We're all going on our summer holidays… but which is the ideal camping car for you? Anyone who has packed in tents, chairs, windbreaks and the kitchen sink before heading off on a family trip will know there’s no suchthing as too much luggage space.
King of the campsite since the Sixties has been Volkswagen’s timeless people carrier. While the latest Caravelle is yet to reach the cult status of its predecessors, it still has the kudos to make it the vehicle of choice for your run to the sun.
But if there’s one thing that lets the big VW down, it’s value. If you want the ultimate in camper van luxury, you’ll need the company’s California model, yet its double bed and classy fittings can push the price up to a staggering £40,680!
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the VW has a sizeable rival encroaching on its pitch. Hyundai’s i800 does without any camper van extras, but for those wanting a people carrier to use every day that can double as a holiday hold-all, the Korean model’s £19,830 price offers huge value.
To close the gap between the Caravelle and its Hyundai challenger, VW has launched a new, more accessible version. The Startline is priced from £23,995. That’s still a step up from the eight-seat i800, so we packed our bags and headed to a campsite to see if the Hyundai is set to become the family favourite for the summer of 2009.