01422 396 769 
quoteThe new Lunar Vacanza Camper Car is certainly unique. But is it a car, or a camper van? It’s actually both!
Launched at the Caravan and Camping Spring Show held at Birmingham last month it’s based on the award winning Nissan NV 200 Combi and has the benefits of being able to accommodate four people, by day or night; the flexibility of a family car, desirable fuel economy and environmentally friendly.
The interior is a frosted steel colour scheme for the furniture, lockers and seats. The rotating front seats are a registered design, designed in-house by the Lunar design team. In the compact kitchen you’ll find a neat fridge, a mini-oven and grill, a three-burner hob and a dinky sink.
The innovative sleep system, is also Patent Pending, was commissioned by the Lunar design team and made in Lancashire. It’s a unique system that doesn’t take long to make up or dismantle and there are no fussy or bulky cushions to wrestle with either! Kids will love sleeping under the stars in the roof bed in the pop-up roof with canvas sides.
You don’t get a washroom in a vehicle this size, but if you opt for the Sport pack upgrade (£999.00) you’ll get up rated upholstery, a Porta Potti, TV/satellite 12V facility, an external mains socket and carpets. The Luxury pack, you’ll need to add £1499 to the purchase price, replaces the upholstery with leather upholstery, includes the other options mentioned and adds Nissan vehicle side rails. Retailer fit options include water and space heating systems.
Also available soon are a dedicated Vacanza trailer and a bespoke tailgate awning.
The Lunar Vacanza will appear on dealer forecourts in mid-March with demonstrator vehicles available for test drives and the retailer network will be developed over the coming months. The vehicle has European Whole Vehicle Type Approval and has been fully crash tested but the thermal insulation level has not yet been determined.
Verdict
It’s certainly contemporary and has, for its size, heaps of storage. It’s the spirit of adventure, ideal as a leisure day vehicle if you want to pop out for days out all year round and have the luxury of a mobile picnic table and chairs. Yet it’s suitable for the occasional one night sleep over when perhaps you’ve got family or friends to see that can’t accommodate you or you want to rock up at a festival. Yet it is certainly compact enough and practical enough to be a family car.
Cost to insure: £257.50
Factfile
- Recommended Retail Price from £29,995 including VAT @ 20% (An additional charge of £995 will be added to cover the cost of delivery to the dealer in Great Britain, number plates, 12 months road fund licence and first registration fee.)
- Berths: 4
- Number of belted travel seats: 4
- Length; 4400mm overall
- Overall width; 2011mm with mirrors
- Overall height; 1960mm
- MTPLM; 1997kgs
- MRO; 1675kgs
- Gross vehicle weight; 2000kgs
- Payload; 322kgs
For more information visit: www.lunarcaravans.co.uk
*Motorhome insurance cost based on Lunar Vacanza Camper Car retailing for £29,995. Fitted with standard security. UK travel only. Kept on driveway at home at TD9 8ED. Motorhome owners – professionals over 50 years old with no claims, convictions or health conditions in last 3 years. 4 years no claims bonus mirrored from car policy and 2 years motorhome driving experience. Members of motorhome club doing less than 5000 miles annually. £300 excess applies. Quote correct as of 19/03/2013.
I have just had my first trip away in my second hand, low mileage Lunar Vacanza and had a bit of a learning curve! The handbrake is a conventional type and with it being on the floor between the front seats you can only rotate the seats by releasing the handbrake. Luckily I was on fairly soft ground in a festival field but still put the vehicle in gear as a precaution. Once the seats are rotated through 180 degrees the handbrake can be reapplied but cannot be applied when the seats are in the sleeping position. There is nothing mentioned about this in the handbook.
The inflatable bed is both a blessing and a curse! It is as hard as an ironing board when inflated to the lower recommended pressure but a quick visit to a store to find a fleece/memory foam mattress topper made for a more comfortable second and third nights sleep.
Fuel consumption is amazing. I filled up on the 22nd June and still have 85 miles worth of fuel left! I will work out the mpg when I next top up.
Oh, and it’s cute, getting a lot of attention from even the VW diehards.
Thanks for sharing Philip. Useful tips.
User payload of 84kg? Surely a misprint. The wife and I weigh twice that much. Supposed to be a four seater. If the payload only allows you to put one person with empty pockets in it, how small are the passengers?
Hi Paul, thanks for spotting that. I’ve amended to a payload of 322kg. This is an old review and not sure how readily available this vehicle is as there are no details on the Lunar website.
having been launched in 2013 – any idea on the residual value of the lunar campercar. Thinking of purchasing one but not sure if its a good buy versus the VW?
Hi Gaynor,
I’ll certainly try and find out for you – I will let you know once I have an answer.
Kind regards,
Lucie
Hi Gaynor,
I’ve heard back from Lunar. They’ve advised that you contact one of their Camper Car retailers, Richard Baldwins on 01422 364222, as they’d be the best person to help you.
Many thanks
Lucie
would be interested to view vacanza where would this be possible?
Hi Mr Leng
I have checked the Lunar website and it lists the following dealers as stockists – we’d recommend calling ahead before you visit to ensure they have a vehicle in stock for you to see.
Brownhills Newark
Don Amott Hilton, Near Derby
Hayes Motorhomes Birmingham
No doubt the Vacanza will be on display at shows throughout the year. Lunar have listed the shows they will be attending on their website. That said the Cottingham show is usually for caravans only.
Kind regards
Craig
Caravan Guard
Why in a van of this kind brand new worth £30,000 can you quote £257 to insure with you when my quote for a Berlingo wheelhome worth £8495 you quoted £400 ???????
John
It’s hard to say without knowing your individual circumstances but it will depend on a number of factors, not least the postcode of where you keep your motorhome when it’s not in use. Prices do change also. If you would like to email me your telephone number, postcode and renewal date to [email protected] we could take a look at this in more detail for you at renewal time.
Kind regards
Craig
Looks like a good, practical, daily use vehicle
I wouldnt trust anything from Lunar. I owned a Lunar Roadstar and had nothing but trouble with it. Stick to caravans Lunar. Their customer service is also non existent.