Of all the categories of RVing Class B RVs are the hottest with a rise in sales of over 150% year over year. That’s a lot of folks doing a lot of buying. But what if even a Class B van is too large for your garage? Fortunately there’s 5 Mars in Quebec, Canada who converts Chrysler Pacifica Minivans into pretty well outfitted campers.

The Chrysler Pacifica still remains a popular choice in minivans for good reason. Despite minivans no longer being the hot commodity that they once were they still return enough sales numbers and, let’s be honest, this is the kind of vehicle that really makes a lot of sense for a lot of people. You get all that cargo space or people space in a very drivable package.

The minivan as a camper

5 Mars actually makes several models of camper vans based on both the Chrysler Pacifica as well as the Ram ProMaster. Of course the ProMaster models are more typical of what you’d expect in a Class B RV and we will look at those in the future, but let’s start with the Illusion which is based on the Pacifica.

Like the Pacifica on which it’s based the Illusion is available in three major drive train configurations; two-wheel-drive, all-wheel-drive and hybrid.

Among the cool things about these vans is that they are almost identical in profile to the Pacifica when the pop top is down, which offers the same appeal as it did when Volkswagen did this with their camper vans. Essentially you retain all the drivability of a smaller platform but then have the ability to stand up when using this as a camper.

You don’t really lose a lot of what makes the Pacifica a good daily driver including the ability to transport people. The two captains chairs up front are retained, of course, and there’s a two-person bench seat all the way at the back of the vehicle.

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Camp town

The front passenger chair is different from what comes stock in the van in that it rotates 180° so you can face the rear seat, making for a nice space to hang out if the weather’s lousy.

That rear seat is also the primary bed when when it’s sleepy time it tri-folds into a flat padded surface measuring 42” wide by 72” long.

Underneath 5 Mars has take the space that Chrysler uses to put the folding seats and created a large cargo well. This would be a great place to put your bedding or camp chairs, that sort of thing. The center row shoulder belt serves as a device to hold the bed up while you’re loading/unloading to avoid conking one’s noggin.

There is also a large cargo well on the camp side under the floor which, in a normal Pacifica, would be where the Stow-N-Go seating would fold into.

There is a small cabinet back here but that’s intended for a propane bottle which is a bit odd to me, having that bottle inside the vehicle. Though, honestly, I’m not sure where else they would put it. If you read this column regularly you’ll know I’m a big fan of induction cook tops and the benefits of having a lithium battery or two charged by either the vehicle’s alternator or solar panels and using an induction cooktop. But then that eliminates this van’s being as stealthy as it is when not in camping mode.

Also beneath the seat is a small water tank which is for the sink which is pressurized electrically. 5 Mars features a second battery specifically for the household function including the water pump and lights in the camper itself so you don’t find yourself in a remote spot with a dead engine battery.

You can opt this with a solar panel and 2,000 watt inverter if you choose which would energize the plugs without having to connect to shore power.

Along the road side is a counter that houses the aforementioned sink as well as a two-burner flush-mount propane cook top. Below that is a bar-sized 12 volt refrigerator.

A table top mounts in a pole in the center of the floor and can be had in the same color scheme as the rest of the counters. You’ll see one option is a very bright yellow which is very, very European to me along with the pattern on the pillows in the pictures. I’m sure there are more conservative colors available as well.

Van life

Those of you who aren’t enthusiasts of the van life movement might not appreciate the porta-potty that resides between the two front seats as much as enthusiast of the genre. While you’re not getting a shower at least you’re not going through bear country when nature calls. At least the roof, when popped up, is tall enough so that you can stand and deliver, assuming you have the appropriate plumbing to do so. But with the carpeted interior you had better be sure that your aim is true.

In summary

I know that, compared to some Class B vans, this might seem lacking in features or space. But it’s really a well thought through package with some interesting adaptations. Furthermore, it retains the drivability of the Chrysler Pacifica which is actually quite good.

Furthermore it might be difficult for many places to tell the fact that this isn’t anything more than a standard Pacifica until the top is popped and the coffee is brewing. I would say that this is one of the closest things I’ve seen to a VW camper van today and might really be worth considering as a weekend camper that could also do minivan duty.

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