• Just one engine available
• Plenty of power for a large vehicle
• Two or four-wheel drive

Diesel engine

The Grand California is available with just one diesel engine option. It’s a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder unit with 180hp, paired to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

No, it’s not ‘quick’, given a fully laden Grand California weighs well over three tons. But it’s ample for cruising, and gets the Grand California up to speed with plenty in reserve. It’s even fairly refined, only coming through at high revs.

The automatic gearbox, meanwhile, is truly excellent – it shifts smoothly and quickly and is very rarely caught out in the wrong ratio. It takes the sting out of slow-moving traffic and hill-starts, and gives a real premium feel compared to many other manual campers.

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As standard, the Grand California is front-wheel drive, but 4Motion four-wheel drive is optional. It might be more useful than you expect, particularly if you often wild camp or use smaller sites without hardstanding pitches. The Grand California can easily get stuck on boggy ground otherwise.

Handling

Just one look at the Grand California – especially the 600 with its near-three-metre height – should tell you that this is no hot hatchback. For the vehicle size, weight and dimensions, though, it handles well.

The Crafter base vehicle has always had rather light and direct steering, and this translates over with a reassuringly responsive helm. The turning circle isn’t the best, though, which can make manoeuvring in a crowded campsite frustrating.

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Ride quality, meanwhile, is excellent, and even long journeys aren’t a pain. The Grand California deals effectively with everything from large bumps to smaller potholes, and never feels in danger of grounding out. It doesn’t even lean too drastically, which is impressive. A Fiat Ducato is definitely harder-riding.

While bumps do transmit a shudder through the cabin, it’s usually the contents of the cupboards that make noise – rather than the cupboards themselves.