160 hp diesel for campers on the Ducato · VanLife Weekly #36

A lot happened in the motorhome world last week: Stellantis unveiled a new 160 hp diesel for the Ducato, Boxer, Jumper and Movano, the Valencia regional government handed out almost 400,000 euros for motorhome pitches in 16 dwindling villages in Castellón, Andalusia issued 98 fines in a year for overnighting outside campsites, and in the Netherlands a neighbourly scheme offering free overnight stays on private driveways has grown to 550 addresses across several countries.

Stellantis unveils a 160 hp diesel for the Ducato and its siblings

Almost every European camper is built on one of four related vans: the Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer, Citroën Jumper or Opel Movano. It is the same vehicle under different badges, and all four brands belong to Stellantis. So news about their engine is news about roughly the whole market at once: Stellantis has unveiled a new 160 hp MultiJet 2.2 turbodiesel for all four.

Displacement is 2,184 cubic centimetres. With the manual gearbox it produces 380 Nm of torque, with the eight-speed automatic 400 Nm. Torque matters more than power here: it decides whether a loaded camper will pull a long mountain climb without straining and constant gear changes. The manufacturer also promises lower carbon dioxide emissions. Prices and delivery dates have not been disclosed — what was shown at the exhibition was the engine, not the price list.

What changes in practice. Campers have grown noticeably heavier in recent years: batteries, water, gear on the roof, bike garages. The 140 hp engine that base versions were fitted with for a long time works at its limit when fully loaded in the mountains, and that is one of the most common owner complaints. The stronger option with the automatic gearbox addresses exactly that. Expect to see it in new vehicles from the 2027 model year onwards — Stellantis updates its engines earlier than camper makers manage to move their catalogues over to them.

In brief

• Belgium, market: over seven months the country registered 4,754 new leisure vehicles, 9.9% more than last year, with 40% of camper buyers purchasing one for the first time and 90% of deals financed by credit. An average new motorhome costs 80,000–100,000 euros.
• Sweden, market: between January and August 4,834 motorhomes were registered — a jump of 50.4%, while caravans dropped 4.6%. The surge is linked to the Euro 6 emissions rules: people are hurrying to buy under the current regulations.
• Germany, budget: Berlin-based AnkerCaravan brought to Düsseldorf a Micro 240 micro-caravan for under 10,000 euros — a 2.4-metre body, 440 kg unladen weight, with a kitchen, three berths and a bathroom with a shower inside.
• Germany, budget 2: Bürstner showed a six-metre Papillon PC 6.0 camper for 43,999 euros built on the Citroën Jumper — with a toilet, a kitchen and a lithium battery. Manufacturers are clearly working on the bottom end of the price range.
• France, engineering: Beauer presented the X8 caravan, which expands from 2.05 to 4.80 metres wide once parked — up to 30 square metres, two bedrooms and eight berths. It costs 109,990 euros, but the payload is only 100 kg: that is luggage for two, not for eight.
• Germany, concept: Dethleffs brought its C.Core research camper on a VW Crafter chassis — folding 600 W solar panels, a 400 Ah battery and a closed-loop grey water treatment system that lets you reuse the water all season without changing filters. It will not go into production.
• Japan, overnight stays: from 1 September the Oedo Onsen hot spring resort chain opened camper pitches in the car parks of seven of its hotels — 3,500 yen a night including entry to the hot springs, check-in between 15:00 and 21:00 and staff on site around the clock.
• South Korea, dispute: the city of Seongnam is rezoning the land under the auto campsite in Yuldong Park, which is under investigation by special police: the site covers 29,676 square metres against a legal limit of 10,000 for such zones. Civic groups call this legalising a violation after the fact.
• Canada, market: the industry association CRVA reported an 18% rise in wholesale shipments in the second quarter, and for motorised motorhomes a jump of 81% after tariff restrictions were introduced.
• Argentina, end of the world: the city council of Río Grande in Tierra del Fuego approved a municipal campsite for motorhomes with water, electricity, security and a dump station — on the route to the southernmost point of the continent there are only a handful of such places.
• Indonesia, racing: for the MotoGP at Mandalika on 9–11 October, 10 campers, 75 glamping units and 75 tents are being prepared on Kuta beach: the region has only 3,500 hotel rooms, and a night in a camper there costs 10–15 million rupiah.
• Wales, expansion: the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park committee approved 12 extra pitches at Lydstep Beach Village — from 471 to 483, against objections from local councils, to protect 123 jobs.

Where to go

Inland Castellón (Spain), September and October. Everyone knows the Valencian coast, but the mountainous part of Castellón province — the Maestrazgo, the area around Peñagolosa, the Sierra de Espadán — stays almost empty, and that is where the interesting part of a slow trip begins. This week there is a practical reason to go, too: the Generalitat Valenciana allocated 395,941 euros for motorhome pitches in 16 municipalities at risk of dying out — the money goes to new and upgraded facilities with grey and black water dump stations and drinking water refills. For inland areas this is exactly the everyday problem that keeps people away: there is plenty to see, but nowhere to empty a tank. Autumn is the logical time to go: in summer it is still bearable above 1,000 metres, but the roads are clogged with coastal traffic, while in September and October the temperature drops to comfortable, the harvest and village festivals begin, and in medieval towns like Morella you can easily find a spot without booking. The format is short drives along mountain roads between villages of 200–500 people, where something is being built for visitors for the first time in a long while. If you have long wanted Spain but not the queues and beach bans, this is your option.

