Each month Motorcaravan Motorhome Monthly Magazine feature a reader submission called 'Living with A.....' Our Wildax was featured in the February 2013 issue. I am not permitted to reproduce it here as Warners Group, publishers of the magazine, own the copyright. If you would like to read the exact copy please click here. Please read on to find out some of the factors involved in making our choice and some analysis with the benefit of hindsight after living in the van full time. Skip to the bottom of the page to download the specification table and our likes and dislikes documents.
It is our intention to live in our Wildax for many years to come and wherever we travel in the world we get lots of positive comments. If you have any specific questions please contact us or look at the FAQ page on this site.
At the end of 2009 the research began in earnest to see if any of the vans on the market would meet our requirements and suit our lifestyle. On the chassis and engine side we wanted to specify additional upgrades and options and for the living area we had
carefully considered what our needs were. When living full time in a motorhome, not necessarily staying on a camp site, 12v power provision and space within the van for secure storage are both extremely important. A permanent fixed rear bed would give us
extra storage space underneath and save the hassle of making the bed up every night.
The vans we saw in showrooms and forecourts didn't quite match up to what we wanted so we looked into what was being made by the independent van conversion companies. Wildax use the Citroen Relay as the base vehicle for their Aurora Leisure. The layout provides two bench sofas at the rear which make up into a double bed. The central part of the van contains the bathroom, kitchen and wardrobe. The front transforms into the living area with swivel front seats, a dinette table and bench seat. A flat screentelevision is bracketed to the wall above the bench seat, facing the swivel seats. Duncan Wildman of Wildax agreed to make changes to the Aurora Leisure for us. Principally to fit it onto an extra long wheelbase, Left Hand Drive Citroen Relay (Jumper). Mike specified a 160 HP 3 litre engine to give extra power for overtaking and additional torque for steep hills. A diesel tank of 125 litres has been fitted instead of the standard 90 litres, giving us a range of 800 miles a fill up.
The living area of the van has the same layout as the original Aurora but we have had a permanent rear bed fitted and raised off the floor. This has provided us with a large storage area underneath the bed. As we have chosen the extra long wheelbase van and because we sleep widthways, this has meant the bed is very wide and has extra storage underneath. As the distance from the floor to the top of the memory foam mattress is over 900mm we climb up on to the bed using a folding stool. Because the bed is raised there is less space above our heads, but we have not found this to be a problem. In order to stow away small items we have made pockets and secured them on to the walls around the bed. We also added a privacy curtain between the living area and the bed. Access to the storage area is gained through the rear doors or from the inside through the space under the bed. We fitted additional lighting under the bed as it's difficult to look for things in the dark. A spacious four seater dining and living space is created when parked by rotating the driver and passenger seat to face the rear of the van. Unfortunately, the swivel seats only have one arm rest each and we would have liked one each side. Wildax informed us that this was not an available option on the standard seat. We have a flat screen TV above the bench seat and sit on the swivelled chairs with our feet on a stool each for viewing. We specified a 17” TV/DVD instead of the 14” supplied with the van. As well as the larger screen size it also has USB storage which enables us to watch pre recorded programmes, films and pause live digital television. The TV/DVD has a headphone socket so one person can watch TV and the other can read or work on the laptop undisturbed.
The build quality and finish of the fixtures and fittings are of a very high standard and we are pleased with our choice of upholstery. We have purchased a removable insect screen for the main sliding door as we keep it open most of the time. When the door is shut we haven't felt cramped inside as it feels spacious with all the windows, plenty of headroom and a large 600mm x 600mm Remis roof light in the main living area. Mike read in a test report that not all leisure batteries are created as equals so we specified Banner Bull, as the report had recommended. They are installed under the bed and bench seat respectively and provide us with enough capacity to power the 12v electrics. Wildax fitted additional 12v sockets, one next to the dinette table and the other above the bed. A solar panel on the roof keeps all our batteries topped up with electricity when we are stationary and the sun is shining. It wasn't until after we had arrived on the continent during our first trip away that we realised the batteries weren't holding any charge. This was very frustrating but we returned to the Wildax factory and the fault was very quickly repaired. The batteries had been wired incorrectly.
