Which Motorhome - Wellhouse Leisure

Ultimate showdown
VW campers and their rivals
Wellhouse Alphard – bringing in Toyota’s finest
FACT FILE
BASED ON Toyota Alphard
PRICES FROM £20,000
(base vehicle-dependent)
PRICE AS TESTED £22,000
EXTRAS FITTED Diamondbrite paint
finish (£250)
TYPE APPROVAL Exempt
(base vehicle over 10 years old)
DIMENSIONS 4.84m L, 1.81m W,
2.00m H
BERTHS 2 (4 as tested)
TRAVEL SEATS 4
BED SIZES Main bed 1.83m x 1.16m
MAXIMUM WEIGHT 2,600kg
PAYLOAD 400kg
ENGINE 2.4-litre VVT-I petrol, 168bhp
C FOR
• Luxury car looks and feel
• Quality conversion to match
£22,000
D AGAINST • Narrow bed • Basic elevating roof
• Small, top-loading fridge won’t be liked by all
Drop-front access to seat base
Not the biggest of double beds
Cranked leg table is versatile
ALSO AVAILABLE
With supplies of the Mazda Bongo and
Toyota Granvia/Regius now running
dry, the Alphard is a natural successor
that moves everything a whole lot
more upmarket, provides a superior
driving experience and yet keeps
pricing ultra competitive.
MORE INFORMATION
wellhouseleisure.com
Silver screens stored in the boot,
sleeping bags above
I
F age doesn’t matter, you could argue this is the most
modern-looking vehicle in this Showdown – and yet
it’s based on a Toyota that’s some 12 years old.
Twelve? You read that right. Imported direct from
WHICH
38 | motorhome | DECEMBER 2014
Curved section of galley adds worktop
Japan as a pre-owned luxury MPV car, this only gets
turned into a campervan once it’s been through
Wellhouse Leisure’s hands.
So, although this is on a ’52 plate (to use industry
parlance), it’s a brand new conversion. It’s covered
over 70,000 miles (121,126km on the odometer), but
you’d be hard pressed to find any evidence of its past
life. Bodywork is pristine (the Japanese don’t salt
their roads). Crucially, Wellhouse also covers
everything with a three-year warranty.
Wellhouse has enjoyed huge success with new
conversions of older base vehicles imported
direct from Japan – Mazda Bongo, Honda
Stepwagon, etc, but especially Toyota’s
Granvia and Regius. The Alphard simply
represents the next wave, and it’s easy to
see the appeal.
A third of the price of the Volkswagen California
in this Showdown, and still it boasts some equipment
the VW can’t even imagine.
The Alphard base comes with all kinds of
sophistication, ranging from swivel cab seats (the
driver’s is a bit tricky, admittedly) to a USB connector.
Wellhouse also adds to this with a double-DIN
Clarion large screen stereo via which you can also
check the view both rearward and forward from the
appropriate, original spec cameras. Plus it comes
with its own remote control.
Choose between two petrol engines – the 2.4-litre
or a 3-litre – and two or four-wheel drive. Automatic
transmission is standard, as are disc brakes all round,
alloy wheels, electric everything, etc. Even the sliding
doors (both sides) have electric soft-closing and
retain their original electric windows.
As for the conversion, it’s a stylised take on the
traditional VW floorplan (the offside sliding door
serves for servicing purposes only), with the main
furniture unit housing a Can combined two-ring hob
and sink (there’s no room for a grill), while the fridge
adjacent – a top-loader – has a rather measly 10-litre
capacity. The elevating roof may not be as
sophisticated as some, and certainly won’t provide
the biggest of beds, but it’s to Wellhouse’s own design
and had to take into consideration the considerable
tumblehome of the Alphard’s curves.
The lower double bed also suffers in terms of
width. It’s decently flat, though, pulling out in sections;
you just need to remove the head restraints. Fully
extended, the main bed still leaves just about enough
floor space for standing, or stretching your legs into.
There are plenty of Wellhouse style points
throughout. Tambour doors to most of the lockers
are here, including an extended curved-front
cupboard at the front of the furniture unit. And
there’s plenty of LED lighting, direct and ambient.
Just inside the tailgate, a sealed locker takes a
single 907 butane cylinder but you won’t need much
– it’s only the cooker that operates from gas here. A
Webasto heater is fitted as standard, operating from
the Toyota’s fuel supply, and the aforementioned
fridge is 12V/230V. You also get underslung fresh
and waste water tanks (both 26 litres).
Never mind the width, feel the quality? Can this
be a serious alternative to a T5? Most certainly. Just
look at the prices, and compare the specifications.
Even a top-spec’ Alphard conversion is unlikely to
break £25,000.
With prices starting as low as £20,000 you can get
yourself a serious bargain with a Wellhouse Alphard.
A pre-used but pristine base vehicle is just the
starting point. If you think you’re going to miss out
on quality and luxury, maybe you should go and
check things out for yourselves.
Meanwhile, never let it be said Which Motorhome
isn’t out there fighting for you: Wellhouse has agreed
it can fit a stay to the fridge lid in future!
WHICH
motorhome says ★★★★★
A seriously good offering of all-round quality that’s as car-like as anything here – even the ones at much higher prices.
which-motorhome.co.uk | 39
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