This exciting new campervan showcases some clever details and a fresh new design from Swift
Words & pictures ❚ Peter Vaughan
REVIEWED
It’s rare for us to arrive at a launch event not knowing quite what we’re going to see. The name ‘Trekker’ had already been released on a short promo video and we’d already clocked that this was a Ford Transit panel van conversion. Swift had also hinted that this wasn’t just another campervan, but one with a bold new look for the brand. So, we pulled into the car park with eager anticipation.
Too much hype can lead to disappointment, but first impressions of the Trekker were extremely positive. The non-metallic grey body (the only colour option) is decidedly on trend, while the contrasting black alloy wheels are matched by a black casing for the Thule awning (included in the standard spec) and the chunky mouldings around the windows. With the map-like graphics, there’s an off-road air to the design – an almost military look, perhaps – but this is still a front-wheel drive vehicle.
I hadn’t realised just how compact Swift’s new camper is, this version measuring just 5.53m long. Other makers on the Continent have launched fixed bed designs on the Transit, but every one of them is on the longer 5.98m van – and none have come to the UK as Ford will not supply manufacturers with a right-hand drive vehicle that also has its sliding door on the offside.
The price was revealed straight away, however, and, as with Swift’s Voyager coachbuilts (also Ford-based), the Trekker will have rivals wondering how they do it. Fully kitted out as you see it here (the only option is an automatic gearbox at £1,795), the Trekker is £70,995.
If you want a little more space, but a broadly similar rear bed floorplan, the six-metre Trekker X is only a grand dearer. Both versions have a half-dinette front lounge, a central washroom and kitchen and a transverse double bed at the rear. Each comes with a pop-top (from renowned German brand, SCA), too, making the Trekker a viable four-berth, and a solar panel is fitted on top.
As well as a very distinctive design, the new Swift has all the spec you’d want. That starts on the outside with front fog lamps, parking sensors, external shower and barbecue points, framed habitation windows and an electric step at the sliding door. The water tanks (60 litres fresh, 55 litres waste) are underslung but heated and, perhaps most importantly, the motor is Ford’s 170hp diesel.
Slide back the entry door
