Knaus Boxstar/Boxlife 540

[GoldenVision]

Are there any owners out there - if so, I'd welcome your views.

 

[Jon B]

Are there any owners out there - if so, I'd welcome your views.

Hi .......

We sold our T6 conversion last year and traded up to a Knaus Boxstar 540....... General thoughts are we couldn't be happier with it.
Posted the details below in the Knaus sub forum earlier this year, but just updated it to hopefully answer your query

We did 4 weeks away in it in Scotland back in Sept and had no issues whatsoever - A great PVC touring van and the 5.4M size had it's advantages in certain park-ups - I'd go as far as to say so far I haven't really got any negatives at all to report*

*The only thing that has been a bit of a pain is the Dometic safety recall on the gas hob - we are still (along with everone else I guess) awaiting the replacement unit from Dometic - Our M/H dealer have been good though and are updating us weekly
- Latest news is it looks like we should finally have the replacement for late Jan 2022 (believe it when I see it though ).

Looking forward one day to taking it to Iceland / Sweden / Norway / Finland (not all in one go though )

VAN
- 2021 model Knaus Boxstar 540 Road
- Fiat Ducato 2.3 140bhp 9 speed automatic
- 3500kg
First thoughts, having come from a VW T6 conversion are the Knaus van is everything and more than we hoped for. Size wise it's just 50cm longer than the VW but 60cm taller meaning no more crouching down when inside. We went for the 5.4m model as the 6.0m street vers was just a little too big for our drive at home.

Driving - Not as nippy as the VW but that is to be expected. However, far quieter inside while driving vs VW (rattles wise). 9 speed auto is fab, averaged 34.6 mpg so far - mix of motorway and A / B roads - not sure if that is good or bad?.

Habitation area - Knaus quality of build inside is really good, no snags to report as yet, but of course it's still early days. Storage and space is great for the two of us - far more useable storage than we ever had in the T6 esp under the bed. Mix of LED lighting is great and plenty of USB sockets in the van

For relaxing in, the lounge area is very comfortable and likewise the bed is too (bed is transverse and I'm 6ft tall, but it's fine for me)

Toilet and shower area is not huge - but we have no problems with it

Additions - Had the Strikeback Growler alarm with non starter fitted by VanBitz - and can't fault the system.... great service from VanBitz when fitting it too and full explanation given on how to set / use it at the end. Took advantage of the MHF discount which helped cost wise

Other additions to the van....

Gaslow system - 2x 11kg bottles
Solar panel
Thule bike rack
Thule shade awning

As I said, so far though, can't fault it and loving the time away in it - Last pic vs our old T6

If you have any other questions, give me a shout

 

[Kurt and Ko]

Hi,

We have owned our Boxstar 540 since new in 2016 and love it. Great van, well made, good design with attention to detail on the small things as well as the main features.

Its big enough to have everything we need & small enough to get you into all the best places.

Cheers

 

[WESTY66]

Hi .......

We sold our T6 conversion last year and traded up to a Knaus Boxstar 540....... General thoughts are we couldn't be happier with it.
Posted the details below in the Knaus sub forum earlier this year, but just updated it to hopefully answer your query

We did 4 weeks away in it in Scotland back in Sept and had no issues whatsoever - A great PVC touring van and the 5.4M size had it's advantages in certain park-ups - I'd go as far as to say so far I haven't really got any negatives at all to report*

*The only thing that has been a bit of a pain is the Dometic safety recall on the gas hob - we are still (along with everone else I guess) awaiting the replacement unit from Dometic - Our M/H dealer have been good though and are updating us weekly
- Latest news is it looks like we should finally have the replacement for late Jan 2022 (believe it when I see it though ).

Looking forward one day to taking it to Iceland / Sweden / Norway / Finland (not all in one go though )

VAN
- 2021 model Knaus Boxstar 540 Road
- Fiat Ducato 2.3 140bhp 9 speed automatic
- 3500kg
First thoughts, having come from a VW T6 conversion are the Knaus van is everything and more than we hoped for. Size wise it's just 50cm longer than the VW but 60cm taller meaning no more crouching down when inside. We went for the 5.4m model as the 6.0m street vers was just a little too big for our drive at home.

Driving - Not as nippy as the VW but that is to be expected. However, far quieter inside while driving vs VW (rattles wise). 9 speed auto is fab, averaged 34.6 mpg so far - mix of motorway and A / B roads - not sure if that is good or bad?.

Habitation area - Knaus quality of build inside is really good, no snags to report as yet, but of course it's still early days. Storage and space is great for the two of us - far more useable storage than we ever had in the T6 esp under the bed. Mix of LED lighting is great and plenty of USB sockets in the van

For relaxing in, the lounge area is very comfortable and likewise the bed is too (bed is transverse and I'm 6ft tall, but it's fine for me)

Toilet and shower area is not huge - but we have no problems with it

Additions - Had the Strikeback Growler alarm with non starter fitted by VanBitz - and can't fault the system.... great service from VanBitz when fitting it too and full explanation given on how to set / use it at the end. Took advantage of the MHF discount which helped cost wise

Other additions to the van....

Gaslow system - 2x 11kg bottles
Solar panel
Thule bike rack
Thule shade awning

As I said, so far though, can't fault it and loving the time away in it - Last pic vs our old T6

If you have any other questions, give me a shout

View attachment 568133View attachment 568134View attachment 568135View attachment 568141

Looks good, I’ll put it next to the Malibu on the list for when I downsize

 

[Tonks68]

Hi,

We have owned our Boxstar 540 since new in 2016 and love it. Great van, well made, good design with attention to detail on the small things as well as the main features.

Its big enough to have everything we need & small enough to get you into all the best places.

