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NEW 4X4 CAMPERVAN

HELPING YOU BUY YOUR PERFECT MOTORHOME

JULY 2021 £4.99 whatmotorhome.co.uk

THE BEST OF ’21 Our favourite new ’vans this season

GROUP PUBLICATIONS PLC

BEST CAMPERVAN

Auto Campers Eco-line

BEST FOR FAMILIES

Bailey Adamo 75-4DL

BEST COMPACT

Chausson X550

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Contents

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Contents 28

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44

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News and views

20

Fixed bed van conversion Globecar Roadscout Elegance

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Welcome Automatics overtake manual gearboxes

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Fixed bed coachbuilt (under £60k) Carado T459 Clever+ Edition

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This month Ford stops production New 4x4 Hillside campervan

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Fixed bed coachbuilt (over £60k) Adria Matrix Supreme 670 SL

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Next month Our annual insurance survey

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Coachbuilt without fixed bed (under £60k) Pilote P626D Évidence

The best ’vans of 2021

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Coachbuilt without fixed bed (over £60k) Auto-Sleeper Broadway EL

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A-class Niesmann + Bischoff iSmove 6.9 E

Buying 56

Accessories Everything from keeping your campervan shiny to stopping steamed-up specs

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Editor’s choice Looking for pre-owned examples of previous years’ award winners

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Campervan Auto Campers Day Van Eco-line Series

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Family van conversion Elddis Autoquest CV80

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Insurance Cover for full-timers

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Budget van conversion Auto-Trail Expedition 66

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Family coachbuilt Bailey Adamo 75-4DL

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Rear view The Bürstner that should have won awards

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Van conversion without fixed bed Consort Reef

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Compact coachbuilt Chausson X550 Exclusive Line

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Classified advertising Buy and sell Motorhomes and accessories

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First sight Welcome

In this issue of

Welcome to a rather special issue of What Motorhome in which we name the best new campervans and motorhomes of the 2021 season. Of course, it’s been a year unlike any other and Covid complications, combined with unprecedented demand for leisure vehicles (and the socially distanced freedom they can bring), has resulted in fewer new launches, but that takes nothing away from our winners. Vehicles like the Bailey Adamo 75-4DL, Chausson X550 and Niesmann + Bischoff iSmove would have stood out even in the most exceptional of seasons.

One thing that has changed is the demand for automatics. A decade or so ago, auto’ motorhomes were a relative rarity and robotised transmissions like the Fiat Comfort-Matic, Mercedes Sprintshift and Renault Quickshift were, ahem, an acquired taste. Or rubbish, depending on your point of view. Now, though, the nine-speed gearboxes in the latest Fiat and Mercedes vans are superb and would not seem out of place in a luxury car. Not only that but they are widely available – every one of our class winners can be purchased in automatic form. In a recent survey, over 66% of our readers said their next ’van would be an automatic (with a further 12.9% undecided), so it’s a trend that’s gaining momentum.

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This month Ford temporarily halts production of Transit and Transit Custom Motorhome and campervan base vehicle supplies are the latest casualty of the worldwide pandemic s a result of the industry-wide global semiconductor shortage and, in particular, the recent fire at a supplier facility in Japan, as well as winter storms in Texas, Ford says it will temporarily stop production of both the Transit Custom (including the Tourneo people-carrier) and two-tonne Transit at its production facility in Gölcük, Turkey.

The semiconductor supply issue is affecting much of the global auto industry (not just Ford) and several of the company’s main European plants were forced to take downtime in the first quarter of 2021, with further action planned in the second quarter. The company says it is closely monitoring the situation and adjusting production schedules where necessary in order to minimise the effect on employees, suppliers, customers and dealers right across Europe.

Fords says that customer-sold vehicle orders will be prioritised and it is working to improve the situation as quickly as possible.

The shutdown in Turkey (where both the Transit and Transit Custom are built) commenced 19 April and will continue to

A

13 June, which includes two planned weeks of annual summer shutdown, which have been brought forward, and a national holiday week.

The effects of production loss caused by the suspension of production is expected to be reduced by an increase in production pace in the following months.

Of course, there will be repercussions for Ford-based motorhomes. Russell Hensman, Marketing Manager at Auto-Trail, which builds its F-Line motorhomes on the Transit chassiscab advised, “We have been very lucky with the Ford shutdown, as our order had been completed just before the announcement, so no delays for us currently. Obviously, this will have

a knock-on effect further down the line, but we are not sure what at this time.”

Chausson is another Trigano Group brand that builds motorhomes on the Transit. Nick Markl, UK Sales Manager, commented, “As the Chausson brand in the UK is predominantly reliant on the Ford chassis, this will unfortunately have an effect on the delivery times of motorhomes to our UK dealer network.

At this time we have been able to minimise cancellations of any retail sold vehicles. We are, however, in the process of rescheduling the production for the start of the 2022 season based on the current information being provided from the chassis manufacturers.”

MOTORHOME DRIVING COURSES ANNOUNCED The Caravan and Motorhome Club has announced a new series of motorhome driver training courses for 2021, which are ideal if you’re new to motorhoming or just want to increase your confidence behind the wheel of a bigger vehicle.

The Club has a range of courses (see camc.com/courses) taking place at 14 locations across the UK until October.

All the courses are Covid-secure.

The motorhome manoeuvring course costs £189 and takes less than seven hours.

Subjects covered include: manoeuvring

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| JULY 2021

advice, straightforward safety checks and understanding the law, as well as manoeuvring practice.

Harvey Alexander, Director of Marketing and Membership Services at the Club, said, “We are delighted to be able to offer this excellent range of courses to new and seasoned tourers alike, as we know everyone is excited to get back out on the road. These Covid-secure courses provide great value for money and mean that people have the confidence to relax and enjoy their touring adventure with real peace of mind.”

LAIKA WINS GERMAN DESIGN AWARD Italian motorhome manufacturer, Laika, has taken Germany’s Red Dot design award for its Ecovip coachbuilt motorhome in the Product Design – Motorhomes and Caravans category.

The Ecovip Space Concept won over the panel with its design of spaces based on the idea of living comfort, with the aim of offering travellers a motorhome built around them.

New 4x4 campervan from Hillside

NEXT MONTH TWO OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT GUIDES ARE BACK • The unique in-depth survey of motorhome insurance • Our complete guide to campervan and motorhome layouts

EDITORIAL Published by Warners Group Publications plc, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH Publisher John Greenwood 01778 391116 Managing Editor Daniel Attwood 01778 391154 Editor Peter Vaughan 01778 391118 peterv@warnersgroup.co.uk Online and Social Media Editor Chloë Holland chloe.holland@warnersgroup.co.uk Senior Online Journalist Kevin Hughes kevin.hughes@warnersgroup.co.uk

Contents may be subject to change

SUMMER ISSUE ON SALE 24 JUNE

Derby-based VW-approved campervan converter, Hillside Leisure, has added a four-wheel drive campervan to its model line-up, following an increase in enquiries from its customers.

Hillside Company Director, Adrian Cross, commented, “We’ve seen a real surge in demand for campervans that are off-road capable. In fact, orders for our new fourwheel drive campervan now account for about 20% of sales.”

The new off-road campervan is called the Hillside Birchover All-Motion and is built on the short-wheelbase Volkswagen T6.1 4Motion. While it has previously been possible to order a Birchover with fourwheel drive, Hillside took the decision to develop a specific 4x4 camper in order provide transparency for its customers.

As Adrian explains, “We’ve always been able to supply our customers with a 4Motion but the trouble is that it doesn’t look like an off-road vehicle when it comes out of the Volkswagen factory, which can be underwhelming. Our customers expect

Designer Claire Honeywood Freelance writer Richard Dredge

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their four-wheel drive campervan to look like an off-roader, so that’s why we’ve created a new campervan that looks as good as it performs.”

To create this look, Hillside adds an Eibach lift kit, which raises the vehicle by 35mm to give extra ground clearance, as well as adding 17in off-road wheels and tyres. Sporty black decals complete the look of the Birchover All-Motion, which comes, as standard, in Highline trim with a 150PS engine and six-speed manual gearbox. If preferred, it’s possible to upgrade to the 204PS motor with DSG automatic gearbox.

The Birchover All-Motion features the same side kitchen layout with RIB bench/ bed and SCA pop-top roof as the frontwheel drive Birchover Classic. It includes features such as a 65-litre compressor fridge, combined two-burner hob and sink unit, hot and cold water, external activity shower, diesel blown-air heating, portable toilet and swivel cab seats. Prices for the Birchover All-Motion start at £58,995.

While every care is taken when accepting advertisements, we cannot accept responsibility for unsatisfactory transactions. We will, however, investigate any complaints. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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Best campervan

Auto Campers Day Van EcoThe best campervans cost upwards of 60 grand, don’t they? Not necessarily…

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HE Volkswagen California that we tested in the April issue was knocking on the door of £75,000 and, exceedingly fine camper though it was, that’s a substantial price tag, especially if you’re seeking to buy your first ’van as a replacement for the family car. You could get three new Golfs for that price…

Even though Ford-based campervans tend to be slightly more affordable than their VW T6.1 rivals, the savings are still not enough to bring them into reach for many buyers. One answer, of course, is to purchase a new conversion built on a pre-owned panel van and many VW camper builders take this route; unfortunately, though, some of these conversions are built to lower standards, with no type approval requirements

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or NCC approval to ascertain their safety.

Meanwhile, most of the best-regarded brands will only build on brand-new base vehicles…

It’s this conundrum that resulted in Auto Campers developing its Eco-line Series. The vehicle seen here has a price tag roughly half that of the fully loaded California we tested but it is still built to the company’s usual high standards.

Part of the saving is down to using a pre-owned van as its base (a first for Auto Campers), but there’s also a modular approach to the conversion, so you don’t pay for features that you don’t need.

In order not to devalue the brand (it has won awards for its models before), it will only build the new Eco-line Series on Tourneo people-carriers or top-spec Limited panel vans with at least the

130PS engine, and high-mileage vehicles will not be considered. A Lo-line version could be yours for under £30k, while an all-new facelifted Transit Custom Limited version starts at £36,000. As with other Auto Campers models, the Eco-line is also available on the high-roof Transit Custom (referred to as the Hi-line) or with a pop-top roof at extra cost. There’s a long-wheelbase option, too.

The key to this camper, though, is that quality has not been sacrificed. Throughout, this is a conversion that exudes sturdy, practical design.

It eschews bling and feels built to last. Most of the cost savings have been achieved by reducing spec (but not on the base vehicle). Luxuries like a solar panel have been omitted and the elevating roof is a British design rather than the more

Auto Campers Day Van Eco-line Series

line Series

BEST CAMPERVA

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FACT FILE BASE VEHICLE Ford Transit Custom or Tourneo Custom PRICE FROM Conversion only £13,000.

As shown on used base vehicle around £37,000 BERTHS 2/4 TRAVEL SEATS 2-7 LENGTH 4.97m WIDTH 2.08m HEIGHT 2.10m GROSS WEIGHT 2,940kg PAYLOAD 500kg

BUY AN AUTO CAMPERS FROM… Auto Campers are built in Sheffield and sold near Reading, in South Yorkshire and in Scotland, with the three outlets operating in partnership.

Auto Campers South is at Roy Wood Transits at Winnersh, while Auto Campers North is where they’re made – at Firth Campers in Sheffield. Finally, Highland Auto Campers serves customers north of the border from its premises near Inverness.

expensive Reimo unit usually fitted. The essentials are included, though, and you can tailor the specification to suit your needs.

For example, a sliding window is fitted behind the kitchen and it’s a fully opening one, not the inadequate ventilation of Ford factory windows.

Inside, the vehicle – which comes as standard with a single sliding side door and rear barn doors (a second slider and a tailgate are options) – is fully lined and insulated, with a composite floor (Styrofoam and plywood), tough Altro vinyl, plus stainless-steel trims in the doorways.

There’s a leisure battery, blackout curtains, silver screens, mains hook-up, MCB, RCD and mainsto-12V charger, zoned LED lighting (including a stalk light serving the cab and roof bed, if fitted)

and 12V, 230V and USB sockets.

The kitchen unit is, perhaps, the most conventional aspect of this camper. For a start, it’s a fixed unit that faces you as you open the sliding door. Cabinets are finished in matt grey and are laminated poplar wood. The galley is fitted with a familiar Dometic combined two-burner hob and sink unit under split glass lids. Water is pumped from a pair of 12-litre containers, in an area in which you’ll also find the Banner leisure battery and the (sealed and vented) gas locker. Standard kit also includes a 47-litre Dometic front-loading compressor fridge. At floor level, a tambour opening reveals a locker for your loo.

Your choices start in the rear offside corner.

Standard spec is just the ultra-low, seat-height

unit, which contains the vehicle’s services. On top of this, you can add low-level storage units that continue the level of the kitchen right up to the back doors. These make for a great bedside cabinet and, because there was glazing all round on this demo model, it makes for a fabulous feeling of space inside. Of course, some may prefer the more traditional full-height corner unit, which costs slightly more but adds even more storage. The tall unit can also incorporate an open shelf inside the back doors for your folding outdoor chairs. Both additional units are fully removable.

Reflecting the fact that most secondhand vans will have a double passenger seat, Auto Campers is offering a swivel mechanism for this bench. It’s not just a standard rotating system, but is

whatmotorhome.co.uk | 9

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Best campervan

WHO IS AUTO CAMPERS? Best known for its Ford Transit Custom-based campervans, Auto Campers also builds on the VW T6.1 Highline.

Its innovative designs have won awards before, with clever design and practical details making them stand out from the campervan crowds. The company also aims to cater for disabled customers, dog owners and those whose sports and hobbies require specific storage facilities on board.

A selection of subtly different campervans (with low roof, high-top and elevating roof options) makes up the Auto Campers range, which has been developed between Roy Wood Transits and Firth Campers (which manufactures the conversions). A try-before-you-buy scheme and campervan rental is offered through Highland Auto Campers.

combined with a lowered seat, for both comfort and safety reasons. It turns more easily than similar seats in VWs and is surprisingly comfortable, despite its fixed-rake backrest.

In the rear, the Eco-line comes with two seat/ bed configurations – the SB (suspended bed) as seen here or the RB (rock ‘n’ roll bed) which has a more conventional seat/bed system. For travel, the SB version has floor sockets to fit a pair of Ford Tourneo individual rear seats. With the rear bed system removed, you can even specify extra (third row) rear seat mountings and the Eco-line can then seat up to seven for travel. In camping mode, it can be a four/five-seatbelt vehicle (depending on whether a single or double cab passenger seat is fitted) or you could fit just one rear passenger

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seat, creating extra floor space (as shown).

