My mother is German – so all through my childhood, everything had to be perfect: neatly-stitched clothes for us kids (she sewed them all), perfectly baked apfelstrudel and mohnkuchen, the house neat as a pin at all times. She’s gotten a little OCD about it with age, but damn – I still remember the taste of that apple cake.
When I see Sprinter RVs by some of the Euro Sprinter conversion companies, I have the same feeling – these people are perfectionists. And, they don’t have much space, so they’re using every single bit of it, there’s not a centimeter – excuse me, an inch – wasted.
Three German cases in point, the first from Hamburg firm CS Reisemobile: the “Independent”, a 4×4 Sprinter RV on the 144″ chassis, sleeps 2, lots of storage, high bed up top with a skylight. In Europe they believe in using all the space inside the van, right up to the roof, and there’s nothing wasted here – even the door well has a cabinet in it, with a flip-up section for extra counter space (I’m going to add that to my van, nifty and simple idea that it is).
Two more, the HRZ Beach and HRZ Joy from HRZ Reisemobile near Stuttgart, are a little on the utilitarian side, but they show how to have an always-made bed for 2 in a 144″ Sprinter, and still have space for a toilet/shower, fridge, stove, and lots of cabinets. Those don’t look like paltry makeshift beds either, but large, plush ones. HRZ also makes 4×4 Sprinter RVs based on both the Mercedes-Benz (Oberaigner) base 4×4 Sprinter and the Iglhaut Allrad 4×4 Sprinter.
Going up the bling scale, there’s McLaren Sports Homes, based in Lancashire in the UK. They do motorhomes and “sports homes” – RVs with bays in back for mountain bikes or motorcycles – and they are high style indeed: immaculate vans with 20″ chromed wheels and chrome rock rails,and sleek modern interiors to match the racy-looking exteriors. Their interiors even offer the option of 4-burner stoves with full ovens, for that consummate foodie in the crowd.
The “bikes in back” option also seems appealing for the customers of V-trek Campervans, another UK outfit – they have developed their own custom rear door just for the bike bay. Their Sprinter camper vans also have the same racy powder-coated six-spoke wheels sported by OutsideVan Sprinters in the US, I don’t know who was first with that look.
And at the top of the quality scale, as far as I’ve seen, there’s Kubus near Kiel, Germany. The Kubus Impuls is a super high-end Mercedes Sprinter RV incorporating amazing custom woodwork and eye-popping design features worthy of an architectural jewel. Zebrano maple wood veneer? Check. Digitally-controlled underfloor hot-water heating? Check. I’m guessing if you have to ask how much this costs, you shouldn’t be looking at this beauty…
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