Which Motorhome's Biggest Ever Group Test

[Lucie Cranfield]

Hello All,

 

Which Motorhome has just completed its biggest ever group test of 15 popular high-top campervans, all based on the six-metre, long-wheelbase Sevel (Fiat/Peugeot/Citroen) panel van.

 

Models tested were from Autocruise (Accent and Rhythm), Au...to-Sleepers (Kemerton and Windrush), Devon, Horizons, Murvi, Shire, Vantage, WildAx, Adria, Globecar, Pilote, Rapido and Tribute.

 

Which one would you pick as your winner? Find out our winner in the June issue of Which Motorhome, on-sale on 9th May. Order your copy now - http://tinyurl.com/cojd9r7

 

Thanks,

Lucie

[Guest JudgeMental]

Sounds good! But let's hope it covers essential information when considering a new camper.......Payloads, axle weights and weight distribution. as well as a breakdown of tank sizes and location..plus bottle gas capacity, fridge size etc.... All essential information when considering a new van. It would be nice to have the facts as well as the glitz :-D

[colin]

Having given most of these vans a good 'going over', I'll be interested to see what is said of them.

As for Eddies suggestion of including essential info that isn't included in the glossy manufacturers brochure, well I'll not hold my breath.

[Tracker]

All road tests are to be taken with a very large pinch of salt especially those by journalists with a vested interest in not upsetting the hands that loan them the vehicles to 'test'.

 

Look back to the reverse gear saga where not one van 'tested' over a long period ever had any reverse gear issues and that went a long way to convincing the already doubtful among us.

 

Comparison tests can be good for comparing physical data like layouts and sizes, various facilities and capacities in one publication with a view to maybe creating a shortlist, but only an actual road test by the prospective buyer of the actual vehicle he/she might buy can determine the characteristics of any individual vehicle.

 

Shame they missed out Autosleeper's best selling PVC - the Warwick Duo

[mikemoss]

Oh no, not more camapervan/PVCs - not everyone is downsizing for goodness sake. Haven't you done these to death already?

[Guest JudgeMental]

mikemoss - 2013-05-01 12:05 PM

 

Oh no, not more camapervan/PVCs - not everyone is downsizing for goodness sake. Haven't you done these to death already?

 

Wake up and smell the coffee :-D

[RogerC]

I find all these 'tests' are somewhat biased towards certain 'main stream' manufacturers/brands.  I have yet to see a decent review/test that includes Rollerteam brands......obviously this is a personal 'thing' as we have a 600G.  We think ours is brilliant/excellent value for money and looking around at other brands at the shows we sometimes (more often than not) come away thinking we got such a good deal compared to the pricing/fit/layout/finish of other much more expensive MH's.

 

Whilst on the subject of reviews I wonder why the publishers don't include more photos/detail regarding 'garage' space and their carrying capacity/weight limit?  Surely people are interested in what they are able to carry in these times of bikes/awnings/bbq's/outdoor tables/chairs etc etc....

 

[Guest JudgeMental]

whatever you think about the roller team they have never been considered a quality product....Don't get upset, my Adria is considered likewise and far from the best panel van available. I am as happy with mine as you sound with yours, surely that is all that matters...

[RogerC]

JudgeMental - 2013-05-01 12:57 PMwhatever you think about the roller team they have never been considered a quality product....Don't get upset, my Adria is considered likewise and far from the best panel van available. I am as happy with mine as you sound with yours, surely that is all that matters...

 

Happy is what we are but the point I was trying to make is that 'other' budget MH's seem to crop up time after time but the RT brand (overcab models) are conspicuous by their absence.  I feel that there are a great many people out there that, like us, read the magazine to glean some basic information on the types/models available in the market place.  Therefore an across the board approach, not always reporting/reviewing 'mainstream' manufacturers in reviews/comparisons would be more representative.

 

In our case we were 100% certain and had decided on the MH we wanted.  We drove 400 miles (round trip) with solid intentions of buying our 'perfect' MH.  On arrival there was out 'intended' parked alongside a RT600G.  Both models were of similar layout but on inspection our 'intended' just didn't match up or compare in quality to the RT.  An overnight stop at a local site saw us imbibing a few G&T and a nice bottle of red discussing the pros and cons.  As is obvious by my previous post we decided on the RT based on interior look, upholstery, finish, quality, a saving of £5k over our 'intended' and the fact it is on a Transit chassis not a poorly equipped Fiat.  I hasten to add the £5k saving was a bonus not a deal maker.

