TownAce transformed into a ’70s American van
As American-style van life attracts attention, we recommend the Toyota TownAce, with its moderately sized body. As a middle-size commercial van, it fits Japan’s road conditions and is easy to drive. It can also be used for daily shopping or to take the family home without any fuss, which is a big advantage. ‘SantaRosa’ proposes customization to transform such a TownAce into a fashionable 70’s American van.
Two stylishly built vehicles
The recent outdoor boom has led to a growth in demand for campervans. At the heart of this, however, is the style of Sunday camping, where holiday travel is casually enjoyed based on a vehicle that can be used in everyday life, and light campers are also the need of the hour.
SantaRosa, the casual brand of the Hiace specialist NACS Group, proposes two vehicles, the Fillmore and Filbert, which are fashionable light campers based on the Toyota TownAce. They are designed to be comfortable for everyday use, but also to be enjoyed as light campers on holidays.
In recent years, the importance of vehicles that are active in the outdoors has been placed on being fashionable both inside and out, and the spread of social networking services is thought to have had a major impact on this. How much of the so-called ‘reflection’ factor is ……. In many cases, whether or not the vehicle matches the camping style of the user, or whether or not the user can intuitively visualize the scene when looking at the vehicle, is a point of interest and a key factor when purchasing.
The SantaRosa Fillmore and Filbert are a step above the rest in this sense, and both the exterior and interior have been meticulously crafted with fashionable as the keyword.
The overall atmosphere has a good old American 70s taste. The motif was the third-generation Ford Econoline (E-series), which was very successful in the US in the 1970s, and the styling pays homage to it. The Fillmore and Filbert are treated as siblings, with the difference being the change in the shape of the headlights.
The round-eyed face is the Fillmore and the square-eyed face is the Filbert. The exterior kit configuration includes headlights, a bonnet guard, a front grille, and a matte black rear bumper to create an atmosphere reminiscent of an American retro van.
Enhances the van-life feeling
The interior is mainly for everyday use, with only a bed kit and a storage compartment for the occasional overnight stay, but the designers have coordinated them and adopted a classic American-style seat cover. The interior is more of a furniture design than an interior fixture, with the storage and other decorations also tailored to make use of the texture of the wood grain. Like so-called fashionable furniture, seats made from sofa fabric, and storage cabinets are made exclusively for the car’s interior.
The seat functions are based on the 1200 mm wide REVO seat, which can be used in a variety of arrangements, including rear-facing when the vehicle is parked, and the rearmost part can be deployed into dinette mode. When the bed is deployed, both the front and rear seats can be fully flattened to create a bed with a total length of 2m, allowing adults and children to stretch their legs and sleep comfortably.
The interiors of the two vehicles also differ from each other. In the case of the vehicle photographed, the Filbert has fabric seats with a wood grain texture, while the Fillmore has chic brown synthetic leather seats with matching country-style furniture, each evoking a fashionable van life. The Fillmore’s chic brown synthetic leather seats and matching country-style furniture are strikingly reminiscent of fashionable van life.
The TownAce’s form and interior, which drown out the TownAce’s distinctive commercial van feel and express the American van life of the 1970s in a strong color palette, add to the mellow van-life feeling. The current TownAce has been given a Smart Assist function following a minor change in June 2020, and is also equipped with collision avoidance assist braking, lane departure warning, and a false start suppression function.
The new engine also improves fuel efficiency, making it ideal for long-distance car journeys. It is exactly the right size for everyday use and is a perfect purchase candidate for those who want a stylish camper with the latest safety equipment.
translated by DeepL