We considered this when we went to the NEC show in October. Decided that it didn't float our boat... ended up with a 6m 2 berth rear lounge instead. 5 days to wait until we collect our very first campervan! We love a Tim Tam too! N&Nx
Very informative. Unfortunately like many other manufacturers misses the mark for e-bike (outdoor sports) users, which when we went to view one of these was a massive disappointment. You don't want to arrive and leave two bikes worth between £10k and £15k outside to set the bed up. You want them kept inside out of view. The rear bed needs at least another 15 to 20cm height underneath when set up to get bikes underneath without and that's without front wheels on and seat down and that's if you can put up with the rear wheels protruding halfway along the washroom door. The cupboards either side in the lower rear could also be narrower to give more width between them for bike storage. So far in this price range (ish) only the Adria 640 sgx and Autotrail Expedition 68, both at 6.4m get anywhere close. When are manufacturers going to cotton onto the fact they're missing out on massive audience so we have more choice.
It's one of the reasons we like our Sven Hedin as the bed is transverse but high enough to get bikes transverse under it, plus the garage area doesn't have any cupboards in it taking up space !
@@CampervanTime Any chance you could put a couple of pics up somewhere of how you get your bikes in? We're looking at getting a van sometime toward end of February and still trying to figure out what is best for us. Thanks
We can’t post pics on here but if you join the Westfalia Sven hedin Facebook group and search for ‘bikes’ you’ll see some pics of how people have 2 bikes in there.
I'm pleased you shouted out about the blinds. Before you'd mentioned the A pillar, I'd noticed that the rear of the blind impeded a quick over the shoulder look, the lifesaver as us bikers call it. That restricted A pillar could be a killer at junctions and roundabouts, for cars, but especially motorbikes and cyclists. Swift need to sort it out as its not fit for purpose. If they don't, I can see them being prosecuted when the inevitable happens and in my opinion rightly so. Let's hope they rethink "swiftly"...
Well many many motorhomes and campervans have the blinds, it's not just a Swift thing - but it's made us think twice about if we would want them in our Sven...
Lovely van, not for us, but still a fantastic van, nice to see a honest review, real people giving honest reviews when using products is brilliant 🙂 And well done to the company who loaned you it as well for the weekend. The Tranist do sit low, probably why i would never have one, love the high seating position in Boxer, Ducato's etc. All the best, Trev Debz and Tyler x x
Great review 👍 The lack of visibility on the passenger side is a real concern especially when manoeuvring in small towns/villages. The real question is would you swap your Sven to save the £12k-ish?
That's a good question - especially as the gap to the Sven is more like £18-20k now (RRP on both). We had that conversation on the way back from our trip away in the Trekker and it would have been a big contender for sure. We do love our Sven and we wouldn't swap it now we've got it, but if we hadn't had it - £20k is a lot of money!!
In reality I find the wing mirrors so large that you don’t need the blind spot mirror. I have my nearside micro angled so I can see the rear wheel and I still get great visibility of vehicles alongside me.
Great review Thankyou. I think it’s a shame the oven isn’t offered in the S version. Agree the blinds viewed outside are ugly and really great you highlighted the visibility issue.
Great video. I love the fact you tested the campervan "on the field" instead of just going around opening drawers and cabinets as many other reviewers do. I've seen this van in person and I knew that "partially fixed" bed was going to be an issue: all that storage is basically inaccessible if you don't open the bed, and opening the bed might require going out... also, very narrow passage between the dinette and the bed... hard pass.
As always, a well produced professional video. It is always interesting to see what is picked out as good and needs improvement to see if some of these mirrors our experience of seeing the X in a showroom. There are so many things to like but we felt that the quality of the materials I.e. cupboards, insulation, general longevity of the Swift elements aren't nearly as good as the Eribacar for example. As you know there have also been a long list of build related issues with earlier versions which could have been mentioned. Quality is subjective but if I was in the market for a £76k van knowing the product history would be useful
We deliberately didn’t research the teething problems people have been having because we wanted to see what the can we borrowed was like and we didn’t have any problems with it in terms of build etc. The noise from the roof / upper windscreen panel at 70mph didn’t happen on the one we borrowed, for example. We just wanted to test the van at face value. Hope others if they have had problems are getting them sorted in.
