Fiat Ducato based B6 Camper Advanced: Passes the test!
Europe’s largest motorhome magazine is enthused
Since the summer of 2022, you can enjoy the famous BILSTEIN driving experience also in a motorhome. Our high-performance shock absorber series BILSTEIN B6 Camper and B6 Camper Advanced make it possible. They are available for panel vans and semi-integrated vehicles based on the Fiat Ducato (from model year 2006) and the largely identical vehicles from Citroën and Peugeot. The high demand from the beginning gives proof that we have caught the spirit of the camper scene with these products. The trade press is also enthusiastic, as shown by the positive conclusion of promobil. Germany’s oldest and Europe’s largest motorhome magazine subjected the B6 Camper Advanced to extensive testing. Installed in the endurance tester type Malibu Van 640 LE RB, a converted panel van based on the Fiat Ducato, the way led to the track of ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg GmbH. The capabilities of the B6 Camper Advanced were tested there and on public roads in the vicinity.
Even the normal B6 Camper brings Increased safety in crosswinds and on bends. The B6 Camper Advanced also automatically switches between two different characteristic curves and thus intensifies the driving experience and increases driving comfort. To put it simply, the amplitude-selective DampMatic technology uses a bypass system which closes or opens the control piston according to the vibrations transmitted by the road. This changes the oil resistance inside the damper – making it softer or tighter.
But would it be possible to detect such a big difference? With a total weight of 3,443 kilos including load, the camper van just manages to be driven with a passenger car licence. “It is all the more astonishing how the camper van with a length of 6.36 metres quickly managed to level out on nasty waves after a hip swing, where it had previously bounced as far as it will go”, says editor Heiko P. Wacker. “Even weird steering movements destabilise the vehicle with a height of 2.6 metres significantly less”, judges the professional. “The ride over cobblestones or concrete edges is also a lot better. With the original equipment, you quickly notice that the Fiat is a utility vehicle. Even small waves in the road make it shake and vibrate. This was no longer an issue after conversion and not only the furniture in the rear appreciates it.”
In addition, promobil praises the “more direct, precise response of the steering”. The euphoria about the B6 Camper Advanced continues even after 4,000 kilometres driven. In the tester’s opinion, installation of Bilstein’s special shock absorbers has proven its worth: “They provide noticeable gain in driving comfort”.
Photos:BILSTEIN 2023.
