cleverly hidden under the bed. The fact that Globecar has fitted all this into the 5.41m van secured it the class win for 2024.
VITAL STATISTICS
BASE VEHICLE Fiat Ducato PRICE FROM £62,995 BERTHS 2/5 TRAVEL SEATS 4
HIGHLY COMMENDED
HYMER GRAND CANYON S
It’s far harder to fit a layout like this into a Mercedes Sprinter than a Fiat Ducato but there are definite advantages in doing so. Not only does the Merc feel much more sophistic
