Following more than a decade of impressive work creating small camper vans for the Korean market, Unicamp has been quickly building up a US presence with a growing lineup of affordable minivan pop-tops. Last year, it entered the market with the Kia Carnival pop-top, launched in collaboration with Las Vegas-area dealership Caleche Customs, and now the two introduce the even more versatile Toyota Sienna pop-up camper, an affordable sleeper van solution with an economical hybrid powertrain and available all-wheel drive ... and owners don't even have to give up their eight-passenger family vans.
At roughly US$50K to start when it launched in 2023 (new minivan and roof), Unicamp's Kia Carnival sleeper MPV really helped to fill the glaring void of small, simple, affordable camper van options left in the wake of the discontinuation of every last small and midsize van on the American market (e.g. the Nissan NV200, Ford Transit Connect, Mercedes Metris, etc).
With their new Toyota Sienna pop-top, Unicamp USA and Caleche now fill another void, offering the market's only pop-up AWD hybrid mini-camper solution. Like the small vans that disappeared off the market, the Kia Carnival lacks a coveted all-wheel-drive option, as do all other US minivans except for the Chrysler Pacifica. So buyers looking for a more surefooted all-weather camper van have long been left to shop large, expensive models based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter or Ford Transit.
Not anymore. The Unicamp Sienna Pop Top adds an intriguing, affordable AWD MPV light camper solution meant to switch on a dime between everyday driving and weekend camping.
Unicamp claims its electric-operated pop-up roof to be the first of its kind for the Sienna, and while we have seen a Sienna camper conversion or two, we've never seen a pop-up variant. Unlike with the Kia Carnival Pop Top, Unicamp did not have an existing camper template from which to work from South Korea, where it focuses on domestic Hyundai and Kia vans.
The Sienna is a North America-focused product, so a camper version makes most sense for the American market. In fact, Caleche customers began asking about the possibility of a Sienna pop-up at about the same moment they saw the Kia Carnival version and kept pressing until Unicamp USA and Caleche decided to head into the shop and make it happen
Sold as just a pop-top, Unicamp's kit is not a full-blown camper van floor plan, offering the advantage of leaving the Sienna's seven or eight seats in place for everyday driving. To make it easier to lift the roof above all those seats, Unicamp installs an electric actuation system activated at a push of the original Sienna key fob. The reinforced thermoset plastic roof rises in a matter of seconds, opening up a second-story double bed built to hold around 500 lb (226 kg).
The roof closes electrically, too, and a manual backup allows owners to operate the roof in the event of an electrical failure. A sensor system stops operation if it detects contact with an external object, protecting the vehicle and passengers.
The Sienna currently comes exclusively with a 245-hp 2.5-liter I-4 hybrid system that offers an EPA-estimated 36-mpg (7.8 L/100km) combined rating. And while an electric camper van driver would be ecstatic to reach 250 miles (402 km) between charges, the EPA puts the AWD Sienna's range at 630 miles (1,014 km) between fill-ups. That level of driving range and mid-30s hybrid efficiency are quite unique for an American-market camper van.
The all-wheel drive system, meanwhile, is available as a $2,000 Sienna option. In place of mechanical actuation, the system on the fourth-gen Sienna kicks on a rear electric motor when traction loss is detected. This extra motor joins the two front e-motors that work with the I-4 as part of the front-mounted hybrid system.
Of course, the Sienna AWD isn't an off-road force like the Land Cruiser or Tacoma (or Ultimate Utility Vehicle, for that matter), but the AWD system is a nice bit of available kit to have when road tripping cross-country through highly variable conditions that might include pop-up snowstorms, sheeting rain and dry, dusty forest roads, possibly all in the same day. The Sienna is one of only two US minivans with available AWD and the only one to combine the AWD with a hybrid drive system. The system does drop an mpg off the EPA rating, but we bet buyers will be quite happy with all-wheel traction and 35 mpg (8.1 L/100km).
The Sienna pop-top is currently available only for fourth-generation Sienna vans (MY2021+), but Unicamp and Caleche are working on a retrofit for older models. The full electric roof package costs $16,000 with bed and tent, and Caleche installs it at its Henderson, Nevada headquarters. The company is working on adding additional installation locations.
A new 2024 Sienna currently starts at $39,080 after destination, or $41,080 with AWD, so a brand-new MPV with pop-up sleeper roof will run around $55K+. Unicamp does not advertise an in-vehicle camper kit for the Sienna, the way it does for the Carnival, but there are several third-party Sienna camper van kits and conversions out there for those who want look into making it a fully capable mini-camper with all the amenities.
Source: Unicamp USA
