The Nissan Interstar van is not a pretty machine. Some might call it a searing eyesore. So to outfit an Interstar camper van into a place one could proudly call home, maybe even for a full-time van life stint, is quite a feat. Nissan conversion partner Eiffeland gets it done, carving out a rustic-modern roaming lodge with high bed, flexible lounge and warm, well-appointed ambiance that will make you forget you're living in one of the world's more aesthetically challenged vehicles.
What an all-time couple of weeks it's been for RVs from major auto badges. Since last Monday, we've seen a completely unexpected travel trailer prototype from Honda, a new throwback birthday edition Ford Nugget, and a potential Nugget and VW California-fighting Hyundai Staria Camper Concept.
It's no big surprise, then, that Nissan becomes the latest major global automaker to make a move in the RV market.
Actually, we should have been waiting for Nissan to get in on the fun. In recent years, the brand has toiled with production and concept campers like few to no other major automakers in the world. It hasn't quite hit an indisputable bullseye with an icon like the California or Nugget, but it has absolutely proven itself unafraid to remake its vans into some truly unique campers.
Nissan's RV work started decades before the COVID-19 pandemic but accelerated after, encompassing everything from wild concepts like the 2021 Winter Camper electric ski hut and 2022 Caravan MyRoom zen van to simpler, dealership-bound models like the Primastar Seaside by Dethleffs and Vanette MyRoom.
Technically, Nissan hasn't developed the RV bits for the new Interstar camper van, but it did make the announcement, helping Eiffeland get the word out and attract a bigger crowd to its exhibit at this year's CMT 2026.
Nissan also provided the blank canvas with which the German conversion specialist did its work: a full-size all-electric Interstar van dressed in a rather unbecoming two-tone paint scheme of white atop something of a brown mustard. We suppose it works well enough in a German expo center, where you can hardly turn a corner without stumbling on another wurst vendor.
Thankfully, Eiffeland grabbed hold of the paints and brushes from there, lending a more artful hand to the interior design with its "Relax" conversion package. It's given the van a spacious, functional layout for two travelers, installing a raised 75 x 63-in (190 x 160-cm) double bed at the rear. The high bed positioning leaves a capacious garage down below for whatever campers are bringing along for the ride, and a passthrough door accommodates longer items like skis or surfboards.
Up front, the kitchen block just aft of the driver's seat includes a dual-burner gas stove and sink integrated into the counter and a compressor fridge next to the drawers below.
Instead of installing the usual front dinette, Eiffeland moves the unit to the center of the van, splitting the bed and kitchen areas with a two-seat transverse dinette set. The vis-a-vis bench seats are fixed on either side of a removable dining table.
Where Eiffeland really brings the design home is in its comprehensive trim, installing a plank-style headliner front to back, along with real wood cabinetry faces, window surrounds and wall trim. Gray furniture and fabric wall upholstery help to further melt away the cold metal of the factory van's interior, creating a cozy, rustic, lodge-like atmosphere.
While the floor plan seems quite spacious and livable, it's a little deceiving because it lacks one critical feature: a bathroom. That's forgivable on a 204-in-long (517-cm) Volkswagen California and similarly sized midsize van campers, but it's much less forgivable on a full-size van measuring in at 251 in (638 cm) long, especially one designed for just two people. That's just too much space not to have a bathroom, even if just something simple like a pop-up shower/toilet compartment in a box.
The white/mustard camper van featured in Nissan's announcement is an all-electric Interstar-e with the largest 87-kWh battery providing a respectable 254 miles (410 km) of estimated driving range (WLTP). It's powered by a 141-hp electric drive.
What Nissan didn't mention in its announcement is that Eiffeland would also be showing a diesel version of the same camper van with the same Relax package but slightly different interior decor. That van relies on a 148-hp diesel engine and seven-speed automatic transmission.
The diesel variant wears a sticker of €83,590 (approx. US$98,900), while the Interstar-e camper is €86,790 ($102,675). Both include a 100-Ah lithium leisure battery and 190-W solar charging setup.
Sources: Nissan Germany and Eiffeland