 

So had the magazines been a little more 'broad' in their scope of manufacturers we would have been better informed beforehand.

 

[Andrew MMM]

RogerC - 2013-05-01 12:19 PMI find all these 'tests' are somewhat biased towards certain 'main stream' manufacturers/brands.  I have yet to see a decent review/test that includes Rollerteam brands......obviously this is a personal 'thing' as we have a 600G.  We think ours is brilliant/excellent value for money and looking around at other brands at the shows we sometimes (more often than not) come away thinking we got such a good deal compared to the pricing/fit/layout/finish of other much more expensive MH's.

 

Whilst on the subject of reviews I wonder why the publishers don't include more photos/detail regarding 'garage' space and their carrying capacity/weight limit?  Surely people are interested in what they are able to carry in these times of bikes/awnings/bbq's/outdoor tables/chairs etc etc....

 

Hello RogerC. The latest Roller Team review can be found here: http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/Motorhomes/Reviews/Motorhomes/Roller-Team-Auto-Roller-746-motorhome-review/_ch1_rw1266_pg1

 

Best

 

Andrew

 

[mikemoss]

JudgeMental - 2013-05-01 12:15 PM

 

Wake up and smell the coffee :-D

 

Ah yes, but I like to stretch out a little while I drink my coffee! Sorry, no offence intended but small spaces are not for me (or Mrs MM, or Roxy the dog). And I cannot begin to believe the price of them. Maybe one day I'll change my mind, but at the moment every time I see one I cannot help but shake my head.

[Tracker]

mikemoss - 2013-05-02 3:09 PM

And I cannot begin to believe the price of them.

Maybe one day I'll change my mind, but at the moment every time I see one I cannot help but shake my head.

 

Me too - but we are going to give one a try anyway - how hard can it be to adapt - what can possibly go wrong!

[Guest JudgeMental]

Tracker - 2013-05-02 3:11 PM

 

mikemoss - 2013-05-02 3:09 PM

And I cannot begin to believe the price of them.

Maybe one day I'll change my mind, but at the moment every time I see one I cannot help but shake my head.

 

Me too - but we are going to give one a try anyway - how hard can it be to adapt - what can possibly go wrong!

 

Tracker watch the payloads and axle loading's.....

 

I agree with you Mike.... But big ain't always better, and you are looking at UK price tags which are extortionate. While we are still in Europe may as well take advantage till the walls go up!

 

There was a TV series years ago (have looked around for it and cant find it) where UK is cut of from Europe, it was a kind of Orwellian...can anyone remember it? the star was well known I can see him now but not remember the name.... :-S

 

edit: Edward Woodword!

[bolero boy]

Tracker - 2013-05-02 3:11 PM

 

mikemoss - 2013-05-02 3:09 PM

And I cannot begin to believe the price of them.

Maybe one day I'll change my mind, but at the moment every time I see one I cannot help but shake my head.

 

Me too - but we are going to give one a try anyway - how hard can it be to adapt - what can possibly go wrong!

Rich, havent you just changed your van? Surely not a rethink already?

[Retread24800]

Tests, no, review of features?

No mention of build quality, type and/or thickness of insulation, are we going to freeze in bed or boil in the summer, but lots of info on bed size, tankage and cookers as if we can't read a catalogue.

 Bah Humbug.

 

[Tracker]

bolero boy - 2013-05-02 5:37 PM

Rich, havent you just changed your van? Surely not a rethink already?

 

Yup! Last year - when we bought a bigger van when we were supposed to be looking at smaller vans - and what a pain in posterior that turned out to be!

 

At least the Warwick Duo has a net user payload of over 500 kgs!

[Guest JudgeMental]

is that 6 or 636 metre's long...go for the longer one

[Tracker]

JudgeMental - 2013-05-02 6:11 PM

 

is that 6 or 636 metre's long...go for the longer one

 

The Warwicks are all on the 6.0 metre van it's gonna be interesting loading it after over 40 years with coachbuilts - mind you a lot of the early ones were smaller than an X250 van anyway!

