We started the week off by previewing the Ford Nugget High Roof camper van, and we're closing it out with all the details about the adorable small (but high) van that now sits atop Ford's camper lineup. Designed with winter road tripping in mind, the new Ford Nugget High Roof is a versatile year-round mini-adventure machine. While priced above an equivalent long-wheelbase Nugget pop-top, the Nugget High Roof still rolls to market at under €85,500 (US$100,000).
As promised, Ford debuted the new-generation Nugget High Roof on the evening before the official preview day of this year's Düsseldorf Caravan Salon. And it did so on a stage decked out like a proper winter wonderland, complete with a rustic log cabin for an information booth and a massive backdrop photo of snowy mountains.
The debut High Roof fits right in with that theme thanks to a downright deadly-cold shade of Digital Aqua Blue Metallic, which pops out even harder under the stage lighting than it did in the natural light of Ford's original teaser photo. We always liked the deep orange of past debuts, but the metallic blue is officially our favorite shade of Nugget.
It's all part of Ford's strategy of marketing winter readiness as a major selling point of the latest high roof. We looked at why that might be when we previewed the newest Nugget, and Ford makes clear that the redesigned Westfalia roof is fully insulated and ready for all four seasons.
New Nugget buyers will no longer have to rely on mere fabric to separate them from the frigid sub-zero temperatures of winter just outside the van, should they choose to brave cold-weather camping. Instead, they'll enjoy the inherent weatherproof advantages of four solid, insulated walls rising floor to roof. Should things start to feel nippy, they can always crank up the standard camp heater.
Inside, the new roof houses a 79 x 51-in (205 x 130-cm) double bed that's 5 cm (2 in) wider than the upper bed in the Nugget pop-top. A couple inches doesn't sound like much, but when you're jostling with your partner for the space necessary to get comfortable enough to doze off, every little bit of width is critical.
The bed's length remains the same as the pop-up variant, but 79 inches (200 cm) should be more than enough for most sleepers – that's 4 in (10 cm) longer than a full-size bed at home and just an inch short of a queen. Ford and conversion partner Westfalia install an available springy Froli platform below the mattress to further enhance camping comfort.
During the day, the bed folds up via a split-hinge design that allows the foot section to lift clean to the ceiling and the midsection to fold back vertically against the alcove that houses the head of the mattress. This opens up a full 6.9 feet (209 cm) of standing room on the floor below, so even if you can't quite fit on that long upper bed, there's still a good chance you'll be able to stand without crouching.
Down below, Westfalia takes a break from reimagining the Ford Transit Custom as a full-size camper van, getting back to the tried-and-true three-room concept that's a hallmark of the Nugget experience. That means an L-shaped kitchen at the rear that insomniac chefs can use in the stark middle of night should they so choose because it's completely separated from the sleeping areas.
The convertible lounge at the front of the van serves as the second room, combining the three-seat rear bench, two cab swivel seats and removable dining table into a proper dining space. At night, the space converts over into the 47 x 75-in (120 x 190-cm) lower double bed.
Things get a little looser and more flexible out back, just inside the Nugget's lift gate. Here, Ford carries over the two options it offers for the long-wheelbase pop-up Nugget models: a rear toilet room or extended storage cabinetry. That seems like a no brainer at first, as some form of bathroom almost certainly outweighs extra cabinetry, but if you camp mostly "on-grid" in organized campgrounds and RV parks with their own bathroom facilities, you may not have much use for an inbuilt toilet.
Alternatively, if you camp off-grid but prefer the toilet outside (wayyyyy outside) your tiny, four-sleeper roam-home, you might be better off having the extra storage space, some of which you can use to bring along a portable toilet and pop-up privacy tent.
Whatever the case, Ford's brilliantly blue debut Nugget High Roof is equipped with the simpler extended storage option, quite possibly so Ford can make the "Nugget High Roof with Toilet" its own debut at a future show. In place of the toilet on the passenger side, this base layout includes a tall wardrobe that extends right back to the interior edge of the tailgate.
Thanks largely to that extended wardrobe unit, which rises straight up to the fixed-roof ceiling, the new High Roof with that wardrobe option offers a total of 911 liters of storage space, 235 liters more than its pop-topped Nugget equivalent. Similarly, the High Roof with toilet offers 711 liters of storage, 180 liters more than the toilet-in-back pop-up Nugget. Storage might not sound all that interesting during a vehicle debut, but the more the better when on the road indefinitely and fully loaded up with recreational gear and basic life essentials.
It may not have a toilet, but the mega-wardrobe Nugget High Roof does include a sink at the kitchen and an outdoor shower hookup in the tailgate. Both deliver hot water thanks to an onboard water boiler fed by the 53-L fresh water tank. The kitchen also comes stocked with a dual-burner gas stove and 33-L drawer fridge.
The 545-cm (215-in) Nugget High Roof is based on Ford's long-wheelbase Tourneo Custom Titanium trim, and the entry level variant is powered by a 148-hp 2.0-liter EcoBlue engine and six-speed manual transmission. It starts at a base price of €82,645.50 (approx. US$96,575), not even quite $3K more than the pop-up Nugget, a pretty intriguing offer considering its extra all-season shelter capabilities and healthy storage increase.
The optional rear toilet room adds €599, which brings us back to "no brainer" on that option – even if you do use on-site bathroom facilities, not having to get out and walk across the campground for a midnight pee is definitely worth more than 600 bills, and may even prove priceless ... especially in winter.
Source: Ford Germany