If you’ve got this far and started to think that this is a clever campervan with a mind-boggling array of permutations, then welcome to the Ecoline’s star feature – its suspended bed system. The rear part of this looks pretty conventional, although the two rearmost mattress sections are actually supported by a pair of aluminium crossbars and a set of slats that unfurl across them. All of this can quickly and easily be removed for maximum – van-style – load carrying. Even with the bed in place, there’s a large area beneath for camping kit, surfboards, sports gear, etc, and tie-downs can be fitted to secure whatever load you plan to carry. This area has a width of 1.09m between the nearside

wheelarch and the cabinets opposite. Not enough? Then the bed supports can be refitted at a higher level, increasing the load area height to 600mm – plenty for most dog crates, for example.

The bed can still be slept in when raised.

The bed measures 1.87m by 1.18m, which is a little broader than in some rivals, while a longer bed can be provided and it can even be turned into a chaise longue. A wider bed is also an option, if you don’t have the rear corner cabinets.

It’s then possible to have a bed that’s practically the full width of the camper at shoulder level.

If you think campervans have become too expensive, then this new modular concept from Auto Campers could be the answer. Even more impressive than the pricing, though, is its versatility.

Plan your next holiday in a Bilbo’s award winning campervan.

Talk to us about converting your van.

Phone: 01342 892499 to learn more.

There isn’t a better time to plan your holiday in the UK and by taking advantage of Bilbo’s amazing Summer bargains.

We have many exciting offers for you to look at, so phone or email us to arrange an appointment and we will give you a date when you can visit.

Due to the current situation we are limiting visits to our site in order to safeguard us all.

Please phone 01342 892499 to make an appointment.

Space

Komba

Celex

Nexa

To find out more about Bilbo’s & book a test drive, contact: Bilbo’s, Eastbourne Road, South Godstone, Surrey RH9 8JQ. Tel: +44 (0) 1342 892499 (Monday to Saturday) Tel: +44 (0) 1342 892499 · Email: sales@bilbos.com (Monday to Saturday) • • • • •

We buy well looked after Bilbo campers Competitive finance available subject to status Excellent range of fully prepared pre-owned vehicles Vehicles in good condition considered for part exchange Largest stock of New and Pre-owned VW campervans in UK

Nexa+

www.bilbos.com

ISO 9001 Quality Management

CERTIFIED FS 571092

Volkswagen Motorhome Specialist

www.smmt.co.uk

All Bilbo’s campervans are Euro 6 compatible, NSSTA Type-Approved, NCC approved and are built by our skilled British craftsman in our purpose built factory with build quality guaranteed through our ISO 9001 accreditation. Bilbo’s retain the right to alter specification and prices without prior notice.

Best budget van conversion

Auto-Trail Expedition 66 A spanking new camper from a leading manufacturer, on a brand-new base vehicle. How has

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HAT can you think of that hasn’t gone up in price in the last six years? No, us neither. But, incredibly, in 2015 the cheapest new Auto-Trail Tribute campervan was £36,921 and, today, a brand-new Expedition 66 is only £36,995.

Yes, that really is the price. This isn’t one of those ’vans that lures you in with a great headline figure on the windscreen and then has you looking down the back of the sofa for a few grand more as you realise that the Driver’s Pack, Wheels Pack, Windows Pack, and Kitchen Sink Pack all cost extra. You won’t even have to pay more for on-the-road charges, and there are virtually no options to consider. The nine-speed

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automatic gearbox is, perhaps, the one item you’ll want to add, although this does push the total cost over £40k.

Other than manual or auto’, there’s not much else to decide. All Expeditions come with the 140bhp Fiat engine (not the entry-level 120bhp motor that’s usually fitted when price is a key consideration) and the only body colour offered is black. It’s even a 3,500kg Ducato here, not the 3,300kg version used by some rivals, so payload is well over half a tonne. Cab air-conditioning, a passenger airbag and cruise control are standard, as is tilt/height adjustment on both front seats, but electric mirror adjustment is one of the few omissions. That will probably

only be an issue if your ’van is driven by two people of very different heights.

The one thing you will have to budget for is a radio – as standard, there’s just a gaping slot in the dash – but, as Halfords is currently offering a Sony stereo with Bluetooth for £144 including fitting, that’s no big deal.

Of course, the Expedition doesn’t come with a trendy new overcab sunroof but it does have a practical overcab shelf for storage. And it has all the typical Ducato features, including a slick gearshift and very surefooted and stable handling.

Another item that’s been left off the specification is a step at the sliding door but we found portable steps online for as little as £12.99

Auto-Trail Expedition 66

BES BUDGETTVA CONVERSIO N N

Auto-Trail achieved this for just £36,995?

FACT FILE BASE VEHICLE Fiat Ducato PRICE FROM £36,995 BERTHS 2 TRAVEL SEATS 2 LENGTH 5.99m WIDTH 2.27m HEIGHT 2.68m GROSS WEIGHT 3,500kg PAYLOAD 575kg

BUY AN AUTO-TRAIL FROM…

na

– buy two because, one day, you’re sure to drive off and forget it. We won’t get hung up on details, though, because this is essentially the same rear lounge two-berth floorplan as you get in a more expensive V-Line. It’s still insulated to the Grade III standard and the 4.7kW gas/electric Whale heating should be adequate to keep you camping most months of the year, too. The pale woodwork and the large rooflight over the rear seating make for a spacious-feeling motorhome, while the interior mouldings around the doors plus padded leatherette trim on the side walls and ceiling look anything but budget.

The end lounge is the star feature of the 66’s layout, with a pair of sofas each over 6ft long.

Reading lights are provided on either side, plus lengthy LED strips at ceiling level and, surprisingly, the blinds are the posh concertinastyle ones. The table stores behind the driver’s seat and its 800mm by 550mm size seems well judged for a couple’s camper – not so big that it dominates, not too small for proper dining.

A big lounge equals a big bed in this type of layout and this one is all but square at near-asdammit 1.85m in either direction. It’s a good bed and there’s the alternative option of using the settees as almost-instant single beds. There’s plenty of room for your bedding under the offside sofa, leaving the nearside seat locker for your outdoor gear.

e

s

Auto-Trail has a comprehensive network of retailers across the UK, from Perthshire Caravans in Scotland down to Marquis Leisure (Plymouth) in the southwest and JC Leisure (Rye) in the far southeast. In Dealer Northern Ireland the 21 sole outlet is Abbey ti o n w i d Caravans & Leisure.

In all, the Auto-Trail website lists over 20 dealers for the brand in the UK, plus more in Australia and New Zealand (but none across the Channel).

Also listed are companies that can rent you an Auto-Trail motorhome.

If you and your partner have a different sleep regime, it’s good to find that the cab seats both swivel (something else we didn’t expect at this price), giving you a secondary seating area when the rear is acting as a bedroom. Sit in one chair with your feet up on the other and you can place your morning cuppa on the kitchen worktop flap adjacent while reading the papers.

As well as that vital worktop flap by the sliding door, the galley comes with a Dometic combination hob/sink unit with split glass lids.

There are two burners on the cooker, as well as spark ignition, but that’s not the only way of making dinner, as the Expedition comes with a combined oven and grill as well. They really

whatmotorhome.co.uk | 13

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Best budget van conversion

WHO IS AUTO-TRAIL?

Based in Grimsby, and part of the French-owned Trigano Group, AutoTrail built its first motorhome in 1982.

Many of its early vehicles were based on Mercedes-Benz chassis, but other base vehicles followed, including VWs, Talbots, Peugeots, Fords and Fiats, although the company has tended to focus on the luxury end of the coachbuilt motorhome market.

Today, the company has an extensive range of Fiat-based campervans, as well as building van conversions for the UK ranges of other Trigano Group brands, Benimar, Chausson and Roller Team.

The company’s coachbuilt portfolio starts with the F-Line (previously called Tribute) on Ford and then rises through Fiat-based Imala, Tracker and Frontier to the new Grande Frontier, marking a return to the A-class sector.

haven’t been at all Scrooge-like when dishing out the standard spec, have they? There’s even a 25-litre underslung LPG tank, which not only frees up space inside the ’van but will also save you money on gas and be more convenient for continental travels.

The kitchen also has its own LED strip light and another light on the back of the unit that faces out through the doorway for when you’re sitting outside. The fridge (sited opposite the galley, below the wardrobe) is a reasonable size, at 85 litres, although we’d probably have chosen a compressor type rather than this three-way unit, given the choice. Galley storage is respectable, and includes a cutlery drawer, plus

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there are top lockers over the kitchen and lounge and, of course, the open area above the cab, which is quite commodious.

The washroom is the standard Auto-Trail campervan installation with a tip-up basin and mirror-fronted storage cabinet. There’s adequate space inside this ‘little room’, but you will have to deploy a curtain for showering, though the central single drain should evacuate soapy water reasonably effectively. You get a separate showerhead (with trigger release), rather than a dual-function tap at the basin, as well as a loo roll holder, towel ring and robe hooks.

The large rooflight above the rear lounge, the oven, 140bhp engine and cab air-

conditioning are all items you might have expected to have to forgo for Auto-Trail to get the Expedition’s price down so low, but they are all included in that remarkable price tag.

And, if you require your campervan to have rear travel seats, the Expedition 67 answers that need for just £1,000 more.

This new camper is perfect for first-time buyers on a tight budget and anyone who would rather not buy used (and who wouldn’t rather have everything shiny and new, along with the latest registration plate?). Its spec has surprisingly few omissions and nothing you’ll really miss except a radio. Head to your local Auto-Trail dealer for THE bargain buy of 2021…

2021 COLLECTION

LIVING VAN 6,36 m x 2,88 m • 4 registered (driving) seats • 5 dining seats • TRUMA Combi D heating with CP PLUS control • 90-litre compressor refrigerator • Separate shower and spacious living room • Patented MODUL’SPACE® wardrobe system • Jack-assisted main drop-down bed • Large, configurable U-shaped rear living room Quick conversion of rear bed with interlocking base system

DISCOVER ALL OUR NEW PRODUCTS AT VIRTUALSHOW.DREAMER-VAN.FR

- RCS B 349 728 410 Nantes - Photos: AD’HOC Le Mans studio / Bertille Bazoge stylists / @Shutterstock - Actual product may differ from photos - 04/2021

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Best van conversion without fixed bed

Consort Reef A new name in van conversions goes straight to the top of the class

T

HE story is a familiar one; keen campervan enthusiasts build their own ’van and start a business doing the same. Scot and Jane Naylor already had a passion for the lifestyle when they formed Vantage Motorhomes in 2007, but nearly a decade later, with the brand well established, they received – and accepted – an offer to sell the business. Of course, Vantage continues under that new ownership to this day.

However, after three years and 120,000 miles touring around Europe (with a particular emphasis on wintering in the Canaries), Scot and Jane wanted a new camper and the story takes an unusual twist in that they’ve returned to motorhome manufacturing. Once again, the couple are

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specialising in the sector they know – two-berth Fiat Ducato van conversions – and the new company is, like its forebear, based in Leeds. From there, Consort Motorhomes builds and retails a range of three rear lounge layouts, using the medium-wheelbase, long or extra-long panel vans.

On each of the three lengths of Ducato van, Consort offers a choice of three versions of its camper. V1 has straight settees in the rear (retaining walk-through access via its back doors), V2 costs a grand more and has a U-shaped lounge going across the barn doors and creating a large boot area that’s accessible from outside, and V3 (another £1,000) also has the wraparound lounge but adds extra high-level storage.

When returning to the market, Scot believed that separate sofas had come to dominate, with buyers comparing the Elddis and Swift models primarily – so the Reef V1 (originally called Wave) was created on the 5.99m van. However, once he was back in business and dealing face to face with customers, Scot realised that most potential purchasers wanted a boot area for their folding chairs and barbecue – and thus the U-shaped lounge versions followed. It’s not hard to see the appeal of the generous boot area (which is automatically illuminated as you open the back doors), and you have to wonder where all your essential outdoor gear would go without it.

Crucially, Scot says that although he hasn’t

Consort Reef

BEST VAN CONVERSIO WITHOUT N FIXED BED FACT FILE BASE VEHICLE Fiat Ducato PRICE FROM £51,950 BERTHS 2 TRAVEL SEATS 2 LENGTH 5.99m WIDTH 2.05m HEIGHT 2.58m GROSS WEIGHT 3,500kg PAYLOAD 520kg

BUY A CONSORT FROM… Consort Motorhomes sells its vehicles direct from the factory in Leeds, which is easily accessible off junction 45 of the M1. Visits are by appointment but you’ll be able to see the company’s demonstrator vehicles.

Also, expect to see Consort ’vans at a number of motorhome shows throughout 2021.

moved away from the popular rear lounge layout that so many British buyers love, he started afresh when designing the new range. There’s also a new emphasis on cost as he believes prices have spiralled in the period he was away from manufacturing. As a result, prices start at under £50k for the medium-wheelbase Kite and he stresses that “you only pay for what you want.”

That’s not to say that a Consort campervan is basic, though. There’s an extensive options list, starting with the base vehicle. All models are built on a 140bhp, 3,500kg van, to which you’ll almost certainly want to add cab air-con (£1,000) and cruise control (£300). The 160bhp engine is available, while the desirable nine-speed

automatic ’box is offered at £3,300. Sat-nav, in combination with a DAB radio, reversing camera and 7in touchscreen display comes in at £1,700.

On the habitation side, standard features include practical touches such as two 95Ah leisure batteries and a refillable 25-litre underslung gas tank, emphasising its creator’s preference for off-grid camping. You’ll also find gas/electric Truma Combi heating, insulated fresh and waste water tanks (to which heaters can be added), a TV aerial, electric step and smart Polyvision flush-fit double-glazed windows that really improve the aesthetics. There’s one solar panel as standard and an extra one or two more can be fitted on the roof of this 6m ’van!

The Reef ’s kitchen comes with a Thetford Triplex cooker featuring three gas burners and a combined oven/grill, a pull-up tower of three mains sockets and worktop flaps at either end of the galley to increase working space. However, importantly, the flap at the rear is hinged from the wall, rather than the end of the galley, as the latter would compromise bed length. That’s the sort of detail other makers just wouldn’t have thought of and, as it’s next to the sink, this area is ideal for use of the drainer and plate drying rack.

Storage has been carefully planned, too, and shows real experience of using a campervan.

There are three drawers beneath the sink; the top one is for cutlery, the second is compartmentalised

whatmotorhome.co.uk | 17

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Best van conversion without fixed bed

WHO IS CONSORT? The Consort range has been developed by Scot Naylor, who previously founded Vantage Motorhomes in 2007.

Once again, the theme is rear lounge, two-berth campervans based on the Fiat Ducato but there are some neat new ideas and plenty of practical touches from Scot, who practises what he preaches and is a keen campervanner.

The Consort line-up consists of the Kite on the MWB 5.41m van, the Reef at 5.99m long, and the 6.36m Oslo. Each is available with a walk-through via the back doors and separate side settees or U-shaped seating and a rear boot, which is proving more popular.

for plates and bowls, and the third is for pots and pans. Under the oven is an even larger pantry drawer for cereal packets, bread, etc. Then, on the opposite side of the vehicle, behind the driver’s seat is the fridge, a 90-litre compressor model mounted conveniently at waist height (with the wardrobe, fitted with a hanging rail or shelves, below).

