VENTURA VR400

This rugged, gas-free camper is designed with off-grid adventures very much in mind

- Peter Baber

Ventura is an offshoot of GM Coachworks, a Devon-based company that has racked up 35 years’ experience of converting Ford, Renault, Peugeot, VW and Iveco vehicles, much of it for the mobility market.

A few years ago, it moved into campervan conversions, and came up with the Ventura VR200.

That model won the Best Budget Motorhome category in our 2019 Motorhome of the Year Awards, because at the time it was possible to buy one for under £30,000. Even today, after Covid and multiple price rises, the VR200 starts at £48,995.

But now Ventura has come up with a new model, the VR400, which is based on the Peugeot Boxer, like the VR200. However, it takes things a stage further by being totally gas-free, as well as having a bed on sliding rails to provide additional storage. Plus, all of the cabinet edges are now banded.

The new vehicle comes in three spec levels: Standard, which starts at £59,995 with the ’van as a high-top; Plus, starting at £73,995 and including everything in the Standard, plus the raising-roof with bed, a manual side door step, a reversing camera, mains power hook-up and a microwave; and Touring, which includes all of that plus underslung water tanks, a portable toilet, cab blinds and a lithium battery with an inverter. It starts at £78,995, or £68,995 without the raising-roof.

Either way, with diesel heating, no gas, a powerful battery and an inverter, it should be ideal for off-grid camping.

To find out more, we took a Touring model with a raising-roof for a spin along the Yorkshire coast.

Exterior and cab

Our test vehicle had a Cumulus Grey exterior, although five other smart colour options are available, including Ice White, Iron Grey, Graphite Grey, Thunder Grey and Volcano Red.