The new Ford Nugget is a luxurious Transit-based camper van with a roomier interior, improved dynamics and more advanced technology than its predecessor – plus the option of plug-in power for the first time.
Revealed today at the Caravan Salon exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany, the latest Nugget is based on the upcoming Transit Custom – the latest generation of the most popular van in Europe and the most popular vehicle in the UK.
Like the Transit, the new Nugget is tipped to be a strong seller, given the market for leisure vehicles in Europe doubled between 2016 and 2021, with more than 180,000 motorhomes now sold in the region each year.
Hans Schep, boss of the Ford Pro commercial vehicle division, noted that “the compact camper van, within that, is actually the largest-growing portion of the leisure market – so the Nugget, which has been in this market for quite a while, is obviously a central piece of our strategy”. Ford sells around 30,000 Nuggets per year, he said.
Available to order now in certain markets, the Nugget is priced from €76,500 in Germany, suggesting an entry price of around £65,000 in the UK.
Being based on the new Transit Custom, it has a completely fresh look to match its sharply styled commercial sibling, plus all the improvements in usability and functionality that come with the switch to a new platform. It is “an entirely new product for an entirely new era,” said Schep.
The interior, for example, is said to be easier to move around in, courtesy of a lower, flatter floor and a new, more compact dashboard design. There’s an integrated side step for easy access, too, and the Nugget boasts “class-leading sliding side door and rear tailgate apertures”.
The five-seat, four-berth cabin has been designed and engineered with conversion partner Westfalia, which has worked on every Nugget since the first generation launched in 1986.
Ford says the Nugget has been “reinvented for the digital age”, and that it has worked extensively with existing Nugget owners to determine where the formula could be best improved.