Raisins from the factory of legends - camper van Westfalia Joker and Sven Hedin

We probably don't need to introduce the Westfalia brand to anyone. Over 60 years of operation, 550,000 campers have already rolled off the lines of this iconic factory. Virtually every subsequent series of campers immediately becomes a benchmark for the competition and a market hit.

Westfalia's specialty has always been campervans, i.e. the so-called "sheet metal" cars based on most popular vehicles - from Ford, through Fiat, smaller and larger ones from the VW group, and even on the platform of the new Mercedes Sprinter. Today we will look at two model lines on VW and MAN chassis - namely Club Joker and Sven Hedin .

Westfalia Club Joker City – universal warrior

Westfalia Club Joker are serious campers - despite the name given by the manufacturer. This line includes two variants marked City and High Roof.

The City model is a more "urban" version of the standard Volkswagen T6.1 with a short wheelbase, additionally equipped with a lifting sleeper roof. As standard, the car is powered by a 150-horsepower, 2-liter diesel engine, and the drive is transmitted to the front axle. The curb weight of the camper is 2,400 kg and the GVW reaches 2,800 kg.

In the optional 4-Motion version, the permissible weight of the car increases to 3,200 kg. You can tow a trailer weighing up to 2,000 kg. The vehicle's length is 489 cm and its height is 199 cm.

Of course, such dimensions must involve a certain compromise in terms of space inside. However, anyone who thinks that this is just another cliched project like many others on the market is wrong.

Here (literally) every practical aspect is thought out down to the smallest detail - this is something the German manufacturer has already accustomed us to.

And so, at just under 490 cm in length, we can find a wide range of amenities and excellent quality materials and finishing. There are 4 driving seats and a comfortable double bed in the raised sleeping roof .

There is also space on board for... a bathroom with a toilet. Although it is not physically separated from the living space, it is difficult to expect this in such a small area.

The camper takes 32 liters of clean water on board and has a tank for 42 liters of gray water.

Joker City is a successful combination of an urban warrior and a camper for everyday use. We can even drive it into underground parking lots, and if necessary, we can turn it into a house on wheels at any time.

Westfalia Joker High Roof – a full-fledged camper

Club Joker with a raised roof is, in turn, a "classic" camper based on the T6.1 base in the LONG version with a body of the original Westfalia design.

In this case, the GVM is 3,200 kg and the total length is 529 cm. The higher roof, of course, translates into an increased height of the vehicle (280 cm), but also provides space to move freely around the vehicle.

The space from floor to ceiling is, depending on the room, between 184 and 212 cm. When traveling as a couple, we simply use the pull-out bed at the front of the camper - without the need to rebuild/modify anything.

A mattress with disc springs will ensure the quality of sleep at the highest level.

We also have a fully functional bathroom module separated by a door and a practical kitchenette with all the amenities. Clean and gray water tanks are 70 / 70 liters, respectively.

Optionally, in the Joker and Joker City models, you can order an additional double bed in the living room, which, if necessary, will enable accommodation for a larger group of travelers. We thought about original, indirect interior lighting and ports for charging mobile devices - this is an important convenience.

In terms of design, both Joker models follow the latest trends. White and beige shades contrast and complement each other in the interior with black, wooden veneers on the fronts and silver and aluminum accents. This is a successful, modern combination that will appeal to most potential customers.

Sven Hedin – a camper for every trip

The legendary Swedish traveler, after whom the model was named, actively explored the farthest corners of the world, including Tibet, the Himalayas and the Silk Road.

This unique expedition camper is not the first model with this name to leave the Westfalia factory. Its ancestor was the LT28-based Sven Hedin, produced in the 1970s.

The currently offered vehicle is almost 600 cm long and 267 cm high and is characterized by a classic layout with a transverse bed located at the rear. It is worth paying attention to several details and patents that, apart from the exemplary quality of workmanship, distinguish this model from the competition:

• Great layout of the bathroom, separated from the living area by a door, with a perfectly sealed wet zone.
• The bed at the back is equipped with extremely comfortable springs in the Froli system , it is also flexible in height and allows you to transport even larger luggage and equipment (e.g. bicycles), and thanks to the open space under the bed, also skis or windsurfing boards.
• The kitchen, next to a 2-burner bathroom and plenty of cabinets, is equipped with a 70-liter slide-out refrigerator.

• Important details in the bedroom: the rear side slides out electrically, increasing the bed surface (pop-out), and at the very end of the vehicle there is a suspended cabinet covering the entire width of the camper - this significantly increases the "luggage" volume.

MAN TGE, on the basis of which this camper is built, is taking the market by storm thanks to its excellent driving properties and high operating culture of the drive units - 2-liter engines with a power of 140 or 177 horsepower are available in versions with 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic transmissions. .

Heating is provided by a glycol-based underfloor heating system, powered by 4.8 kW diesel fuel - with a boiler, of course. This is an economical solution and means that we use gas only for cooking - hence the space for a 2.5 liter cylinder.

A clean water tank with a capacity of 100 liters and a gray water tank with a capacity of 84 liters, as well as a battery with a capacity of 95 Ah complete the factory configuration. The GVW is 3.5 tons and the load capacity is acc. manufacturer's declaration 498 kg.

The official representative of the Westfalia brand in Poland is the Elcamp Group . In addition to selling vehicles, the dealer is also an authorized service partner of the brand. Their current offer of available vehicles can be found in their profile in the CampRest company database: https://camprest.com/en/companies/elcamp .