It may not be the fastest campervan in the world, but the all-new Ford Terrier Bianco from Wellhouse Leisure sports a speedy look for its Goodwood Festival of Speed debut. The special edition package offers the Terrier's usual versatile MPV-camping utility combined with cosmetic and performance upgrades that give it a place at a festival celebrating raw power and speed.
We recently looked at Wellhouse's new Volksleisure subsidiary. The Bianco campervan gives us an update on what the UK-based parent company has been up to. The package adds some special edition treatment to the company's popular Terrier Ford Transit Custom/Tourneo Custom conversion.
The Bianco is one of four special edition Terriers, all named after their colors. Its white body immediately grabs the eyes with help from its black pop-up roof, bumpers and moldings. While a tall, boxy camper van will never look like the fastest vehicle in traffic, the optional sport stripes plus standard 18-in alloy wheels give it just a hint of speed. Likewise, the Bianco won't be soaring past many cars on the famed Hillclimb, but it does get a bump up in equipment that includes a 153-hp (114 kW) turbo diesel engine and a reverse camera. At camp, it offers outdoor shade thanks to an included Omnistor awning.
Inside, the Bianco provides the usual comfort and amenities of the Wellhouse Terrier dressed to match the exterior. Black leather seating is offset by white headrests, stitching and furniture. The interior includes separate roof and cabin double beds, a heater, LED lighting, and a kitchen with stove, sink and refrigerator. Wellhouse's handy rear sliding bench slides forward to make room for cargo in the back and slides back to open up the camper interior. The front seats swivel around to face the cabin.
The Terrier Bianco will appear at Ford's stand at the Goodwood festival, which takes place this week. It will start at £45,000 (US$76,000), a £10,000 premium over the standard Terrier, and will join the Nero (black), Argento (silver) and Rosso (red) special edition Terrier trims.
Source: Wellhouse Leisure
I'm not sure what country you come from, but in Europe (and Britain especially) there is a huge advantage to be had from driving a small-footprint rising roof camper, as they can access narrow single-track lanes, and deliberately height-restricted parking spaces (not to mention that our parking bays are very tight and rarely much longer than a Mondeo-sized car).
I've driven much larger vans down country lanes and congested urban streets, and I wouldn't opt to do it for pleasure, if there was a smaller alternative. A van this size is small enough to make a viable commuting vehicle, whereas a larger van, in Europe, would not.
I would agree that in certain markets, eg the US, Canada, Australia, etc, that a larger vehicle would be preferable.