Great real world review, I've looked at these multiple times and they do seem like a great van.But I'm struggling to get beyond changing my vw transporter it's a head and heart thing.
I hear you and sympathise because the transporter is so iconic. It all comes down to what you like to use it for really. We wanted a shower and toilet to make our trips away easier and more pleasant so went with a bigger van.
The bed setup is an odd one, you are right putting the beds up does make space for dressing etc. but the floor space would be taken up with chairs outside table etc. plus if it’s like the Carrera when you fold the beds up you have to remove the pillows and duvet so where does that go?
It depends on how you use the van. As a day van it’s great in the summer having space in the back for changing etc and also walking thru to load up the fridge etc.
I think the best layout would be this but with a rear lounge instead of the bed arrangement at the back. Still 4 seats and 4 berth but more lounge space for during the day. Other than that looks pretty good
Great video! I’m wondering if some of the faff of the bed might be helped if you made/had made fitted sheets for each section of the mattress rather than one full sheet? I’m still dreaming of my first van so it might be a silly suggestion from someone inexperienced.
We have two sheets, one for each part of the bed. We can then easily fold up the bed. We tend to have the bed up if using it as a day van for getting changed for paddle boarding etc and down if camped for a weekend etc. the flexibility is great.
I picked up my chausson 4 weeks ago and the blinds were the first thing (same as this trekker) I noticed. I'm now use to them but they need to change this bad design. 😊
Interested in this van so didn't bail as I usually do when as many adverts. So would avoid channel in future. That aside nicely presented / structured content.
A real death trap with no partition holding all your stuff in the garage. The table will probably be on the bed too which will become a lethal projectile in a crash. They need to ask Westfalia how to build a campervan.
There is a designed safe space for the table for transit - but only with the bed folded up at the back (it goes on the drivers side between the side of the van and the folded up bed - so it's secure. The no partition thing is a bit of a problem, I agree.
Interesting observations. Seems claustrophobic and fiddly to gain access to power, table and ladders. Use of the rear space for storage and cycles a good idea, could do with fixing points to make this easier to manage.
There are four tie down pints on the floor. The ladder cupboard is easy to access, two upper drawers not so easy but you just need to plan your storage. We leave the mains hot water on all the time so as soon as we plug into EHU it’s on. Everything else is controlled from the control panel.
Please explain what ‘Peppier means in the English language when talking about driving. Never heard of the word to describe a driving thought! Really don’t understand this vehicles appeal. It is not 4x4, UK insurances don’t insure you off-road and the Sift Carrera Range gives you exactly the same in a more homely, yet still modern atmosphere, for the same price. This means this Van is all image and no utility with how it it’s marketed & sold. A review on a van sold for off grid, at a plug-in site, misses a few points (electric set-up is not for off-grid, certainly not beyond 24hrs or more), but overall guys a very informative review & glad you got home safely. Young people in 10+ years time maybe interested in buying these vans, as they will be 10 year old with second-hand prices (Though with all things ‘green’, may not be allowed on many roads, if at all!). Point being, it will be interesting if they hold value and if demand meets expectations! Swift Carrera Van range with also a pop-top, I can now see why they are popular when comparing with this van. As this van is image over utility and most definitely not for off-road/off-grid weekends away.
I honestly don’t know if this van is aimed at off grid camping or not but it’s just a different design and modern funky looks which is popular. Doesn’t mean the owners want to off grid and go 4x4 travelling of course. I’m certain it could do 1 night off grid with the battery it has but then you’d need decent solar or to swap the battery to lithium I’m sure.
