No, not that McLaren. We’re talking this time about the British motorhome conversion shop with the lowercase “L”, Mclaren Sports Homes. The Leigh-based outfit’s latest project turns the Volkswagen Crafter into an all-out adventure machine. The hardy Savage camper van wears a full array of all-terrain equipment and packs dirt bikes or mountain bikes in a reinforced garage below a power-lift bed. Start your adventure on four wheels and continue on two.
Similar to what we’ve seen come out of Harrogate-based RP Motorhomes, Mclaren specializes in both regular camper vans and bike/gear-hauling “sporthomes” with integrated garages. The Savage smashes these two worlds into one, combining the camper van and the sporthome into a versatile all-terrain adventure rig.
Previous Mclaren conversions have their camper interiors walled off from the rear storage compartments, both the full garages on the sporthomes and the more compact trunk areas on the camper vans. With the Savage, Mclaren opens things up, creating a more open, seamless interior space that runs from driver cockpit to rear load doors.
The rear of the Savage is the most interesting part of the design, performing as both a gear-hauling space and a bedroom courtesy of the power-lift double bed. The bed sits above a garage area with diamond plate flooring and tie-down track, adjusting in height around the cargo inside.
The Savage can swallow motorbikes or bicycles, and the passthrough aisle to the front of the van means drivers can even load long items that might not fit in Mclaren’s typical sporthome garages — surfboards, kayaks, paddleboards, etc. With the height-adjustable bed, the van can also carry tall standing items that wouldn’t fit inside the shorter sporthome garages that sit below raised beds inside.
All in all, the Savage is a versatile van for those who want to take large gear on their road trips. The lift-away bed should also prove quite valuable for everyday cargo hauling (e.g. carrying home improvement supplies).
The Savage looks much like any other camper van up ahead of its adjustable garage/bedroom. Mclaren fills out the van’s belly with a kitchen block and wet bath. The compact kitchen has a dual-burner stove and sink below flush tops and a small refrigerator below the counter. A side-facing bench sits in front of the wet bath on the other side.
At this point, the Savage looks quite similar to a Crafter version of other lift-away rear bed adventure vans, such as the Winnebago Revel or Adria Twin Supreme 640 SGX. As more of a custom shop, though, Mclaren puts its own sporty, ruggedized imprint on the design. Inside, the Savage includes swiveling Recaro sport seats and leather and Alcantara trim. Outside, Mclaren ups ruggedness and off-roadability with a set of BFGoodrich all-terrain tires on 17-in Black Rhino wheels, rock sliders and a 300W LED light bar. It also tacks on a rear ladder and Fiamma awning.
Campsite energy comes from a 110-Ah leisure battery, 100-W solar panel and 20-L refillable LPG tank. Water is held in 90-L fresh and 50-L waste tanks, and a Truma Combi 4e heats both the water and camper interior. An exterior hookup provides for hot outdoor showers.
Mclaren coordinates closely with customers on personalized builds, so prices can vary accordingly. The Savage demo model with the aforementioned specs listed for £66,000 (approx. US$85,775) when Mclaren introduced it in February. Surprisingly, there’s no mention of 4Motion on that model, though we’d imagine Mclaren would be more than happy to source an all-wheel-drive Crafter for a customer Savage build.
Mclaren gets Savage with all-terrain, bike-hauling Volkswagen camper van [New Atlas]