Verdict
This conversion is a useful reminder that there’s more to VW campervans than the usual formula of side furniture and a rear seat that turns into a double bed – although Nomad is adept at producing these. The Ranger excels in storage options.
You’ll need to buy directly from Nomad, if the Ranger appeals. The company is part of the Blue Quadrant Leisure Group, which also hires out ’vans (Bunk Campers) and parts for DIY fitters (Camperworks). Nomad specialises in T6 and T5 conversions, and is an agent for the fittings giant, Reimo.
Pros
It’s a bit different
You get safe travel seats for five
Storage is good
Cons
There are issues with both of the double beds
What does it take to stand out in the crowded VW campervan conversion market? Well, using the Kombi version of Volkswagen‘s T6 as a starting point is one way. And it means the Nomad Ranger you see presents buyers with a completely different slant on a campervan conversion.
The Kombi is a five-seater, for starters – here, offering double and single removable travel seats immediately behind the cab. They’re all original VW fittings, too, which means full automotive safety levels for all five travel seats.
Removing the seat adjacent to the sliding door will, of course, allow much more floor space. Nomad also provides two tables, the main one being a side-fixing unit.
However, the driver’s seat is not easy to swivel in this particular layout. In turn, that means a very different kind of conversion to any other T6 VW campervan we’ve looked at to date. See our VW California, Danbury Surf, Hillside Birchover, Bilbo’s Celex, CMC Reimo Trio High Style and Autohaus Ashton reviews.
Returning to the Nomad Ranger we’re reviewing here, all the furniture is located beyond the seating. In addition, the Reimo elevating roof is front-hinged, to optimise standing room where you want it – at the back. A Reimo high-top and the long-wheelbase T6 are offered as cost options.
There are four sleeping berths in this campervan. However, making up the lower bed is not straightforward, despite a laudable attempt to create a proper double.
Believe it or not, it is a 20-step process that involves assembling a frame on which the slatted bases rest. The fact that Nomad produces a 20-step guide explaining how to perform this operation ought to tell you something.
The upstairs double bed is the narrower of the two and Nomad supplies an unwieldy metal ladder to access it.
The furniture’s red finish adds a distinctive contrast to the more automotive styling of the interior.
A campervan-standard Smev two-ring hob and sink – in a single, stainless-steel unit – are on the offside, as are the cupboard and overhead lockers. A slide-out fresh-water container at floor level can be slid out here.
A large wall unit on the nearside houses a 50-litre Waeco fridge, lockers, a wardrobe and other storage; the top provides a handy ledge when the roof is in its up position. All that’s missing from the kitchen is the appearance of a cutlery drawer.
“It challenges the car versus camper convention,” is how Nomad sums up its Ranger.
Combining the T6’s ‘large car’ appeal and offering travel for five people plus a different sleeping configuration is an interesting move from this highly ambitious company, which offers a full range of VW-based models in its portfolio.
The Kombi is a five-seater, here offering double and single removable travel seats immediately behind the cab