Up front, both cab seats swivel and a small round table makes this an ideal place to take breakfast, perhaps while the rear lounge is still in bedroom mode – either 1.90m single beds or a 1.90m by 1.85m king-sized double.

When used as a lounge, you’ll appreciate the tall backrests that increase comfort and, cleverly, these

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split so that one and a half cushions fill in the centre to make the double bed. There’s also an upright panel across the rear doors, so the backrests here don’t fall out when they’re opened. The barn doors themselves are fully trimmed, so no bare metal is on show, and a draught excluder panel (superior to the previous press-studded design) covers the join between the two.

The rear lounge also has soft lighting under the top lockers plus corner reading lights, and there are elasticated pockets on the walls, as well as twin USBs in each corner. There are more USBs in the cab seat bases, dashboard, kitchen power dock and by the TV (two in each location), so Inspector Gadget will be very at home here.

If there’s one aspect that could benefit from all this attention to detail, it’s the washroom, and, sure enough, it’s on Scot’s radar, with plans for Consort to develop its own tip-up basin.

In the meantime, you can enhance your Reef with features such as leather upholstery (£650), a smart TV (£550), flyscreen for the sliding door (£500), cab blinds (£600), and an external barbecue point (£250).

This camper isn’t about the bling, though. It’s about sensible, practical design and lessons learned through years of using campervans. If you think that all rear lounge campers are much the same, maybe take a look at a Consort before you sign on the dotted line for another brand.

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Best fixed bed van conversion

Globecar Roadscout Elegance More modern design and top-notch build quality in a compact package

W

E’VE been impressed by Globecar’s van conversion range before but the mainstream D Line models were starting to look a little dated alongside the best of the rest, including Adria’s latest Twins and Pilote’s Premium range. Now, however, the Roadscout (medium-wheelbase), Globescout (longwheelbase) and Campscout (extra-long) enter 2021 in Elegance spec, which gives the brand a welcome lift in terms of modernity in their aesthetics, but still with that Teutonic durability that has become a feature of the marque.

Of the three revised models, all adopting proven floorplans, it’s the Roadscout that’s our choice for the Fixed Bed Van Conversion award.

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| JULY 2021

Partly that’s because, as a 5.4-metre model, it has far fewer competitors and partly because it’s much more challenging to make a fixed bed layout really work in such a small space. We like the fact that this campervan packs so much into a vehicle that’s still so manoeuvrable.

Like its bigger brothers, the new Roadscout gets new carbon-effect graphics on the outside and new furniture with duo-tone locker doors on the inside. There are flush-framed double-glazed windows, too, and a new Oxford upholstery.

LED lighting is a major feature of the new models, with overhead mood lighting, a backlit wall panel in the lounge and indirect illumination at floor and roof level. Perhaps the biggest change,

though, in common with some of its 2021-season rivals, is that the Fiat’s overcab shelf has gone, allowing a full-height walk-through into the cab.

All this adds a modest £1,895 over the price of a standard D Line Roadscout.

The first thing you notice inside the Elegance version is the extra spaciousness afforded to the lounge area, where a soft-feel trim panel surrounds the large Heki rooflight and sweeps into the cab ceiling, while shelves above the cab doors merge into the handleless top cupboards over the lounge. The glossy window surround is another stylish feature, while the tweed-style fabric looks – and feels – classy.

The half-dinette arrangement here might look

Globecar Roadscout Elegance

BEST FIXED BED V CONVERSAINO N FACT FILE BASE VEHICLE Fiat Ducato PRICE FROM £50,895 BERTHS 2/3 TRAVEL SEATS 4 LENGTH 5.41m WIDTH 2.05m HEIGHT 2.58m GROSS WEIGHT 3,300kg PAYLOAD 580kg

BUY A GLOBECAR FROM… You can currently find Globecar campervans at SMC Motorhomes in Newark, in the Midlands, and both the Devon and Somerset branches of Highbridge.

The brand is also represented in Scotland, by Highland Campervans near Inverness.

like any other, but the rear travel seat has an improved backrest shape and the table has a swivelling extension leaf, so that four can dine.

There’s a rotating LED strip light over the table, as well as a 12V socket and USBs, while the open doorway adjacent can be covered by a flyscreen and coat hooks are fitted in the entrance. You’ll spot a couple of storage compartments in the raised dinette floor, too, while a hatch in the side of the half-dinette base gives access to a usefully large locker without removing the seat cushions.

The kitchen has its 98-litre compressor fridge in the best position – at the end, facing forwards where it can be reached from outside as well as in, and, being the new Dometic 10-Series, it has

a door that opens either way. It’s actually a bigger fridge than you get in the larger Elegance models and more conveniently positioned, too.

Above the fridge there’s a surprising amount of kitchen worktop, doubly so as this is just a mediumwheelbase campervan. That’s been achieved by using a combined hob and sink unit rather than bulkier separate appliances. Below are three large drawers for good, practical storage. These things really matter when space is at a premium.

Opposite the galley, the washroom offers a generous amount of room to use the shower and loo. It’s spacious by any van conversion standards but especially so for a medium-wheelbase model. Such roominess is achieved via a pair of

tambour doors that pull out and clip together magnetically, extending the bathroom into the aisle, where a wooden cover hides a shower tray boasting twin drain outlets. By extending the washroom like this, Globecar has achieved a shower cubicle that’s a practical size and one in which you don’t need a clingy curtain around you. A concertina screen protects the loo and basin from getting drenched but doesn’t interfere with your space to shower.

In a 5.41m panel van, of course, the only possible fixed sleeping arrangement is a transverse double bed and, here, Globecar makes the most of the Ducato’s internal width. Bed length is 1.95m while mattress width varies from

whatmotorhome.co.uk | 21

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Best fixed bed van conversion

WHO IS GLOBECAR?

Globecar (and its sister brand, Pössl, which is not represented in the UK) is number one in the van conversion market in Germany. It offers a wide range of Fiat and Peugeot-based high-top van conversions in mediumwheelbase, long and extra-long forms.

These fit into D Line (including the new Elegance) and H Line (Summit and Summit Prime) ranges, the former built

by Dethleffs.

For aftersales support when you’re touring, it’s worth noting that Globecar has dealers right across Europe.

1.32m on the offside down to 1.15m on the nearside. A small recess in the panel under the front of the bed provides a step to aid access.

Sensibly, glazing is omitted at the sides of the bedroom (blinds would be likely to get damaged by pillows and flailing arms/feet at night), but the UK spec will usually include opening windows in both rear doors. The bedroom lighting includes reading lamps on rails, so they can be positioned at will, but overhead cupboards preclude sitting up in bed – we’d question that in a larger ’van but here it’s important to have the stowage space for clothes.

Underneath the bed, in the boot area, you’ll find the easily accessible gas locker on the

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nearside and, forward of that, the Combi boiler.

The 100-litre fresh water tank is built into the slim locker on the offside and, between the two sides, there’s a capacious load area measuring 730mm high and fitted with tie-downs. To allow taller/larger items on board, the bed can be split into three sections and stacked to one side.

Like all Globecars, the new Elegance models feature an enhanced UK standard spec, including cab air-conditioning, a passenger airbag, ESP, height-adjustable passenger seat, spare wheel and a soft-closing sliding door. The 140bhp engine is included in the base spec, too. Add the UK Comfort Pack (£1,995) and you also get cruise control, Traction+, a leather steering

wheel, gas/electric heating, colour-coded front bumper and wheeltrims.

You can give your Roadscout extra sleeping capacity with a third berth in the dinette (£360). An insulated waste water tank (£225) might be worth considering for winter camping and carpets add a touch of homeliness for another £225.

Here, then, is another high-quality Globecar campervan with a predictably Euro-style interior. Its décor is more contemporary than Roadscouts of yore but it doesn’t reinvent the wheel. What it does do is incorporate a better kitchen and washroom than many of its ilk into a camper that’s a great size for adventuring off the beaten track, as well as into towns and cities.

Welcome to the ‘All New’ Globecar Elegance range. ‘Open cab’ concept design accentuates space within the luxurious living area, perfectly complementing the warm contemporary furnishings. Sleek two-tone cabinetry, clean lines and perfect use of space optimises the functionality of equipment. Subtle indirect lighting sets the mood perfectly for those cosy nights in. Class leading comfort ensures that a great night’s sleep also comes as standard!

Plan your best life ahead in 2021 and release the explorer spirit from within.

Download your brochure now and ‘build your own Globecar’ using our all-new configurator.

www.globecar.co.uk

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Best fixed bed coachbuilt (under £60k)

Carado T459 Clever+ Edition German quality without the associated price tag

W

E’RE suckers for a bit of Teutonic engineering in this country. In March (the month of the registration change, of course), the top 10 best-selling cars in the UK included two Volkswagens, a Mercedes and a BMW. In the executive car sector, the German brands totally dominate.

In the motorhome world, few marques have managed to create a premium image as successfully as Hymer, while above that the Germans (including Frankia, Morelo and Niesmann + Bischoff) virtually have the market to themselves.

But what if you want a Teutonic motorhome without the premium pricing that usually goes with it? In that case, Carado’s vehicles have long

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impressed with their sturdy build quality and practical design. Even the enhanced spec of British market models, though, has often left them looking a tad plain, a bit too austere for UK tastes.

For 2021, however, Carado has introduced a range of Clever+ Edition models, which take existing layouts and add all the toys, while finally losing all impression of being built for the rental market. You can even choose from low-profiles and A-classes.

It’s no secret that British buyers like their motorhomes to come with everything as standard, rather than adding endless options, so the new Clever+ low-profiles all get a silver metallic Fiat cab, alloy wheels, an awning and bike rack, but it’s

perhaps the flush-fit framed habitation windows that make the biggest aesthetic difference.

The spec also includes the Chassis Pack, Chassis Comfort Pack and Basic Pack as standard, along with useful details like an insulated waste water tank. The Chassis Pack includes cab air-conditioning, a passenger airbag, electric/heated mirrors, cruise control, radio pre-wiring and a height-adjustable passenger seat, while the Chassis Comfort Pack adds a leather steering wheel, chrome-ringed dials, Techno (silver) dashboard trim, LED daytime running lights and a gloss black grille to the mix. The Basic Pack then brings living area features such as a kitchen rooflight, shower

Carado T459 Clever+ Edition

BEST FIXED BED COACHBUIL T (UNDER £6

0K)

FACT FILE BASE VEHICLE Fiat Ducato PRICE FROM £55,379 BERTHS 2/4 TRAVEL SEATS 4 LENGTH 7.40m WIDTH 2.32m HEIGHT 2.90m GROSS WEIGHT 3,500kg PAYLOAD 442kg

BUY A CARADO FROM… In Scotland, Carado’s only retailer is Roseisle Luxury Campervans.

Emm-Bee (at Bury in Lancashire) is the furthest north of Carado’s English dealers, while Chelston Motorhomes (in Somerset) is the southernmost outlet.

In between you’ll find Camper UK (Lincoln), Erwin Hymer Centre Travelworld (Stafford) and Heart of England Motorhomes (Northamptonshire).

cubicle lining, an illuminated mirror with coat hooks, retrimmed cab seats with armrests and additional power sockets.

Inside, the upholstery is different to lesser Carados (it’s called Nebula) but it’s the new layout of the T459 that is more important. Here is Carado’s first entrant in the growing side settee lounge market – and another reason for this Erwin Hymer Group brand grabbing a What Motorhome gong this year.

The layout may be new to the Carado catalogue but it’s an industry staple – just under seven-and-a-half metres in length, with separate toilet and shower compartments and a central galley with tall fridge opposite. So, no suprises

– just a very open and spacious feeling inside.

There’s an opening overcab sunroof to help with that airy interior and, below, the front seats come with a quilted pattern for a touch of class.

Cab blinds are standard, net curtains cover the lounge windows and the duo-tone grey upholstery looks plush. There’s a convenient mains socket and two USBs under the nearside settee, too.

The dining table folds to be less dominant in the lounge (a Rapido idea originally but now widely copied) but, when unfolded to 820mm by 920mm, it feels Teutonically solid, unlike some wobbly tables that seem destined to connect your dinner and your denim.

The kitchen includes a sensibly located

Duplex oven/grill (thankfully, not positioned above the fridge/freezer as some German makers still insist on doing), as well as a three-burnersin-line hob. A cutlery drawer and waste bin are provided, while opposite is the king of fridges, a 167-litre giant with automatic energy selection.

The floor steps up 20cm from the galley area to the rear en suite bedroom with the usual opposing shower and toilet facilities. The shower has a tray for your shampoo and twin drains, thus scoring best practice points. The loo area opposite scores well for storage (with a tall locker behind the cassette toilet) and space around the throne, while also having all the accessories – robe hooks, towel rails and a toilet roll holder – already in situ.

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Best fixed bed coachbuilt (under £60k)

WHO IS CARADO? In 2005 Capron was established as a joint venture between Hymer and Dethleffs to build entrylevel motorhomes and, in November 2006, production began in a former agricultural machinery factory in the old East Germany. In 2009 the base vehicles switched from Ford to Fiat and, in 2016, production of caravans was stopped in order to focus on motorhomes.

Today, Carado (like its sister brand, Sunlight, which is designed to embody a slightly more youthful feel in its furniture, graphics, etc, but otherwise offers the same designs) has a range of van conversions, overcab and low-profile coachbuilts and A-classes covering the most popular continental layouts. All Carado and Sunlight vehicles are now built at Capron.

Changes from season to season are minor and all-new models relatively rare.

Of course, you can open the loo room door to close off the back of the motorhome but the T459 also has a sliding door to separate the en suite from the bedroom. That’s key if using the vehicle as a four-berth, when those sleeping front and rear are each allowed private access to the ablutions.

The bedroom itself impresses, too, not least because the mattress is more rectangular, much less rounded at the foot than most, and because there’s plenty of room to sit up for breakfast in bed. The mattress measures 1.79m by 1.47m (enough for some) with good access around the bed, or you can extend the length of the bed to 1.93m with an infill and compromise on space around the foot. There are, of course, the usual

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his and hers bedside wardrobes, while a large cupboard provides more storage under the foot of the bed and a locker in the floor is ideal for shoes.

This isn’t the only sleeping space, as the T459 can be ordered with a very easy to use manual drop-down bed, which shows off a bit of that builtto-last German engineering. This 1.91m by 1.41m bed has Clima Plux plastic springs under the mattress for excellent comfort, 580mm headroom and – an item that’s often overlooked but important in summer – a roof vent above. When lowered, the bed comes partially over the galley but it is shaped to leave the entrance unobstructed.

