This is the UK version of the Citroen Holidays camper van, launched today at The Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show at the NEC. It’s the latest in a growing group of campers sold by vehicle manufacturers themselves, rather than third-party specialists. The Volkswagen California is the best-known of the Citroen’s rivals, and it looks like the French contender stacks up well against the competition.
The Holidays is based on the SpaceTourer, the posh-ish MPV version of Citroen’s Dispatch van. As such, it comes with a more powerful engine than the van, and the cab is equipped and finished to a high standard. There are two beds that sleep four people, a pop-top roof, kitchen, removable table and a toilet – a rarity in this type of camper.
So what’s the Citroen Holidays like to live in?
We had the chance for a good poke around the Citroen Holidays at the launch and, on first impression, its interior is a comfortable, practical space to live in. The layout follows the same pattern as similar campers. Both side doors slide open, the kitchen unit and cupboards are on the left side, the kitchen can be moved outside for al fresco dinners. It includes a two-burner hob, 16-litre fridge and a small sink. There’s space for a gas bottle and 10-litre clean water tank, as well.
The table sits between the swivelling front seats and two rear seats, which slide back and forth and can be removed entirely. They also fold down creating a bed 1.15 metres wide and 1.90 metres long. It’s only just wide enough for two, but we can imagine getting a good night’s sleep in it. The tailgate window opens for ventilation – and countryside sounds ASMR – while vacuum blinds attach to the all the windows.
The second bed is found in the (body-coloured) pop-top. It’s fractionally bigger at 1.20 metres wide and 1.95 metres long, the lift-up base is dotted with rubber ‘cup’ springs that form a very comfortable mattress.
A Webasto heating system allows you to set the interior temperature to your liking. There’s an external 230V electrical hook-up, a solar panel on the roof keeps the leisure battery topped up. Inside, the living quarters has 230V, USB-A and USB-C, while the cab has more USB and 12V sockets, and a wireless phone charging pad. The limited storage space means even two people would have to pack carefully, but you could always specify the optional towbar and attach a trailer or storage box for extra stuff.
What about the toilet?
The Citroen Holidays is one of only campers of this type that’s available with an optional 10-litre cassette-type toilet – the other being the Ford Nugget. It doesn’t have a specific home in the vehicle, instead you can put it wherever you want. We’d have it in a tent outside for when you’re caught short, otherwise the campsite toilets are probably a better bet. You can wash in the sink – which has a 10-litre wastewater tank – or use the external shower, which has its own 25-litre water supply.
What’s the Citroen Holidays like to drive?
The Holidays is ultimately based on the Citroen Dispatch which, like all modern mid-size vans, is a perfectly pleasant thing to drive. Its steering is accurate, it doesn’t lean over much in corners. The SpaceTourer MPV derivative the Holidays is spun off from adds quite a thick layer of extra comfort and refinement. Add it all up and we expect the Holidays will be an easy and relaxing means of chomping through several hundred miles. If not as engaging as the Transit Custom-based Ford Nugget.
In the UK, the Holidays is only available with the top-grade 2.0-litre BlueHDi diesel engine, which produces 180hp and 400Nm of torque, and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Citroen quotes a 0-62mph time of 10.6 seconds, which is pretty quick for this type of vehicle. More relevantly, it’s capable of 29.8mpg average fuel economy and emits 208g/km of CO2.
Parking shouldn’t be an issue. The Holidays is 4.98 metres long and 1.92 metres wide – the same size as many family SUVs. Standard front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera make manoeuvring easier, as well. At 1.99 metres tall, it will sit under multi-storey height restrictions, but only just.
A 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system sits in the middle of the dashboard. Standard features include Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, satnav, air conditioning, adaptive cruise control, electric front windows and door mirrors, plus heated driver’s seat and steering wheel.
How much will the Citroen Holidays cost and when can I buy one?
The Citroen Holidays is available to order now. There’s just the one model available, priced at £55,285 all-in. You can add metallic paint, a comprehensive alarm, tow bar and spare wheel on top.
What this means for you
The show where the Citroen Holidays was revealed took over fully half of the NEC – it’s a massive event. And there’s another of the same of scale every October. The camper van, motorhome and caravan industry is truly enormous, and that’s why Citroen has jumped in.
The Holidays’ key rivals are the Ford Nugget, Mercedes Marco Polo and, of course, the Volkswagen California. The Citroen costs the least but, on first inspection, is built and finished to the same kind of standard. And it carries a full Citroen warranty for both the vehicle itself and the living quarters, which you don’t get with campers built by third-party specialists.
No doubt the California’s copper-bottomed image and high residual values will keep it as the default choice in this market. But the Citroen Holidays looks like a very good contender that’s well worth considering.
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