BEST POP-TOP CAMPERVAN
THE Nugget has been a big part of the German campervan scene for almost four decades. Here, it is much less well established (only having gone on sale through official Transit Centres in 2020), but the fact that Ford introduced a right-hand drive version to compete with OEM campervans from Volkswagen (California) and Mercedes-Benz (Marco Polo) shows how important this sector has become.
So, while a large number of converters now build on the Transit Custom, the Nugget is Ford’s own product, built by one of the most highly respected firms in the business, Westfalia. And now there is a new Nugget, based on an all-new generation of Ford van.
In fact, that is to undersell the base vehicle here, because it’s not a Transit Custom that forms the basis of the new Nugget but the Tourneo Custom, the plusher people-carrier version.
Take your place behind the (slightly squared off) steering wheel and any preconceptions of what a Transit might be like are blown to smithereens. The instrumentation is fully digital and the central touchscreen is huge, at 13in, while the move to a switch for the parking brake makes for easier seat swivelling.
Right-hand drive versions of the Nugget also feature twin sliding doors – a feature that we welcomed on the outgoing model, adding versatility in daily use (especially as the Nugget also has the advantage of belted back seats for three). The rear bench is also now heated (talk about luxury!) and a heated seat means that it’s a heated bed, too!
The interior layout of Ford’s campervan remains unchanged – if it ain’t broke... – and it eschews the side kitchen design of most rivals. Instead, the galley is at the back, where the cook can work undisturbed, quite separate from the seating
