In 2024 Westfalia launched a new camper van in North America. Here’s a quick look at the specs, plus our take on what kind of person and camping style it’s best suited to, and whether this turnkey camper van option is a good deal.
The Westfalia Wave is a turnkey camper van package based on a RAM van body that’s genuinely packed with unique features and modern conveniences.
It’s targeted at camper van buyers and adventure-seekers – specific mention is made of paddle boards and mountain bikes, for example, so this isn’t your run-of-the mill camping van. Here are the key features that stand out to us.
It seats 4 people
With two front seats and a pair behind the driver, this camper van can comfortably seat four people.
Indeed, it definitely seems to be targeted at not just solo travelers and couples but also families – that second row of seats has child car-seat fixtures and converts to a bed that will sleep two.
It sleeps 4 (or with the pop-top roof, 6)
The base model will sleep 4 – two in the back, two in the convertible seat mentioned above.
What about the other two people, I hear you ask? Well, if you plump for the pop-top roof upgrade, you can add another double bed up there.
So, while you can’t transport six people, you can sleep that many – which will undoubtedly be a squeeze in a 159 inch wheelbase van (that’s less than 20ft long) but perhaps gives you an alternative to converting that twin seat into a bed.
It has all the other campervan features most people will want
The Wave also boasts a comprehensive set of other features you’d expect to find on a much larger RV, including a Truma Combi furnace/water heater system, a cassette toilet, a propane cooktop, and more.
The Wave doesn’t skimp on tech either – boasting 600-amp-hours of lithium batteries and a 3,000-watt inverter, powered and controlled by a Firefly tablet-style multiplex system.
For context, a 3000W inverter will comfortably power even the more demanding appliances, including hairdryers and induction cooktops (just not at the same time!) – it would be quite unusual to find a camper van like this with much more battery or inverter capability.
It’s not 4-wheel drive
A lot of potential camper van buyers get hung up on wanting a four-wheel drive version. When you first start researching camper vans, it can truly seem like having a 4WD is very important.
But in reality, unless you’re planning on spending a lot of time in the snow, or on very rugged off-road trails, you don’t really need it, most vans are very capable and unless you enjoy heading to remote places and spending a lot of time in the National Forests or public lands such as BLM territory, the chances are you won’t be driving on roads that get much more gnarly than gravel 😉
How much does the Westfalia Wave camper van cost?
The base model of the Westfalia Wave starts at $155,333. This seems a great deal to us for a brand new campervan that’s so loaded with features.
To put the price into context, compare that, for example, to a 4WD Winnebago Revel, which starts at $90k more ($245,463 as at the time of writing), or a fully-loaded custom conversion by a company such as Outside Van, that can easily run you $200k for all the bells and whistles.
If you don’t plan on doing any wild off-road travel, and your style is more camping, beaches and less intense adventuring, the Wave could be right up your street!
Download the brochure from Westfalia’s website for all the details and why not share this post with your fellow adventure enthusiasts?