Peppier just refers to how eager it feels to drive - it’s got a quick throttle travel, gearbox is quick to downshift and it revs well - all making it the opposite of lazy.
I went to have a look at the swift treaker x. I did not like the window blinds in the front. Especially on the drivers and passenger doors cheap. And the van looks good but the plastic what you can see on the front doors looks like an afterthought.
Not convinced by your review of this van, when I had a look at it at one of the big motorhome suppliers it was just seemed too cramped inside, however the fit and finish of the van was very good.
Those cab side blinds look flat-out dangerous. On the topic of the bed, some accessory sites like Etsy allow you to buy split sheets which cover each component of a rear-bed instead of the whole thing (you can get them for the VW Grand for example). But it also strikes me that having the bed lift retention strap at the rear of the vehicle is an absolute design miss. Not least because your garage is likely to be full of stuff. In addition, surely there should be a divider between the garage and the main compartment which slides away (this could also incorporate a fold out step). Very nice looking van, lovely interior but having to mess about with some of these things diminishes the appeal. Not to mention the location for the hot water "on" switch - awful. Swift should hire you guys as product consultants.
I like the idea of this van. But the graphics etc are a bit actionman. If it's truly an 'adventure van', then it should be off grid. Makes no sense looking like that, not being all wheel drive and not being off grid.
A great review of what is a very poor van from Swift, saw it on show and wasn't at all impressed. The side door blinds set up is frankly ridiculous and the kitchen cupboards are over the top in my opinion. I did like the bathroom however. But the general exterior look is rather gaudy with those luminous yellow decals. Your reviews are top notch.
Thanks for watching! Well it's great there is a lot of choice out there for everyone as we've spoken to quite a few people who do like the decals and design (we do too!). A few minor tweaks would help we think..
Those blinds look horrible from the outside when they are open, the only downside with the Transit is the wet belt, tge main reason i won't be buying a Transit based camper unless it is the older emgine
I honestly thought we'd covered that. but maybe it was in a clip that didn't make the final video. Quality is good, nothing broke or came apart, everything worked. Are the cupboard doors laminated to the same quality as our Westfalia, no, but then it's nearly £20k less to buy. The bed at the back may need a topper for some (we were ok) and there was a minor squeak from something as we were driving along but that was it.
German title, German video description and English video = worthless channel, it's like clickbait. And such channels should urgently disappear here, why would you do something like that?
Thnx, i realy like it that you are giving also the negatives !! Most ‘reviews’ are always ‘good and perfect’. You are doing it a lot better 👍👍
We try!!
We considered this when we went to the NEC show in October. Decided that it didn't float our boat... ended up with a 6m 2 berth rear lounge instead. 5 days to wait until we collect our very first campervan!
We love a Tim Tam too! N&Nx
Congrats! Not long now!!
Very informative. Unfortunately like many other manufacturers misses the mark for e-bike (outdoor sports) users, which when we went to view one of these was a massive disappointment. You don't want to arrive and leave two bikes worth between £10k and £15k outside to set the bed up. You want them kept inside out of view. The rear bed needs at least another 15 to 20cm height underneath when set up to get bikes underneath without and that's without front wheels on and seat down and that's if you can put up with the rear wheels protruding halfway along the washroom door. The cupboards either side in the lower rear could also be narrower to give more width between them for bike storage. So far in this price range (ish) only the Adria 640 sgx and Autotrail Expedition 68, both at 6.4m get anywhere close. When are manufacturers going to cotton onto the fact they're missing out on massive audience so we have more choice.
It's one of the reasons we like our Sven Hedin as the bed is transverse but high enough to get bikes transverse under it, plus the garage area doesn't have any cupboards in it taking up space !
@@CampervanTime Any chance you could put a couple of pics up somewhere of how you get your bikes in? We're looking at getting a van sometime toward end of February and still trying to figure out what is best for us. Thanks
We can’t post pics on here but if you join the Westfalia Sven hedin Facebook group and search for ‘bikes’ you’ll see some pics of how people have 2 bikes in there.