Watch out

• Spain, the Níjar coast (Andalusia), all season: the environmental service has issued 98 fines since the start of the year for parking and overnighting outside permitted places in the natural park. What matters more than the size of the fine is the definition: camping there includes a table set out, an awning rolled out or levelling blocks placed — anything that extends the space the vehicle occupies. You can stand there, but you cannot settle in: if you stop outside a designated site, do not unfold anything outdoors.
• Bulgaria, the Yovkovtsi reservoir, right now: a surprise inspection near the village of Shilkovtsi uncovered an illegal campsite right inside the protection zone of the region's main drinking water source, and the case went to the prosecutor's office. Water intake protection zones are rarely marked with a sign a foreigner would understand, and the liability there is criminal, not a parking matter. Before staying overnight near any reservoir, check the status of the shore, not just whether there is a way down to it.
• Finland, Parainen, right now: a parked motorhome caught fire because of a heater plugged into the mains; the person sleeping inside woke up to the flames and got out in time. This is the start of the season when people bring a household heater into the vehicle instead of using the built-in one. Do not leave it running overnight and do not plug it in through an extension lead — and a smoke detector in the living area costs less than any other solution.
• Italy, Riccione, right now: guests of the long-standing Easy Camping Village are collecting signatures against the redevelopment: they fear that after the rebuild the pitches for tents, caravans and motorhomes will disappear altogether. It is a common sign of the season on the Adriatic — old, affordable campsites are being turned into expensive holiday villages. If you have a favourite site you have been going to for years, call and ask about the owner's plans before you build next summer's route around it.

Something good to finish

Two stories worth forwarding.

550 driveways where you can stay the night for free. In the Netherlands the "Welkom op mijn Oprit" scheme has caught on — people offer their own driveway for a camper to stay the night, simply because. Piet and Astrid from Oostdijk are among three such hosts on the island of Goeree-Overflakkee, and the community already counts 26,000 members and 550 addresses — not only across Europe, but also in New Zealand, Canada and Ecuador. There is one condition: the camper has to be self-sufficient, although hosts often offer water and electricity anyway. Piet and Astrid say they have travelled more since they started hosting: it was their guests who told them where to go in their own country.

A hundred days after selling the house. Nikola Borić and his partner Zorana sold their house and land on Papuk in Croatia and moved into a camper. A hundred days on, he added up the first tally: their costs fell by roughly half, even though fuel and food had got more expensive. They barely paid for campsites — along the way they kept meeting people who offered water, electricity and a place to park. The most honest part of his account is that the saving came not from giving up comfort, but from there no longer being much to spend money on.

This week's questions

Is it worth waiting for the new Stellantis engine if I am planning to buy a camper?

If you often drive in the mountains or tow a trailer — yes, it makes sense to wait for the new model year. The new MultiJet 2.2 delivers 160 hp and 380 Nm of torque with the manual gearbox or 400 Nm with the eight-speed automatic, and it is torque that determines how the vehicle climbs when fully loaded. Stellantis has not announced prices or delivery dates yet, so no dealer can give you an exact date right now. If you mostly drive on flat ground and not far, the base engine will do, and stock vehicles fitted with it will soon be easier to negotiate down.

What counts as "camping" in Spain if I am just parked?

More than you would think. On the Níjar coast in Andalusia, inspectors treat as camping not only sleeping there but any extension of the space you occupy: a table set out, an awning rolled out, levelling blocks placed. In other words, a parked vehicle and a vehicle with the awning out are legally different things. Since the start of the year 98 fines have been issued there. The practical rule is simple: outside a designated site your vehicle should look like a parked car, not a set-up camp.

Why go to inland Castellón, and what is the infrastructure like?

It is the mountainous part of the province between Valencia and Catalonia — the Maestrazgo, Peñagolosa, the Sierra de Espadán, with villages of a few hundred people and medieval towns like Morella. The main problem there was a practical one: plenty to see, nowhere to empty a tank. This week the Generalitat Valenciana allocated 395,941 euros to sixteen municipalities specifically for motorhome service points — with grey and black water dump stations and water refills. The best time is September and October, when the heat eases off and the village festivals begin.

Is it true you can buy a caravan for under 10,000 euros?

Yes, but you need to understand what you get. The Micro 240 from Berlin-based AnkerCaravan, shown in Düsseldorf, costs under 10,000 euros in its base version, with a 2.4-metre body and an unladen weight of 440 kg — inside there is a kitchen, three berths and a bathroom with a shower. Fuller specifications cost 14,000, 15,500 and 16,000 euros. The flip side of compactness shows in another example from the same show: the Beauer X8 caravan at 109,990 euros expands to 30 square metres and claims eight berths, but its payload is only 100 kilograms. What to look at is not the number of berths, but how much the vehicle is legally allowed to carry.

How do free overnight stays on private driveways work?

A homeowner registers with the community and opens their driveway to campers; the stay is free. The Dutch scheme "Welkom op mijn Oprit" currently has 26,000 members and 550 such addresses — in Europe, and also in New Zealand, Canada and Ecuador. There is one requirement: the vehicle has to be self-sufficient, meaning it carries its own water, toilet and electricity, although many hosts offer a hook-up anyway. This is not a substitute for a week at a campsite but a format for a single night on the road — and judging by what the hosts themselves say, its main value is the conversation, not the money saved.

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