jasnelgrove Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 Has anyone any comments on the Hobby Van? Thinking of changing from Exsis - that has been good but bed a bit high and like the look of the shower arrangement in Hobby. Many thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 They are in very short supply! Excellent reviews, quality looks good, layout seems attractive. We have one on order, for delivery late July, so will know more later! If you order now, you'll be unlikely to get anything before October at the earliest. If you're anywhere near Newark, and haven't yet seen one, I think the 2007 UK rhd supply if now beginning to arrive at Brownhills. There won't be any in the showrooms but, if you ask nicely, they may let you look over one being prepared for delivery before it goes out. Also, if you're in a position to buy earlier, there was a silver lhd one advertised in the June MMM that may still be available, London area. P 350, at the top! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 jasnelgrove - 2007-06-16 5:35 PM Has anyone any comments on the Hobby Van? Thinking of changing from Exsis - that has been good but bed a bit high and like the look of the shower arrangement in Hobby. Many thanks, Hi, It's the shape that puts me off. The habitation door will not open fully due to the curvature of the body. A pals wife opened the door one very windy day, not only was she dragged out of the van but the door strop broke causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage. 8-) 8-) 8-) Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 Isn't that just on the 'normal' Hobby motorhomes though? Not the Hobby Van? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Madge Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 Oh dear, Another senior moment :$ :$ :$ :$ Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasnelgrove Posted June 16, 2007 Author Share Posted June 16, 2007 As we are far North, Highlands, its a long way to Newark although we have done trip a few times and will have to see one passing through. I guess you have spent some time looking as you are ordering. What did you think of shower arrangement? Does 'door' close off shower from the rest of the room? As I'm tall it has been a real hassle with some driver seating being far too high. (Rapido,Autotrail,[Fiats]) Hopefully the Ford in Van is a bit lower. Have you had test drive? Do you think bed is reasonable size. Will a bike fit in 'garage'. Thanks Brian, if you can be bothered answering all this.......... John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted June 16, 2007 Share Posted June 16, 2007 Are all the Hobby's apart from layout much a much inside ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 jasnelgrove, there must be a Ford dealer somewhere near you - why not in the first instance go and try a transit? I have a New transit based camper - I am not tall (5.10) but seat has adjustments upward and downward along with the normal ones.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasnelgrove Posted June 17, 2007 Author Share Posted June 17, 2007 Thanks JM, Have hired a transit for recent tip to Ikea and it was fine. Problem with the Fiats was that conversions added the swivel mechanism and depending on seat type and if they retain or fit the raise/lower option. The Exsis is fine as it is fully adjustable. The Rapido and Autotrail Tracker gave me a sore neck after 30 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 jasnelgrove - 2007-06-17 11:50 AM Thanks JM, Have hired a transit for recent tip to Ikea and it was fine. Problem with the Fiats was that conversions added the swivel mechanism and depending on seat type and if they retain or fit the raise/lower option. The Exsis is fine as it is fully adjustable. The Rapido and Autotrail Tracker gave me a sore neck after 30 minutes. Ah I see... mine has the swivels and still the up and down? all the new "van" type vehicles are on Fords except the Knaus which is on a Fiat. I cannot praise the new Ford enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 Eddie, does your 'van have a swivel on the driver's seat? I ask 'cos I'd been told they couldn't be fitted because of the handbrake pedestal. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 Yes Dave, swivel on both seats as they make up the lounge area with L shaped passenger seating. remember mine is LHD so handbrake on left side near door have no problem turning seat with hand brake on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peejay Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 davenewell@home - 2007-06-17 12:16 PM Eddie, does your 'van have a swivel on the driver's seat? I ask 'cos I'd been told they couldn't be fitted because of the handbrake pedestal. D. Dave; If it helps, I have one of the last of the RHD Mk6's and it is fitted with a swivel drivers seat. They move the handbrake pedestal across to the other side next to the door so it can swivel. Then it doesn't interfere with the seat swivel but the downside is you cannot have a pocket fitted to the door. pete pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 Ah! i did wonder why no pocket drivers side.