Bürstner Copa
The Copa C 500 4x4 costs 57,270 euros, which includes an elevating roof with two sleeping berths, a mini-kitchen with cool box and electric water supply. On request, the Transit can be given an off-road make-up, including chunky tyres, a radiator grille in trail design and underride protection. The lower sleeping bench, which provides two additional berths, also costs extra. The Webasto diesel heater, on the other hand, comes as standard.
Also to be found in the Copa series is the roughly 30-centimetre-longer layout in the C 530, which integrates a sanitary area with folding washbasin and cassette toilet in the rear living area. A plug-in shower tray (which is stowed on the tailgate when not in use) and a shower curtain complete the equipment in the hygiene department.
To create the necessary space for personal hygiene, the lifting roof of the C 530 does not open at the front but at the rear. The shelf, which creates two beds at the top, folds twice to provide standing height almost up to the front seats. The sleeping roof itself has a panorama function, the sleeping bench on the ground floor is fitted as standard in this model, and the campervan basically has two sliding doors to allow more comfortable access. The largest Copa to date is scheduled to hit the dealerships from summer onwards, and the price will probably be around 55,000 euros.
Bürstner Lineo
New at Bürstner is the Lineo campervan series whose interior is similar to the Campeo series on Fiat or Citroën, but uses the Ford Transit as a basis. For the time being, only one layout is on offer, the C 590 is 5.98 metres long and will be available in Germany from September at prices starting at 48,690 euros. The basic model is powered by a 130 hp (96 kW) two-litre diesel. Standard features include a crosswind assistant, traction control, a sliding door on the right and heated rear windows. The usual half-dinette and kitchenette are in the centre of the vehicle, while the washroom and double transverse bed are in the middle and at the rear. A double floor accommodates the installation and thus ensures frost-proof operation; Bürstner is still thinking about further layout variants.
Bürstner Eliseo
In the fourth campervan series Eliseo, the C 644 will enrich the portfolio in future. It features the popular round seating group in the rear. Above it, a fold-down bed invites you to sleep, while the seating group itself can be converted into two beds. Bathroom and kitchen are accommodated at the front, and a new substructure that allows the table to be used outside is helpful. A lifting roof is not planned for the C 644; this is reserved for the four previous layout variants. The 6.4-metre-long Eliseo C 644 on Fiat Ducato wheels will cost about 55,000 euros.
It is striking that Bürstner - like many other volume manufacturers - only equips the basic models with the bare essentials. And we're not even talking about the awning, which is indispensable in this class for the purpose of gaining living space. Rather, the customer has to pay extra for the blackout blinds in the driver's cabin, and even an entry step has not been included in the standard equipment of many models for a long time. In other words, the base price is a rather uninformative guide, and a close study of the equipment and price lists is an absolute must for smart buyers - and in the end drives many a model that seems cheap at first glance to unexpectedly high acquisition costs.
The increasing variety of base vehicles has probably also led to more stringent calculations. Until a few years ago, most manufacturers offered a choice of either a Fiat Ducato (or the identically constructed Citroën and Peugeot) or a Mercedes Sprinter. Now, however, vehicles like the Ford Transit are storming onto the motorhome market, even the Nissan NV 200 is already being used, and even the faded Hyundai H1 has already been spotted on the campsites. This is mainly due to the supply weakness of Fiat, which has made few friends with a side deal. While chip shortages and a shortage of raw materials have in any case steadily reduced the desired orders of the bodybuilders, the Italians drew the ire of the campers with a big deal with the logistics industry. Without further ado, several thousand Ducatos were not delivered to the caravanning industry, but went to the delivery king Amazon.
The camping fans will pay for this. Because every base vehicle has its own very special requirements when it comes to the construction of the superstructure or extension. Wiring in a Transit has to be laid differently than in a Peugeot, and the same applies to belt or furniture fastenings. This makes the development of new models on previously unused Transporter models time-consuming, lengthy and, above all, more expensive. (aum/Michael Kirchberger)
