Ever since Adria introduced the concept of a fixed, transverse rear bed within a van conversion – thanks to its Twin – the industry has seen a raft of similar-layout ’vans.

While the Twin and its dopplegangers offer tremendous storage potential, they do suffer from the lack of one particular feature: a decent lounge.

Drawing on the fact that we Brits enjoy the comfort that only a pair of sofas can offer, Autocruise launched the Accent – a different take on its transverse rear bed ’van, the Pace – during the summer of 2009. We’re told it’s gone on to become Autocruise’s best-selling van conversion.

The Pace’s rear bed is replaced in the Accent with a pair of facing sofas; there’s also an additional window on the offside to flood the area with light. A table stands between the seats to create an area suitable for both lounging and dining. The bed is made up by slotting the table in between the seats and adding panels, stored in the wardrobe.Up front, like the Pace, it has a half-dinette with two belted passenger seats.

It’s a layout that offers superb load carrying capacity: simply throw open the rear doors, remove that large table, and you can easily stow bikes in the back. The floor beneath the seats is also raised by 20cm to allow for a good-sized storage area below; this does, however, reduce headroom to 166cm which may irk taller individuals. The headroom in the front of the ’van is a more reasonable 191cm, though.

The lounge itself is comfy and a pleasant place to spend time. It makes even more sense if there are more than two people travelling; in that instance occupants can sit at the back of the ’van and easily access all facilities while someone is up front cooking. As with the Pace, the front dinette converts into an occasional single berth; although we’d pity the adult who ended up sleeping here for any length of time – at 5’7” it’s rather short. This isn’t a ’van for those who like to cook every night – the hob has just two rings, and there’s no full-size oven – but the sink is of a good size, and the inclusion of a waste bin by the door is a neat touch. Storage space is excellent, with room beneath all of the bench seats to house bigger items; there’s a good-sized wardrobe with a hanging rail, too.

The washroom is small, but uses the space well: the basin tap doubles as the shower head. Throughout, this is a smart, well-designed van conversion that – thanks to that lounge – will suit those who like to go away on even longer tours.