If you’re using this Carado as a four-berth, you’ll find the conversion of those side settees

into travel seats to be quite straightforward, using steel-framed Aguti backrests. And furthering the T459’s claim to be a practical family ’van is a generous, family-sized space for your outdoor gear under the island bed. This garage comes complete with two wide loading doors, an internal load height of 0.97m, adjustable tie-downs, a light and a 230V socket.

Spacious and sturdily made, the T459 is a great example of this popular type of layout. In Clever+ Edition form it has a comprehensive spec that wants for almost nothing, while giving the impression that it will be a better long-term proposition than any competitor with a similarly keen price tag.

THINKING OF BUYING A MOTORHOME OR CAMPERVAN? Buying Your First Motorhome has all the information you need to help you buy a motorhome or campervan, whether it is your first or you are upgrading your existing model It is packed with all of this and more: • Types of motorhomes and campervans explained • A comprehensive guide to layouts • Motorhome hire • Base vehicles – why choosing the right one is important • What you can buy in different price sectors • 2021’s top 20 new models • Where to buy – online, shows, dealers and auctions • Finance – how to fund your motorhome purchase • Buyers’ guide – all the prices, models and specifications • Dealer directory – contact details for motorhome and campervan dealers around the UK

Download it for just £4.99 at motorhome.ma/yfm21 Get your printed issue for £5.99 + p&p motorhome.ma/byfmprint21

Best fixed bed coachbuilt (over £60k)

Adria Matrix Supreme 670 SL This new-generation low-profile sets the standard in its class

A

DRIA has totally redesigned its Matrix range for 2021 and, if you’re in the market for a well-equipped low-profile in the £75k price range, the new model has to be on your must-see list. Adria says the Matrix is the result of two years’ development in which everything bar the loo and the fridge have been changed. This was not just a nip and tuck of last season’s ’vans.

The new Matrix shares its exterior profile with its Coral sister model and many of the layouts are available in either range, with the key difference being the Matrix’s drop-down bed over the lounge in place of the Coral’s additional rooflight. So, the Matrix adds a bit more versatility for those who need extra berths, even if not for every trip.

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| JULY 2021

Both the new ranges come in either Plus or Supreme spec. It’s the Supreme you want, though, and which we’re giving our award to. With its allover metallic silver finish, the Matrix Supreme looks every inch the 75-grand ’van that it is – and it stands out from the hordes of white coachbuilts.

The other USP as you trade up from the Plus (and spend an extra £3,100) is Alde ‘wet’ central heating, rather than the more usual Truma blown-air system. It’s another good reason to find the extra cash, as it provides a more naturalfeeling warmth.

Whichever version you choose, the new Adrias are taller, with a stylish inclined rear wall reducing the boxiness of the shape and a less pronounced

hump (to hide the drop-down bed inside) creating cleaner lines. It’s not just about looking prettier, though, as there’s the introduction of a technical double floor with the water tanks mounted lower and between the axles for better weight distribution. The panoramic overcab window has been increased in size, too, while the garage doors are wider and there are new, exclusive-to-Adria, Hella LED tail lights and 3D badging. Another new feature is the electric waste water emptying valve (with switch sited just inside the passenger cab door), so there’s no more fiddling with a muddy valve beneath the ’van as you get down on your hands and knees. There’s a service hatch, too, where you’ll find electric and TV hook-ups, as

Adria Matrix Supreme 670 SL

BEST FIXED BED COACHBUIL T (OVER £60

K)

FACT FILE BASE VEHICLE Fiat Ducato PRICE FROM £70,000 BERTHS 4 TRAVEL SEATS 4 (optional 5 with 4,400kg chassis) LENGTH 7.49m WIDTH 2.30m HEIGHT 2.91m GROSS WEIGHT 3,650kg (4,400kg option) PAYLOAD 425kg

BUY AN ADRIA FROM…

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Adria has appointed a number of new motorhome dealers for this season, so there are now 20 UK outlets representing the Slovenian brand.

These are BC Motorhomes & Leisure and Struans Leisure in Scotland, and Lisburn Caravans in Northern Ireland.

In England, Adrias can be found at Brownhills (Newark), Cara Motorhomes (Stoke-on-Trent), Chelston (Somerset), Dinmore Leisure (Leominster), GMC Motorhomes (Shrewsbury), Geoff Cox Leisure (Derby), Highbridge Caravan Centre (both Devon and Somerset branches), Marquis Surrey, Peter Roberts Caravans & Motorhomes (Huddersfield), Premier Motorhomes (Chichester), Pullingers (Essex), Signature Motorhomes & Leisure (Preston), The Motorhome Depot (Worecestershire), Tyne Valley (Newcastle), Wandahome (Hull) and White Arches Motorhomes (Northants).

well as room to store the cables.

The external hatches have new twist locks and the garage doors feature neatly concealed hinges.

There’s a special tool kit locker, too, as well as a full-sized spare wheel and a clever drawer that can be accessed from the bedroom or in the garage. Payload is a reasonable 425kg on the standard 3,650kg chassis but an upgrade to the optional 4,400kg Maxi chassis will eliminate any fears of overloading. That’s a pricey extra, at £5,570, as it comes with the 178bhp engine, but it’s worth considering.

Step through the new entrance door (with bigger window and a bin) and you’ll instantly see that the interior design is all-new. Here is another factor

when choosing between Plus and Supreme – the former comes with the Alpine White interior with pine-style cabinets, while the latter has a darker and altogether classier colour scheme, called Cashmere.

Both have a redesigned media wall adjacent to the entrance, with room to house up to a 32in TV. The telly is at a comfortable viewing height and hidden speakers are another neat touch, while the Supreme includes a subwoofer under the fridge.

Adria has long been a master of making modern-looking motorhomes that don’t go OTT in their design and this Matrix Supreme is a new high-water mark. Its dark wood and grey furniture integrate really well with the white top lockers and table as contrast. There are strip

lights integrated into the base of the drop-down bed, which itself hides unobtrusively in the ceiling so that you’re barely aware of it until you deploy its new mechanism and lower it for use.

The bed (measuring 2.00m by 1.25m) now rises and falls on four steel cords and can accommodate persons up to 200kg max. There are large rooflights forward and aft of the bed and a single spotlight on the nearside for reading.

In the daytime the lounge has room for five around the fixed table, which offers generous sideto-side and front-to-back movement. The settee is genuinely L-shaped with not just a token side section but a proper seat, and this also converts more easily to a forward-facing bench for travel

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Best fixed bed coachbuilt (over £60k)

WHO IS ADRIA?

Adria commenced caravan construction in 1965, with motorhomes following in 1982. In 2017, the Slovenian firm became a member of the Trigano Group.

The whole of the current range sold in the UK is based on the Fiat Ducato (although Adria has previously used Citroën, Mercedes and Renault chassis), but it is a comprehensive line-up starting with van conversions and encompassing lowprofiles (with or without drop-down beds, as well as slimline models) and A-classes (right up to tag-axles).

The brand has developed a strong reputation for practicality and quality, while innovative ideas have included slide-outs as well as today’s van conversions with overcab sunroofs.

than in many rivals. Isofix (so often overlooked in motorhomes) is now standard, too, while on site you’ll appreciate the Matrix’s new flat floor.

The Slovenian firm calls its latest galley design the S Series and it comes with solid laminate Fenix NTM worktops, a new design of hob and neat hideaway handles on the soft-closing drawers. It’s a very clean, contemporary design with dimmable lighting above the top lockers and more mood lighting at floor level, while, on a practical level, the oven/grill is mounted under the counter at a convenient height, not above the fridge. That final aspect of the cook’s quarters is opposite and boasts both a generous 142-litre capacity and automatic energy selection.

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| JULY 2021

Beyond the kitchen, it’s no surprise to find the shower on the nearside and the toilet room facing it across the aisle, nor that the loo door can close off the back of the motorhome. These are the norm for this type of layout, but a sliding door to make the bedroom private is a plus, while the aesthetics of the shower cubicle are another example of Adria’s more avantgarde approach. In the toilet area, the use of dark wood, grey for the upper cabinet and white for the basin, again, creates a classy whole.

The twin beds each measure 1.97m by 0.70m.

Here, the tip-up sections at the head of each bed make for comfortable sitting up with a morning brew (something that’s not possible in many

rivals), while beneath is useful clothing storage – drawers on the offside and a wardrobe with clever slide-away door on the nearside. Reading lights are mounted on rails and include USBs. This show model featured leather upholstery as well as the essential Luxury Pack (alloys, sat-nav, reversing camera, awning, etc) and Pack 2 (cab goodies). Techy types will also want the new Adria Mach system, which allows you to control key functions in the vehicle from your phone. Add in the Fiat automatic gearbox and you’ll tip the total over £80,000 but, for once, that price doesn’t shock. From its all-silver exterior to its strikingly modern interior, this new Matrix offers everything the luxury motorhome of 2021 should.

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Best coachbuilt without fixed bed (under £60k)

Pilote Pacific P626D Évidence Small but perfectly formed, with a spec list that will impress

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HIS is the en vogue style of layout at the moment, with Bailey the latest manufacturer to join a wide selection of models where continental makers previously dominated. It’s not hard to see the appeal of the big front lounge, and the loss of a fixed bed is made up for by the ease of flicking a switch and watching your mattress lower from the ceiling. Of course, a generous washroom is another plus, but the big difference (compared with other layouts without a permanent bedroom) is that there’s a garage to provide plenty of external storage.

All of this usually comes in a package that’s just the thickness of this magazine under 7m. A tad too long? Well, now Pilote has the answer.

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The new P626D layout takes a lot of what we like about its longer rivals, including the French company’s own seven-metre P696D, and condenses it into a 6.20m body. That’s 16cm less length than its closest rival and shorter even than a Fiat/Peugeot XLWB panel van.

Even better, Pilote has added the P626D layout to its Évidence range, which is another novelty for 2021. It’s one of four key low-profile models, therefore, to benefit from a one-spec, one-price strategy designed to include all the features that British buyers typically want, but at a lower cost than when ticking all the options boxes. So, while a P626D can be purchased in Essentiel trim for £53,250, the much better

spec’d Évidence version is £57,940.

Just how good that offer is becomes transparent as soon as you look at the list of extra features. It starts with the 8in Media Pack (with idMedia touchscreen DAB radio with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and reversing camera), the Energy Pack (95Ah AGM battery, 100W solar panel), the Luxury Pack (fancier cab trim, leather steering wheel) and Comfort Pack (electric step, cab blinds, carpets, plus a habitation door with central locking, flyscreen and window). But that’s not all, as Évidence models also get leather-look upholstery, an oven, a Skydome overcab sunroof, Truma Combi 6 EH gas/electric heating, 16in alloy wheels, an awning and more. Perhaps most

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Pilote Pacific P626D Évidence

BES COACHBTUIL WITHOUT T FIXED B (UNDER ED £60K)

FACT FILE BASE VEHICLE Fiat Ducato (automatic) PRICE FROM £57,940 BERTHS 4 TRAVEL SEATS 4 LENGTH 6.20m WIDTH 2.30m HEIGHT 2.85m GROSS WEIGHT 3,500kg PAYLOAD 577kg

BUY A PILOTE FROM… This French brand is well represented around the UK, from Dicksons of Perth in Scotland down to Wilmoths in the far south (with branches in Guildford and Southampton). In Northern Ireland, Pilote has a dealer, too – Camper NI (in Hillsborough).

In Wales, there’s Clwyd Caravans and Tenby Tourers.

Then, there’s Signature Motorhomes in the northwest, SMC (Newark) and Hayes Leisure (Birmingham) in the Midlands, Pullingers in East Anglia and Davan Caravans in the southwest, as well as AMC Motorhomes in East Sussex.

importantly, the spec even includes Fiat’s 140bhp engine and the nine-speed automatic gearbox.

With its alloy wheels, all-white bodywork, overcab sunroof and simple graphics, the P626D is a neat-looking ’van. Its remarkably short rear overhang also promises great on-road manners with excellent stability, while the slick automatic gearbox makes driving the Ducato feel like a more sophisticated experience.

Manoeuvring is a doddle, thanks to the reversing camera and compact size, and herein lies a major part of this new Pilote’s appeal. But, unlike so many other small coachbuilts, the P626D doesn’t forgo external storage. There’s a useful slide-out lidded drawer in the nearside

skirt (ideal for mains lead, levelling wedges, etc), and the gas locker will accommodate a pair of 13kg cylinders side by side with a shelf above.

Then, of course, there’s the garage, which is accessed from the offside rear.

It’s not as big a locker as you’ll find in Pilote’s P696D, but it stretches 1.85m across the ’van and has an internal height of 780mm, rising to 1.45m for the first 600mm inside the door. It even has a small section that is the full height of the vehicle (somewhere to stand skis or a windbreak, perhaps). You can also access the space from inside the vehicle via a sliding door under the fridge and wardrobe.

Even more impressive for such a small

motorhome is the size of the lounge – you’ll scarcely believe that you’re in a 6.20m ’van. With 14 spotlights in the ceiling (including the cab), there’s a plethora of artificial illumination, and the overcab sunroof bathes the lounge in daylight.

The key aspect, though, is the amount of space, while the fixed table folds in half to emphasise that. The cab seats are a great place to relax and recline, too, and the TV lowers to a comfortable height for viewing. Then, another plus is the way the lounge backrests ping into position, secured by magnetic strips – no more arriving on site and finding a pile of cushions on the floor!

Above the lounge, the Pilote’s drop-down bed goes straight to the top of the class. Firstly, it

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Best coachbuilt without fixed bed (under £60k)

WHO IS PILOTE?

Pilote has been represented in the UK longer than any other continental motorhome brand, with Hayes Leisure (still a Pilote dealer) originally acting as the French marque’s importer as long ago as the mid 1980s. It was probably the very first manufacturer to offer low-profile coachbuilts here (as well as being an early adopter of A-classes).

The brand actually goes back even further – to a first caravan in 1962 and a Pilote motorhome in 1978, followed by A-class models from 1985. In 1990, the company acquired the German firm, Frankia, while in 2004 it opened a new factory close to Angers in the Loire Valley as an additional production site, while still maintaining its premises near Nantes.

Today, Pilote offers a wide range of low-profile Pacific and A-class Galaxy models, as well as Pilote Van campervans.

comes right down to seat height (once you’ve lowered the table and removed the sofas’ backrests) and, even better than that, the raised kitchen floor, adjacent, makes access easier still.

You can just sit on the bed and slide in.

The mattress is a great size, too – measurements of 2.00m long and 1.58m wide make it one of the biggest drop-down beds on the market. It narrows towards the offside but that’s to ensure that you can come and go through the habitation door without the bed getting in the way.

As we’ve already mentioned, there’s a 190mm step up into the galley area, but headroom here is still a minimum of 1.91m. The kitchen also gets sufficient worktop (especially with the loose

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| JULY 2021

cover for the sink deployed) and there are 230V sockets at either end (12V and USBs at the forward end, too). An oven and grill are part of Évidence spec and the Duplex unit is sensibly sited, while the 139-litre automatic energy selection fridge is even better placed, so you never have to stoop for a Stella Artois.

