A camper van that sleeps two people and two bikes is a recipe for a seriously fun summer (and spring and fall), especially if it can sleep all four at the same time. With its new Twin Supreme 640 SGX, Slovenian converter Adria creates that exact 2+2 camper van layout in a Fiat Ducato. A convertible rear gear garage lets you carry two mountain bikes (or whatever other gear you want to slide, rearrange and cram in there), while a light-filled van cabin offers a comfortable place to wind down as the blood-orange sunset cedes the sky to explosive starlight.
While Citroën was showing its own Biker Solution at the 2018 Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, Adria was unveiling the Twin Supreme 640 SGX. The 640 SGX makes a clean break from other 2019 Twin Supreme models with a smart gear-hauling solution, making it a perfect support van for outdoor activities and multi-day, multi-sport adventures.
To ensure the 640 SGX wouldn't just look cool but actually work and work well, Adria relied on its ongoing partnership with KTM, designing the van around the needs of motorcycle riders. The result of that work also looks very useful for cyclists, skiers/snowboarders, climbers, kiteboarders and virtually anyone else who wants to drive out into the wilderness with a bunch of gear and a partner-in-crime.
Usually a camper van lures one in through the side door, where you step aboard and immediately see key equipment and furnishings like the kitchen and dining area. Conversely, the Twin Supreme 640 SGX invites you to approach from the back, where it carries its most impressive innovation. Here you'll find a cargo compartment all set up for gear hauling, complete with a diamond-plate floor, tie-downs and slim storage cabinetry.
The key to the design is the electric-lift bed, which rises up to the ceiling when you're loading the van full of oversized gear. When it comes time to rest bones wearied by hours of dirt biking or surfing, the bed drops down into sleeping position. In fact, the bed can be set at whatever height is ideal so you can even sleep over top the gear below, keeping your (likely expensive) equipment under lock and key at night.
Other Twin models, the aforementioned Citroën van and many of the camper vans we saw in Düsseldorf create room for gear with a bed that folds to the side(s), which clears a central aisle during the ride but requires you to remove taller gear like bikes when it comes time to drop the bed down and get some sleep.
The 640 SGX certainly isn't the first vehicle to use a lift-up bed in a dual-purpose design –motorhomes of all sizes use similar features in various configurations. In fact, the much more expensive and fully equipped Winnebago Revel uses a layout very similar to Adria's. But Adria's design looks particularly nicely implemented – a cargo area purpose-built for carrying dirty, stinking outdoor equipment.
The 640 SGX's dual-personality load area is the big highlight, but Adria's new van also impresses up front. Adria has added a new Sky-roof, teaming the Ducato windshield with a dual-skylight layout that brings in some serious light and keeps you connected with the great outdoors beyond the glass. Many camper vans have a skylight or two overhead, but the Sky-roof takes the concept further with a big panoramic array of glass.
The Sky-roof also helps to create what Adria calls the Sky-lounge. Adria opens up the driver cab ceiling and uses the continuity of its dual-skylight design as a means of eliminating the visual divide between driver cab and living area, creating a more connected, open space when the front seats are spun around to join the dual-seat bench around the expandable dining table.
In the long central space between the Sky-lounge and the convertible bedroom-garage, the Twin 640 SGX is a fairly standard Ducato camper van. The compact kitchen block inside the door puts a dual-burner stove, sink and 90-L refrigerator at the campsite chef's disposal. A driver-side wet bath offers a toilet, sink and shower, with water fed from a 100-L fresh water tank and hot water heater. A 70-L waste water tank collects the flow on the other end. The bathroom's "duplex" design uses a swiveling wall to split into separate toilet room and shower areas.
The Twin Supreme 640 SGX also includes standard Webasto heating, available 100-Ah auxiliary batteries, LED lighting, and pre-installation for TV, air conditioning and solar. It comes standard with Fiat's 130-hp 2.3-liter engine, and buyers can raise the stakes with engine options up to 180 hp. Starting price on the 2019 model is £48,835 (approx. US$64,500) in the UK.
The video below was released before the debut of the 640 SGX, so it doesn't show the electric-lift bed/garage, but it does a nice job of highlighting other large and small features and options on the 2019 Twin Supreme.
Source: Adria
