The 2025 Kiwi Senja Van Is a 4-Person RV Unlike Any Other

Vanlife has been around for decades, in one form or another, but it started picking up unprecedented traction with the start of the 2020 international health crisis. For one, traveling abroad by plane was no longer possible, and people had to get creative about their vacations. Secondly, working from home meant they could turn a van into their home and go work from wherever they wanted.

The trend has subsided over the past couple of years, but it's still very much around. Open any social media platform of your choice, and you'll come across beautifully curated, inspirational #vanlife posts from people who ditched their 9-to-5s and their city apartments to live on the road in a van.

Throw in posts and tutorials on how to build your own van conversion, tips to cut expenses on the road, and advice on the kind of work you can do to allow you to continue traveling, and you'll get a fair appreciation of the life of the modern (digital) nomad.

So here's a van conversion that's either like a cold shower of reality or a glimpse into how the other half lives (on the road). This is the 2025 Kiwi Senja concept, a four-person van conversion that's designed on purpose to be unlike any other out there: self-sufficient, competent, very lightweight, and eye-wateringly expensive.

Kiwi is a German specialist in van conversions and a relatively new presence on the market. Their lineup includes a pair of models or concepts, which are essentially proposals clients can start from in the customization of their perfect van. The Senja is one of them, which is why the 2025 iteration of it, on display at the 2024 Dusseldorf Caravan Show, was called an "expansion."

The Kiwi Senja is tailor-made to be different from any other van conversion, with the main focus falling on lightweight construction, extended autonomy, and quality work. It uses "sophisticated design [and] innovative materials" to deliver a truly outstanding driving and camping experience, so that it lives up to the expectation of being "the dream" RV.

The 2025 Senja starts from a Volkswagen Crafter base, though it can be anything you want it to be if you opt to bring your own vehicle to Kiwi for conversion. From there, the team of artisans at Kiwi uses high-performance and low-weight Lisocore material to craft a habitat that wants for nothing in terms of delivering the creature comforts of home.

At least, that's what the Kiwi Senja official description reads. You will immediately notice that it does lack a very important feature for comfortable vacations, which also happens to be a deal-breaker with many vanlifers. There is no bathroom or restroom facilities onboard this van.

The layout is fairly standard at first sight, but packed with surprising functionality. You get a lounge and dining area that can double as remote office in the front, as the two cab seats swivel around to face the interior. The expanding table is made of real oak and can seat all four adults traveling inside the Senja, with assistance from the second row of belted seats.

Up next is the kitchen, which, in a bold move, Kiwi splits in two units on either wall of the van. On one side, you have a two-burner gas range, some counter space, a 70-liter (2.5 cu-ft) compressor fridge with freezer, and plenty of storage. On the other, you have a deep sink, a battery-operated portafilter coffee machine, and even more storage.

The bedroom is at the rear and it's comprised of two bunks that can sleep as many as four adults – comfortably so, actually. The frame of the van is heightened, so you have 1.9 meters (6.2 feet) of interior height, which allows Kiwi to place two beds in the rear: a double bed at the bottom and an expandable bed over it, which extends to full length at the press of a button.

For a van conversion with such a high degree of occupancy, the Senja doesn't feel crowded, even though it offers countless storage options and a surprising amount of features. It does more than just cover all the basic needs for four people (*with the glaring exception of the bathroom): it does so in style, with a kind of restrained elegance that's not just for show.

Kiwi says the Senja has a payload of 500 kg (1,102 lbs) and is under 3.5 tons in total weight. Length is just a hair under 6 meters (19.6 feet), so you get an RV with a high occupancy degree and a high degree of maneuverability.

Features include a pair of 240W solar panels on the roof as standard (upgradable to more, if so desired), a maximum of 4 kWh for batteries, underfloor heating, mood lighting, electronic locks on all cabinets and doors, cork insulation, and compatibility with the KIWI Connect app to control every feature inside.

The Senja is designed and built with maximum attention to detail. Even the door flaps are 3D-printed to ensure they sit flush against the body of the van so they won't impact aerodynamics. The Senja is "born out of a vacation dream" and, in the process, becomes the embodiment of that dream.

This much talk of dreams should have prepared you for the pricing bombshell. A Kiwi Senja van conversion starts at €149,000 (approximately $161,300 at the current exchange rate) if you bring your own donor vehicle.

The 2025 display unit shown in the video below comes with a €169,000 ($183,000) sticker price – a high asking for the regular vanlifer, but an even higher one if you take into account the lack of a bathroom.

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