A Japanese-badged MPV put together in the US and turned into an American camper by a Korean mini-camper specialist – that about sums up the new Unicamp Toyota Sienna Pop Top camper van. Or at least it tracks its melting-pot roots – the new camper minivan has a much larger story to tell, filling a major void left by midsize van market deserters like Ford and Nissan to serve as the affordable, flexible small pop-up camper the US market could desperately use. The Unicamp Sienna is ready to pull over at a moment's notice and spend the night, leveraging a standard hybrid powertrain, three-row passenger seating, and optional all-wheel-drive for the ultimate in impromptu road trip versatility.
Seeing a market devoid of compact, versatile pop-up campers left in the wake of a complete North American midsize van exodus, Korea's Unicamp identified a unique opportunity to bring its mini-camper hardware to the American masses. In 2023, it partnered up to ship over the Kia Carnival pop-up MPV it offers in South Korea, then followed up by answering customer demand for a pop-up version of the Toyota Sienna, a camping vehicle it does not offer in Korea but developed specifically for the American market.
And like that, Unicamp USA was born to supply a new generation of freedom-chasing, thrill-seeking American road-trippers.
Since we last looked at the Sienna Pop Top in early 2024, Unicamp USA has put it through a full development and shakedown regimen to ensure it meets demanding US standards. This week, it announced that deliveries have officially begun, so you might just start seeing pop-up Unicamp Sienna mini-campers at campgrounds near you.
Unicamp's reinforced thermosetting plastic roof is a bit more conspicuous than more flush pop-up van roofs out there, looking something like a rooftop cargo box when closed. But owners should quickly forgive any perceived aesthetic deficit the first time the roof immediately transforms the 7-or 8-seat Sienna MPV into a pop-up bedroom, revealing an 84 x 37-in (213 x 94-cm) bed for two. The roof lifts at the push of a button for effortless deployment, and the bed holds up to 485 lb (220 kg).
Unicamp's Pop Top is a replacement for the Sienna factory roof only and not a complete camper van floor plan. The tilt-lift bed, then, doesn't clear up usable standing room since it's set over top rear seating and not the van floor, but it does provide interior access up into the roof area. The van below remains a stock three-row MPV good for daily driving, but now with the addition of an always-onboard weekend/road trip camping solution.
From there, Unicamp Sienna Pop Top owners can keep the MPV as is or transform it into a more complete camper, either on their own or with help from a conversion shop that deals in Siennas.
The Unicamp Pop Top is compatible with all 4th-generation Toyota Siennas (MY2021+), meaning it can be added to any trim/powertrain. So the Unicamp Sienna can be specced as something of a unicorn for the American market: a compact 204-in-long (518-cm) light camper van with standard hybrid powertrain and available all-wheel-drive.
Don't expect the Unicamp Sienna AWD to be as rugged as a lifted, fully aftermarket-dressed Mercedes Sprinter AWD adventure camper, but the 35 mpg (6.7 l/100km) combined and 630 miles (1,014 km) of driving range per fill-up, as estimated by the EPA, should help make up for any off-roadable shortcomings. For a little extra all-terrain camping prowess, Toyota offers the all-wheel-drive Sienna Woodland Edition with a slight lift up to 7 in (18 cm) of ground clearance (from 6.4 in/16.2 cm on other trims) and a 120-V AC outlet/1,500-W inverter for powering camping tools and accessories.
The Unicamp Sienna Pop Top is a roof-only bring-your-own-Sienna sale item and retails for US$16,000, with installation and a two-year warranty. Whether or not that strikes you as a good price, we will say that, while the price of seemingly everything else seems to be going up on a near-daily basis, that price carries over unchanged from January 2024. Installation is currently available in Henderson, Nevada, and Unicamp USA is working to expand its installation network, starting with a second location in Oregon.
For reference, Toyota currently lists the price of a base-level 2025 Sienna LE hybrid FWD at $40,635, including destination fee. The AWD Woodland Edition starts at $51,875. Toyota also offers a variety of optional Sienna camping add-ons, including Dometic outdoor furniture, a fast-deploying Kammok Crosswing side awning, a Kammok Outpost vehicle-supported hammock stand, and a Yakima Exo kitchen box.
Source: Unicamp USA
