Are you tempted by the #vanlife pictures on Instagram? All those perfect couples in perfect camping spots, showering and snuggling together in the wilderness? While reality is rather different from what the hashtag hedonists portray, camping doesn’t need to be that cramped as these ingenious extending vans prove.

Ford Transit Custom Nugget

Ford has partnered with Westfalia to turn its “Backbone of Britain” Transit into a recreational vehicle that, for reasons unknown is called the Nugget. Its pop-top gives 2.4m of standing room and houses a double bed and comes in long or short wheelbase versions. It seats five, but can only sleep four and costs from £56,000.

Volkswagen California Beach

Detour once owned a wonderful Type 2 Bay Window camper with a Westfalia pop top and, while we loved our green “Fungus the Bogeyvan”, it was nothing like as luxurious or easy to drive as the latest VW California. Tour or Camper specs are offered with the difference being the number of seats. Standing room and a kitchenette come included in the price, which begins at £52,000.

Volkswagen Doubleback

In a stroke of a genius Craig McCormack of Doubleback found a way to literally double the size of a VW van with his electric slide-out insert. Made from lightweight aerospace materials the rear of a van expands within seconds. Converted vans cost from around £55,000 and can be specified to your desires.

Mercedes-Benz V-Class Marco Polo

Adding a three-pointed star to your camper isn’t as pricey as you might think. Mercedes’ Marco Polo comes fully kitted with a kitchenette, pop top, a three-seater bench that converts to a bed, auxiliary heater and air conditioning all for less than £60,000. You even get a yacht-decked interior and you can get all sporty with an AMG trim level.

Hyundai Porest

Hyundai says its Porest is for “priceless getaways”. Lost in translation naming aside this is a rather clever camper, with a smart room feature extending the length of the van at the touch of a button. A second, electrically retractable double bed is a nifty touch and the Porest also has a fully-fitted kitchen, shower and loo. And all for a little over £40,000. If you live in South Korea.

SAIC Maxus Life Home V90 Villa Edition

This Chinese RV is as bonkers as the name implies. It is literally a villa on wheels with its own extendable sun deck that can only be accessed by an internal lift. To add more space the walls expand at the press of a button, while the bathroom, kitchen and living areas are bigger than some London flats. The £400,000 is, admittedly, almost as steep.

Jeremy Clarkson’s Leaning Tower of Citröen

Trust Clarkson to take camping to a whole new level. During the unforgettable challenge in 2010 TV’s tallest car show presenter created TV’s tallest motorhome on the back of a Citröen CX. Unsurprisingly it wasn’t exactly fully thought through.