Cheers

I was looking at this model and i can’t quite see where the designers have made their savings, say against a 6m model. Is it the space in the lounge (table looked perhaps a little narrower than normal, which isnt a bad thing). Very clever

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[Kurt and Ko]

As with everything, life is a compromise; we upgraded from tent camping so 5.4m with comfy bed, cooker, loo & shower is huge & posh! Space is definitely very limited up front and yes I think this is where it is saved over the 6m models. Our van doesn’t have a table & bench seat, but side drawers & a table that pulls out. It’s a brilliant space creator but unfortunately they don’t offer this layout anymore

 

[lorger]

We have a Knaus coachbuilt and love the quality of the van, if you have FB then check out Knaus Motorhomes as a few on there have the Boxster.

 

[GoldenVision]

Many thanks for the responses. It does look like a good van on paper, but it’s always better to get owners’ views.

Is the only difference between the BoxStar and BoxLife the height-adjustable bed?

And would you say that the 140hp is powerful enough for this van (auto option)?

A fixed bed in a 5.4m can is a real bonus. We’re also considering a couple of other 5.4m vans with the same layout - Pilote and Globecar, although I prefer the Knaus.

(Jon B, we too have a T6 and I love it - it drives so well. But my wife finds it a bit cramped …)

(lorger, sorry to be dense, but what’s “FB”?)

 

[WESTY66]

Many thanks for the responses. It does look like a good van on paper, but it’s always better to get owners’ views.

Is the only difference between the BoxStar and BoxLife the height-adjustable bed?

And would you say that the 140hp is powerful enough for this van (auto option)?

A fixed bed in a 5.4m can is a real bonus. We’re also considering a couple of other 5.4m vans with the same layout - Pilote and Globecar, although I prefer the Knaus.

(Jon B, we too have a T6 and I love it - it drives so well. But my wife finds it a bit cramped …)

(lorger, sorry to be dense, but what’s “FB”?)

I think Gerry means Face Book (FB)

 

[GoldenVision]

Ah, ok thanks.

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[Guigsy]

I had a 5.4m PVC with a 120bhp engine (2007). It was plenty nippy enough. The 6m a-class I've got now has a recent 150bhp and even though the weight isn't that much different, it feels slower.

The 140 engine with an auto box is a very nice combo. The 140 has a fairly narrow torque band, but the 9 speeds make up for it.

 

[WESTY66]

Looks good, I’ll put it next to the Malibu on the list for when I downsize

Luckily for me, my mate Simon-Alan Kerr stocks both these marques and he usually does me a good trade in price, so he will be my first port of call, even tho I’ve a Malibu dealer Less than half a mile away Only sticking point it would have to be LHD
Oh and the other sticking point would be trying to get Mrs Westy out of the Carthago

 

[Jon B]

Many thanks for the responses. It does look like a good van on paper, but it’s always better to get owners’ views.

Is the only difference between the BoxStar and BoxLife the height-adjustable bed?

And would you say that the 140hp is powerful enough for this van (auto option)?

A fixed bed in a 5.4m can is a real bonus. We’re also considering a couple of other 5.4m vans with the same layout - Pilote and Globecar, although I prefer the Knaus.

(Jon B, we too have a T6 and I love it - it drives so well. But my wife finds it a bit cramped …)

(lorger, sorry to be dense, but what’s “FB”?)

The T6 was a great van to drive - but to be honest...... after a few months I actually prefer the Fiat - mostly because of the autobox whereas our T6 was a manual and a bit underpowered at 102PS and it only had a 5 speed box. A whole different experience when camping though - Boxstar wins easily for us - so much more room to move about, better insulated, no having to make and unmake the bed and that's without mentioning the toilet and shower - Apologies if I've upset any VW owners - they are great vans but for us ours had too many compromises that had to be made in the end.

Re the other points you raised:
I believe the only major difference is the height adjustable bed...... a few other minor finish details looking at the specs etc - but worth checking the full specs on the Knaus site vs each other

And yes, IMO the 140hp with the auto box is plenty powerful enough...... I wasn't sure I wanted the automatic tbh as it added nearly £4k to the price, but so glad we went for it in the end, makes driving a pleasure.

We only looked at the Knaus 540 and Hymer variants - Ayers Rock and Special edition 540 blue (see photo below vs T6)
- Didn't want the blue in the end as it had a pop top which we didn't need and it seemed very dark inside compared to the BoxStar and Ayers Rock
- Ayers Rock was a really nice van, but tbh the dealer put us off as he couldn't have been less enthusiastic about ordering one. The dealer we went to for the Knaus cut us a good deal on the brand new unregistered one they had which had just come in

Malibu 540 will be a nice van - not sure where it will sit like for like price wise with the Knaus? - maybe a tad more I'm guessing
Can't comment on the Globecar or Pilote as haven't had a look round either

Hope that helps, and good luck with the search

 

[WESTY66]

Luckily for me, my mate Simon-Alan Kerr stocks both these marques and he usually does me a good trade in price, so he will be my first port of call, even tho I’ve a Malibu dealer Less than half a mile away Only sticking point it would have to be LHD
Oh and the other sticking point would be trying to get Mrs Westy out of the Carthago

Bloody hell, I’ve just configured a Knaus Boxdrive 680 ME comes out at £81,071

 

[GoldenVision]

Just to balance your comments on the VW a little bit ... ours is an auto 150PS and I love driving it! Very responsive. But I do agree that interior space is a little compromised - 40cm makes a world of difference when you have a small van.

But I have no doubt about the Fiat auto - so many people have praised it here that it can't be anything but impressive - certainly a massive improvement on the comfortmatic ...

The problem at the moment is actually seeing these vans for comparison. I'm hoping that they might be at the NEC in Feb, assuming that actually goes ahead ...

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