Storage is another strength, with a super-deep drawer for pots and pans and a cutlery drawer.

Then, next to the fridge, a corner eye-level locker is perfect for cereal packets, crockery and more.

Opposite the galley, the washroom features the superior Dometic cassette toilet, a fixed basin that you can get your head over for face washing, and a tall locker with lipped shelves to keep your many

toiletries and medicines in situ. The party piece, though, is the swing-wall that moves the basin over the loo to create a good-sized shower cubicle with soap dish, roof vent and 1.95m headroom.

When you step out of the shower, you can pull a concertina screen across to turn the whole kitchen area into a changing room. That works especially well as the wardrobe is next to the fridge. With a width of 600mm and hanging height of up to 1.30m, the wardrobe is a lot more generous than its slim door would have you expect.

Overall, we love the compact size of this Pilote but it’s the Évidence spec that makes the P626D look such superb value, at under £60k including the automatic gearbox.

BEST COAC WITHOUHTBUILT FIXED BED (UNDER £ 60K)

P626D

: A special edition range fully equipped from £55.940* !

Take the best selling low-profile and A-Class motorhomes and provide them with the finest equipment then travel with tranquility. You get Evidence the special edition range.

The Evidence range has been designed with you in mind and will provide the perfect traveling companion. Carefully chosen level of specification that will deliver everything you require for the perfect journey. All you need to decide is where you wish to go.

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Leather steering wheel and gear knob Steering wheel controls Chrome instruments, Aluminium dashboard

Living area door with window 2-point central locking flyscreen sliding blinds electric entry step cab carpet

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Imitation leather upholstery Oven White Glossy wooden finish Living area carpet Bed extension in lounge (only in low-profile) Skydome (only on the P650C and the P740FC) Truma 6EH heating Frost-proof waste water tank Side skirt storage drawer 16’’ alloy rims Awning (only in low-profile)

Pilote has also developed different layouts in both Essentiel & Sensation to fit your desire. Low-profile or A-Class, 9 layouts, 2 equipement lines and hundreds of options are at your disposal.

WWW.PILOTE-MOTORHOME.CO.UK *Price for P626D. Models available in Evidence Range P650C, P626D, P696D, P740FC & G740FC.

Best coachbuilt without fixed bed (over £60k)

Auto-Sleeper Broadway EL

It’s no surprise to see this traditionally British manufacturer excelling with the most traditional

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HE layout is as old as the hills, but it still retains its appeal – and its fans. When it’s too cold to sit outside, what could be better than long comfortable sofas and windows on three sides to enjoy the view?

The rear lounge is also as British as the Barbour jacket, so it’s hardly surprising to find it in the brochure of a motorhome manufacturer as characteristic of these isles as Auto-Sleepers, with its base in the quintessential English countryside of the Cotswolds. The only shock here is that the Broadway EL is brand-new, with an end lounge layout returning to the range by customer demand.

It’s welcome back to a classic layout, then, but the

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new Broadway EL doesn’t mean that the old plans and drawings have been dusted off. This latest model is quite compact in length, at 6.63m, while also boasting a wider body than other Broadway models (the same width as the larger Corinium).

Its habitation door also moves to a midposition. Although others have done similar in the past, it’s a first for the Broadway, and it makes a massive difference. Now, you come in and turn left for the washroom or kitchen, turn right for the lounge. In most rear lounge layouts you come into the narrowest part of the ’van and have to shuffle past the cook to get to the sofas. Hardly ideal.

Of course, there’s still a good deal of furniture up front, with the ablutions on the offside, facing

the galley, but it’s here that the extra width (an additional 90mm) is obvious.

Of course, being an Auto-Sleeper, you’ll expect a Peugeot base vehicle and, here, a longwheelbase Boxer chassis has been used where you might have anticipated the accountants to insist on a MWB for what isn’t a very long ’van.

That was the right decision, resulting in reassuring on-road stability.

The Peugeot cab also gets all the goodies, including sat-nav, air-conditioning, cruise control, a leather steering wheel and a colour reversing camera. Under the bonnet is the top spec 165bhp engine. And, again bettering some of its rivals, the furniture behind the driver’s seat is not so close as

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of

Auto-Sleeper Broadway EL

BES COACHBTUIL WITHOUT T FIXED B (OVER ED

of UK layouts

£60K)

FACT FILE BASE VEHICLE Peugeot Boxer (or Fiat Ducato if automatic required) PRICE FROM £67,495 (including Premium Pack and Winter Pack) BERTHS 2 TRAVEL SEATS 2 LENGTH 6.63m WIDTH 2.32m HEIGHT 2.90m GROSS WEIGHT 3,500kg PAYLOAD 329kg

BUY AN AUTO-SLEEPER FROM…

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As one of the UK’s bestknown motorhome brands, you’d expect Auto-Sleepers to be available all around these isles and it boasts 31 outlets, including 13 branches of sister company, Marquis Leisure. There Dealer are three Auto-Sleeper 31 dealers in Scotland (BC ti o n w i d Motorhomes, Dicksons of Perth and Highland Campers), two in Wales (3 A’s Leisure and Stowford Leisure), and one in Northern Ireland (Central Motorhomes), while England’s Auto-Sleeper outlets stretch from Plymouth to County Durham.

You’ll also find a select few franchisees for this very British brand on the Continent – Belgium, Holland and Germany – as well as further afield (New Zealand and even Thailand!).

to restrict the travel of the seat for tall pilots.

The exterior has no surprises, but all the features you’d expect of a premium brand. Alloy wheels, framed windows, a roll-out awning, an underslung gas tank, a habitation door with central locking and electric step, plus external barbecue, 230V and TV points all feature.

Of course, with a traditional floorplan like this, there’s no garage but there is a small hatch on the nearside that provides access to the under-seat space.

But, while the exterior carries off the price tag easily enough, it’s the lounge that’s the reason to buy. As you enter the motorhome it’s impossible not to see the attraction of this space.

There’s a wide range of upholstery choices, as well as the option of a small chest of drawers under the rear window instead of the wraparound settees. Whichever way you spec your EL, though, the lounge is spot on. Not only are the reflex foam side sofas each more than 6ft long, but the windows all around are huge (reminiscent of the monocoque-bodied AutoSleepers of the 90s). There’s also a large push-up Heki rooflight above and a plethora of reading lights on adjustable rails.

The rear window has a soft-touch surround and the corner headrests suggest lazy days, feet up with a good book. There’s a useful cabinet between settee and door, too, that is an ideal spot to rest

your cuppa, while also featuring a pop-up power point with two USBs to recharge your devices.

Both a small island-leg coffee table and a much larger free-standing table are provided.

At night, the lounge becomes your bedroom and, if you want single beds, it’s the work of moments to remove the backrest and armrest cushions and add your duvets or sleeping bags.

The sofas are identical in length and width, so there will be no arguments on who gets which one. Beneath the nearside sofa is easy access to plenty of storage for your bedding.

If you prefer a double bed, then it’s best to go for the U-shape seating option – and invest in a very large duvet. The backrests along the rear

whatmotorhome.co.uk | 37

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Best coachbuilt without fixed bed (over £60k)

WHO IS AUTO-SLEEPERS? As a company that began building elevating roof campervans (the very first was on a Morris van), it’s appropriate that it is the UK’s largest manufacturer of van conversions – today based on medium, long and extra-long versions of the Peugeot Boxer (or Fiat Ducato if you want an automatic). Of course, its range also includes a wide variety of coachbuilts, from the sub-6m Peugeotbased Nuevo up to the near-8m Burford on the rear-wheel drive Mercedes Sprinter. Classic British layouts with a front or rear lounge make up a big part of the range, but there are fixed beds, too, either French bed or twin singles.

Auto-Sleepers has never been a brand to compete at the entry-level and its vehicles come with a very high spec.

Its designs tend towards conservative British tastes, but it offers plenty of choice in terms of fabrics, as well as overcabs and rear travel seats as options for those who need them.

Always based in the Cotswold village of Willersey, where it remarkably builds over 700 vehicles per annum from a relatively small site, the company is part of the Trigano Group.

wall can be left in place if you’re sleeping across the width of the ’van (over 2.2m!), but sleeping lengthways will make getting in and out easier.

Of course, in a premium-priced British motorhome you expect a good kitchen, and you’ll not be disappointed by the Broadway. The galley here wants for nothing. For a start, the Thetford cooker includes a mains hotplate, three gas rings and a separate grill and oven, as well as an extractor hood. And, if that doesn’t give you enough options when you have a touch of the Jamie Olivers, then there’s a Dometic microwave diagonally above.

It’s not as if worktop space is lacking, either.

There’s a decent acreage of prep space next to the

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| JULY 2021

sink and a flap to give you more surface area next to the hob. Then, there’s quite a generous array of cupboards, including three drawers and, up high, a plate rack and four crystal wine glasses clipped into place. A pull-up ‘power tower’ gives you three 230V sockets, too. Even the fridge is generous, unlike in some UK-built ’vans – it has a 142-litre capacity and automatic energy selection.

The cook can also rotate the passenger seat while waiting for the microwave to ping. Or this pew can be used in combination with a laptop table that folds down from the washroom wall.

With reading lights and a sunroof above, the cab area is well thought out.

In the washroom, a swing-wall creates a shower

section when required and, while it looks a bit plasticky, it functions well enough and is a proven design from other Auto-Sleeper ’vans. There’s generous room to use the basin and swivel cassette loo, and the shower area is adequately sized, too.

Consider the Premium Pack to be standard spec and you won’t need to trouble your dealer with a list of accessories to fit. The fittings are already there for a bike rack on the back, so that just leaves the television and, perhaps, a satellite dish (a Maxview TV aerial is provided). Even a Motorhome WiFi system comes as standard, as well as a Category 6 vehicle tracker.

If you’re looking for a luxury two-berth rear lounge motorhome, you need to look no further.

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Best family van conversion

Elddis Autoquest CV80 An all-new pop-top gives a proven and popular campervan two extra berths

WHO IS ELDDIS?

Purchased by the Germans in early 2017, the parent company of Elddis (formerly the Explorer Group) is now Erwin Hymer Group UK. Based in Consett, County Durham, the company has been building mostly budgetpriced coachbuilt motorhomes since the mid 1980s and, along the way, has swallowed up the Autohomes, Buccaneer and Compass marques – with the last of those being reintroduced in 2019. The Elddis back catalogue includes van conversions and even A-classes, but much of its output today is sold as dealer special editions.

The standard Elddis range comprises four van conversions based on the Fiat Ducato, while the rest of the line-up is all low-profile coachbuilts – Accordo and Autoquest on Peugeot and upmarket Encore on Fiat.

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HILE smaller (VW-sized) campervans commonly come with a roof bed and so serve 2+2 families, those seeking a larger van conversion with a loo (and beds for four) are offered a lot less choice. Odd, that, but the market seems to be waking up and filling the gap by adding pop-tops to these larger campers.

However, with the addition of an elevating roof, some of these ’vans can become quite pricey, which seems to defeat the object of being familyfriendly. Unsurprisingly, then, it’s Elddis that has entered the market with a well-priced option.

At first glance, the latest Elddis campervan is exactly the same as the existing CV40 model –

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| JULY 2021

no bad thing as it’s a proven product. But look up and you’ll spot the difference – the addition of a pop-top roof that makes the CV80 into a four-berth.

This is still a six-metre model – a good size for manoeuvrability, parking, etc – based on a 140bhp, 3,500kg Fiat Ducato, but the pop-top is all-new and is the result of a huge investment across the whole Erwin Hymer Group. It’s manufactured using cutting-edge long fibre injection (LFI) moulding for light weight and rigidity but the key feature is its 2.10m by 1.44m double bed on a slatted base. There’s just enough headroom at the back of the roof area

to contemplate sleeping this way around, which will make for easier getting in and out.

The roof, when raised, has a massive flyscreened section with zipped cover around three sides of the front of the canvas, while a reading light is also fitted for upstairs occupants and a ladder is provided for access. However, the USP of the Elddis roof is a wind-up Midi Heki rooflight. This is especially important when the roof is lowered as it allows a lot more daylight into the forward lounge.

With its traditionally British floorplan inherited from the CV40, the CV80 has two seating areas. Aft, there are twin sofas (1.35m

Elddis Autoquest CV80

BES FAMILY TVAN CONVERSIO N

FACT FILE BASE VEHICLE Fiat Ducato PRICE FROM £47,669 BERTHS 4 TRAVEL SEATS 4 LENGTH 5.99m WIDTH 2.05m HEIGHT 2.67m GROSS WEIGHT 3,500kg PAYLOAD 595kg

BUY AN ELDDIS FROM…

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Elddis has 45 dealers for its motorhomes around the UK, including one in Northern Ireland, as well as a representative in Eire. Many of its larger retailers rebrand Dealer the motorhomes 45 under their own ti o n w i d special edition model names – including Evolution (Brownhills), Majestic (Marquis), Platinum Edition (Perthshire), Vogue (Spinney) and Supreme (Preston).

Elddis also has a substantial network of approved service centres around the UK.

long on the nearside, a tad shorter opposite), making a cosy space with four corner reading lights and opening windows on three sides. Of course, the pop-top precludes a rooflight here but there’s still plenty of daylight and ventilation, especially when you swing open the back doors. At night, it’s easy to convert your lounge into a transverse double bed.

The kitchen is a definite strongpoint, featuring not only a Thetford Triplex cooker with oven/grill but also a good selection of drawers for practical storage and a worktop extension flap adjacent to the sliding door (which comes fitted with a flyscreen). Alongside

the cooker is a 90-litre compressor fridge providing generous food storage at a convenient height. The wardrobe is below.

The washroom has a fixed corner basin (not a flimsy folding affair), towel hooks and toothbrush mug, as well as an opening window.

Storage is in a mirror-fronted cabinet and the smart moulding around the window shows good attention to detail.

The CV80 has Grade III insulation and a 4kW Whale CompleteHeat gas/electric heating system, a TV aerial and a 25-litre underslung gas tank as standard. You’ll need to budget for the Lux Pack (£1,218) which adds cab air-

conditioning, cruise control and a passenger airbag, but even then the price is usefully under £50k and the other extras you can almost certainly live without. The excellent automatic gearbox might tempt, though, if you can find the extra £2,040.

Families will surely love the two seating areas, the kids will be at home in their supersized upstairs den and even the Bank Manager will be pleased that you haven’t spent more. The Elddis campervan range has already established itself as offering great value and the new CV80 simply extends the appeal to those who need four berths.

whatmotorhome.co.uk | 41

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Best family coachbuilt

Bailey Adamo 75-4DL

Two lounges, two drop-down beds and a big garage make this a great family ’van, but safety has

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HEN there are more than two of you regularly travelling in a motorhome, it’s not hard to see the appeal of a layout with two separate seating areas. Families can spread out, which might be especially important as your kids get older and need their own space. However, most twin lounge layouts (especially those at the more affordable end of the market) struggle to offer the sort of kitswallowing storage capacity that a family will need for anything much longer than a weekend away. What you really want is a garage as well.

