A MAN-sized campervan without the super-sized price tag! Hillside's latest rear lounge Hopton
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2024
- Peter Vaughan heads off to Britain's smallest county to try the newest model from Hillside Leisure, the revised Hopton on the MAN TGE panel van. This fully approved and top-quality campervan has a two-berth, rear lounge layout and now comes with diesel heating for greater off-grid versatility.
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◼️ REVIEWED BY: Peter Vaughan, Group Motorhome Road Test Editor for MMM magazine and What Motorhome magazine Editor. Peter has been writing about motorhomes since the age of 14, has a love of touring France and is mad about old Italian sports cars.
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watched for 3 minutes until the super sized price tag
It's about £20k less than most MAN-based conversions!! Maybe time to have another look?
Almost always true - if it ain't made in China - like your smartphones,Apple iPhones, $395 55" flat-screen TVs and 99% of the tech you use and depend on - the high price is always quietly mentioned near the end of thinly disguised paid / unpaid promotional videos like this.
Paul G
Still loving the humour, Peter (as well as the quality of the reviews, of course!).
Thank you!
Love this from France
The prices of these new vehicles are quite the eye opener.
Prices are becoming silly, thanks for the review.
Great camper van. In addition, I would round the corners of the overhangs of the beds.
Yes, good call
Why do some manufacturers insist on fitting push out opening windows where the sliding door will cause damage if you forget to close the window first, poorly thought out. I did like the pull out work top, but far too many negatives including the price. Nice balanced review as always.
They all seem to assume you won't open that window!
I think the price is excellent for a MAN-based conversion, though.
Whacking great price !
Great video Peter. I was pleasantly surprised when I checked out the Hopton at the NEC, but it was the 6.36m version with the full U shaped rear lounge and excellent garage that caught my eye. Great spot re the low step, (strange decision re) the externally insulated water tank, kitchen socket location, single glaze rear window, opening double glaze side window rather than sliding option on the door side and the basic bathroom wish no storage…… didn’t spot most of those issues when in the vehicle at the show……
Yep I've been critical of Peter before but he has picked up a few details that could really grate in the long run. Good work.
Great review again Peter, slightly disappointed with the van though. I expected a better design for the prize tag but most of the price is because of the Man vehicle.
Great review Peter, thank you. Personally, I think the new Bailey B62 is much better value for money, looks better and is a better design.
A very good review as usual Peter. The MAN is a very good base vehicle compared to the French/Italian marques. I would like to see a MAN conversation of my 2022 Swift Select 164 with a side french bed. Considering what we paid last year for our van (66k) and with all the standard items that are additional options on the MAN, i think we got a van that's incredible value.
There are so few French bed layouts in campervans, most firms that have tried discontinue them after a year or two.
You certainly seem to have bought at the right time!
Good review on a good van thank you! But Peter would you please think on that the tip up sinks are such a good space saving option in a small bathroom, I think they are a great option.
Some tip-up basins are good but this generic one is a very old design that doesn't look/feel in keeping with the high quality of the rest of the 'van IMO
I think they are a potentially good idea, but haven't seen a well executed one with triangulated support. Mine only lasted a year (full time). Also the run away can be seen but impossible to clean, which is less than ideal.
Bit of a queue for this at the NEC and many MAN conversions floating around the £100k mark so I don’t think it’s crazy money relatively speaking.
That hob is driving me slightly crazy, you would have to be super careful not to spottle the bench seat or get spilled milk in those electric sockets.
I do wonder how many people use external BBQ points, on this you’d need a nice long piece of gas hose not to have smoke and spitting fat back into the van as the door has to be open.
However, I like the overall styling and I can imagine spending my dotage gently cruising around France in one.
Yes, the Hopton seems great value compared with most MAN-based models
I’m with you on that ancient pull down sink. I’ve built my own camper, and searched for a nice modern drop down sink. There aren’t any for sale. Surely time there was. Wash my face and brush my teeth in the kitchen sink until something does…
Firms like Hymer and Adria seem to have developed their own, while smaller brands carry on with this old design...
Good review as usual Peter, plus points have got to be Diesel Heating, Fridge is at a good height and no pinch point. Things that would stop me buying this, Carpet finishing on walls and ceiling for me cheapens the finish also how dirty is that carpet on the wall behind the hob going to get, Camping gas is very expensive so I would prefer an underslung tank and the bed needs to be longer. Good base vehicle though. Cheers K.
It's because customers didn't like the underslung tank (fewer refill points now) that Hillside have gone over to Campingaz.
Great review as ever, just watched through a few as a recent subscriber (. & the mag) We’re very intrigued as to whether you actually sleep / use the van or you pack it up as if you were going to use it so we can see how everything might fit🤦🏻♂?
Most of the time (ie if it's not a sold vehicle, etc), I live in the vehicle - sleep, cook, shower, etc - that's the way you find the good and bad points!
That reassuring . We really want a crafter ( currently got a Cali ocean.) but budget is steering us to the new Bailey.🤔@@MotorhomeCampervan
Nicely put together and presented vlog; I won’t be buying one, very very expensive.
Not nearly as expensive as most MAN-based campervans, though!
Why is the sink detrimental, it frees up a lot of space in the bathroom and it's not rocket science to fit a bathroom cabinet above,INMO the tip up sink is a great one for a campervan shower/toilet.
