Motorhomes come in all shapes and sizes, delivered to the marketplace by many manufacturers in many countries
. These vehicles however are generally categorised as either a panel van (vehicles that use the original body of the van) or a coach built (using a purpose built habitation area, mounted on a suitable chassis).
Using a Fixed Roof Panel Van is a natural way to create a leisure vehicle. The creation of a Fixed Roof van is often referred to as a conversion vehicle and is a common starting point for the DIY builder. Consider the DIY motor home builder attempting to build a coach built vehicle and then fix it to a chassis - an impossible task without large scale manufacturing equipment and skills.
Perhaps the main problem with fixed roof base vehicles is that they are not tall enough to allow full standing room. This is to be expected as the vehicle was not originally designed to be lived in, but to transport goods. Another problem is the width of the vehicle will be narrower than a coach built, again limiting the use of the vehicle as a habitation area. Design has to be very innovative to maximise use of the limited space.
Motorhomes based on MPVs (multi purpose vehicle) are growing in popularity and are another style of fixed roof van. These vehicles enjoy car like driving characteristics and very efficient economical fuel consumption. They are appropriate for first time motor homers who may struggle with driving a vehicle of truck style dimensions. The high priced base vehicle however generally leads to a high priced end product.
The advantages to Fixed Roof Panel Van motor homes are multiple. These vehicles are generally easy to drive, easy to park and easy to garage. They fit where many coach built vehicles will not. Most of these type vehicles have large side sliding doors allowing large items be moved into the van, for example to transport bulky items such as furniture. These are ideal vehicles to do your own motor home creation and often can be started at a minimal cost.
There are however some downsides such as single glazed windows losing heat in the cooler times. The lack of standing height can be very restrictive - consider cooking, shaving, dressing etc in a seated or crouched position. Storage space is usually at a premium also.