Hat’s off!

Nick Harding is highly impressed by the spec – and price – of a camper from Spanish maker, Panama

A brand new campervan based on the very latest Ford Transit Custom for less than £60,000? This new P\12 offering from Panama – built in Spain and owned by French touring vehicle giant Trigano – promises plenty, including a very attractive price tag. Available exclusively in the UK via Marquis Leisure’s 13-strong retailer network, the P\12, which features a typical campervan layout, is joined in the UK by the longer P\57 which squeezes in a small washroom. Today, though, we’re taking a closer look at the smaller offering…

Build quality – 78%

Elevating roof

An immediate plus is the fact that the P\12 is built on the people-carrying Tourneo version of the Transit Custom. It means a higher level of standard kit in the cab, including an abundance of safety features and luxuries: heated seats with a full range of adjustment and twin arm rests, 13in infotainment touchscreen, climate control, etc. The Tourneo also comes with tinted rear windows. Panama paintwork is white only (for the time being, at least), with matching bumpers and door mirrors, while graphics are kept to a minimum.

There’s a reassuring quality to the main conversion fittings, starting with the SCA elevating roof. These days it has a more refined locking down system, but there are still lots of straps and it requires a bit of brawn for opening and closing.

The rear seat comes from Mobiframe – it feels substantial and is particularly easy to operate. It’s on rails so you can slide it to suit whether you want optimum daytime space or tailgate-accessed storage. The P\12 is a five-seater for travel as standard but can potentially cater for seven thanks to optional removable single seats.

The furniture boasts a new style of laminate with a scratch-resistant finish that looks easy to wipe clean. Slightly unusually, all the lockers feature sliding tambour doors – they certainly save space, but their operation isn’t entirely convincing.

The fresh and waste water tanks contain 50 and 32 litres respectively, while the fresh tank has both an external filler and wide access inside when you want to clean it. There’s blown air heating from a fully controllable Webasto 2kW, diesel-powered system, but the outlets are in slightly curious locations.

The P\12 is fully configured for the UK market, with its sliding door on our nearside. Overall height is 2.06m (6ft 9in), so it might not beat all UK car park height barriers.

Driving – 86%

Cab with distinctive steering wheel

The P\12 may only come with the 134bhp (136PS) powerplant, but it’s allied to a super-smooth eight-speed automatic transmission. On the evidence of my short driving experience, there’s plenty of power and torque and, as it neared its first 1,000 miles, the trip computer was recording some 37mpg overall. Ownership could perhaps see you topping 40. It’s also exceptionally quiet, with very little in the way of rattles from the conversion on the evidence of this example.

The photo over the page doesn’t lie, either – that really is a rectangular steering wheel.

Daytime – 87%

Clip-on table in lounge

By campervan standards, there’s a lot of floor space in daytime mode – that’s the beauty of the sliding rear seat arrangement. The whole furniture unit along the driver’s side is slimline, too, which helps with elbow room.

The cab seats are easy to swivel, while the table clips on to a rail on the kitchen unit (it can also be used free-standing outside). It’s sturdy and stable and sufficiently light for easy manoeuvring. For safe travel it clips to the back of the rear seat unit.

Night-time – 83%

Lower bed

Another winning formula here, with two double beds. It’s not just longer (6ft 6in compared to 6ft 2in; they’re both just under 4ft wide), but the roof bed is undeniably the better of the two – thanks to its one-piece mattress on plastic springing.

SCA’s roof design optimises space at the foot end, while incorporating a window panel and mesh to three sides at the front, all with zipped canvas coverings. That whole frontal area can be removed when weather conditions allow.

Blackout comes courtesy of a collection of lightweight thermal screens. Despite the individually switched strip lights running the whole underside of the roof bed, you might be disappointed by the lack of reading lamps at the head (ie tailgate) end of the lower bed.

Kitchen – 71%

Typical campervan kitchen set-up

Typically campervan in set up, in the kitchen there’s a stainless steel sink and hob combination, with two different sized gas burners for the latter. To the right of this is a small section of permanent worktop, then a bulkhead that features a couple of cubby holes as well as mains and 12V sockets, plus the main control panels for the lighting, Webasto heater, water system, etc. The compressor fridge is from Mestic – it has a 42-litre capacity and includes a freezer box.

Kitchen storage is a little limited, although you do get a small cutlery drawer as well as three different-sized lockers. A striplight over the hob and sink would improve illumination in this area. 

Washroom – N/A

This is a full-blooded campervan, so you don’t get a washroom. For emergencies, though, a Thetford Porta Potti 335 is part of the inventory, stowing loose in the locker next to the fridge – you might want to consider an alternative location.

Details – 78%

To boost the aforementioned lights, you could always plug in extra lamps to any of the USB portals. I counted six, including As and Cs, in the living area – also, two mains and two 12V sockets – with more in the cab.

An inverter is standard (surprisingly, there’s no factory-fit solar panel option, although it should be a relatively straightforward installation for your supplying dealer). You may also want to add some lashing points to the floor rails, to keep your loads secure.

A noteworthy final detail: the gas locker, just inside the tailgate, will take any size of Campingaz cylinder.

Verdict – 81%

Arguably this is a game changer in the campervan sector due to its price alone. Ford’s latest Transit is an absolute peach of a base vehicle and the Panama conversion has a generous specification.