Verdict
The SportVan is an excellent ’van and its interior design seems far from an entry-level offering. An excellent springboard for those looking to get into campervan touring on a budget.
Pros
High-spec campervan base
Warm interior design
Front-lifting elevating roof.
Cons
Less well-equipped habitation area
No fixed waste water tank.
Living
The fit and finish is pretty high quality inside the SportVan, but the materials are slightly less impressive. The design is warm and welcoming, though, with dark plywood and blue upholstery lending it a sophisticated air.
The rear-hinged, front-lifting roof design allows for decent amounts of headroom towards the rear of the ’van, while being positively cathedral-like towards the front.
Space or water heaters aren’t included, so thankfully the SportVan has enough space on the floor in the lounge area to safely accommodate a compact low-wattage space heater. These are inexpensive and easy to come by and will function perfectly well in all but the coldest weather conditions.
There’s no adjustable seatbench on floor rails preferred by some manufacturers, but the SportVan does provide enough space for four to sit in some comfort, thanks to its cosy lounging space. There’s a 12V socket and a three-pin socket in the kitchen area, and bright – if slightly cold – fluorescent lighting for the lounge area.
The SportVan’s lounge table is a two-piece item, with a single table leg that stows under the rear bench when not in use and a tabletop that goes behind the driver’s seat. It’s not quite as convenient as one-piece versions from some other manufacturers.
Kitchen
The SportVan’s L-shaped kitchen design and lack of an oven creates room for storing larger pots and pans, and there’s a very effective 43-litre Waeco compressor fridge.
The kitchen sink is a good size, and the two-burner hob (without ignition) is well-located, too, with good amounts of room for cooking.
Beds
The SportVan utilises the more traditional rock-and-roll bed design found in most campervans of this layout, and offers a 1.87 x 1.2m bed. The weakness of this design is that if the rear bench is contoured in any way for travel or lounging comfort, this will affect the flatness of the bed. The knee rolls on the SportVan’s seat base do create some unevenness towards the foot of the bed, but otherwise it’s flat. Both occupants have independent reading lights.
There is the option of a roof bed, priced at £402.50. It’s a drop-down bed, hinged along the rear of the ’van. It’s pretty big, too (1.8 x 1.12m) and features a second hinge in the middle in order to make it easier to raise and lower. The mattress is thin and the base is not ventilated, but access is good.
Storage
This is often an area of compromise when it comes to van conversions, but this model bucks the trend.
The SportVan’s wardrobe is a particularly remarkable piece of design, with a slide-down door that makes access simple and convenient, and which never causes the wardrobe to be blocked by the rear bench.
The flip-up rear bed base section also means that the rear boot area can be turned into one very tall loading area, although once lifted the bed base secures against the rear bench and blocks much of the rear through-view.
Technical Specifications
| Payload | 760 kg |
| MTPLM | 3000 kg |
| Shipping Length | 4.89 m |
| Width | 2.03 m |