I actually quite like those fold-up sinks.....
Some are OK (Adria for example), most feel like they're made of the cheapest, flimsiest plastic possible
Peter, I've been looking at a couple of second-hand coach builds, less that 6.5m, 6 travelling seats, 6 berth, bunk beds at the back. They look great for holidays with kids and should be easy to park and get on ferries. Have you got any experience with the likes of the Benimar P313 or the Chausson C646? Thanks mate, great review as always 👍
Bunk bed motorhomes are great with kids but most are 7m or more. If you need six berths make sure everyone is happy with their bed and travel seat!
Others to consider might include Sun Living, Rimor and Roller Team.
Thanks 👍@@MotorhomeCampervan
A stove above soft furnishings? Is that wise?
There's plenty of separation. As always in a small space some care is required
Indeed. However the separation is near enough vertical, as opposed to horizontal in most cases.
I think I’d put something over the end of the sofa to avoid tomato soup splash stains etc, and use a high sided frying pan, seeing that I like the stove and van in general.
I would argue that a couple of mains sockets on the back of the kitchen between the sink and the door might be better or a good extra. Even if you have to open the door to get at them (I can't see how much space there is) you could plug in the coffee maker & kettle, two essentials, and position them out of the way at the back of the cooker and sink.
I do not want to spend half of my holiday time rearranging the seating and bed area. It looks a nightmare.
It's easy enough but, if you prefer a fixed bed, try something like this - th-cam.com/video/W6STF26yQLQ/w-d-xo.html
9:22 I must go to Specsavers
I thought you you were keeping a dog in the right hand compartment. 🤣
The van looks great, but with MAN they look very low slung and not a lot of clearance. Lots of conversion companies using these vehicles it seems. That step looks low, although just as low as the waste tap. Once your loaded up I can see them being a problem. I wonder if rear air suspension could be added to eleviate that. The fiat ducato doesn't have that problem on appearance. Great video as ever. Keep up the good work .
The MAN is becoming quite popular with converters and customers. Drive one and you'll soon see why!
I don't like blacked out anti social windows.
Looks remarkably similar to the Bailey Endeavour B62....... Which is not as pricey.
There are loads of rear lounge campers on the market, all with different strengths and weaknesses. The quality of finish and MAN van are highlights here, along with a (mostly) very well laid out kitchen.
When a van conversion is the same price as an lower mid range A Class… how is that a non super sized price tag 🤔. Is £100k the new “super-sized” 🤦♂️
You can get a Hopton for under £80k - that's £20k less than a lot of MAN-based campervans. Most A-classes are now WELL over £100k.
@@MotorhomeCampervan Rapido one in your last few videos £83k which is a lot for your money comparatively
@@c11yan Having owned both A Classes and Campervans, IMO an A Class is not nessesarily better. Bigger, yes, but certainly not better to drive, park, store etc. Also comparing a premium van, VW to a Fiat. Two very different vehicles. If you intend driving 50 miles to spend a week camping, A Class every day. If you intend driving 100's of miles, Campervan every day. For me Campervan works best.
@@newshamdrHave you ever noticed a big difference in insulation levels between an Aclass and a campervan? Aren't campervans more drafty too? Thx
@@frenchboy2005-mp1ui No not at all, why would it be drafty? My Campervans (I’ve had two) use motorhome roof lights and motorhome style double glazed windows, and insulated well. They get warm very quickly in winter with the heating. As long as they have been built well, insulated correctly, I’d say it was the opposite. Appreciate a lot of self builds have the automotive single pained glass windows, so these might be cold.
Bathroom would be a deal breaker for me.
I stopped watching when he said the electric step is an OPTIONAL EXTRA. Ridiculous
Is it that ridiculous? Several MAN/Crafter-based campervans don't have a step and one well-known converter told me one couldn't be fitted because of the fuel tank location. If you're young and fit you might not even want the step!
Over priced with the worst fitting awning I have seen 😢
Other VW Crafter-based campervans costs thousands or tens of thousands more, so I'm not sure how it's over-priced!
Absolutely not fit for purpose! Bed ? Making that up is not as easy as you state ! It’s lumpy and is totally uneven! Your need a thick topper to get it right plus if two in the bed it’s virtually impossible to get up in the night without the other person having to get up to ? No storage for proper bedding let alone a topper etc ! Wash room ? Really ? To small no room to stand let alone shower and nowhere to keep your essential wash kit ? It’s been over thought and is impractical for real vanners ! Ok for a single person for a weekend on a campsite that’s about it ! Overkill and overpriced
Have you used one, or even seen it in the flesh??
The bed is as good as many made from seats (as in any rear lounge layout - the most popular design for this size of 'van in the UK). It's not lumpy and the joins run lengthways, so you hardly notice them (I slept two nights in the 'van).
Plenty of room for bedding under the seats.
Easy to get up in the night without disturbing your partner, because you sleep lengthways, not across the 'van as in many models.
Washroom needs storage - yes - but it's perfectly acceptable for showering - yes, I used that, too.
Overpriced? Really, try finding a cheaper conversion of this spec on a MAN or Crafter! And this one has full NCC and VW approval, so it's safe - unlike some cheap conversions.
How much ???
no I thanks you can keep it thanks 🖕