It might not seem like the ideal weather for sleeping under canvas right now, but the early bird - or planner - catches the worm, and camping slots at next year’s Festival of Speed are booking up, as are the best camp sites around the country - you know the ones: pizza oven, kids’ cafe tents, rope swings…
Here are our best cars to go camping in. That means space for the tent, sleeping bags, stove and wellies, four-wheel drive for the muddy fields and practical interiors for all the kids’ mess.
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A huge boot and loads of leg space for adult passengers makes this estate one of the best cars for camping. It’s a fairly svelte beast from the outside, with a range of engines, and a vRS version for those who still want some oomph.
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This is the big one, for those in need of a high ride, big boot (or seven occupants) and a large towing capacity in case you favour a caravan, not a tent.
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Four-wheel-drive, increased ground clearance and skid plates to conquer that rocky track to the field where you’re planning to raise the canvas. But it’s still an estate, so you still get that lovely load area for all the gubbins.
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Essentially a posher version of the VW, albeit with a smaller boot space, and the price reflects that. The differences are largely inside, with a plush set of digital graphics and screens for satnav, DAB, media, climate and so on.
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For back-to-basics camping, which is surely the very definition of the word (glampers, we spit in your organic sausages), you won’t do better than the new Jimny. Not much space inside, and a 1.5-litre engine with around 100PS, so this one is very much for couples who only require a flimsy two-man tent and some sunshine.
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Fun is at the heart of this pumped up, inflated version of the cute Fiat 500. Inside, there’s room for two adults and two children in comfort and room in the boot for a bagged tent, sleeping bags and some food. The paintwork is bright, the black fabric seats are smart with white piping, and you can hook up your phone. Job done.
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This is the smart offering for the country set: Barbour and Dubarrys at the ready, and possibly a dog, too, if the campsite allows. The new one is about to go on sale. “Adventure is out there”, as Volvo rightly says.
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Room for seven, just, but then you’ll need a topbox. We’d strongly advise leaving the third row of seats down, to give you enough boot space for the kit and caboodle. Land Rover’s legendary off-road systems mean you can travel anywhere.
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In terms of value for money, the Duster is still in a league of its own. Hard-wearing plastic interiors, boot mats, raised ride height, hill descent control, reversing camera, hill-start assist, loads of storage space… Tick.
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Go plug-in hybrid (£31,895) and you’ll feel extra green as you head off for a weekend in a field. Four-wheel-drive is optional, but there’s plenty of room for a family of four to head off for the weekend in this funky crossover.
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