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Pan Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 "What did you think of shower arrangement? Does 'door' close off shower from the rest of the room? As I'm tall it has been a real hassle with some driver seating being far too high. (Rapido,Autotrail,[Fiats]) Hopefully the Ford in Van is a bit lower. Have you had test drive? Do you think bed is reasonable size. Will a bike fit in 'garage'. " John We have just returned from our first 2 week tour around Yorkshire in our Hobby Van. To answer your specific points:- 1. I think the shower/toilet is an excellent design, better than I expected. The sliding shower doors fully enclose you. 2. Height of drivers seat - I am 5'7'' and found the seat height OK (I lowered the seat to lowest setting). However I was consious that the top of the windscreen was low. For anyone of 5'10'' or more this could be a problem. 3. Another pleasant surprise was how comfortable we found the bed. Again bear in mind we are both on the small size. I slept better than at home - perhaps it was all the fresh air. 4. The garage is not as big as some (Hymer, Knaus) because the wardrobe occupies some of the underbed space. However we comfortably accommodated 2 mountain bikes plus all the other loose items. General comments (bearing in mind this is our first MH). The 130hp Transit is excellent to drive, not much different to a large car, plenty of power and good manouverability. It took me a while to get used to standing starts on gradients though. The handbrake is a bit low for me. We found the layout to be as we expected with plenty of storage space for 2. You cannot enter the shower room without pushing the bed ladder back, not a big problem. I have already mentioned our height, we are also on the slim side (I weigh 10st) and i think anyone over 14st may find the interior a bit of a squeeze. This is the price you pay for the narrow exterior. You need to assess this for yourself. Another feature that I unexpectly liked was the interior lighting, a combination of LCD for background & halogen spots for reading. At the moment my only criticisms are the lack of a spare wheel (Hobby are now supplying sealant & compressor) and a fly screen for the habitation door (anyone got any suggestions for a solution?). Let me know if you have any other quieries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza454 Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Peter Pan - 2007-06-18 9:57 PM "What did you think of shower arrangement? Does 'door' close off shower from the rest of the room? As I'm tall it has been a real hassle with some driver seating being far too high. (Rapido,Autotrail,[Fiats]) Hopefully the Ford in Van is a bit lower. Have you had test drive? Do you think bed is reasonable size. Will a bike fit in 'garage'. " John We have just returned from our first 2 week tour around Yorkshire in our Hobby Van. To answer your specific points:- 1. I think the shower/toilet is an excellent design, better than I expected. The sliding shower doors fully enclose you. 2. Height of drivers seat - I am 5'7'' and found the seat height OK (I lowered the seat to lowest setting). However I was consious that the top of the windscreen was low. For anyone of 5'10'' or more this could be a problem. 3. Another pleasant surprise was how comfortable we found the bed. Again bear in mind we are both on the small size. I slept better than at home - perhaps it was all the fresh air. 4. The garage is not as big as some (Hymer, Knaus) because the wardrobe occupies some of the underbed space. However we comfortably accommodated 2 mountain bikes plus all the other loose items. General comments (bearing in mind this is our first MH). The 130hp Transit is excellent to drive, not much different to a large car, plenty of power and good manouverability. It took me a while to get used to standing starts on gradients though. The handbrake is a bit low for me. We found the layout to be as we expected with plenty of storage space for 2. You cannot enter the shower room without pushing the bed ladder back, not a big problem. I have already mentioned our height, we are also on the slim side (I weigh 10st) and i think anyone over 14st may find the interior a bit of a squeeze. This is the price you pay for the narrow exterior. You need to assess this for yourself. Another feature that I unexpectly liked was the interior lighting, a combination of LCD for background & halogen spots for reading. At the moment my only criticisms are the lack of a spare wheel (Hobby are now supplying sealant & compressor) and a fly screen for the habitation door (anyone got any suggestions for a solution?). Let me know if you have any other quieries. Hi Peter,Only suggestion for a fly screen would be a Fiamma. Had one on an earlier van and it works pretty well.http://www.riverswayleisure.com/erol.html#3340x0&&http%3A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252Fsearch%3Fsourceid%3Dnavclient%26aq%3Dt%26ie%3DUTF-8%26rls%3DPCTA%2CPCTA%3A2006-21%2CPCTA%3Aen%26q%3Dfiamma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasnelgrove Posted June 18, 2007 Author Share Posted June 