Verdict
You’re going to have to offer something special if you’re to make a mark in the highly populated van conversion sector these days. Danbury has done it, though, with this Avenir. It’s well worth viewing if you’re in the market for an extra-long model with fixed single beds.
Pros
Competitive price
Retractable bench toilet to optimise shower space
Underbed storage
Cons
Entry access with kitchen worktop slide-out in place
White gloss finish may be difficult to keep looking pristine
‘Made in France’ usually suggests a gastronomic delight. Here, it signals something with roots across the Channel, but with the kind of input that makes it more suited to UK customers.
In 2017, Bristol-based campervan maker Danbury was bought by French firm Pilote Group, allowing both parties to evolve in the van conversion sector.
Hence the Avenir. With roots in Pilote’s Foxy line, Avenirs are made at its plant in Angers. But it’s Danbury that represents ‘all things van’, selling from its base near Bristol and via five dealers across the UK.
The floorplan means easy access from bed to kitchen, washroom and lounge
Kitchen
The kitchen has a slide-out, so the chef gets a sizeable worktop by the combined sink and two-burner hob.
Access via the sliding door can be a little tricky, but under that worktop, you can access storage space from inside the ‘van or out.
There’s more storage in the main kitchen, thanks to a large drawer (with removable waste bin) and three smaller drawers – all soft-closing.
The shelves here will be useful, and to their right is a Dometic three-way absorption fridge with freezer (capacity is 80 litres), set over a Thetford Duplex oven/grill combination.
Washroom
Opposite the fridge/oven area, the washroom has sliding-door access and a Thetford bench toilet which retracts to optimise space for showering.
Adjacent, another space-saver: the mirrored section on the sidewall is a folding soakaway. Elsewhere in the washroom you get lined walls, two rails, upper-level locker and open shelving, rooflight and duckboard, with one (albeit upmarket) plughole in the shower tray.
Beds
There’s a step up to the rear beds. Initially, these are singles using Bultex mattresses, although there’s an option for a double.
What looks like the facility to change the angle of the cushions for sitting up in bed is actually a way of offering extra storage.
The bedroom is served by two adjustable reading lamps, four downlighters and two side windows.
Storage
Interior storage in the bed area includes two mini-wardrobes – one in the offside bed base, one over the nearside bed – a run of drawers in the nearside bed, and high-level lockers on three sides.
Technical Specifications
| Payload | 640 kg |
| MTPLM | 3500 kg |
| Shipping Length | 6.36 m |
| Width | 2.05 m |
| Engine Size | 2000 cc |
