Picture this: you're standing in the middle of the bustling Caravan Salon trade show, yet you barely hear a thing – no loud voices, no jostling crowds, no echoing background noise. That's exactly the experience Nele from CamperStyle had when she stepped into the Mountaineer Grand Expedition expedition vehicle from KEC Motors. What sounds like a nice side effect at first turns out to be a well-thought-out concept that shows just how innovative van conversions can get once you look beyond the usual approach.
Jürgen Eckert, founder and managing director of KEC Motors, and his team built this conversion on the 7-meter Sprinter – one that's not just functionally clever, but also breaks new aesthetic ground.
Expertise from a completely different line of business – professional recording studio construction – flows directly into the vehicle's development. The result is an off-road van that looks, at first glance, more like an elegant tiny house than a classic camper van.
Open space instead of furniture walls: the lounge philosophy
Anyone who owns a panel van conversion knows the feeling: you step inside and immediately face the massive wall of a cabinet or the rigid back of a bench seat. Not so with the Mountaineer Grand Expedition – here, you actually have room to breathe.
The concept relies on a genuine lounge area up front – a cozy corner sofa with a pull-out footrest instead of the usual belted bench seat with a steep, ninety-degree backrest. The fridge doesn't run all the way up to the ceiling either, leaving clear sightlines and generous storage surfaces instead.
The color scheme, with mustard-colored corduroy upholstery, felt wall elements, and dark anthracite tones, reinforces that living-room feel. Upholstery colors and materials can be freely chosen – if you travel with a dog, for example, you can opt for specially woven fabrics that short pet hairs won't stick to.
Lightweight design meets aircraft engineering: how the creak-free furniture comes together
Wood in van conversions is nothing new. Wood that's this light and yet extremely torsion-resistant is a different story. KEC Motors uses multiplex panels made from albasia – a particularly lightweight wood – combined with genuine ash veneers on all visible surfaces. These surfaces are finished with Fenix material or other robust, matte coatings that look sleek and stay low-maintenance thanks to their anti-fingerprint properties.
The real secret lies in the construction method: according to Jürgen, the furniture-building process draws heavily on techniques used in aircraft manufacturing. Specifically, they use what's known as the mortise-and-pocket technique.
This technique lets the furniture flex naturally with the vehicle's twisting and movement over rough terrain, without creaking or rattling. The result is a smooth, quiet ride that lives up to the acoustic concept found throughout the rest of the interior.
The wet room: a clever use of space for more freedom of movement
Most panel van showers are so cramped you can barely move without banging your elbow against the wall. Not the case with the Mountaineer Grand Expedition. In the long-wheelbase Sprinter, the wet room measures a solid 80 cm x 65 cm as standard – and it achieves that using a clever bodywork trick.
A specially fitted bulge set into the recess of the side wall gains an extra 6-7 cm of width right around shoulder and elbow height. The low-maintenance stainless steel wall follows the outer body contour precisely, making use of every last millimeter.
When not in use, the toilet and washbasin retract into heavy-duty pull-outs to save space, so the full floor area is available for showering. Another handy feature: the flat stainless steel surfaces can simply be squeegeed and wiped down after showering. In three minutes, the bathroom is dry again – no tight corners or bothersome seams to deal with.
Kitchen for indoors and outdoors: well thought-out solutions
The kitchen unit by the sliding door is especially clever. The upper cutlery drawer works both ways: you can pull it out into the living area or straight out the side – perfect if you're sitting outside and don't want to climb back into the vehicle just to grab a bottle opener.
The crockery cupboard below can also be accessed from both sides. When the sliding door is open, you can even slot an extra side table into the sink unit on the outside. To go with it, there are 230V, USB-A and USB-C sockets right there in the outdoor area.
For the cooktop in the show vehicle, they went with a gas-free solution: a diesel ceramic hob from Finnish manufacturer Wallas, which draws its fuel straight from the vehicle's tank. The hob has a completely flat glass surface with a hidden burner.