And now you can have a full-sized garage and two comfortable lounges in one motorhome that not only has a sensible price tag, but comes with all the standard equipment you’ll want included,

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too. It comes in Bailey’s new Adamo range, of which the 75-4DL is the pick of the pack.

It’s not the first motorhome to match a rear lounge with a garage, but it does so with aplomb.

For a start, this is a proper garage, not just a useful extra external locker. There’s a full-height door on the nearside that opens onto full-width storage measuring 1.03m high and 0.55m wide.

On the offside there’s a second, smaller loading door, while the nearside opening also gives access to shelved space above the garage.

Anchorage points, lights, 12V and 230V sockets and even drain holes show that the space has been designed to be really used.

Then, inside the motorhome, the inclusion of the garage makes a real difference to the feeling

of the rear lounge. It’s still a U-shaped seating area with windows on three sides, but there’s also a wardrobe in the offside corner, a shelved locker (also accessible from outside) on the nearside, and a huge – and hugely useful – shelf between.

The wardrobe is great for shirts, etc, while the area under the back window is perfect for drinks, especially as there’s no table here. The corner cabinets mean you don’t quite get allround vistas, as in a more conventional end lounge, but the space here feels more cosy, more private. We really like it.

The side settees aren’t especially long (at 1.29m), but there’s still plenty of room to stretch out. Lighting is generous, too, with downlighters set into the bed base above and reading lights

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Bailey Adamo 75-4DL

BEST FAMILY COACHBUIL T

been addressed, too

FACT FILE BASE VEHICLE Ford Transit (automatic) PRICE FROM £62,099 BERTHS 4 TRAVEL SEATS 4 LENGTH 7.49m WIDTH 2.32m HEIGHT 2.85m GROSS WEIGHT 3,500kg PAYLOAD 340kg

BUY A BAILEY FROM…

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Bailey has 35 approved motorhome retailers around the UK, including Dyce Caravans (Aberdeen), Perthshire Caravans & Motorhomes (Perth) and Dumfries Caravans in Scotland and Hagans Motorhomes (County Antrim) in Northern Ireland. In Wales, Bailey is represented

by Spinney (Flintshire) and Continental Leisure Vehicles (Carmathenshire).

There are also a further 14 approved service centres for Bailey motorhomes around Britain.

featuring built-in USBs. It’s a great chill zone.

The rear of the DL (double lounge) layout might also be the parental escape space, while the larger front seating area is taken over by the kids. Here, the cab seats rotate easily and the twin side settees (longer on the offside) are the popular format right now because they create a more open and spacious interior.

There’s room for five around the heightadjustable table, too.

The table is a permanent fixture and, whilst it’s a useful size when folded, it becomes massive – 1.06m by 0.82m – when unfolded. Great for when the Monopoly board comes out.

That table forms no part of the night-time arrangements. If the thought of turning seats

into beds every night puts you off many of the Adamo’s rivals, then this Bailey has another ace to play – sleeping for four with nothing more strenuous involved than pressing a button, or three.

First job, up front, is to lower the table (electrically, of course). Then, you simply remove the armrest cushions and the drop-down bed whirrs down to seat level, with the settee backrests still in situ. The mattress stops just 730mm off the floor and, although the dimensions of 1.85m by 1.32m don’t look especially generous, there’s room for pillows to rest on top of the backrests that poke up at the head of the bed, so usable bed length is a good deal more generous. Reading lights and even

little corner shelves for your specs or a nighttime drink show careful attention to detail and the concertina blinds are another plus.

Then, over the rear lounge, a second (similarly sized) drop-down bed lowers to the same low level for easy access. Like the front bed, it proved exceptionally comfortable on our road test and this one has a privacy curtain, too.

It’s also worth noting that the habitation door is still usable with the front bed lowered, although it’s a bit of a squeeze, and the kitchen and washroom are completely unobstructed.

Of course, a family-sized motorhome needs at least four belted travel seats as well as space for everyone to snooze and, while settees that turn into forward-facing travel seats via a sort

whatmotorhome.co.uk | 45

❯❯

Best family coachbuilt

WHO IS BAILEY? The first Bailey caravan was built in 1947 and the company moved to its current address at Liberty Lane in Bristol in 1960. Owned by the Howard family since 1977, the brand is well established as one of the UK’s largest producers of touring caravans but only entered the motorhome market in 2011. Using the Alu-Tech construction system developed first for its caravans, the Autograph has been followed by Advance, Alliance and Adamo models.

Today, the company manufactures over 6,500 leisure vehicles per year. Up until recently, all its motorhomes have been based on the Peugeot Boxer with Al-Ko chassis but the new Adamo switched to Ford Transit underpinings.

of motorhoming origami are not new, here the Bailey comes up trumps once again. For a start there’s enough legroom for lanky teenagers but, more importantly, Bailey has put the Adamo through a stringent crash-testing regime, just like it did when it launched the first Autograph models. Substantial steel seat frames are a result (wooden seat boxes, as seen in some rivals, can collapse in a crash) and other details have been addressed, too, such as beefing up the TV mounting so that the telly does not become a missile in a crash! If you’re buying a motorhome for family holidays, this attention to safety could be one of the biggest reasons of all to buy a Bailey.

This newcomer’s appeal continues with a

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kitchen capable of creating meals to fill a growing family. There’s a full cooker (three gas rings, mains hotplate, separate grill and oven), a decent amount of worktop and a 142-litre fridge with the convenience of automatic energy selection, while a microwave is a dealerfit option.

The Adamo also adopts Bailey’s usual oneprice, one-spec philosophy, so there are no Driver, Comfort or Lux packs to add. As standard, you get automatic lights and wipers, cruise control, cab air-conditioning, front fog lamps, driver and passenger airbags and electric/ heated mirrors, a radio with Bluetooth and a reversing camera. More surprisingly, the Adamo gets Ford’s 158bhp (160PS) power unit with a

potent 405Nm of torque. That’s more than Fiat’s 160bhp unit and it comes mated to the Transit’s six-speed automatic gearbox as standard.

There’s an overcab sunroof, too, and the habitation door is linked to the remote central locking. Hot water and space heating come from the popular gas/electric Truma Combi 4, while it’s worth noting that the Adamo’s considerable equipment tally also includes a TV aerial, an 80W solar panel and 100-litre capacities for both fresh and waste water. The former is inboard for winterisation and, of course, the Adamo meets the Grade III standard for insulation. All in all, this new Bailey is quite a formidable package for families looking to start their motorhoming adventures.

Best compact coachbuilt

Chausson X550 Exclusive Line Is this the perfect mix of motorhome and campervan?

WHO IS CHAUSSON?

Chausson motorhomes are built by Trigano VDL, with its main factory in the picturesque Ardèche region of France. One of the largest caravan and motorhome factories in Europe, it is also home to Challenger motorhomes (Chausson’s sister brand, which is not sold here) and Caravelair caravans.

Chausson vehicles have been available in the UK since 2003, with Britain being the company’s second largest export market. With a reputation for strong value and innovative design, the French maker has also risen to become one of the top-selling imported motorhome brands here.

Its range includes 33 Line van conversions (which are built at the Auto-Trail factory), as well as lowprofiles on Ford or Fiat chassis in a choice of three trim levels: First Line, Titanium VIP and Titanium Premium.

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HERE have been many attempts to combine the advantages of the two types of leisure vehicle – the compact and car-like campervan and the more homely, more spacious motorhome. Chausson’s X550 could be the best combination yet of the features of each genre.

It aims to have the comforts of a motorhome but the size of a van conversion. Its dimensions are close to those of most popular Fiat-based campervans, but inside it promises a unique design in its class.

At 5.99m, the X550 is exactly the same length as a long-wheelbase Fiat Ducato panel van. Its width, at 2.10m, is just a tad more than the van (2.05m) – not enough to be noticeable on the

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road – while height (2.75m) is midway between the usual figure for a high-top campervan and a low-profile motorhome. Despite Chausson’s concept of a small vehicle, though, the X550 boasts 1.98m internal headroom and a dropdown bed of 1.90m by 1.40m.

Significantly, the new French ’van claims a number of important innovations. Its roof, with one-piece cap, is made from PDCPD (polydicyclopentadiene), which is more usually seen in the construction of tractors, buses and trucks. This is believed to be the first use of this material in a motorhome, where advantages include high impact resistance and the ability to withstand tropical temperatures.

Chausson’s Smart Lounge, with side settees that convert into travel seats, has become a key selling point across most of its motorhome range, but the X550 is 25cm narrower overall and here is the first time such a layout has been incorporated into such a slimline vehicle.

The exterior design is also bold, with an automotive approach to both aesthetics and construction. There are no visible fixings for wheelarch mouldings, bumpers, etc, while details such as the rear light lenses and the black and white colour scheme for the bodywork show an emphasis on a sporty, dynamic appearance.

Clearly, this new ’van is aimed at a younger – or young at heart – clientele.

Chausson X550 Exclusive Line

BEST COMPACT COACHBUIL T

BUY A CHAUSSON FROM…

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Chausson has 15 dealers around the UK. In Northern Ireland it is represented

by Central Motorhomes of Lisburn, while in Scotland the dealership Dealer is Knowepark 15 Caravans in ti o n w i d West Lothian. In Wales, you’ll find Chaussons at 3 A’s Motorhomes in Carmarthenshire. Then, in England, there are retailers as far north as Tyne Valley Motorhomes (Newcastle), as far southwest as Highbridge Caravan Centre in Newton Abbot, Devon, and down in the southeast at TC Motorhomes of Herne Bay. If you’re heading off on a grand tour, it’s reassuring to know that there are Chausson dealers as far afield as Bulgaria, Lithuania, Sweden and Greece.

FACT FILE BASE VEHICLE Fiat Ducato PRICE FROM £57,690 BERTHS 4 TRAVEL SEATS 4 LENGTH 5.99m WIDTH 2.10m HEIGHT 2.75m GROSS WEIGHT 3,500kg PAYLOAD 770kg

Inside, it’s no surprise to find a Hideaway drop-down bed, because Chausson has long been a market leader in such features. Not only does the X550 include a lowerable bed in a much narrower vehicle but it uses cables (rather than belts) to support the bed, which is also on an aluminium frame.

The interior layout owes more to 7m-long motorhomes than to compact van conversions.

Up front, the cab chairs swivel to face two side settees with a fixed table in between. There’s a flat floor throughout and, when the sofas are adapted to form a pair of forward-facing travel seats, they also feature Isofix for child seats.

The X550’s washroom goes right across the

full width of the rear of the ’van and, forward of this (conveniently close by), is a large wardrobe on the offside. The galley is housed on the nearside, with a 134-litre fridge (generous for this size of vehicle) opposite.

Although there’s no garage, the X550 does incorporate a tall external locker on the offside for your outdoor chairs, etc, and this space can also be accessed from inside. Then, in addition to the drop-down bed, the seating can be converted into a second transverse double berth below.

As an Exclusive Line model, the X550 also comes with a high standard spec including airconditioning, cruise control, driver and passenger airbags, Traction Plus, leather steering

wheel, colour-coded front bumper, fog lamps and Hill Holder. The habitation area, meanwhile, benefits from an opening panoramic overcab sunroof, a flyscreen for the door, 5.5kW dieselfired blown-air heating, a premium mattress for the drop-down bed, a TV bracket, cab blinds, and a wooden duckboard in the shower.

Developing such a completely new vehicle has taken more than two years and prototypes have been subjected to 100,000km of testing.

Innovation has long been at the heart of the Chausson brand and never more so than with the new X550. Not sure whether you want a small motorhome or a van conversion? Don’t buy either until you’ve seen this!

whatmotorhome.co.uk | 49

Best A-class

Niesmann + Bischoff iSmove 6.9 E One new A-class stands out this year. If you’ve got £100k to spend, this is the most exciting new

A

FTER 37 years of road testing motorhomes, it takes a lot to make me mouth the exclamation ‘wow’ as I’m presented with the latest new model, but the iSmove is everything I expected of the new ‘baby’ N+B A-class – and much, much more. For once, the pre-launch hype was justified…

At first glance, though, you might wonder what all the fuss is about – even the name, linking it to the low-profile Smove, sounds familiar, while the exterior styling is unmistakeably N+B. This family look was introduced back in 2013 but it hasn’t dated at all – eight years on, no rival has managed such pleasing aesthetics for what is, basically, a big rectangular box.

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Or not such a big box, because the iSmove is a seven-metre, 3.5-tonne motorhome – albeit one that aims to provide liner-style luxury. It’s lower, too, at 2.83m, and the range is ultra-simple – just the single bed 6.9 E and island bed (slightly longer overall) 7.3 F. Bedrooms areas aside, the two models are identical.

As usual at this end of the market, there are plenty of options and packs, though, to ensure that no two iSmoves leave the Polch factory the same. Extras will also take a typical iSmove north of £100k, but plenty of rivals at this price don’t feel half as special.

As soon as you step inside the iSmove, you know that this is not just another motorhome. We’ve seen the contrasting settee base and (pillow-like)

backrest cushions before and there’s the usual huge choice – six squab colours (three leather, three fabric) and 12 backrests (plain, patterned, hide or cloth, from beige to bright orange). What we haven’t seen before is the anthracite headlining, which should make it feel gloomy inside, but somehow creates a cosier interior. Then there are the optional soundproofed felt walls for what Niesmann calls “fantastic ambient sound.”

These are just the details, however, in a vehicle that uses clear sight lines along the right-hand side of the interior and generous headroom of 1.97m, as well as a flat floor from the bed to the bedroom, to maximise the impression of space in a vehicle that’s small by its maker’s standards.

It isn’t just a motorhome that looks good.

Niesmann + Bischoff iSmove 6.9 E

BEST A-CLASS motorhome of 2021…

FACT FILE BASE VEHICLE Fiat Ducato Al-Ko PRICE FROM £84,230 BERTHS 4 TRAVEL SEATS 4 LENGTH 6.99m WIDTH 2.28m HEIGHT 2.83m GROSS WEIGHT 3,500kg (3,700kg and 4,500kg options) PAYLOAD 660kg

BUY A NIESMANN FROM… The sole UK dealer for Niesmann + Bischoff has, for more than a decade, been Travelworld. The West Midlandsbased company was originally an importer of high-end American RVs, so it is well-versed in dealing with large vehicles and has the service facilities necessary. Niesmann was its first foray into European vehicles.

Now an Erwin Hymer Centre with purpose-built premises just off the M1 at Stafford, it also sells Carado, Dethleffs and Hymer vehicles and is the UK agent for Goldschmitt accessories (another EHG brand, offering features such as levelling systems).

There are real innovations, too. A table mounted on floor rails is not a first but it works well here, especially as it still rotates and folds in half, too.