[Derek Uzzell]

JudgeMental - 2013-05-02 4:04 PM

 

There was a TV series years ago (have looked around for it and cant find it) where UK is cut of from Europe, it was a kind of Orwellian...can anyone remember it? the star was well known I can see him now but not remember the name.... :-S

 

edit: Edward Woodword!

 

You probably have in mind "1990".

 

Wikipedia's entry for Edward Woodward says

 

"In 1977 he starred in two series of the BBC2 dystopian drama 1990, about a future Britain lurching into totalitarianism."

 

 

[Guest JudgeMental]

Derek Uzzell - 2013-05-03 9:22 AM

 

JudgeMental - 2013-05-02 4:04 PM

 

There was a TV series years ago (have looked around for it and cant find it) where UK is cut of from Europe, it was a kind of Orwellian...can anyone remember it? the star was well known I can see him now but not remember the name.... :-S

 

edit: Edward Woodword!

 

You probably have in mind "1990".

 

Wikipedia's entry for Edward Woodward says

 

"In 1977 he starred in two series of the BBC2 dystopian drama 1990, about a future Britain lurching into totalitarianism."

 

 

Thanks Derek, I remembered Edward Woodward and added to post before it timed out...found 1990 afterwards.. From memory not great TV but poignant with these ukip clowns making inroads.

[Guest JudgeMental]

Tracker - 2013-05-02 7:11 PM

 

JudgeMental - 2013-05-02 6:11 PM

 

is that 6 or 636 metre's long...go for the longer one

 

The Warwicks are all on the 6.0 metre van it's gonna be interesting loading it after over 40 years with coachbuilts - mind you a lot of the early ones were smaller than an X250 van anyway!

 

I know this your preferred layout, and don't want to go over old history...But when I look at the rear lounge set up I just can't see a practical way of storing all our stuff......

 

Also not utilising the front seats as part of lounge, in such a small vehicle also not that great a design

[Tracker]

JudgeMental - 2013-05-03 10:08 AM

I know this your preferred layout, and don't want to go over old history...But when I look at the rear lounge set up I just can't see a practical way of storing all our stuff......

 

Agreed! It will be quite a challenge!

 

It has a bike rack so I'm considering a quick removal back box or carry bag that I can whip off and stick inside for ferries or if we need to leave the van somewhere that looks a bit iffy.

[Guest JudgeMental]

Tracker - 2013-05-03 10:36 AM

 

JudgeMental - 2013-05-03 10:08 AM

I know this your preferred layout, and don't want to go over old history...But when I look at the rear lounge set up I just can't see a practical way of storing all our stuff......

 

Agreed! It will be quite a challenge!

 

It has a bike rack so I'm considering a quick removal back box or carry bag that I can whip off and stick inside for ferries or if we need to leave the van somewhere that looks a bit iffy.

 

The Murvi style of layout with front lounge and pull out bed looks better to me as front seats part of lounge. Other UK builders do this type of layout as well I think ( at a price *-) )

 

 

Maybe have a look at the which motorhome article for ideas

[Tracker]

JudgeMental - 2013-05-03 10:44 AM

The Murvi style of layout with front lounge and pull out bed looks better to me as front seats part of lounge. Other UK builders do this type of layout as well I think ( at a price *-) )

Maybe have a look at the which motorhome article for ideas

 

We did - and in the main those pull out style beds are a very narrow double - often less than 4' and rarely as much as 4'6" - plenty of floor space in the day but I don't think that layout resolves the storage issues.

 

The only layout that resolves the storage issues is a fixed bed at the back end, but the downside of that is a lack of floorspace and uncomfortable front end lounging.

 

So yer pays yer money and takes your compromise!

[Retread24800]

A quick look at the A/S website gives the Symbol, same outside dims but with your preferred layout and 'only' £47500 (53300€) with aircon.You could get a Chausson Flash 02 for 40390€ over here or If you want the rear door the Burstner Brevio T600  for 45446€ and keep the rear bed and have a front lounge. same size on the road.