The kitchen area is laid out well but there is less space than we have had in our larger motorhomes. The reality is that for food preparation and organisational management Mike has to be sitting down somewhere out of the way! An extra slide out work top over the fridge has proved useful for chopping and slicing food and stacking dishes after washing them up. There is a two ring gas hob with an integral stainless steel sink. Below the hob is a gas cooker and grill. The stainless steel sink is big enough and easy to keep clean. There is plenty of cupboard space for food and crockery and there is a slide out cupboard which has proved to be ideal for spices and cutlery. We chose the larger 110 litre fridge option but although the extra space is nice it doesn't seem very efficient. Apparently the compressor is the same as the one in the 90 litre. If it's completely full the contents freeze on the coldest setting. Anything less than this and it needs to be on flat out to keep the contents cold. I also find it very difficult to get the shelves back in correctly after cleaning. The van is fitted with a 20 litre LPG gas tank. This fuels the hot water, air blown central heating, fridge, cooker and hob. We have never run out of gas but with hindsight a 30 litre tank would have been better and we had one fitted in 2012. Without using the central heating we consume about two thirds of a litre per day cooking and running the fridge when off camp sites. The additional 10 litres has given us a bit extra in countries where LPG is difficult to obtain.
One of the reasons we chose the Wildax van is that the bathroom is a self contained wet room. It has a timbor door instead of a shower curtain and the shower tray is built onto a solid base to prevent flexing. Unfortunately the floor did flex and we understand that this was caused by a problem with the fibreglass mould. Wildax were very responsive with the repairs and worked with us until it was exactly right and we had no leaks. The toilet is a standard C200 Thetford and lasts about 3 nights when we're off site. Removing the cassette is awkward as the access door is on the inside of the van. It would have been better on the outside. The grey and fresh water tanks are both 100 litre capacity and have a tap fitted on the outside of the van for emptying. The pipe and tap could be of a larger diameter as draining the tanks is very time consuming. Both tanks are fitted with a heater that runs off the 12v electric system to prevent the contents from freezing in sub zero temperatures.
Our van has lived up to our expectations by giving us back the versatility we craved. Our planning and forethought have paid off so we can turn down a cobbled road or take a winding mountain route which we couldn't do in an R.V. Travelling back and forth from the UK to mainland Europe several times a year, has meant we clock up the miles. With an average fuel consumption in excess of 30 mpg high mileage is affordable. The practicalities such as food preparation and getting ourselves ready take longer because there is less floor space. Fortunately time is what we have and this hasn't taken us long to get used to. We have carefully analysed everything that we take away with us and if something hasn't been used we have given it away or stored it elsewhere.
carefully considered what our needs were. When living full time in a motorhome, not necessarily staying on a camp site, 12v power provision and space within the van for secure storage are both extremely important. A permanent fixed rear bed would give us
extra storage space underneath and save the hassle of making the bed up every night.
The vans we saw in showrooms and forecourts didn't quite match up to what we wanted so we looked into what was being made by the independent van conversion companies. Wildax use the Citroen Relay as the base vehicle for their Aurora Leisure. The layout provides two bench sofas at the rear which make up into a double bed. The central part of the van contains the bathroom, kitchen and wardrobe. The front transforms into the living area with swivel front seats, a dinette table and bench seat. A flat screentelevision is bracketed to the wall above the bench seat, facing the swivel seats. Duncan Wildman of Wildax agreed to make changes to the Aurora Leisure for us. Principally to fit it onto an extra long wheelbase, Left Hand Drive Citroen Relay (Jumper). Mike specified a 160 HP 3 litre engine to give extra power for overtaking and additional torque for steep hills. A diesel tank of 125 litres has been fitted instead of the standard 90 litres, giving us a range of 800 miles a fill up.
