November 2011 - Westfalia Nugget after 9 mounth.
Read here our recent impressions after 40.000km!
Here we are to give our opinion about the vehicle we bought in February to replace our (now sold) Wingamm Oasi 540 "born" in 1988.
The Westfalia is a different vehicle. The technological breakthroughs still amazes us. We miss the abundance of wood replaced by the practicality of the plastic but we are talking about a considerable price difference. If we normalize the price the quality is almost at the same level .. but Wingamm has something more.
Now I will totally abandon the Wingamm to go into details of this new van.
Let's start with negatives points, the positives ones you'll read anywhere.
1. The absence of the bathroom.
Well, much it depends on which use you'll do of the vehicle, I think this is clear to everybody. However I'm beginning to see a small connection between the bathroom and the folding roof. And what that does it mean? Well you know that the folding roof doesn't work during the winter (You need to put extra parts to isolate against the cold and the rain. Even when is really windy or with heavvy rain and no wind. Basically the folding roof give a footprint really "summer use" of the van. Of course it greatly facilitates the use as a car for the rest of the year. Because we do not have problems to leave it in the street, we took a hard top roof, good-insulated, resistant to wind and rain that makes it usable all year, even in external extreme conditions.Alt!!! None of you wakes up in the night to use the bathroom? Are you already picturing the scene right? With pajamas, from 18 degrees (internal temperature) to -20 degrees (external one) going to the camping bathroom??? If you fiund a campsite open during the winter then you'll have to dress up for those situations.
We plan to buy the famous porta-potties just for the winter usage. I'm pretty sure we'll end up using it also over the long trips and with children who are growing up it is starting to be a bit unconfortable. At least for me, my partner continues to look at me strange every time I speak about porta-potties and the inconvenience to not have a proper toilet).
... Now a small personal consideration (skip to the next sentence if you are not interested in it) between 50 € for buying porta-potties and than half meter of vehicle plus the necessity to stop and downloading in the drain (which we know the situation very well) ... we have chosen the 50 €.
2. The dark upper porthole.
We come now to the second sore point. There is a choice that I honestly do not understand and I hope no one ever will try to justify. IT IS MADE OF PAPER!!! You are reading right, a nice piece of paper with pleat!!! So, try to figurate ... at night, when you are sleeping, above you with the window open and the "paper curtain" close, the first one who closes a door generates a flow of air that inflates out the accessory by taking it out from the guides (plus noise). The next morning at 6 am, with the sun in your face, really sleepy you have to put it back in its place folded!!! ARE WE JOKING!?!? We will certain replacing that "solution" because we think it does not work properly.Now for these first 9 months I would say that the negative points are not bad. In fact they are here in this post. Not so long indeed. We are speaking of a single sore point given by the "paper curtain" (but sooner or later I will understand the reason for such a choice .. maybe in moments of peace, sitting on my magnificent porta-potties :D ).
Positive points .. I will not bore you, there are so many (otherwise we would not have chosen this vehicle), and you will find them everywhere on Internet.
Now I'll go to find info on our the next trip, see you soon!
Read here our impressions after 40.000km!