Autosleeper Gatcombe

[rmg]

Hi. I'm thinking of buying a Gatcombe (VW T4 2.5TDi on '04 plate). Just wondered what you thought of this van. Build quality, driveability, economy, comfort, etc.

Thanks.

[Ranger]

Hi rmg, first of all may I say welcome to the Forum, you don't have to be as nutty as the rest of us but it does help! I have an Autosleeper & I find the built quality is fine. Are you sure about a VW as a base vehicle, it will probabley be front wheel drive. I have only had one front wheel drive 'van and that was on a VW, poor traction on wet grass. All the rest of my 'vans were rear wheel drive. I now have an Autosleeper Legend on a rear wheel drive Ford Transit automatic, very good 'all rounder'. MPG 24 MPG on a bad mountainous run, anything up to 30 MPG on a good long motorway run. Softly softly on the right foot, no top box to catch the air and give drag. Good lively performance, and good traction on wet grass.

Hope you enjoy motorcaravanning, you will meet some fine friendly owners in your travels..............David............

[roger s]

The Gatcombe was a development from the Clubman and is a nice little van. The 2.5TDi T4 is probably the most economical of all base vehicles and it is not uncommon to hear of 35mpg being quoted for Clubman, Clubman Anniversary and Gatcombe models.

 

A-S were unable to fit that monocoque shell onto the T5 and that was the reason manufacture stopped.

 

I dont think you will be disappointed if you buy it and have a look on http://www.asoc.fsnet.co.uk/ for the owners club web site or look in MMM for membership secretary

[Derek Uzzell]

Rmg:

 

MMM published an 8-page report on a Gatcombe in the June 2000 issue. The vehicle on test was (apparently) a pre-production model, so at least some of the report's negative comments (eg. shortage of power due to the 2.4litre non-turbo motor) should not apply to the 2004 vehicle you are interested in. The report's author summarised the model's pros and cons as follows:

 

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We liked:

Comfortable to drive (and the turbo-diesel would have been even better!)

Highest quality bodywork.

Modern interior, especially the woodwork.

Waste water tank directly below facilities.

Exterior access locker.

 

We would have liked:

* Blown-air to the forward lounge area.

Somewhere to hang wet coats.

Single key operation for all caravan fittings.

 

We disliked:

* Inaccessible spare wheel.

* Additional step for caravan door.

* Pathetic washroom sink.

 

(* indicates that (having studied the MMM report) Auto-Sleepers were considering these aspects regarding the possibility of making future changes/modifications.)

 

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Build quality, driveability, economy, comfort?

 

Being a GRP monocoque shell means that Gatcombe's body should be less vulnerable to damage from water ingress (though that won't necessarily prevent rain getting in as Auto-Sleepers has a less than pristine reputation for sealing caravan windows properly). Personally, I don't think A-S build-standards (since say 2000) have matched the advances made by better-quality Continental motorhome manufacturers or by specialist UK converters like Murvi or IH Motorcampers, but it's generally OK and, on a 4-year old vehicle, any factory-inflicted conversion 'nasties' should have been ironed out by now. Based on the MMM report, Gatcombe has a very 'sensible' specification, with adequately-sized water/waste tanks, reasonable gas-bottle capacity, sufficient payload, etc. The double-bed option is a mite short and the bathroom's small, but such things should be obvious to a prospective owner. Depreciation on A-S models is pretty low and the VW-based ranges remain particularly attractive to buyers of used motorhomes. If you want to look on a motorhome as an investment, then a well-priced 2004 Gatcombe is probably as good a choice as you can make.

 

Driveability should be fine, with the odd caveat. A 2004 VW T4's cab is very car-like with little of the 'commercial vehicle' feel of contemporary Ducato, Transit, Sprinter, etc. equivalents. A short wheelbase chassis and shortish body-length allows a tight turning circle and easy parking in standard bays. However, a possible downside for coachbuilt motorhomes built on the Transporter chassis is that the soft suspension can provoke a roly-poly motion, and the MMM report mentions "considerable wallowing" when the vehicle was semi-laden. (A common (and easy/cheap) 'fix' is to add supplementary springs to the rear suspension and this is said to improve matters considerably.) Not a good idea to hang a scooter on the back of a Gatcombe though, but hopefully you are not planning to do this! I've read that VW T4 servicing/maintenance/repair can be expensive and DIY can be tricky: but that's equally true of many modern vehicles.

 

The MMM report said that 29mpg was achieved during the test, but the later turbo-motor has the potential for better economy. Roger's 35mpg suggestion seems very reasonable and 30mpg average should be easily attainable unless you drive in lead boots.

 

If you want feedback from present or past Gatcombe owners, then it looks like you may need to look elsewhere. You could try the MotorhomeFacts forum (www.motorhomefacts.com), that certainly had Gatcombe owners participating at one stage, or (as Roger advises) the Auto-Sleepers Owners' Club.