I'm pleased you shouted out about the blinds.
Before you'd mentioned the A pillar, I'd noticed that the rear of the blind impeded a quick over the shoulder look, the lifesaver as us bikers call it.
That restricted A pillar could be a killer at junctions and roundabouts, for cars, but especially motorbikes and cyclists.
Swift need to sort it out as its not fit for purpose.
If they don't, I can see them being prosecuted when the inevitable happens and in my opinion rightly so.
Let's hope they rethink "swiftly"...
Well many many motorhomes and campervans have the blinds, it's not just a Swift thing - but it's made us think twice about if we would want them in our Sven...
Lovely van, not for us, but still a fantastic van, nice to see a honest review, real people giving honest reviews when using products is brilliant 🙂 And well done to the company who loaned you it as well for the weekend. The Tranist do sit low, probably why i would never have one, love the high seating position in Boxer, Ducato's etc. All the best, Trev Debz and Tyler x x
Thank you!
At 17:45 I see a sharp corner on the end of the kitchen benchtop. Any problem?
I don’t remember having a problem, or anything being particularly sharp - no bumping into it either
You’re right, there is a sharp corner but it doesn’t protrude beyond the cabinet and we haven’t had any problem in the last six months.
We've just bought a Swift Trekker S, so thanks for your review.😊
Our pleasure!
Are you already part of the Owners Facebook Group?
@@TREKKERTRAVELS-c5u yes
Great review 👍
The lack of visibility on the passenger side is a real concern especially when manoeuvring in small towns/villages.
The real question is would you swap your Sven to save the £12k-ish?
That's a good question - especially as the gap to the Sven is more like £18-20k now (RRP on both). We had that conversation on the way back from our trip away in the Trekker and it would have been a big contender for sure. We do love our Sven and we wouldn't swap it now we've got it, but if we hadn't had it - £20k is a lot of money!!
In reality I find the wing mirrors so large that you don’t need the blind spot mirror. I have my nearside micro angled so I can see the rear wheel and I still get great visibility of vehicles alongside me.
Great review Thankyou. I think it’s a shame the oven isn’t offered in the S version. Agree the blinds viewed outside are ugly and really great you highlighted the visibility issue.
Excellent review 👏
Thank you! 👍
Great job guys will definitely put this on the list to look at thanks
Should open the windows slightly for ventilation then not as much condensation
Great video. I love the fact you tested the campervan "on the field" instead of just going around opening drawers and cabinets as many other reviewers do. I've seen this van in person and I knew that "partially fixed" bed was going to be an issue: all that storage is basically inaccessible if you don't open the bed, and opening the bed might require going out... also, very narrow passage between the dinette and the bed... hard pass.
Thanks 👍
As always, a well produced professional video. It is always interesting to see what is picked out as good and needs improvement to see if some of these mirrors our experience of seeing the X in a showroom. There are so many things to like but we felt that the quality of the materials I.e. cupboards, insulation, general longevity of the Swift elements aren't nearly as good as the Eribacar for example. As you know there have also been a long list of build related issues with earlier versions which could have been mentioned. Quality is subjective but if I was in the market for a £76k van knowing the product history would be useful
We deliberately didn’t research the teething problems people have been having because we wanted to see what the can we borrowed was like and we didn’t have any problems with it in terms of build etc. The noise from the roof / upper windscreen panel at 70mph didn’t happen on the one we borrowed, for example. We just wanted to test the van at face value. Hope others if they have had problems are getting them sorted in.
Great real world review, I've looked at these multiple times and they do seem like a great van.But I'm struggling to get beyond changing my vw transporter it's a head and heart thing.
I hear you and sympathise because the transporter is so iconic. It all comes down to what you like to use it for really. We wanted a shower and toilet to make our trips away easier and more pleasant so went with a bigger van.
