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Review / A luxury RV built on a Ford Transit … for US$130,000? Why Leisure Travel Vans’ Wonder Rear Lounge is the ultimate home on wheels

How comfortable is Leisure Travel Vans’ new Wonder Rear Lounge, really? Photo: Leisure Travel Vans

Leisure Travel Vans has unveiled the 2021 Wonder Rear Lounge camper van. Built on the chassis of a 2020 Ford Transit, it retails for US$130,000.

True to its name, this new build is the first time a rear lounge is included in the layout. There are three other floor plans in the #VanLife Wonder line-up from Leisure Travel Vans: the Murphy Bed, Front Twin Bed and Rear Twin Bed.

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The Wonder Rear Lounge offers the comforts of a traditional home, with the added bonus of mobility to let you take your tiny home-from-home way out into the wide outdoors.

The camper van has a dual-zone layout with the sections separated by a hallway of bathrooms and a wardrobe. The front space is composed of a kitchen and dining area, while the rear space serves as lounge and bedroom.

The rear sectional sofa has two lounge chairs with footrests, positioned across from the 28-inch television and sound bar.

2021 Wonder Rear Lounge. Photo: Leisure Travel Vans

The sofa can seat three to four people, according to a YouTube video tour of the build posted by Leisure Travel Vans. For a quick nap or night's sleep, the rear lounge can transform into a bedroom when the 58-inch (1.47 metre) by 74-inch Murphy bed is lowered.

The front living space is composed of the kitchen and dining area.

2021 Wonder Rear Lounge. Photo: Leisure Travel Vans

The kitchen includes a microwave, refrigerator, dual-burner propane cooker, and sink with a cover. There are also several kitchen storage spaces on the unit, including a paper towel holder, hooks and cabinets. To maximise kitchen space, Leisure Travel Vans included a pull-out pantry and hidden garbage bin. And for entertainment while cooking, the builders also included another television and sound bar directly above the kitchen unit.

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The Wonder Rear Lounge's captain and passenger seats can both swivel to face the interior living space. This, when used in conjunction with the two bench seats, allows the dining table to seat four.

2021 Wonder Rear Lounge. Photo: Leisure Travel Vans

The removable and expandable dining table can also be used in the rear lounge area for dinner and a movie.

The 2021 models have an updated ceiling with built-in LED lights that accompany the accent lights across the build. There's also a skylight in the front section of the van that comes with a bug screen and cover.

2021 Wonder Rear Lounge. Photo: Leisure Travel Vans

The shower room includes a skylight, shower head, soap bottle holder, and a hanging towel bar. There's also a semi-clear pull-out shower door behind the actual door. This secondary shower door can be used when the main one is fully open to operate as a makeshift wall separating the front of the van from the rear lounge.

The other bathroom unit has a sink, porcelain toilet, medicine cabinet, hand towel rack, window, mirror and several small storage units.

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Other storage options include overhead units similar to an aeroplane's overhead luggage compartments, as well as a wardrobe by the bedroom and bathrooms.

For shady outdoor lounging, the van comes with an extendable awning and there are automatic power steps for safe and easy access into the RV.

The exterior of the van also holds additional storage spaces and an outdoor shower.

The tiny home's multiple systems – such as the battery levels, lights and interior temperature – can be monitored and controlled on the van's touch screen panels.

2021 Wonder Rear Lounge. Photo: Leisure Travel Vans

The system can also be checked on a smartphone while the passengers are away from the van.

The power systems include dual six-volt batteries and a 2,000-watt pure sine inverter. Dual 12-volt lithium batteries will become a purchasable option in August 2020.

There's also a Wi-fi booster on the roof of the van.

The sink, toilet, and shower are connected to a 34-gallon fresh, 35-gallon black, and 25-gallon grey water tank, according to a question and answer video posted on Leisure Travel Van's YouTube channel.

2021 Wonder Rear Lounge. Photo: Leisure Travel Vans

The van's propane capacity extends to 13 gallons.

The van itself is powered by a 3.5-litre twin-turbo engine that gives the mobile home 310 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque.

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There's also a voice-activated touch screen panel on the van's dashboard.

There are multiple interior and exterior colour options available. This allows the colour of the kitchen counter top, upholstery on the seats, and cabinets, for example, to be semi-customisable.

2021 Wonder Rear Lounge. Photo: Leisure Travel Vans

Deliveries for the 2021 Wonder Rear Lounge will begin this summer.

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This article originally appeared on Business Insider.

Hitting the road in 2021, the Wonder Rear Lounge is 1 of 4 all-new body options from the high-end RV-maker’s #VanLife Wonder range, offering a kitchen and dining area, lounge/bedroom – and 2 bathrooms