Holidaying in… a Panama P\10E Hybrid campervan

Campervan holidays are great for families, but I was a little nervous about taking our five year old son away because I worried he’d be so noisy he’d get ASBO’d by the staff at Sandringham Camping & Caravanning Club site where we pitched up for a couple of nights. That didn’t happen. This time.

I picked up the Panama P\10E campervan from Marquis Northants where I was given a full handover then drove it back 40-odd miles to my home. It had been a while since I’d driven a van but I soon felt at ease enjoying some tunes thanks to the excellent sound quality provided by the stereo. For a longer journey, I’d be tempted to use the adaptive cruise and lane centering for an even more relaxing driving experience.
Built on a Ford Tourneo Custom Active chassis, the Panama P\10E is powered by a 229 horsepower engine – it feels really nippy with a great turning circle (something I always appreciate) and it’s fully hybrid making it kinder to the environment (and your wallet).

One of the best features of this campervan is the Ford Pro Power Onboard system which is, in effect, a plug-in power source that negates the need for a generator and it’s the first of its kind to be installed in a camper in the UK. It delivers 2.3 kilowatts of exportable energy, so if you want to plug something into it while you’re on the move you can.
Many people new to touring can find the idea of travelling with a gas bottle inconvenient due to the extra weight and the fact that it can be a little fiddly for beginners. From my own point of view, when I’ve been away alone, I’ve sometimes struggled with the gas and then spent the whole time wondering if I’d turned it off. No such worry here as everything is powered by electricity, including the induction hob with room for two pans. Heading away in autumn, I worried we’d be cold but the 1000W electric heater was remarkably effective to the point where we got a bit hot – this was unexpected and convinced me that you could use this van all year round with no worries at all.

There’s a knack to folding out the bed downstairs but once you’ve mastered it, it’s really quick to sort and, unlike at home, our son fell asleep really quickly. I slept in the pop-top roof compartment, which I loved because the campsite is set in the forest and in the mornings I unzipped the front panel so I could watch the wildlife. We didn’t use the Porta Potti or the shower, but both are provided if you need them.
Everything has its place inside the campervan, and the table concealed in the tailgate saves space and is easy to fix into the unit in the kitchen area. Being user-friendly is a key aspect of this van so you won’t find loads of buttons on the control panel making it simple to use and there’s plenty of charging points. This is a major plus, because travelling with a child means there’s always a tablet nearby (I’m an honest parent because it’s not all about playing with sticks, sadly) and what happens if a device runs out of charge? It’s not good.

Parking in this van is no issue at all and the reversing camera offers an excellent range of vision making it much easier to get into tight space. We headed to Hunstanton one evening where only roadside parking was available and managed to bag a spot with ease. The boot space is generous even when the seating is slid completely back so plenty of room for wet weather gear keeping mess out of the rest of the van.
A lot of thought has gone into the design of this van and the living space provided has many considered space saving ideas – the ladder folded underneath the seating, the sink with folding tap and the compact kitchen drawers.

Before testing the Panama P/10E, I was guilty – as many of us are – of hearing the word ‘campervan’ and thinking instantly of Volkswagen, but this vehicle could change that. It’s a brave move introducing another medium-sized campervan in a marketplace that’s dominated by Volkswagen but surely it’s time for me? I think so.