Three seats, one single bed, a large L-shaped kitchen and a bathroom (or at least a toilet you can use inside) – that's an odd, mismatched set of specs for any camping vehicle. Nevertheless, it's the exact set that underpins the latest micro-RV from Wellhouse Leisure. The British conversion shop has unleashed some serious creative thinking in turning the Mitsubishi Delica D:2/Suzuki Solio into a functional solo tiny camper-cum-everyday city runabout. Needless to say, the result is very different from the Delica camper vans you might have seen previously.
The true masters of diminutive camping vehicles hail from Japan and South Korea, but Wellhouse Leisure is quickly establishing itself as a master craftsman of western tiny camping. Its latest van follows very closely on the heels of its Toyota kei van micro-camper and Kia electric mini-camper, showing what the shop can do in the space between those two impressively packaged tiny conversions.
The Mitsubishi Delica has long served as a revered nameplate in the JDM camper and off-road adventure van conversion space, both in Japan and in western markets like the UK, US and Australia. In fact, it might just be the ultimate poster child for JDM van-based campers, though the Toyota Hiace would certainly fight for that particular piece of wall space.
More recently, the tiny Delica Mini has expanded the Delica's dominion, flashing some adventure and camping chops of its own.
The Delica we haven't heard so much about, in terms of camping or just general usage, is the 'tweener of the family: the Delica D:2. Despite what your eyes might be whispering to your brain, the Delica D:2, and its Suzuki Solio cross-badge sibling, is not a kei car. It did, however, evolve from one. Way back in 1997, Suzuki launched the van's predecessor, the Suzuki Wagon R-Wide (aka Wagon R+), as a slightly larger export-ready version of the Wagon R kei car.
The Solio name emerged in 2000 during the model's first official generation, when the "Wagon R Solio" name replaced "Wagon R+." Several years later, Suzuki dropped the "Wagon R" name scheme entirely and moved forward with just "Solio." During the Solio's second generation, Mitsubishi began selling a rebadged Solio as the Delica D:2.
Now in their fourth generation, the Solio and Delica D:2 are still available in Japan today. For its part, Wellhouse is importing older second- and third-generation vans, which were produced between 2010 and 2020. In contrast to the 340-cm (134-in) length and 660cc engine size limits of the Japanese kei car classification, these vans measure 371 cm (146 in) long and come powered by a modest 1.2-liter engine.
We're not sure if that extra 30 cm (11.8 in) of super-kei length rose immediately to Wellhouse's head, but its mad RV scientists decided to pursue a layout we really wouldn't expect to see in any camper van, especially one this tiny. The floor plan is anchored by an L-shaped kitchen and utilities unit that cuts clean across the tailgate, offering more work space than the galleys installed in many campers based on much larger vans. The driver's side section houses a 20-L drawer fridge easily accessed from bed – perfect for those who tend to get thirsty in the middle of the night.
The kitchen offers a compact single gas burner/sink unit with glass top on the driver's side, with a long countertop extending perpendicularly across the rear hatch. It's a bit of an odd, overly generous cooking setup for a camper that only sleeps one person, but as Wellhouse notes in its introductory walkthrough, it could serve as an indoor/outdoor bar space as well as a kitchen, with the lifted tailgate and available passenger-side awning providing shade and the countertop working for serving and resting food and drinks.
This galley design stands in stark contrast to the tiny side unit Wellhouse uses in the Toyota/Daihatsu micro-camper it designed earlier this year, rendering the Delica D:2 camper a solo sleeper. There's simply no room left over on the driver's side for an extra seat or mattress, leaving a single rear seat. That seat folds flat and works with the folded front passenger seat to support a single mattress measuring roughly 1.8 m (6 ft) long.
So you have a pint-sized van that belts in three people for the drive, seats two comfortable in vis-a-vis style at camp, and sleeps one – perhaps drivers will be dropping passengers off in stages as the sun lowers. It's definitely a weird, little configuration, but that's a big part of what makes it fun – an efficient little city car for a single person, couple or family of three and a solo camper or a camper for the fussiest sleeper in that family of three, with the other two spending the night in a tent.
The little top hat-like pop-up roof is of no use in expanding sleeping capacity, as it's installed exclusively for raising the snug interior to a standing height over 6 feet. Campers can then stand up while they're cooking, changing clothes and moving around the rear of the van. The pop-top fabric includes an array of fine-mesh windows for improving ventilation at camp.
Wellhouse's standard features set also includes a toilet stored atop a low shelf just behind the driver's seat. Campers can use it inside the van by simply adjusting the driver's seat forward. We don't see any mention of privacy curtains in Wellhouse's description so owners might want to install their own for this purpose. An outdoor privacy tent would also work, and the toilet is easily removed through the rear sliding door.
Wellhouse rounds out its micro-camper package with a full electrical system and an air heater integrated into the console below the rear kitchen counter. The heating vent and electrical outlets are readily accessible on the interior wall, as are the command screens. The system also includes a shore power hookup.
While Wellhouse used a Mitsubishi Delica D:2 to highlight the new conversion package, it notes it will build most models on the Suzuki Solio. Prices start around £19,500 (approx. US$26,300) and vary by van age/mileage/equipment/trim. The camper is available in both 2WD and 4WD and with an optional hybrid powertrain.
Source: Wellhouse Leisure
