It seems COVID has caused us to reevaluate our foreign travels for more home grown ones. Looking at the adverts for used camper vans right now, it’s more a sellers market than a buyers one. But is there a bed fresh alternative that won’t raid the bank but still leave you quids in? The answer is yes from Toyota. And here I was fortunate to be the first to review Toyota Proace Matino Wellhouse Leisure camper van.
What have We Got
The base model we have here is the £28,000 Toyota Proace. The van itself is efficient and comfortable. Here the 8 speed auto box chooses the gears well and as long as you aren’t in any hurry, the 174bhp diesel engine will carry out its touring function with little fuss.
Fitted into the back by Wellhouse is the camping unit being sold as a 4 birth with 2 double beds, a sink, gas hob burner and fridge.
Driving
Handling isn’t really an option on a van like this but ride is. Soaking up most of the poor road surfaces well. It can get a bit floaty on continual undulations but it’s never not controlled. What ruined an otherwise enjoyable ambiance within the cabin was wind noise from around the pop-top roof or wind-out awning fixed to the nearside that becomes audible over 54 mph. The only other transmitting audible noises seem to come from the unsecured table leg in the under bed storage box. That pretty much showed up the only defect the camper build had on the move.
Standard equipment for the van is the usual mix of Toyota Safety Sense: partial adaptive cruise control, various collision detection systems as well as AC. All backed up by Toyota’s own 10 year warranty but only on the van but not the conversion.
Toyota teamed up with camper van converters ‘Wellhouse’ who have come up with a conventional side mounted interior. Stylish Italian light weight laminated units in a dark wood effect grain pattern with under unit and skirting mood lighting adding more razzmatazz than you’d be expecting for your £52,000.
The main reason for buying a camper van is being able to leave it all behind and you certainly can in the Proace Matino. There is ample storage for all your essentials.
Home From Home
A key part to any camper van is how easy it is to go from van to home on site arrival. Simple tasks like turning on the gas, filling up the water tank etc can be a chore. Thankfully the camping gaz bottle is stored in an easy to reach cupboard at the rear and the water tank is filled by the off side door sliding door and filling the tank via a large opening. Switching on the electrics is easy enough with the touch of the on-button on the infotainment screen in the back. Here you get a first hand glance at power levels in the batteries and solar generated energy. There’s also a fresh water tank level too. The control panel gives access to the many lighting set ups around the living area and outside on the awning. A nice touch.
Living area is quite commodious. The free-standing table giving an extra surface should it be needed and it was never actually in the way. Lightweight and free-standing allows it to be used anywhere you want. It’s a nice simple feature. Both front cab seats swivel around turning the inside into a very comfortable 4 seater lounge.
There is a toilet cassette that is stored within the largest of cupboards. To be honest it can be a bit of a hindrance taking up the area within the biggest cupboard. You would be better off leaving it at home or securing it in the boot area. No one really needs to see you taking a poo with a view as you cook bacon and beans in the kitchen anyway.
There are other cupboards and cubby holes dotted around. There is no specific placement that you have to follow so it would be up to you to decide where you want stuff put though bear in mind these are not the largest of spaces like that from a home kitchen. You soon learnt to adapt to its ways in making it a liveable space.
This brings me to the cooking facilities. A big bugbear I have with many vans at the moment is the lack of a grill. A 2 burner ring is great for brewing up a Pot noodle but it doesn’t allow for more adventurous cooking. What adds to my annoyance here is that there is space for a 2 burner hob and grill to be added.
The rock-n-roll bed is easy to convert from sofa to bed and its ace card comes with the runners it’s built on. Keep the floor locks off and come day light, you can slide the bed towards an open rear door and take in the full morning glory with a cup of coffee and a view. All under the huge tailgate opening so even with a bit of rain, you are sheltered.
This also allows you to access more of the kitchen area. The problem when the bed was made is that it encroaches the entire living floor space. Even the fridge isn’t accessible with the bed made. A drop down awning from the tailgate would be a great extra to have made for space.
This area at the rear can also be split into 2 areas. One dirty and one clean thanks to the bed assembly allowing for a substantial area to fold down. I found this an ideal place to keep bedding off the floor and the floor for the toilet and suitcases when traveling. Once on site, bedding when not in use was best stored in the roof.
Another nice touch with the full length seat runners was giving a 65” long load area. Ideal for carrying DIY items or keeping bikes and other holiday equipment safe and secure. That said, when in camper mode, I seriously recommend laying down a large floor covering over the 4 runners. At one point my small toe almost got caught in it.
The rear seat however does have a few concerns for me. The backrest is too tall. It effectively covers rear vision through the window. Despite the parking sensors, a rear view camera would at least alleviate this issue. Unfortunately there is no option from Toyota for this. Also considering the reverse surface of the backrest is used for the bed, the seat surface isn’t contoured to any body shape and not particularly comfortable in the normal seating way when traveling with a belt on.
Night time is not without its problems either and these mostly stem from its size or lack of. The bed in the roof is just too small for adults. It’s 15” x 37” access hole is more suited to the slimmer shoulder and with a 58” long mattress it’s compact. And this is a slight snag because the lower bed is only 36” wide. Unless you and your camping buddy have a ‘real close’ kind of friendship, You might want to sign a consent form. You will wake up married.
Any Gripes?
Camper van owners are a funny bunch. Very critical and probably the best in the business to speak to about a camper van. Just listen to them at camper van shows over a coffee!
Having been around them for so long, I have a few gripes with Wellhouse. There were some build quality issues I noted with spray glue being evident on a few surfaces around the rear. There was also 2 random fuses found under the units. The fuse board in the rear carried spares so you wonder why these are here? And some thought needs to be put into a few of the sharp edges around the units particularly the one next to the drivers head. It’s just too close for comfort and I know, I caught me head on it.
Quite by accident I’d also managed to pull a piece of perspex trim away from under the seat that acts as the lock for the draw when sliding the bed/sofa unit. Longer screws soon fixed this.
Verdict
No camper van out of the box is perfect. I’ve been perfecting my own for the past 13 years now and it’s still not finished. Like your home, there will always something you want changed or adapted so it’s easy for me to be overly critical on this offering from Toyota but feedback has been given to Toyota press fleet manager, Graham Bothamley on this first review of their first official camper van.
This isn’t a 4 birth camper van. Used as a 2 birth touring or day-van, it will absolutely win you over. Its diminutive size will only have you rejoicing if you should use it as an everyday vehicle simply because it is so easy to drive in almost all situations. At £52,000, it’s priced within the luxury SUV segment. While it’s not in the same league for driving standards, it’s more useful as an all-round vehicle and it certainly seems a shame to have it parked at home. For me, it’s a useful van in the day and a palace at night.
Driven It Score: 7/10
Love
Toyota warranty
Sociable seating for 4 inside
Part of the bed slides out of the tailgate.
Loathe
Bed sizes are small
Wind noise
Poor rear visibility
The Lowdown
Car – Toyota Proace Matino Campervan Wellhouse Leisure Conversion
Price – £52,00 (as tested)
MPG – 36-38mpg (combined)
Power – 175 bhp @ 3,750
0-62mph – 8.5 seconds
Top Speed – 105 mph
Co2 – 191 (g/km)