Lots of us with Trekkers have moved up from Transporter size vans. I still miss the T6 but wouldn’t go back.
The front door blinds are so ugly from the outside that would stop me in my tracks from buying one .
Only your opinion.😁
If they were black or colour coded to the outside it would look so much better , the beige plastic surround is awful.
@@SnowyAspenHills how can any manufacturer think for one second that this is acceptable on a new conversion?
@ No idea, not to my taste.
The bed setup is an odd one, you are right putting the beds up does make space for dressing etc. but the floor space would be taken up with chairs outside table etc. plus if it’s like the Carrera when you fold the beds up you have to remove the pillows and duvet so where does that go?
Pillows and duvet aren’t an issue as the fold up nicely behind the folded up sections. But… chairs and table (outdoor ones) would be more of an issue.
It depends on how you use the van. As a day van it’s great in the summer having space in the back for changing etc and also walking thru to load up the fridge etc.
I think the best layout would be this but with a rear lounge instead of the bed arrangement at the back. Still 4 seats and 4 berth but more lounge space for during the day. Other than that looks pretty good
Love the trekker, if I buy one it'll be because of your videos. Hint hint Swift.
Oh my those window blinds are massive. I have blinds on my transition custom that take up very little soace really.
"Freezer box, which is cool" 😁 I hope so. 😉
Love it. The XL maybe better so you’ve also got a rear lounge.
Defo think about this for when we change.
With the XL you only get a rear lounge, no front dining area and no pop top.
@ ahhh. Lots to think about then
Great video! I’m wondering if some of the faff of the bed might be helped if you made/had made fitted sheets for each section of the mattress rather than one full sheet? I’m still dreaming of my first van so it might be a silly suggestion from someone inexperienced.
You’re absolutely right! Some custom fitted sheets would really help for sure.
We have two sheets, one for each part of the bed. We can then easily fold up the bed. We tend to have the bed up if using it as a day van for getting changed for paddle boarding etc and down if camped for a weekend etc. the flexibility is great.
The dog obviously doesn't like the bed ladder either!😂
She wasn't keen!
Bless! Stuck!
I picked up my chausson 4 weeks ago and the blinds were the first thing (same as this trekker) I noticed. I'm now use to them but they need to change this bad design. 😊
Interested in this van so didn't bail as I usually do when as many adverts. So would avoid channel in future. That aside nicely presented / structured content.
Take a look at Trekker Travels for more info on the van.
@TREKKERTRAVELS-c5u thank you.
A real death trap with no partition holding all your stuff in the garage. The table will probably be on the bed too which will become a lethal projectile in a crash. They need to ask Westfalia how to build a campervan.
There is a designed safe space for the table for transit - but only with the bed folded up at the back (it goes on the drivers side between the side of the van and the folded up bed - so it's secure. The no partition thing is a bit of a problem, I agree.
Interesting observations.
Seems claustrophobic and fiddly to gain access to power, table and ladders.
Use of the rear space for storage and cycles a good idea, could do with fixing points to make this easier to manage.
There are four tie down pints on the floor. The ladder cupboard is easy to access, two upper drawers not so easy but you just need to plan your storage. We leave the mains hot water on all the time so as soon as we plug into EHU it’s on. Everything else is controlled from the control panel.
Wow my hot water works by remote control, along side my heating. Woo hoo Wellhouse Leisure.
Please explain what ‘Peppier means in the English language when talking about driving. Never heard of the word to describe a driving thought!
Really don’t understand this vehicles appeal. It is not 4x4, UK insurances don’t insure you off-road and the Sift Carrera Range gives you exactly the same in a more homely, yet still modern atmosphere, for the same price. This means this Van is all image and no utility with how it it’s marketed & sold. A review on a van sold for off grid, at a plug-in site, misses a few points (electric set-up is not for off-grid, certainly not beyond 24hrs or more), but overall guys a very informative review & glad you got home safely. Young people in 10+ years time maybe interested in buying these vans, as they will be 10 year old with second-hand prices (Though with all things ‘green’, may not be allowed on many roads, if at all!). Point being, it will be interesting if they hold value and if demand meets expectations! Swift Carrera Van range with also a pop-top, I can now see why they are popular when comparing with this van. As this van is image over utility and most definitely not for off-road/off-grid weekends away.
