VanTourer Urban Prime: pleasant travel group

Campers come in different shapes and sizes, all of which serve their own purpose. For example, a semi- or fully integrated car emphasizes an idyllic stay in an attractive holiday area. The other side of that spectrum is a compact bus camper such as the VanTourer Urban, which makes the journey there a pleasure. This results in concessions in terms of living comfort at the campsite, but also offers a number of advantages, such as the option to use your camper as a second car all year round. We will find out how nice that is with a mini road trip through the Limburg hilly landscape.

VanTourer is a German camper builder of full size and compact bus campers. The brand name has been around since 2018, but is therefore not a novice as a manufacturer of camping equipment. VanTourer comes from EuroCaravaning, which was previously a caravan brand. The company is a fully but independent subsidiary of Knaus. Enough experience in-house to build campervans that, according to the promise, offer more comfort, safety, service and quality. It is a somewhat smaller and therefore flexible player in the camper market with a branch in Koblenz.

Compact dimensions

The Urban is a model recently introduced as a compact bus camper based on the Mercedes V class. A car that can be compared to the VW California. In terms of dimensions, the Mercedes is a fraction wider but slightly shorter and less high. That width is a gain for the interior, although the difference is small. This also applies to the length. Perhaps it is a little easier to park in a space for passenger cars. The difference in height is also small, but here those few centimeters less can mean that you can enter the parking garage without removing the pop-up roof. The height of the VanTourer Urban remains under two meters. In summary, the Mercedes is a car that can go anywhere you can drive a normal passenger car.

The interior

The VanTourer Urban is available in three different versions. The Base, Comfort and Prime. The model we take a closer look at is the Urban Prime, the most luxurious and complete model in the list. A striking feature of the Prime is the kitchen, a block with sink and a two-burner gas stove. This is permanently mounted in the eyes of the RDW, but you can nevertheless take the kitchen out of the car without too many actions and place it outside. Water, electricity and gas are easy to disconnect and reconnect to the connectors on the outside.

You can remove the kitchen unit by loosening four screws. To make this possible, the Prime has two sliding doors. This is also very useful if you leave the kitchen sitting comfortably. The nice thing about a bus camper is of course that it can be opened on the side and at the back. In nice or warm weather, this provides much more contact with the outdoors than is possible in an integral camper. With that second sliding door you increase that advantage even more. By the way, the second door also has a window that can be opened so that you can ventilate without opening everything.

In addition to the kitchen unit, a top-loading cool box is provided. Not too big at 30L, but of the compressor type. There is also quite a bit of storage space along the side wall. This has been done wherever a cupboard can be placed. A table has also been considered. You can click a copy that is easy to store away on a rod on the kitchen unit. With the sofa bed slightly forward and the cabin seats turned around, you have a very nice dinette at your disposal. The adjustable LED mood lighting also makes it very cozy. With the lifting roof up and the bottom folded up, there is no shortage of headroom. A Truma diesel heater is also standard in the Prime version.

Sleeping comfort

If you are used to spending the night in a hiking tent, the comfort of this Mercedes is like a warm bath. However, if you come from a full-size camper with single beds or a queen bed, the bed sizes will be a bit tight. The bed in the lifting roof measures 1,91 x 1,07 m. The sofa on the ground floor can be converted into a bed of 1,90 x 1 meter. On paper there is room for four people, but in practice it will be quite busy with such a full house. It is neatly executed. The bed in the lifting roof is equipped with saucers under a good mattress. The downstairs sofa bed is contoured and adjustable so you can choose between a lounge or sleeping position. This makes the VanTourer a comfortable camper for two people with the ability to accommodate a couple of guests.

Daily company camping equipment

You can literally and figuratively go in any direction with this VanTourer Urban Prime. Suppose you are a courier with a family and a camper wish. You can do all that with this Mercedes. By leaving the kitchen and sofa bed at home, you have a flat loading floor and a left sliding door, the dream of every parcel deliverer. But you can also order a second bench that gives you six belted places. Handy for taking some football players to the sports field at the weekend. In camper mode you have everything you need for a successful holiday. The only thing that really doesn't fit in the car is a bathroom. But the sanitary facilities at the campsite are good for that.

Hit the road with the VanTourer Urban

Driving this version is a pleasure. Nothing can be found of its origins as a commercial vehicle. Instead, you can tour around as smoothly as relaxed with the dimensions of an SUV. The Prime is equipped with a 190 hp engine and a 9-speed automatic transmission. Although personal preference is for a manual gearbox, there is nothing to complain about this switching robot. At the traffic light you can show many fellow road users your taillights and with those paddles on the steering wheel, manual downshifts or upshifts are even more fun than with a manual gearbox.

The chairs are sturdy in German style but offer much more seating comfort than is usual in an order taker. And the leather-covered steering wheel full of buttons feels good in the hand. The 2xDIN audio set has built-in navigation. The controls take some getting used to and the whole thing is just a bit low in the center console. If you want to keep your eyes on the road, a separate box or telephone on the window is better. Also striking, the silence on board. You don't hear the diesel with AdBlue tech and you only hear some wind noise at a speed that is usually not allowed in the Netherlands.

This Mercedes V-Class has quite a few driver assistance assistants at your disposal, such as lane departure warning, blind spot light in the mirrors, rain sensor or crosswind assistant, the list is quite long. There is also a reversing camera, but this does not replace the interior mirror. Too bad, because the view to the rear is not really visible due to a transversely placed upper cupboard. The windows in both sliding doors provide a good overview.

Highway, city traffic or a slippery mud path, the “Benz” not only does it effortlessly, it is made for it. The car fits perfectly on the road and does not cause any unpleasant surprises. With an optional 4×4 drive and air suspension you can even increase that joy, although we did not miss that anywhere. The VanTourer Urban also looks good. Especially the nose with chrome grille, a prominent star and rather stern-looking headlights make it an appearance that fits everywhere. Both at the camper place and during the week in a parking garage. Of course, so much beauty has a price. The VanTourer Urban Prime with the options we drove costs € 97.972, including the affairs that the tax authorities unleash on it. Less is also possible, the Base version of the VanTourer Urban is available from € 55.900, excluding BPM of 37,7%.

Specifications VanTourer Urban Prime:

Length: 514 cm
Width: cm 224
Weight curbside: 2565 kg
Load capacity: 535 kg
Trailer braked: 2.200 kg
Euro standard: 6d
Number of seats: 4 (option 6)
Sleeping places: 2+2

More information: www.vantourer.de

Immediately available at www.haffkamp.eu

Looking for a used VanTourer? Then take a look campers.nl of www.camperscaravans.nl