Cometh the season, cometh the 'van - Benimar's all-new van conversion, in this case. Nick Harding grabs an early look at the stylish two-berth Benivan 120
Overview
Two all-new van conversions from Benimar are hitting the market for the 2019 season. They're called Benivan, to distinguish them from the company's coachbuilt offerings that have stormed the UK.
And they're part of the Trigano family - so if you think this amounts to an all-out assault on the van conversion market, you'd be quite right. Pricing will be critical - and that just happens to be a Trigano Group trump card.
The two-berth 120 is one of two Benivan models that you can already buy from Marquis Leisure. Officially, the first you'll see of them is at next week's NEC Show.
Design
Furniture is from Italian specialist Tecnoform, and the overhead lockers have a neat curve to them, with a two-tone finish, positive catches, sturdy hinges and full interior lining.
Lounging & dining
In terms of lighting, there's a good mix of LEDs; four individually switched reading lamps, as well as ambient strip lighting over the lockers in the rear lounge, plus a quartet of downlighters over the cab/front lounge.
We counted four mains sockets: two to the kitchen, one by the TV socket in the lounge, and one handy for the top of the cupboard unit behind the driver's seat. Plus a USB.
Kitchen
There's no grill, but the microwave is standard. Storage is provided by twin overhead lockers, three floor lockers and two drawers.
The reason for much of this storage space is the location of the Dometic fridge (with removable freezer box).
This is across the corridor just above floor level (there's a heater outlet below), with the double-doored wardrobe directly above.
Sleeping
Washroom
Storage
Equipment
In the cab, there are some serious upgrades, too. Air conditioning is standard, along with an infotainment system that includes sat nav and rear-view monitoring.
You get a padded steering wheel with controls, smart leather trim to the gear lever, and chrome finish to the main instruments - details, but these are exactly the sort of things that say 'luxury'.
Technical specs
Sleeps | 2 | |
Travel seats | 2 | |
MTPLM | 3500kg | |
Payload | 600kg | |
Length | 5.99m | 19′8″ |
Width | 2.05m | 6′9″ |
Height | 2.68m | 8′10″ |
Fresh/waste water | 70L / 70L | |
Leisure battery | 100 Ah | |
Number of gas tank compartments | 1 | |
Kitchen Equipment | 2-burner gas hob, Microwave |
Verdict
Things are hotting up in the van conversion sector - and Benivan is one of the brands helping to stoke the fire. By dint of keeping things simple, but with a solid, all-in, no-hidden-extras pricing strategy - and the sheer retail clout of Marquis Leisure - these Benivans very much hit the mark.