I honestly don’t know if this van is aimed at off grid camping or not but it’s just a different design and modern funky looks which is popular. Doesn’t mean the owners want to off grid and go 4x4 travelling of course. I’m certain it could do 1 night off grid with the battery it has but then you’d need decent solar or to swap the battery to lithium I’m sure.
Peppier just refers to how eager it feels to drive - it’s got a quick throttle travel, gearbox is quick to downshift and it revs well - all making it the opposite of lazy.
I went to have a look at the swift treaker x.
I did not like the window blinds in the front. Especially on the drivers and passenger doors cheap. And the van looks good but the plastic what you can see on the front doors looks like an afterthought.
Not convinced by your review of this van, when I had a look at it at one of the big motorhome suppliers it was just seemed too cramped inside, however the fit and finish of the van was very good.
I thought we mentioned it had a few too many cupboards?
Those cab side blinds look flat-out dangerous.
On the topic of the bed, some accessory sites like Etsy allow you to buy split sheets which cover each component of a rear-bed instead of the whole thing (you can get them for the VW Grand for example). But it also strikes me that having the bed lift retention strap at the rear of the vehicle is an absolute design miss. Not least because your garage is likely to be full of stuff.
In addition, surely there should be a divider between the garage and the main compartment which slides away (this could also incorporate a fold out step).
Very nice looking van, lovely interior but having to mess about with some of these things diminishes the appeal. Not to mention the location for the hot water "on" switch - awful.
Swift should hire you guys as product consultants.
They should ! 🤣
ooh! those front door blind frames are pretty ugly and a pain
You would keep the cable somewhere else
The new Swift Trekker XL is a 2 berth
I like the idea of this van.
But the graphics etc are a bit actionman.
If it's truly an 'adventure van', then it should be off grid.
Makes no sense looking like that, not being all wheel drive and not being off grid.
A great review of what is a very poor van from Swift, saw it on show and wasn't at all impressed. The side door blinds set up is frankly ridiculous and the kitchen cupboards are over the top in my opinion. I did like the bathroom however. But the general exterior look is rather gaudy with those luminous yellow decals. Your reviews are top notch.
Thanks for watching! Well it's great there is a lot of choice out there for everyone as we've spoken to quite a few people who do like the decals and design (we do too!). A few minor tweaks would help we think..
Those blinds look horrible from the outside when they are open, the only downside with the Transit is the wet belt, tge main reason i won't be buying a Transit based camper unless it is the older emgine
Wet belt Ford engine is a massive negative. That bed/storage also awful. Going outside to switch hot water on. Its definitely form over function.
Testing layouts is good. What about build quality? 😂
I honestly thought we'd covered that. but maybe it was in a clip that didn't make the final video. Quality is good, nothing broke or came apart, everything worked. Are the cupboard doors laminated to the same quality as our Westfalia, no, but then it's nearly £20k less to buy. The bed at the back may need a topper for some (we were ok) and there was a minor squeak from something as we were driving along but that was it.
You say its very ford like,well what a silly thing to say. It is a Ford.
This just doesn't seem practical in real world time. So many little annoying issues. It's so cramped and not a chance with a dog.
German title, German video description and English video = worthless channel, it's like clickbait. And such channels should urgently disappear here, why would you do something like that?
You see channels do this often... I wonder if it's a UA-cam thing?
As there is german subtitles.
terrible, so with the bed made your pretty much snookered, wow.
Too cramped for me 🦧
Oh my those window blinds are massive. I have blinds on my transition custom that take up very little space really.