Guest Cattwg Posted November 26, 2005 Share Posted November 26, 2005 Hi Pete, just saw your post and would be very interested in any comments for or against that you may have regarding your Renault Master/Devon Monte Carlo conversion. We do a lot of touring and like the idea of a rear bed that can be left up whilst driving. We are considering the Master/Devon/Monte Carlo and Monaco. However as this would be an 'every day vehicle', I am a little concerned over the length of the Master (19ft 4in I understand?). Also as we wild/aire camp when appropriate the 12v (non gas) fridge could also be problematic. I've seen the good report in the November MMM. Although not a rear bed model, any thoughts on the Barron Firebrand? Thank you. Regards Cattwg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike E Posted November 26, 2005 Share Posted November 26, 2005 I am also interested in these vans so look forward to your response. There was a review of the fixed bed version in November's MMM. I currently own an Autosleepers Duetto Hi top but would not recommend any Hi top for everyday use especially if you live in a City. As regards the fridge I understand that you can specify a gas/electric/12v fridge when you order the van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PeteC Posted November 26, 2005 Share Posted November 26, 2005 Hi Mike E & Catwig Fridge Ours is a 3 way 12V Mains Gas fridge As usual 12v Is only when the engine is running - came as standard but yes Pete ? is able to change some items before production Rear Bed Ours isnt a fixed bed as such but is designed as a loungs/bed (transvers) that we find easyer to leave as a bed As wth two of us the alternative lounge/small bed does for day use Hot water comes from Engine when on the road, 240v Immersion heater or from deisel heater when on site Space heating Deiesl Ebberspacher also gives hot water as above Front lounge is formed by a bench seat that we keep sideways but can be turned to face front It is secured by the same fixings that are used to hold wheelchairs in mini buses Under bed space (rear) we keep the awning (poles on roof rack)wellies etc & about 60 bottles of wine on homeward runs Oven (Gas) we use to store bread & cakes 110Ah leisure battery We have the old 2.8 l engine it does 34mpg normally on Mways we travel between 55 & 75mph Comfort we came up from Almeria to &0 miles N of Madrid in one go (08.00 hr set off arrivedat a campsite at 18.00 h) intemp 85F Devon fittted our roof rack We use ours for shopping & when going out for walks (Live in the Western lakes area)and find that having our own toilet with us is a definite advantage We have camped in cold & hot weather -7C mid day in France (like ewe have just had down W country Spain /France border was closed for 3 days) and just had 8 weeks in Holland where temp reached 38C in the shade of the awning Spring time) Servicing We go to the same garage that did our 2400kg van (car garage) Or there is a Renault Truck depot 45 miles away who are also tooled up to handle this size of van (every 12000 miles) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PeteC Posted November 26, 2005 Share Posted November 26, 2005 Why are you bothered about the length Catwig? Is it too small or too large? As I said I have driven a van before and also towed a 14ft caravan - thed evon is about the same as a 12ft caravan when you deduct the cab area. I find that I can reverse this better than our sons car I have those "Blind Spot Mirrors" adjusted down and inwards so that I can see the rear bumper and rear wheels. When we leave a site for a ride out we place a maeker by the rear wheel just touching the side of the tyre and another by the guy line on the other side then reverse up to these if we need blocks wifie just has to tell me when to stop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Derek Uzzell Posted November 27, 2005 Share Posted November 27, 2005 Cattwg: 19' 4" is a lot longer than your average car. Parking will (predictably) be more difficult and the 8' 6" height will prevent you getting into multi-storey car parks or those with height barriers. If you live in an area where street-parking is the norm then the best of luck! Personally, I wouldn't consider a vehicle this big as a viable every-day substitute for a car, but there will be people who do. You'll need to try one and make your own decision. Don't know anything about the Barrons vehicle - isn't it just a Devon model in drag? A direct alternative to the Monte Carlo is Adria's Twin M built on the same Renault base. I've inspected one of these abroad and it looked pretty good. It also might be more suitable for you if you're a habitual off-site camper as the fresh/waste water tanks are significantly larger (110/105 litres respectively) and you'll almost certainly find it can carry bigger gas cylinders. No diesel-fuelled heating however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike E Posted November 27, 2005 Share Posted November 27, 2005 Thank you PeteC for your comments on the Devon. Derek mentions the Adria Twin M. That looked interesting to me as I am an admirer of Adria. However, on inspection I find that the Twin M does not have a fixed bed (unlike the Fiat based Twin)which was one of the original poster's main requirements. The bed in the Twin M is made up from the dining area probably using the table. In my view that is the worst kind of arrangement.The Twin M will therefore probably not feature on my list although I shall take a closer look at the NEC in February. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cattwg Posted November 27, 2005 Share Posted November 27, 2005 Hi Pete, thank you very much for replying to my query. We currently have an VW/AS Trophy (similar to and about the same overall size as the Topaz). I am a little conerned that at 19ft 4in the Master may be too long for use as an everyday vehicle. But I really do like the idea of not having to put the bed up and down morning and evening! I was impressed by your MPG. Thanks again, we will keep on looking and thinking. Thanks also to others who have contributed. Regards Cattwg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Derek Uzzell Posted November 29, 2005 Share Posted November 29, 2005 Mike E: I now notice from MMM's Buyers Guide that Adria's Renault-based panel-van conversion seems to be called "Van M" in the UK and, apparently, there's only one version. On the Continent there are two models, called Twin M or Twin MD. Camping Car magazine says that Twin M has a front dinettea and large transverse bed above a rear storage area, while Twin MD is said to have a 2nd large rear dinette instead of the bed arrangement. So it sounds like the UK Van M is based on the Twin MD model. Worth checking perhaps what Adria will be importing to the UK for 2006. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike E Posted November 29, 2005 Share Posted November 29, 2005 Derek. Thanks. I've taken another look at Adria's website-www.adria-mobil.si/en/ The Van M to be imported into the UK has a front dinette/double bed and rear kitchen. You can find this out by downloading the technical data information from the website. One option for me might be to import a rear bed arrangement Van from a dealer abroad but when I last looked Adria's UK and European prices were broadly identical and that being the case the inconvenience of the process, not to mention potential warranty difficulties, would for me render the whole process unviable. I shall continue my search for an alternative Ford or Renault van. Previous horrendous experience with Fiat means that I shall not be looking to them for a new base vehicle. And Mercedes conversions are simply too expensive. I shall however speak to the Adria people at the NEC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mel E Posted November 29, 2005 Share Posted November 29, 2005 The Renault Master is a superb base vehicle (as all recent reviews have shown). We looked seriously at the Devon, but wanted a more flexible layout - altho' the Devon sleeps 4, the front singles are short and very narrow and the space under the rear bed difficult to use. So we designed our own and had it built - with a full size double at the front converting from a dinette/optional settee and twin bunks 2ft 5ins wide by 6ft long aacross the rear which can be taken down individually or together to form an extremely flexible storage area (bikes, boxes, etc). We often use the settee and lower bunk when we're just two. Finish and fittings was to a bit higher standard than the Devon and we loaded the Master with just about every optional extra (aircon, cruise control, etc) and the total cost was not a lot more than the Devon. Start a new thread if tou're interested in more details - the converter is already building another one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Derek Uzzell Posted December 1, 2005 Share Posted December 1, 2005 Cattwg: I forgot to mention that a test report on the Barrons Firebrand was published in MMM July 2005 (page 2005) - but you probably know that already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cattwg Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 Derek, thank you. Yes I have seen the report, I was hoping that there might be some Firebrand owners able to offer an opinion. Regards Cattwg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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