That said, KEC Motors gives customers maximum flexibility here: alongside single or dual diesel ceramic hobs, you can also choose induction hobs, gas hobs, or hybrid combinations. Cooling needs are covered either by a 42-liter compressor fridge built into the kitchen unit or an 82-liter fridge-freezer combo in the sideboard.
Endless storage: practical pull-outs instead of deep flaps
Despite the open, airy feel, there's no shortage of storage. The upper section of the seven-meter Sprinter houses eight overhead cabinets, which can be combined into longer compartments on request – for example with a 1.20 m flap. In the lower living area, KEC Motors mostly skips flaps in favor of drawers nearly 50 cm deep that you can load easily from above.
The spacious rear garage is hidden beneath the rear bed. On the right side sits the central electrical system, built with high-quality Victron components (MultiPlus 2000 VA inverter/charger, solar charge controller, and charge booster). The two lithium batteries, each with 200 Ah capacity, are mounted above the wheel arches to save space.
On the opposite side, a 1.20 m multifunctional compartment provides room for long items like blackout mats or fishing rods. Hunters even get a legally compliant, lockable solution with a pull-out rack for up to three long guns, including scopes.
Rooftop tent with ECE-certified boat hatch
On the vehicle roof sits a sturdy roof rack with a walkable rooftop terrace and an Arcta rooftop tent that spans the full width of the vehicle. Thanks to gas struts, setting it up takes just seconds – simply release two levers.
One real highlight is the way you climb up into the rooftop tent: at the request of a customer who's a sailor, a maritime-style boat hatch was built into the roof. Since standard boat hatches usually aren't road-legal, KEC Motors secured ECE 34 approval for road use.
The hatch is made of 1 cm thick, fully walkable glass and – unlike standard camping roof hatches – opens a full 180 degrees. That makes climbing up into the rooftop tent remarkably comfortable.
Customization, base vehicles, and prices
KEC Motors builds its conversions on the Mercedes Sprinter in 6.00 m or 7.00 m lengths, as well as on the VW Crafter and MAN TGE, each at around 6.80 m in length. One particular advantage with the all-wheel-drive Crafter and MAN TGE: on request, KEC Motors fits a super-high roof that allows up to 2.20 m of standing height inside – a real step up from the standard standing height of around 1.83 m.
While the layout of the bathroom and kitchen is fixed due to the permanently installed water lines, the rest of the interior can be extensively personalized:
Seating configurations: From a lounge corner sofa to sliding individual seats or a two-person bench seat with a belt frame.
Sleeping spaces: Rear bed for two, optionally expandable to up to four sleeping spots with a pop-up roof or rooftop tent.
Color and material concept: Freely selectable woods, upholstery fabrics, and surfaces.
Prices at a glance
VW Crafter / MAN TGE (short/medium wheelbase): from approx. €148,000
Mercedes Sprinter (7-meter base): from approx. €167,000 (incl. VAT)
Show vehicle with full equipment:The customer vehicle on display, including a 5.5-ton winch, electric side steps, full solar setup and elaborate design wrap, came in at around €240,000.
In principle, KEC Motors also accepts customer vehicles for conversion, provided they meet the technical requirements (e.g. four-wheel drive).
Conclusion: When expertise from other industries makes the difference
The Mountaineer Grand Expedition from KEC Motors is a striking example of how fresh and well thought-out a camper conversion can be when know-how from recording studio construction, aircraft engineering and sailing all come together. The result is an extremely quiet, off-road-capable and visually striking expedition vehicle.
Want to see it for yourself? Jürgen Eckert and his team welcome visitors at the company headquarters in Mengerskirchen (Westerwald). On around 5,500 m² of space in a former furniture factory, you can not only check out finished vans, but also get an up-close look at the build process at various stages – from the raw shell to CNC production and insulation.
More information at www.kecmotors.com.
Want to hear Nele's full conversation with Jürgen Eckert? You'll find the entire podcast episode on all major podcast platforms, as well as right here:
Podcast · Episode 436
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