Put together a list of must haves (double bed, hot shower, heating, air con, insulation, etc etc); then a list of places you want to visit; then put together a list of vehicles that have all your must haves; then cross off the list of places you want to visit because the size of the vehicle wont let you get there.
Access by longer/wider motorhomes is becoming more restricted, and wilding is harder if you cant access some remote locations because of a width or length restriction (sometimes height as well - even in supermarket carparks).
My advice would be to hire a few different motorhomes for weekends and see what suits before coughing up for one that you will own. Integrated vans (versus coach builts) are more car like in their driving characteristics.
Have a look at a few different websites -
mobile.de - Deutschlands größter Fahrzeugmarkt. Suchen, kaufen oder verkaufen Sie Neu- und Gebrauchtwagen has a lot of German motorhomes and they seem to be able to design a lot into a smallish (<5.5m) vehicle. Plenty of interior photos to give you an idea of layouts.
List for MY ideal "wilder" is;
Diesel engined +-150hp, manual gearbox, diff lock or 4x4, about 5 to 6m long (Merc/Iveco/Renault chassis), gross weight less than the HGV licence requirement.
High roof (upto 3m) integrated to van body, insulated floor, walls and roof.
Double glazed, blinds and mosquito nets on all windows and doors in the living area.
Blinds effectively hide all light emmitting from the van at night.
Bed - I can live with making up a bed each night from the lounge - but many people cant.
Gas tank with adaptors for most European countries.
Gas hot water service, 100 - 150 litre water tank, 50 to 100 litre waste water tank.
Shower & toilet cubicle, cassette toilet.
Kitchen - stove 2 burner, sink, fridge (3 way), small inbuilt chest freezer (lpg).
Cooking equipment - stove top toaster, small solid fuel BBQ, small pressure cooker.
12V leisure batteries 200Ah or as much as possible, 12V lighting. Maybe a
solar panel if you have small leisure batteries.
12V to 240V
inverter to recharge all the 240V electrical goodies - cameras, PCs, etc.
240V hookup for fridge, Air Con and
battery recharger.
Storage cabinets large ones down low. Cabinets built with rounded cutouts - square corners split or come apart. Full height wardrobe.
Air conditioner - maybe if heading to Southern Europe in high Summer.
Diesel hot air central heating.
Wind out awning with legs that mount onto the van.
Boot box, bike carrier.
Alarm system to your mobile phone.
After all that is fitted and has full water and fuel tanks its still to have another 350kgs of capacity for passengers, food and luggage.
No doubt others can/will add their ideal fitouts which may help you in a choice for your lifestyle.