18, 2007 Peter, Just the sort of information I wanted, many thanks indeed. The height adjustment on the Exsis also allows the seat to rock back and this is ideal for my height of 6'2.. Does the Van do this? The oven is mounted quite low, I think, and looks like might be a little tricky as narrow at this point? I was suprised that first price we had was less than Exsis - this was 42,000 by the time we added bike rack and status aerial. Thanks again, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 JohnI'd say you'll find the Hobby Van bed a bit too short for comfort. The bed is stated to be 1.96 metres long, which is just about you standing with your feet flat on the ground! To stretch out in comfort between two walls, I'd think you need over 2.0 metres, say about 2.1. You'll either have to settle for a van around 2.3 metres wide with a transverse bed, look for a longitudinal fixed bed layout with a longer bed in a van narrower than 2.3 metres, or go for the more usual "British" van layout with a lounge that converts to a large bed. One possible option is the Knaus Van, which is around 2.19 metres wide, with a transverse bed similar to the other "Van" layouts, and may just give a comfortable bed length. However, I think it'll be touch and go, so I think "try before you buy" will have to be your maxim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Peejay and Judge, thanks for the info, it was the current range of transits with the handbrake pedestal nearest the door that I'd been told weren't suitable for seat swivel on drivers seat. I have a customer from Glasgow who wanted one fitting, I'll have to let him know its ok. Cheers, D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinklystarfish Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 I spent ages looking over one at the NEC. My immediate comment given your height would be that the lounge / dinette area would be a real squeeze for you. I’m 5’10” and don’t carry surplus weight. However, I walked away from the ‘van thinking it was all a bit claustrophobic in the lounge. The ‘extra’ side seat was the main culprit. This may not bother you, but if I were you I’d definitely spend some time in this area before I signed on the dotted line. I thought the rest of the ‘van was well designed and build quality seemed right up there, apart from some of the posh looking silver paint that was already flaking off from the external locker door catches! As always, it’s horses for courses and though it’s a really nice ‘van, the lounge is, for me, just too snug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 I think the Hymer is more claustrophobic still as you have a wardrobe instead of side seat. I like the look of the Knaus out of all these van's - especially as its wider. Think you have to remember most who buy these "Van" type vehicles are trading down and are normally couples. So prepared for a compromise that you or I may not be prepared to make... Hobby seem to have gathered a bit of a reputation for poor paint... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Pan Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 jasnelgrove - 2007-06-18 10:28 PM Peter, Just the sort of information I wanted, many thanks indeed. The height adjustment on the Exsis also allows the seat to rock back and this is ideal for my height of 6'2.. Does the Van do this? The oven is mounted quite low, I think, and looks like might be a little tricky as narrow at this point? I was suprised that first price we had was less than Exsis - this was 42,000 by the time we added bike rack and status aerial. Thanks again, John [] John Yes I guess you could say the seat height adjustment allows it to tilt backwards. That has the effect of lowerering the rear of the seat of course. There is a similar adjustment at the front. We did not have a problem with the oven, I just made sure I kept out of the way. Regarding the seating area, we found the seat just inside the door made it seem spacious and we consider it to be one of the main advantages over the Hymer (+ the oven). I took the trouble to weigh the unit when all loaded up for our 2 week trip and it came to 3055kg with full fuel, gas (11+6kg Gaslow) & water tanks. Oh and the wife. Fuel consumption according to the dashboard computer averaged 32 mpg over the journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Blimey! 11 GASLOW bottles! - how far are you going!:-D good choice though *-) (off van I mean) ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Pan Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 JudgeMental - 2007-06-19 9:12 PM Blimey! 11 GASLOW bottles! - how far are you going!:-D It was bit of a tight fit in the garage - but the salesman recommended them so what could I do? 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noddy Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 We ordered one at the NEC from Brownhills and were informed April/May for delivery. We have now waited long enough and have gone for a Hymer Camp which is more expensive but at least they had one in stock. regards Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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