Stock Details: Ford Westfalia West Van

Specification

Layout

The Westfalia WestVan has a classic continental layout: a rear transverse double bed with 
a garage beneath it, a kitchen and washroom located opposite each other in the middle and a half-dinette up front. The lounge also has a side-facing single seat which, together with the swivelled cab seats and an extending lounge table, will accommodate five.

A very compact kitchen unit with little workspace – the oven and sink take up most of the worktop 
– but thanks to its innovative rear bed design (more on this later), the bed area can be used to prepare ingredients and keep them at the ready while you’re cooking.

The washroom has an attractive door design, in keeping with the modern look of the motorhome. It has 
a frosted plastic insert which is colour-coded to match the rest of the interior.

The washbasin swings out of the way, to sit neatly over the swivelling toilet seat. A high-quality concertina shower curtain can then be used to cordon off the roomy shower area and keep the wooden fixtures and the toilet seat dry.

The washroom also has 
a large mirror and lots of storage space, thanks to the big locker over the toilet. Also, we really appreciated the fact 
that instead of utilising an inflexible and annoying pull-out sink tap which doubles as a shower head, Westfalia has taken the reverse approach, using a proper shower head that clips above the sink to do double duty as a tap.

The bed is made up of two halves, with both mattress bases mounted on runners. Two tracks in the ’van’s sidewalls steer both mattress bases into place. So converting from a single bed right at the rear of the ’van to 
a capacious double is a doddle.

This means you get the benefit of an enormous rear double (1.98 x 1.56m) without compromising space elsewhere. Also, when the bed is converted into a single, it opens up a U-shaped area at the rear of the ’van which gives you access to the garage and several under-bed lockers, as well as providing you with multi-purpose worktop space.

As for accessing the bed, Westfalia has come up with an intriguing solution – it provides a two-step stepladder that stores on the other side of the interior garage door. At first this ladder might seem like a bit of a stopgap, but it's actually a very durable stepladder with very large, rubberised steps which make getting in and out of bed far easier on the feet than the narrow, cold rungs of the aluminium ladders found in most motorhomes.

The WestVan also has an occasional double in the lounge, made up easily using the lounge table, with the help of two fill-in cushions and a bed base extender (which live in the garage when not in use). When you want to make up the lounge bed, you unclip the table, remove the longer leg and plug in the shorter one.

Description

JUST IN

A quote from the online Practical Motorhome website regarding this model 'A truly exceptional motorhome. The WestVan is expensive, but it's easy to see where the money has gone. The build and material quality is high, and we love the interior and clever use of colour, too. Few luxury compact motorhomes that do the job better, particularly for couples. We urge you to look at the WestVan – it will reward you handsomely for your investment'

Cost new in excess of £47,000, watch this space!

KEY FEATURES

• Cab air conditioning
• Cruise control
• Twin rear wheel drive
• Passenger air bag
• Sun awning
• Bike carrier
• Electric windows/mirrors
• 6 speed 140bhp engine
• Passenger and driver seat swivel
• Huge garage
• Passenger forward facing seats with inertia belts
• Truma Diesel heater

The first thing that strikes you about the WestVan’s exterior is its near-total absence of graphics. Apart from discreet Westfalia and WestVan badges, the habitation body is almost totally bare – accents are provided by dark grey GRP panels that wrap around the rear of the habitation body and swoop along the front, giving the West Van a very modern, well-integrated look.

Otherwise, the exterior is excellently built, but largely conventional. The habitation door is on the UK farside, and all the facilities are on the UK nearside. The freshwater tank is housed onboard, while the waste water tank is underslung, mounted just behind the rear axle. The dump valve is very easy to reach and connects to a large-bore pipe, which is angled to one side so that you don’t end up splashed when dumping grey waste. The hook-up point is also underslung, located on a swing-out arm with a useful extending cover that should protect it from the elements.

Images