Much the way Ford added a bathroom to its adorable Nugget mini-camper van by releasing a pair of "Plus"-sized variants, German camper van manufacturer Ahorn Camp goes "Big" with its Van City mini-camper. After stretching the wheelbase, it rearranges the floor plan with a cozy corner bathroom, L-shaped kitchen, and upper and lower beds, perfecting the all-new Van Big City for both city-dwelling family adventurers and full-time single and couple van lifers.
After an overwhelmingly favorable reception at the 2020 Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, Ahorn's latest Renault Trafic-based Van City camper got the production go-ahead last December. The versatile 197-in (500-cm) mini-camper van gets a boost from a new rail-mounted three-seat rear bench able to slide the length of the rear van cabin to increase flexibility, but it still lacks the bathroom many RVers refuse to go without.
![Ahorn Camp Van Big City floor plan](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/b18a2f3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1022x482+0+0/resize/1022x482!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc4%2Fd2%2F697f86ba4de0b445746734b8f8dd%2Fscreen-shot-2021-09-10-at-7.05.11%20PM.png)
Ahorn addresses the Van City's biggest weakness by introducing the 2022 Van Big City, which stretches out atop a 213-in (540-cm) Renault Trafic that carries the extra cabin space necessary to squeeze in a bathroom. We're not sure if it's solely the extra 2.4 inches (6 cm) the Big City boasts over the Ford Nugget Plus, but Ahorn manages to carve out a slightly more discrete bathroom compartment instead of a standalone tailgate toilet with privacy screen.
Ahorn's bathroom is still in the tailgate area, but it's divided off from the rest of the camper with a side and front wall, along with a pull-out screen door. Also included is a small counter with sink and an optional outdoor shower.
![The wall's a bit short due to the pop-up roof, but the Van Big City bathroom is a little more of a private, dedicated space than some other bathrooms in similarly sized camper vans](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/ec115ff/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1020x673+0+0/resize/1020x673!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2F9a%2F8546082d40e0bbb1b681d2ed7db6%2Fscreen-shot-2021-09-10-at-7.07.02%20PM.png)
On the downside, the pop-up nature of the van eliminates the ceiling when the roof is opened at camp, meaning that users — and user odors — will not be contained within a fully enclosed bathroom. Still, as far as tiny wet bathrooms inside small pop-up camper vans go, this one seems to get the job done about as elegantly as possible.
The Van Big City has an L-shaped kitchen block next to the bathroom and comes equipped with a two-burner stove, stainless steel sink and 41-L compressor fridge.
With all the functional equipment at the rear, the front of the Big City is dedicated to the bedroom/lounge. Instead of relying on swivel cab seats, Ahorn squeezes in a rear-facing bench behind the driver's seat to go along with the indoor/outdoor dining table and front-facing bench. The dinette converts over into a 52 x 72-in (133 x 184-cm) double bed at night, joining the 48 x 78-in (121 x 198-cm) pop-up roof double in sleeping a full family of four.
![The dinette folds into a double bed](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/25727b4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1021x678+0+0/resize/1021x678!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fad%2F04%2F62b4d8954519baec9f4afb081fbe%2Fscreen-shot-2021-09-10-at-7.06.05%20PM.png)
It might look different after a few weeks or months on the road, but on paper, the Van Big City's layout is one of the more impressive bathroom-included small camper vans we've seen, packing everything a traveling couple or family needs into a footprint compact enough to comfortably navigate traffic-lined city centers. It's quite similar in layout to the Trafic-based Karmann Danny 530 but prices in cheaper three years later at €43,900 ($51,875) to start. When we tried to look up current Danny 530 pricing, we found it replaced in that part of Karmann's lineup by the new €46,990 ($55,525) Ford-based Duncan 535. The Van Big City also prices in well lower than the €58,134 ($68,675) Ford Nugget Plus.
The Van Big City packs all the camper essentials into a highly manageable and affordable package, something the air travel-deprived, RV-crazy world could really use while continuing to navigate the ups and downs of an unpredictable global pandemic. Jump in and enjoy a build-your-own vacation when daily life gets claustrophobic.
Source: Ahorn Camp