Toyota teams up with Wellhouse to launch Proace camper van

The Toyota Proace van has been transformed into a camper by UK specialist converter Wellhouse Leisure. Called the 'Lerina camper', the van starts at £42,000 and can be ordered from specialist Toyota dealers now.

Named after the Lerins islands off the coast of the French Riviera, the Lerina camper van is based on the medium wheelbase Proace and gets the same Toyota-backed five-year/100,000 mile warranty as the popular panel van. 

Like the Volkswagen California Ocean, the Toyota Lerina gets a pop-up roof – fitted by German manufacturer SCA. It gets a built-in kitchen, with a sink, gas hob and fresh water tank too. A gas bottle can be fitted to the rear of the van and there is also 25 litre fridge and wardrobe, along with a portable toilet.

Power is provided via an electric hook-up point, plus a 100W solar panel and a secondary battery. A 2.2kW heater, with timer, should make the van suitable for all-year round camping while the options list includes two extra removable seats (which lets the van be used as a six-seater people carrier), a side awning with LED cabin lighting 

The front seats can be swivelled to face the rear to create a comfortable living area when the vehicle is parked, while the rear seats can also be slid forward to create more loadspace when travelling. The rear bench can be folded flat to create a double bed, however, you’ll have to pay more for an optional second bed to be fitted to the pop up roof compartment.

The all-diesel engine line-up consists of two 2.0-litre engines. The standard 120PS four-cylinder diesel will develop 340Nm of torque and return roughly 50mpg, according to the advertised figures. An uprated 180PS 2.0-litre unit – matched to a torque converter auto – will develop 400Nm of torque and be capable of towing 2000kgs. Official economy will be close to 48mpg.