The living area of the van has the same layout as the original Aurora but we have had a permanent rear bed fitted and raised off the floor. This has provided us with a large storage area underneath the bed. As we have chosen the extra long wheelbase van and because we sleep widthways, this has meant the bed is very wide and has extra storage underneath. As the distance from the floor to the top of the memory foam mattress is over 900mm we climb up on to the bed using a folding stool. Because the bed is raised there is less space above our heads, but we have not found this to be a problem. In order to stow away small items we have made pockets and secured them on to the walls around the bed. We also added a privacy curtain between the living area and the bed. Access to the storage area is gained through the rear doors or from the inside through the space under the bed. We fitted additional lighting under the bed as it's difficult to look for things in the dark. A spacious four seater dining and living space is created when parked by rotating the driver and passenger seat to face the rear of the van. Unfortunately, the swivel seats only have one arm rest each and we would have liked one each side. Wildax informed us that this was not an available option on the standard seat. We have a flat screen TV above the bench seat and sit on the swivelled chairs with our feet on a stool each for viewing. We specified a 17” TV/DVD instead of the 14” supplied with the van. As well as the larger screen size it also has USB storage which enables us to watch pre recorded programmes, films and pause live digital television. The TV/DVD has a headphone socket so one person can watch TV and the other can read or work on the laptop undisturbed.
The build quality and finish of the fixtures and fittings are of a very high standard and we are pleased with our choice of upholstery. We have purchased a removable insect screen for the main sliding door as we keep it open most of the time. When the door is shut we haven't felt cramped inside as it feels spacious with all the windows, plenty of headroom and a large 600mm x 600mm Remis roof light in the main living area. Mike read in a test report that not all leisure batteries are created as equals so we specified Banner Bull, as the report had recommended. They are installed under the bed and bench seat respectively and provide us with enough capacity to power the 12v electrics. Wildax fitted additional 12v sockets, one next to the dinette table and the other above the bed. A solar panel on the roof keeps all our batteries topped up with electricity when we are stationary and the sun is shining. It wasn't until after we had arrived on the continent during our first trip away that we realised the batteries weren't holding any charge. This was very frustrating but we returned to the Wildax factory and the fault was very quickly repaired. The batteries had been wired incorrectly.
The kitchen area is laid out well but there is less space than we have had in our larger motorhomes. The reality is that for food preparation and organisational management Mike has to be sitting down somewhere out of the way! An extra slide out work top over the fridge has proved useful for chopping and slicing food and stacking dishes after washing them up. There is a two ring gas hob with an integral stainless steel sink. Below the hob is a gas cooker and grill. The stainless steel sink is big enough and easy to keep clean. There is plenty of cupboard space for food and crockery and there is a slide out cupboard which has proved to be ideal for spices and cutlery. We chose the larger 110 litre fridge option but although the extra space is nice it doesn't seem very efficient. Apparently the compressor is the same as the one in the 90 litre. If it's completely full the contents freeze on the coldest setting. Anything less than this and it needs to be on flat out to keep the contents cold. I also find it very difficult to get the shelves back in correctly after cleaning. The van is fitted with a 20 litre LPG gas tank. This fuels the hot water, air blown central heating, fridge, cooker and hob. We have never run out of gas but with hindsight a 30 litre tank would have been better and we had one fitted in 2012. Without using the central heating we consume about two thirds of a litre per day cooking and running the fridge when off camp sites. The additional 10 litres has given us a bit extra in countries where LPG is difficult to obtain.
One of the reasons we chose the Wildax van is that the bathroom is a self contained wet room. It has a timbor door instead of a shower curtain and the shower tray is built onto a solid base to prevent flexing. Unfortunately the floor did flex and we understand that this was caused by a problem with the fibreglass mould. Wildax were very responsive with the repairs and worked with us until it was exactly right and we had no leaks. The toilet is a standard C200 Thetford and lasts about 3 nights when we're off site. Removing the cassette is awkward as the access door is on the inside of the van. It would have been better on the outside. The grey and fresh water tanks are both 100 litre capacity and have a tap fitted on the outside of the van for emptying. The pipe and tap could be of a larger diameter as draining the tanks is very time consuming. Both tanks are fitted with a heater that runs off the 12v electric system to prevent the contents from freezing in sub zero temperatures.
Our van has lived up to our expectations by giving us back the versatility we craved. Our planning and forethought have paid off so we can turn down a cobbled road or take a winding mountain route which we couldn't do in an R.V. Travelling back and forth from the UK to mainland Europe several times a year, has meant we clock up the miles. With an average fuel consumption in excess of 30 mpg high mileage is affordable. The practicalities such as food preparation and getting ourselves ready take longer because there is less floor space. Fortunately time is what we have and this hasn't taken us long to get used to. We have carefully analysed everything that we take away with us and if something hasn't been used we have given it away or stored it elsewhere.
|
| ||||
