Budget van conversion

Auto-Trail Expedition 66

WHAT can you think of that hasn’t gone up in price in the last six years? No, us neither. But, incredibly, in 2015 the cheapest new Auto-Trail Tribute campervan was £36,921 and, today, a brand-new Expedition 66 is only £36,995.

Yes, that really is the price. This isn’t one of those ’vans that lures you in with a great headline figure on the windscreen and then has you looking down the back of the sofa for a few grand more as you realise that the Driver’s Pack, Wheels Pack, Windows Pack, and Kitchen Sink Pack all cost extra. You won’t even have to pay more for on-the-road charges, and there are virtually no options to consider. The nine-speed automatic gearbox is, perhaps, the one item you’ll want to add, although this does push the total cost over £40k.

Other than manual or auto’, there’s not much else to decide. All Expeditions come with the 140bhp Fiat engine (not the entry-level 120bhp motor that’s usually fitted when price is a key consideration) and the only body colour offered is black. It’s even a 3,500kg Ducato here, not the 3,300kg version used by some rivals, so payload is well over half a tonne. Cab air-conditioning, a passenger airbag and cruise control are standard, as is tilt/height adjustment on both front seats, but electric mirror adjustment is one of the few omissions. That will probably only be an issue if your ’van is driven by two people of very different heights.

The one thing you will have to budget for is a radio – as standard, there’s just a gaping slot in the dash – but, as Halfords is currently offering a Sony stereo with Bluetooth for £144 including fitting, that’s no big deal.

Of course, the Expedition doesn’t come with a trendy new overcab sunroof but it does have a practical overcab shelf for storage. And it has all the typical Ducato features, including a slick gearshift and very surefooted and stable handling.

Another item that’s been left off the specification is a step at the sliding door but we found portable steps online for as little as £12.99

– buy two because, one day, you’re sure to drive off and forget it. We won’t get hung up on details, though, because this is essentially the same rear lounge two-berth floorplan as you get in a more expensive V-Line. It’s still insulated to the Grade III standard and the 4.7kW gas/electric Whale heating should be adequate to keep you camping most months of the year, too. The pale woodwork and the large rooflight over the rear seating make for a spacious-feeling motorhome, while the interior mouldings around the doors plus padded leatherette trim on the side walls and ceiling look anything but budget.

The end lounge is the star feature of the 66’s layout, with a pair of sofas each over 6ft long.

Reading lights are provided on either side, plus lengthy LED strips at ceiling level and, surprisingly, the blinds are the posh concertinastyle ones. The table stores behind the driver’s seat and its 800mm by 550mm size seems well judged for a couple’s camper – not so big that it dominates, not too small for proper dining.

A big lounge equals a big bed in this type of layout and this one is all but square at near-asdammit 1.85m in either direction. It’s a good bed and there’s the alternative option of using the settees as almost-instant single beds. There’s plenty of room for your bedding under the offside sofa, leaving the nearside seat locker for your outdoor gear.

If you and your partner have a different sleep regime, it’s good to find that the cab seats both swivel (something else we didn’t expect at this price), giving you a secondary seating area when the rear is acting as a bedroom. Sit in one chair with your feet up on the other and you can place your morning cuppa on the kitchen worktop flap adjacent while reading the papers.

As well as that vital worktop flap by the sliding door, the galley comes with a Dometic combination hob/sink unit with split glass lids. There are two burners on the cooker, as well as spark ignition, but that’s not the only way of making dinner, as the Expedition comes with a combined oven and grill as well. They really

haven’t been at all Scrooge-like when dishing out the standard spec, have they? There’s even a 25-litre underslung LPG tank, which not only frees up space inside the ’van but will also save you money on gas and be more convenient for continental travels.

The kitchen also has its own LED strip light and another light on the back of the unit that faces out through the doorway for when you’re sitting outside. The fridge (sited opposite the galley, below the wardrobe) is a reasonable size, at 85 litres, although we’d probably have chosen a compressor type rather than this three-way unit, given the choice. Galley storage is respectable, and includes a cutlery drawer, plus there are top lockers over the kitchen and lounge and, of course, the open area above the cab, which is quite commodious.

The washroom is the standard Auto-Trail campervan installation with a tip-up basin and mirror-fronted storage cabinet. There’s adequate space inside this ‘little room’, but you will have to deploy a curtain for showering, though the central single drain should evacuate soapy water reasonably effectively. You get a separate showerhead (with trigger release), rather than a dual-function tap at the basin, as well as a loo roll holder, towel ring and robe hooks.

The large rooflight above the rear lounge, the oven, 140bhp engine and cab airconditioning are all items you might have expected to have to forgo for Auto-Trail to get the Expedition’s price down so low, but they are all included in that remarkable price tag. And, if you require your campervan to have rear travel seats, the Expedition 67 answers that need for just £1,000 more.

This new camper is perfect for first-time buyers on a tight budget and anyone who would rather not buy used (and who wouldn’t rather have everything shiny and new, along with the latest registration plate?). Its spec has surprisingly few omissions and nothing you’ll really miss except a radio. Head to your local Auto-Trail dealer for THE bargain buy of 2021…