To showcase the new Suzuki Eeco van’s versatility, Suzuki Auto South Africa has transformed the compact panel van into a camper-van.
Suzuki are the masters of producing compact cars that sell well. Customers are seriously spoiled for Suzuki choice because the Baleno, S-Presso and Swift – among many others – are all currently on sale in South Africa.
Their extensive passenger vehicle range has made them one of the country’s top three best-selling brands, but they also have a two-strong commercial vehicle range: the Super Carry truck and Eeco panel van.
While the Eeco panel van is ideal for business logistics due to its load space and minimal running costs, there’s also a unique camper version that has been designed for a life of adventure. Unfortunately Suzuki SA has confirmed that the camper is not for sale at this point as it’s only a concept, but more information on the product and its potential availability will be provided at a later date.
More about the camper
Like the panel van, the Camper is powered by a 1.2-litre engine with outputs of 59kW at 6 000 r/min and 104Nm at 3 000 r/min. It is coupled to a five-speed manual gearbox that sends power to the rear wheels. Suzuki claims an average fuel consumption of just 5.4 litres per 100km.
On the inside, it still boasts the same load-carrying capacity of 615kg, but instead of empty space behind the two front seats is a fully kitted out compact living quarters comprising of a couch (that can be turned into a bed), storage space (cupboard, drawers), washing up infrastructure and an inverter with plug points. It must be noted that the camper conversion was not carried out by Suzuki, but instead by a third-party company.
See below the breakdown of equipment and pricing, which will likely be added to the normal Eeco’s purchase price:
LED Lighting - R3500
Electrical - R8000
Charging Points - R9200
External Tent - R15000
Decor - R5750
Inverter for Electrical appliances - R8000
Thule Roof Rack - R5000
Roof rack aluminium frame – R4500
The Eeco Camper is by no means an off-road or all-terrain vehicle and is not the type of vehicle to do serious bundu bashing in. It comes equipped with normal radial tyres wrapped around 13-inch alloy wheels, giving it adequate ground clearance of 160mm and making it suitable for partial gravel and grass terrain with minimal fuss
Standard features include the fitment of two airbags, ABS braking, ESP, and EBD and rear parking sensors.
The exterior is draped with adventure-focused livery, like ‘Where to Next’ and ‘#WTN’, but is also made distinctive with roof racks that can carry things like jerry cans, a side mounted awning, a showerhead and curtain that can be fitted to the rear door, and even an option where Suzuki can remove one of the two front seats upon request.
How does it drive?
Having driven the panel van version, testing the camper served as a good barometer between how each of the vehicles performed. You can immediately feel that the camper feels more solid due to the extra added weight, and while the ride quality is better than the panel van it’s still not perfect. The great thing about the camper is being able to park literally anywhere and setup a ‘chill’ spot which immediately grabs people’s attention and gets them wanting to know more.
Fuel consumption from the little 1.2-litre engine is great, with the only downside being that there’s not much power on offer. The cabin area is basic with limited storage space including space for an aftermarket radio to be fitted. Oh, and there is air-conditioning.
The camper doesn’t feel as unsettled as the van when doing highway driving due to the extra weight on the rear wheels. Also, kudos to Suzuki and co for being able to configure living quarters with the minimal amount of space on offer. Besides the outdoor apparatus, the Camper also includes pillows, candles, a wooden nought and crosses game and a kettle.
Overall, we think that Suzuki should bring the Eeco camper to the local market because it gives customers who love the outdoors an affordable option. At the time of writing, there isn’t a similar fully-fledged camper available in the local market, so the Eeco would certainly carve out a unique path.
Spec, pricing and aftersales
Eeco Panel Van – R212 900
Eeco Camper Van – Pricing currently unavailable
The Suzuki Eeco comes with a 3-year/100 000km mechanical warranty.
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