What’s really new is the way that the twin-sofa lounge converts for passenger carrying.

Side settees are a must-have at the moment and manufacturers have come up with a variety of ways of combining them with rear travel seats (some offering poor comfort/safety or a complex conversion process). This, however, beats everything that’s gone before. The forwardfacing backrest simply extends into the aisle, then the base swivels from side to front-facing and head restraints are slotted in. It’s brilliant and you won’t see it elsewhere because Niesmann has patented it.

One option that we reckon will be ordered on every UK-bound iSmove is the Premium Kitchen. This includes the biggest drawer-style fridge we’ve ever seen (138 litres, plus a separate 12-litre freezer compartment), with restaurantgrade containers inside. It adds the mineral worktop that you’d expect in a vehicle of this calibre and also the electric lifting shelving unit at the rear end of the galley that allows a through-view when it is retracted.

However, the really clever part of this kitchen is how it grows. We’re used to seeing simple worktop flaps but here, instead, the chopping board cover for the sink lifts out and slots into a pull-out frame adjacent to the door. Even more noteworthy is the way the glass cover for the hob

slides out, right across the gangway, to meet the washroom wall opposite and create an L-shaped working area for the chef.

Of course, the drawers have electric central locking and there’s an 820mm-wide cutlery/ utensil drawer as well as a deep soft-closing drawer under the fridge for plates, bowls, etc.

There’s more clever space utilisation in the washroom, although this is possibly less different from other motorhomes. Open the bathroom’s sliding door and you’re faced by a corner washbasin, with the swivel cassette toilet to your left. There’s plenty of room to use these facilities but no sign of a shower. For that, you undo a bolt and slide the whole of the right-hand washroom wall across, so the basin moves to above the loo

whatmotorhome.co.uk | 51

❯❯

Best A-class

WHO IS NIESMANN?

The first Niesmann motorhome debuted in 1981 and 15 years later the company became a subsidiary of the Hymer Group.

Its Flair range had already arrived in 1994, while the first Arto was launched in ’98. It wasn’t until 2013 that the current, oh-sodistinctive N+B look arrived, though – first on the Arto, then a year later on the fifthgeneration Flair. The Smove was added to the line-up in 2016, claiming liner-class comfort in a low-profile.

The company has long struggled to meet demand but any increase in production (around 650 vehicles per annum) is very gradual in order to maintain its highquality standards.

From the 2018 model year, it set new standards in safety in its class with a comprehensive crash-testing programme for its Iveco-based Flair liners.

and a good-sized shower cubicle (600mm by 720mm, headroom 1.93m) is created.

In the bedroom, the iSmove feels huge and this area includes plenty of extra storage, too, as well as 12V and USB sockets. We reckon the more compact 6.9 E offers an even better bedroom than its island bed stablemate, with its single mattresses of generous size – 2.05m long on the nearside, 1.97m on the offside – sitting on optional Lattoflex plastic springs for ultimate sleeping comfort. Deep (800mm) wardrobes are hidden under the foot of each bed and, alternatively, you can use this bedroom as a transverse double (measuring 1.97m by 1.35m).

A sliding door can be used in either model to make the bedroom private.

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Of course, there’s a drop-down bed in the cab, too, but even here there’s innovation as the bed is a new slim design that hides away more discreetly in the ceiling.

Although this is a smaller Niesmann, it has been designed with the same thoughts of independence from site facilities as its bigger brothers. A 200-litre fresh water tank is standard, as is a 100Ah lithium battery. One or two extra leisure batteries can be specified, as can a pair of 125W solar panels and a 50-litre gas tank and even a marine toilet with 120-litre black tank.

Whichever layout you choose, there’s a huge garage with 1.13m headroom and a 300kg limit.

Virtually everything you’d expect on an Arto or Flair is possible here, too. You can have the

whole body in Eifel Grey, or go for flashes of colours such as Lava Orange on the skirts and mirrors. Heated cab seats and LED headlights are possible in addition to more expected options like a leather steering wheel, the 160bhp engine upgrade and nine-speed automatic gearbox.

The standard heating system is a Truma Combi 6, but you can opt for Alde’s ‘wet’ central heating and, if you do this as part of the Winter Pack, you’ll also benefit from a heat exchanger and double-glazed side windows in the cab.

You can spec your iSmove to meet your needs exactly. Here is everything that’s made the Arto and Flair such a success but in a more manageable size and with a load of clever new features. It’s our Motorhome of the Year 2021.

BREAKING ALL THE RULES.

“A motorhome with every conceivable form of comfort, room for up to five people, comfortable beds, a generous amount of storage and an astonishing payload does not exist with less than five tonnes.”

That rule could have even been one of ours. But instead the new iSmove is one of ours. Less than 3.5 tonnes. Beyond all expectations. Because it rewrites the rules. The solution was a brand new way of thinking. So new that we built a number of clever features in the new iSmove that are exclusive in the market. So good that we patented seven of them straight away.

By the time you’re done, there might be a few rules that no longer apply to you either.

The new iSmove by Niesmann+Bischoff. Take a look at www.ismove.de and let the new iSmove inspire you.

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Buying advice

Accessories By now you should have enjoyed a few post-lockdown trips in your ’van and be looking to add a few toys to enhance the season ahead…

MUCK BOOT FORAGER Muck Boot Company wellies last forever, so you don’t really need more than one pair, which is just as well because they’re not cheap. There are so many varieties to choose from – welly shoes, ankle boots, kinky boots (or was that a different review?), but the new Forager offers the best of all worlds, as it’s a three-in-one boot. It can be worn as a full-height Wellington boot with a gaiter collar, meaning you can go in some really deep puddles, or the collar can be rolled down for a medium-height boot. Being made from soft rubber, this can also be tucked under the gaiter to make a short boot. The Forager is available in three colour choices and in unisex sizes 4 to 13. muckbootcompany.co.uk

£88

£80

ZEISS ANTIFOG KIT As well as all the other restrictions on life in a postCovid world, wearers of spectacles have found that they now spend half their time stumbling around, bumping into other people because they can’t even see properly with their glasses on. Of course, we’re not decrying the importance of mask-wearing, but misted up specs are a real problem in 2021.

Enter the Zeiss AntiFOG kit. It’s simply a spray that you apply to the lenses of your glasses and wipe off with the cloth provided – very easy to use and available for a tenner or less online. A bargain, if you don’t like a foggy view of the world most of the time. zeiss.com

£10

OUTWELL HILLCREST TARP & FALLCREST SIDE PANEL SET If you’ve already got a wind-out awning on your ’van, you’ll have noticed how it only prevents sun and rain coming from a specific direction and it can also get quite breezy sitting out underneath its cover. That’s where these new shelters from Outwell come in. The Hillcrest Tarp slides into the beading channel on the front of an awning, while the Fallcrest side panels zip around the side stays; both are then pegged down to the ground.

They are sold separately, so you can choose whether you want some shelter at the front or at the sides, or you can get both for the fully enclosed effect. The Hillcrest weighs 2.3kg while the Fallcrest is 1.3kg. outwell.com

£100

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MICHELIN TYRE PRESSURE CHECKER

£39.95

Many of the latest motorhomes have tyre pressure warning systems built in, so if you lose air from one of your tyres you’ll get a heads-up via the dashboard. Such systems have been mandatory on cars since 2012 but you’ll be lucky to find them on a secondhand campervan – and yet correctly inflated tyres seem even more important on a larger, heavier vehicle. You don’t want to ruin your holiday, or far worse, with a blowout.

Few of us check those pressures as often as we should, so a system that makes it easier to do so – and without a trip to the petrol station to get your hands dirty (or find the machine out of order) – must be a good idea, especially at less than 40 quid.

Just replace the standard tyre valve caps with the Michelin sensors and you can check all four wheels in 30 seconds, by holding the small LCD display (rechargeable via USB) against each sensor. The system fits any car, campervan or motorhome and, with correct inflation, you can avoid safety worries and premature tyre wear. gb.michelin-lifestyle.com

Accessories

DIAMONDBRITE CERAMIC BLAST Campervans are expensive things and, having spent all that cash, you want to keep your ’van looking as close to factory fresh as you can. But cleaning and polishing something considerably larger than a Fiesta can also be something of a chore, so anything that makes the job easier – without forking out for someone else’s time – has to be good news.

That said, we were slightly circumspect about the claims for this new product from paint protection purveyor, Diamondbrite. The company says, “While its unique fully biodegradable foam formula is getting on with the job of lifting away dirt and contamination from the surfaces it’s clinging to, it’s also leaving behind a ceramic-infused film, a barrier that repels water and dirt for a car that not only looks better for longer but will be even easier to clean next time.” Basically, you jet wash your ’van, followed by spraying it with Ceramic Blast, creating the foam-covered look seen here. But does it work?

Well, yes, we’ve been very impressed with the results of using it on a T6 campervan. Not only does the VW’s metallic paint seem to stay shiny for longer but it makes subsequent washes easier, with mud and road dirt washing away more easily. And Diamondbrite says it won’t remove any previously applied wax or polish. All good news, then, and it’s only £8.95 for a 500ml bottle, which you dilute with water before using, so it’ll last a while. diamondbrite.co.uk

£8.95

CEL-FI GO M

£849.99

If you like to use the internet to binge on Netflix when you’re camping, then you might want a signal booster. The Cel-Fi GO M not only sounds like it’s mates with C-3PO and R2-D2 but it will enhance 3G and 4G mobile phone reception. It’s also 5G ready, for when the next phase of mobile internet starts to widen out and the Chinese, allegedly, take over the planet (other world-dominating powers are available).

The system is controlled by an app (Cel-Fi Wave) and the manufacturer, Nextivity, tells us that it should be fairly easy to install it yourself, or you could get a professional to do it for you. It’s IP65 rated, so it’s weatherresistant, and you can change between mobile networks using the app. signalboosters.co.uk

EASY CAMP COMFY LOUNGE SET

THE VAN CONVERSION BIBLE

Apparently, there’s something about this inflatable chair and footstool set that reminds certain members of What Motorhome HQ of 1970s sci-fi shows like Space 1999 and Logan’s Run… If these references mean anything to you, then congratulations on being amongst the first people in the UK to have received a covid jab.

If not, don’t fret – most of us had no idea what our colleagues were on about, either. Anyway, between the shape and colour scheme, we are all at least in agreement that the Comfy Lounge Set somehow manages to look retro and futuristic at the same time, which is no mean feat. But, as well as conjuring up images of polyester-clad, interstellar space travellers, this is actually a really comfortable and convenient setup. You just inflate and put your feet up. The flocked surface is soft against the skin, too.

It’s perfect for the campsite, of course, but also for festivals, on picnics, or even in the back garden. easycamp.com

We could blame George Clarke, but the reality is that a lot of motorhomers dream of building their own amazing space – something like a Niesmann A-class but made out of recycled stuff you found at the back of the garage. For most, this remains a pipe dream; for others, it soon becomes a nightmare, so think very, very carefully before buying this book, which consists of 331 pages covering everything from the planning stages, with ideas of costs, through to layouts and designs, with useful information on electrics and plumbing, etc. Even if you’re not planning a scratch build, it could also serve as handy reference material for anyone considering a few DIY mods. It’s available in ebook format for £18, while a hardback copy costs £25. climbingvan.co.uk/the-van-conversion-bible

£31.99

£18

OUTDOOR REVOLUTION NATURE CALLS COMPOSTING TOILET If we could travel back in time to just before March 2020 BC (Before Covid), we’d all be scratching our heads as to why there was about to be a national loo roll shortage and a three-month waiting list for a toilet tent. It’s funny how a global pandemic can change a campervanner’s essential kit list, but a loo is definitely a crucial item at the moment, so it’s nice to see alternatives to the commonplace chemical toilet hitting the market this year. Instead of the nasty pink and blue fluids used in chemical toilets, this composting loo uses coffee chaff or sawdust (available separately) to filter and separate toilet waste, and water is not required.

Once home, solids can be put on the compost heap while liquids are safe to pour down the drain. outdoor-revolution.com

£279

whatmotorhome.co.uk | 57

Editor’s choice

Editor’s choice There are over 2,300 ’vans on our Motorhomes For Sale website. This month the Editor has been searching out previous award winners…

A

t What Motorhome we’re always looking out for the next new thing and innovative vehicles like Chausson’s X550 on page 48 grab our attention quicker than a free pint at the local boozer. But it’s easy to forget some of the great designs of past seasons, ones that, a few years down the line, have become affordable to a wider range of buyers.

2009 CHAUSSON FLASH S3

2016 HYMER VAN 374

£28,990

DEALER 4 Front Motorhomes, West Sussex

motorhomes.4frontcarsales.co.uk

Motorhomes | JULY 2021

2019 CARTHAGO LINER-FOR-TWO

We’ve been fans of the Hymer Van since the original Ford-based version of 2006. Those that wanted German quality and a fixed bed in a superb compact package were always drawn to these popular models and we were pleased to see the Van name return in 2016 with an even more compact design, based this time on Fiat Ducato. It was a shoo-in for Compact Motorhome of the Year.

The 374 layout soon followed, offering easier access to your sleeping space and still an overall length of less than 6m. They must have had some clever designers at Hymer but, sadly, the Van range is no more. Clearly, someone has enjoyed this one, taking advantage of its diminutive dimensions, because it’s done 59k miles.

The Chausson Flash 03 was our favourite family motorhome for several seasons and collected more than one award from us, so it was with the enthusiasm of a hungry dog shown a steak that we grabbed the opportunity to have a Flash S3, its slightly more compact sister model, on longterm test. This was a super little coachbuilt that somehow managed to pack family-friendly accommodation – with a good-sized overcab double and rear bunks – into an overall length of just 5.99m. Not only that, but the Ford base vehicle made it easy to live with as a driver, too.

This two-owner example has only got 30k on the clock and comes with a bike rack, refillable Gaslow cylinder and a microwave.

58 |

We’d have loved to find an example of the first Knaus Sun Ti (on Renault Master) to include here, as it set the benchmark for low-profile motorhomes for some time and introduced ideas like the overcab sunroof that we now take for granted, but the secondhand ’vans below all offer something that made them ahead of the pack when new – and well worth your consideration now.

£44,990

DEALER 4 Front Motorhomes, West Sussex motorhomes.4frontcarsales.co.uk

FOR SALE

£129,995

Yes, 130-grand is a lot of money for a used motorhome, but this isn’t just any motorhome.

The Liner-for-two was our Ultimate A-class winner in 2019, when we said, “This apartmenton-wheels would be hard to beat for a long-term tour of Europe, whatever the season.” Not only does it have drop-down single beds in the cab but one of the best rear lounges we’ve ever seen.

And this I 53 model is still the only C-shaped lounge layout available in under 8m.

This example has an all-silver body, 178bhp engine, auto’ gearbox, multimedia system, alloy wheels, coffee machine, solar panel and 40in TV and has covered less than 7k miles. A brand-new example at the same dealer is £155,430.

