HOBBY MOTORHOMES

[AnnPaul]

:-D Anybody out there own a recent 2008/9 Hobby Siesta or Toskana

What do think of them.?

What should we look out for IF we buy a new one.

 

Many thanks

 

Ann & Paul (lol)

[broc]

We bought a 'new' unregistered 2008 Model Siesta T600 FC in May this year. First impressions when we saw it were very stylish inside & out, interior feels very warm & cosy. It has a good spec too. Build quality is a bit variable; quality of woodwork being very good but marred by too many screw caps showing. There are some nice touches like the padded roof-lining, but the blue LED illuminated cocktail cabinet is not to everyones taste!

 

The blue, silver & white trim looks very attractive, however I am slightly concerned that much of it is vinyl trim stuck on, only time will tell how durable this is.

 

The 130bhp 5-speed Transit chassis is a good drive, loads of torque, better than our previous Ducato 2.8jtd although the swivel on the drivers seat coupled with the windscreen blind means that tall drivers may find visibility a problem.

 

The warranty is a bit confusing: 3 years on the Ford bits, 2 years on the habitation bits, and 5 years (or was it 6) damp guarantee.

 

We have had a few problems, but nowhere near as many as we had with an Autotrail 696SE we bought new in 2006.

 

I had some difficulty with the Transit stalling when pulling away, but a quick visit to my local Ford dealer resolved this with a software update carried out with minimum fuss; it was transformed! We have done around 2500 miles since we bought it, average fuel economy is 31mpg so far. Also the drivers door trim was rubbing on the exterior mirror, this was fixed at the same time.

 

Issues with the conversion are relatively minor;

 

We have a small hole in the cab door blind (waiting for a new one from Hobby), the cab carpets were 'handed' the wrong way round (also waiting for Hobby to supply replacements), but I bought a genuine Ford Transit cab carpet for £20 which is much better anyway.

 

We have had some issues with flame failure on the oven & hob which has been improved by adjustment by the dealer, but it is still not cured.

 

The shower waste 'trap' came loose when we were on holiday rendering the shower unusable, upon investigation it looks like the trap is also cracked so we will be reporting that to the dealer in the next week or two.

 

The trim & blind for the main Heki rooflight detached itself in the middle of the night and crashed to the floor, it frightened the life out of us, I thought we were being attacked! It is held up with duck tape at the moment until I get it to the dealers.

 

In use, we find the bed very comfortable;the washroom is a bit narrow but the shower is good. At 6.45m long, it was never going to be a roomy vehicle so compromises have been made particularly in the lounge area. The fixed table interferes with moving from the cab seats to the habitation part of the vehicle. My wife loves the kitchen, the large fridge freezer is brilliant, the oven being part of a TEC tower is high & has no grill, second time out we had to buy a toaster.......

 

Storage is excellent; with plenty of places to stow gear, we can even fit two Brompton folding bikes under the bed.

 

Overall, we are very happy with our Hobby. We wanted a Transit based vehicle having decided to avoid the Ducato X/250; we were looking for a fixed bed, a kerbside weight less than 3500kg and something as close to 6m in length.

 

Brian