Introducing the Suzuki Eeco "VanLife Build"
This is a once-off vanlife concept done by Suzuki South Africa. The Suzuki Eeco was originally a panel van, offered by Suzuki as the newest version of their famous Suzuki "Breadloaf" Van. This Vanlife concept is pretty standard on the outside with just the Front Runner roof rack, awning and the custom warp work done to the outside. The inside is where the most work has been done. The driver's cockpit is standard, but the cargo section of the van has fully been converted. Inside you will find a bench which extends to become a bed. There are multiple drawers, shelving and cupboard space along with a secondary battery system to run the built-in lights.
Now, how does it cope with the camping scene?
Everything about this van is tiny. It has a small engine, tires and the space inside is also fairly cramped. Despite the miniature aspects, it handled the Tankwa gravel roads without any hiccups. The engine managed to climb out of the steep Katbakkies pass and cruised along the gravel roads nicely. The only issue was the rock-crawling section, of which the lack of power and driver's skill made the Eeco struggle a little. (I'm used to driving diesel, not low-powered petrol engines which want to rev high...)
The camping segment went surprisingly well. Once I learnt that the bed extends. I slept really well that night, despite the wind storm outside. One major downfall was the lack of space. All the camping gear you bring along: cooler, cargo boxes, camping chairs, etc, doesn't have a space to live when you are occupying the inside of the Eeco. In the Tankwa it wasn't an issue, but if you are camping in a wilder part of Africa, you really don't want to leave your camping gear outside where the animals can get their paws on it, or even just the rain.
In summary, the Suzuki Eeco impressed me with how capable it can be. If you are a single person, looking for a working van during the week and a small "Vanlife" rig for a weekend trip, then I can most definitely see this working for you.
Suzuki Eeco:
The Suzuki Eeco is a versatile and practical panel van that is perfect for small business owners. It is powered by a 1.2-litre engine that produces 59kW and 104 Nm of torque. It has a 32-litre fuel tank and a maximum payload capacity of 615 kg.
Features
Some of the features of the Suzuki Eeco include:
- Sliding doors on both sides for easy access to the cargo area
- Air conditioning
- Parking sensors
- Electronic stability program (ESP)
- Engine immobilizer
- Reverse parking sensor
Pricing:
The Suzuki Eeco is priced at R205,900 at the time of filming.
I hope you enjoyed this video and if you have any questions about the Suzuki Eeco "VanLife", let me know in the comments below.
Thanks
Dieter Pey