DEALER Camper UK, Lincoln camperuk.co.uk

Over 3,000 motorhomes for sale online at outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/for-sale

Insurance

Full of it

Thinking of selling up and living in your ’van?

It can be done, of course, but you might not be your insurer’s first choice of customer…

Words Richard Dredge

T

he modern motorhome offers all of the comforts of home, so it’s no wonder that some owners prefer to live in their vehicles rather than a bricks-and-mortar property. And let’s face it, it’s a lot quicker, easier and cheaper to move when you live in a Bailey rather than a Barratt.

A lot of people have been taking stock of their lives over the past year and the pandemic has led to some folk throwing in the towel with work, deciding that, instead of returning to the rat race, they’d prefer to retire and cut their cloth according to their financial means. For many, that will mean doing a lot more travelling, ticking off places on a bucket list that’s taken a lifetime to compile.

One of the best ways to see the world, if you’re in no hurry to cross continents, is by motorhome, but spending your life on the move can cause all sorts of problems when it comes to insurance. It all depends on how you play things because, if you do what most people do and retain your property while you go off travelling, you simply use your home’s postcode for your vehicle’s insurance cover.

But, if you sell your property to fund a life on the move, getting insurance can prove significantly more difficult – or to be more precise, you’ll have a far smaller pool of insurance companies

prepared to cover you.

There are two key reasons why insurance companies aren’t big fans of full-timers. The first is that those companies like you to have a permanent fixed address for correspondence to be sent to and also so they can calculate the risk that you pose as a vehicle owner, even if your motorhome is hardly ever there. The other reason is that some motorhome insurance policies have an annual usage limit of eight or nine months, which is potentially seven or eight months more than many motorhome owners need – but it’s not enough for a full-timer.

Another significant hurdle for some insurers is the issue of contents limits, because many policies have a cap of just £2,000 to £3,000. If you’ve got a permanent fixed residence, it’ll be insured, so any high-ticket items will be on that policy but, without any home insurance, all of your valuables will be down to your motorhome insurer to cover – and they’ll get twitchy at the thought of it. Selling off your Fabergé eggs and Picassos (not of the Citroën kind) will help, of course, but it’s amazing how everyday stuff adds up in value. Items such as clothing, bikes, jewellery, cameras, computers and watches can reach a hefty tally. Having said this,

some items (such as jewellery) are often specifically excluded from motorhome insurance policies.

Incidentally, we’ve only looked at the issue of motorhome insurance here, particularly from the point of view of someone who has no permanent residence. But, if you do retain a ‘proper’ home and go off travelling, don’t lose sight of the fact that your house insurance will also probably have a restriction on how long you can spend away at any one time.

It’s not unusual to be limited to trips of 60 or 90 days so, if you’re not careful, you could be in breach of both your house and motorhome insurance policies if you spend too long on the road.

There are insurers out there that will cover fulltimers, as well as long-termers. The key (as always) is to be transparent. The things that make getting cover difficult include the motorhome being too old, not having a permanent residence in the UK, or simply not being able to provide a contact address in Britain. You might also struggle to get cover if your motorhome isn’t worth enough (£25,000 is typical), or if you’re on unemployment benefits. Many insurers won’t cover full-timers and of those that do, breakdown cover tends to be an optional extra, but you shouldn’t even consider travelling without this.

MOTORHOME INSURANCE

YOU CAN TRUST 01865 818 331 whatmotorhome.co.uk | 59

Rear view mirror Pixabay

Rear view mirror We published our first awards issue in 2006 and have been picking our favourite ’vans of the season every year since…

T

he first awards issue of this magazine was in May 2006, soon after we’d celebrated the title’s 20th birthday (then it was called still Which Motorcaravan). We had ten categories, including (hardest of all to decide) an overall Motorhome of the Year.

It’s interesting to look back on some of those first award winners. For example, the Bilbo’s Komba Low-Lie LWB, which took first place in the Best Multi-Purpose Motorcaravan category, is a model that’s still popular today. Already, Surrey-based Bilbo’s was a leading converter of VWs and the latest T6.1 Transporter is closely related to the T5 of 2006.

Camper conversion and base vehicle have evolved but were obviously both spot on, even back then.

In the Most Innovative New Motorhome category, we may not have got things quite so right.

The Knaus C Liner certainly looked stunning – if it was launched today, it would probably be on the front cover of every motorhome mag in Europe – but it was simply too brave and Knaus’ decision to use the same striking look for its later, much larger, S Liner may have had a hand in the company’s downfall when the market crashed in 2008.

On the other hand, Bürstner’s Mega Van was actually rather prescient. It’s unique electrically

60 |

| JULY 2021

operated, slide-out drawer-style garage for bikes might not have set a future trend but its adoption of a drop-down bed over the front lounge, in addition to the fixed rear bed, was a glimpse into the future. Bürstner was already claiming this to be a new class of motorhome, part low-profile and part A-class. We called it a “vision of the motorhome of the future”, which, in some ways, it truly was.

The Mega Van also boasted Travel Lounge seating, with a half-dinette that slid forward and reclined – a feature that has since been seen in a number of van conversions to improve rear passenger comfort. And this bold Bürstner introduced Novalife upholstery, which looked like suede but promised stain-resistance – again, that would still appear contemporary today.

The Hymer Van was less revolutionary but it set the scene for a whole new breed of German lowprofiles with the name ‘Van’ in their title, a fixed bed, a six-metre length and, most important of all, a slimmer overall width (just 2.07m in this case).

At a time when Hymer wasn’t building campervans, this was a genuine alternative.

It was our Best Luxury Motorhome that went on

to claim our inaugural Motorhome of the Year title, though. The Adria Vision 707i was the Slovenian firm’s first ever A-class but we applauded its styling, keen pricing, long warranty, large garage with electrically adjustable bed above, and more. Adria went on to expand the Vision range, before replacing it with the more upmarket Sonic, which today offers a range of A-classes from seven metres up to 8.80m. That toe in the water of the A-class sector was, perhaps, this highly regarded brand’s coming of age, launched soon after its 40th birthday. Today, no one is surprised to see Adria going head to head with the best German marques.

Display classifieds ACCESSORIES

FOR SALE

Ferry Good for Al-ko ★★★★★

The HPC Hydraulic Levelling System is truly a step ahead for motorhome owners. Covering all requirements expected from a levelling system. it is simply and quickly operated using the on-board touch-screen controls. Accompanied by the AS Air Suspension system, all your suspension and levelling needs are catered for. At AS Air Suspension UK Ltd, we seek to continually improve and stay ahead of our competitors. Using innovative materials to reduce the weight of the systems, without any compromise to quality.

AS Air Suspension UK Ltd. 131 Chester Road, Warrington, Cheshire WA4 6ET info@as-airsuspension.co.uk www.as-airsuspension.co.uk T 01925 740666 • M 07874 046643

REPAIRS & SERVICING

INSURANCE

Award winning insurance for your motorhome or campervan Call 01422

396 754

Your Midlands motor home service provider including Peugeot warranty work & repairs.

or visit caravanguard.co.uk/what

MOTs carried out on site including class 4 & 7 Air conditioning servicing, Anti-Bacterial neutralising for your mobile home.

Leicester Road, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 1NZ Tel: 01788 541140

Caravan Guard Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

MMM 201501 Wanted - Half Page (18.11.2014)_Layout 1 19/11/2014 21:06 Page 1

WANTED

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Classified motorhomes for sale

Towbar Fitting Centre, Trailers and Leisure Products Auto-Sleepers Fiat Ducato Nuevo EK Fiat automatic. As new; including winter pack, satellite dish, solar panel, bike rack. 2019. Price: £53,500 ONO Private - Shropshire - 07973235999 (1031952)

A-Class, Hymer, B-Class, Fiat Ducato, model 578, £49,500. 2014 19,500 miles. Fiat 2.3l, FSH, MOT Oct. 20, 3500 Kg, HAB Cert, 4 Belted Seats, Cruise Control, Reversing Camera, Cab Air Con, Fridge/Freezer, 4.5m Awning with Safari Room, Electric Step.

Private - Renfrewshire 07708672067 01505872666 any time (1032793)

McLouis Tandy Fiat Ducato £19,500. Left hand drive. 72,260 miles. Full service history. Fiat Ducato chassis. Good condition (some scrapes). Roof Solar Panel Also included: winter cover, 3 gas bottles, electrical hook-up lead with Continental and UK plugs. levelling chocks Private - East Sussex 01435813554 Any time (1031484)

Fiamma F45 4.5M privacy room . £350. Height 2.45M. An ideal accessory to easily add an extra room(see you tube video). Comes complete with necessary poles and carry bag for ease of carriage and storage. Private - Lancashire 07799132495 Anytime (1031656)

Fiamma. £300. Hardly used due to motor home change. Great addition to the motor home with the extra space, for outside cooking, eating out etc and storage of outdoor gear Private - Private - Shropshire 07528803352 Anytime (1032484)

• Motorhome Towbars • Air suspension • Solar Panels • Small Car Trailers • Aframes • Hydraulic leveling systems • Dealers for Gaslow Systems • Fitting agent for Scorpion tracker

275 Penarth Road, Cardiff. CF11 8TT Tel: 02920 371379/236121 Email: sgmtowing@btconnect.com Web: www.sgmtowing.co.uk

ROED FITTERS APPROED FITTERS

Moto-Trek. Peugeot Boxer. £46,000 . Immaculate condition motor home with only 9000 miles and slide out side for extra space when you park up. Private Stirlingshire - 07860744944 anytime (1031575)

Skoda. Citigo Sport with top quality A-Frame. Salewa, £4,950 2013 on private plate, low mileage, full service history,11 months MOT, very good condition inside and out, with new spare tyre and wheel plus jack etc. Trade - 07458375830 (1032619)

Brand new Vango Galli 2 TALL drive away awning, £450. Half Price - still in its original plastic packingunopened, never used. Also sky liner kit for insulation and ground sheet.

Private Shropshire 07528803352 Anytime (1032486)

* MOBILITY RACK / TRAILERS *

PROED FITTERS APPROED FITTERS

West Yorkshire, WF11 8NA Tel: 01977 607155 / 7 www.armitages.uk -FRAMES* MOTORHOME TOW BARS BESPOKE AND EC APPROVED* HY4 SELF LEVELING SYSTEM* REVERSING CAMERAS* * HY4 SELF LEVELLING SYSTEM * A-FRAMES * REVERSING CAMERAS * BESPOKE AND EC APPROVED TOWBARS *

OUR MOTORHOME TRAILERS ARE MADE RIGHT HERE IN THE UK They come complete with manufacturers warranty, a full EC Certificate of Conformity and are available in a variety of sizes and weights to suit your needs.

For further information please visit our website or give us a call.

01455 641367 WWW.MOTORHOMETRAILERS.CO.UK

Items FOR SALE See our website www.tyresave.co.uk from £440 for 4, plus tyres if wanted. New 15in and 16in Alloy Wheels for Motorhomes: Fiat, Ford, Citroen, Peugeot, Renault, Vauxhall, Mercedes, V.W. etc. Mail Order.

Credit/Debit cards. TYRESAVE, Deeside, CH5 4DS. Trade Flintshire - 07831 365412

62 |

|

JULY 2021

www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/sell-my/accessories

... items valued up to £500 To place your ad follow the instructions at: outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/sell-my/accessories Items up to £100 - free • Items up to £500 - £5 per ad

*BOX VAN TRAILERS* CAR TRANSPORTERS*

* GENERAL TRANSPORTER TRAILERS * SIDE LOADING/LOW LOADING MOTORBIKE TRAILERS * HABITATION CHECKS *

Classified motorhomes for sale

One of the South’s leading installers of quality accessories

We offer a huge selection of solar and alternative charging products.

Gaslow is a fantastic touring accessory. Up to 2/3 cheaper than Calor.

Levelling systems for motorhomes / caravans.

Air suspension systems for Motorhomes, Vans & Pickups

CAR -A -TOW Folding Towing Frames

The CAR-A-TOW towing system is the most versatile on the market. We are able to install to a much larger range of cars than any other system. you do not need to be limited to a tiny city car but tow something a little bit bigger.

Don't be fooled by the legality Manufacturer / claims suggested by others. Call TUV approved Towbars.

US to get honest unbiased advice before making the wrong choice.

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Tel: 01202 632456 www.caratow.com Tel: 01202 632488 632456

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Towbars 2 Towcars Electronic Braked A-Frames PROFESSIONALLY INSTALLED INSTALLED BY BY PROFESSIONALLY THE MANUFACTURER MANUFACTURER THE

Your one stop solution to Motorhome freedom!

BRITISH DESIGNED AND BUILT A-FRAMES

• A-frames supplied as a package complete with car or Professionally fitted to your own vehicle • Unique Electronic proportional braked A-Frame • Strong, lightweight, easy to fit • Vehicle is left very tidy when the system is removed • Safety features built in • Folds for storage into the car boot • Fits most vehicles • EU approved motorhome towbars fitted

2018 TOYOTA AYGO SOFT TOP! £9995

www.tow-bars2tow-cars.com ) 01469 560402 • Grimsby DN41 8TP AIR SUSPENSION FOR ALKO CHASSIS

Power solar/wind/generators £450. Jackery 500 Solar Generator.

Private - West Yorkshire 07738384878 (1031579)

A S Air Suspension for the Alko Chassis is an air ride system which assists your original suspension, enhancing the overall ride and control of your vehicle. The system is TUV approved and is compatible with both single and tag axle alko chassis vehicles. Our range also accommodates the leaf spring chassis.

Call or email for more information or a no obligation quote.

E. info@as-airsuspension.co.uk www.as-airsuspension.co.uk Trade - Cheshire - 01925 740666/07874 046643



FIT OR RE-FIT

Brand new Sigma S30 / S34 Key fob and two button top.

Replacement. Total price, inclusive of Royal Mail signed for delivery, £52.00. Private - Dorset 07929181113 (1032491)

FIT OR RE-FIT, NEW Now we offer the all New Lightweight 16kg Towing A-Frame, supplied and fitted from only £950 Fully Road Legal. Air Suspension from £450 fitted. 160w Solar Panel fitted from £370.

Trade Cheshire (Warrington) 07503171601 / 01925838900

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... items valued up to £500 2017 VW UP TSI 90ps 5 door 21000 Miles £7,395. 2017.

07988951523 - Cornawall (1030019)

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To place your ad follow the instructions at: outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/sell-my/accessories Items up to £100 - free • Items up to £500 - £5 per ad

£95. Great for boosting WiFi signals, Bt fon etc, no longer needed as new motorhome has built in wifi Private Shropshire 07528803352 Anytime (1032485)

whatmotorhome.co.uk | 63

OM ,790our new premises is now open! we would love to show you around!

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Pullingers Leisure Vehicles Limited Sudbury Road, Little Maplestead, Halstead, Essex. CO9 2SE

Tel: 01787 47 27 47 www.pullingers.co.uk