Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2022 i What Motorhome

Welcome In this issue of what motorhome The most exciting news this month must be that Volkswagen has confirmed that it will build the next generation of California campervans based on its all-electric ID Buzz. If it comes close to matching the wow factor of the concept vehicle (above), which was first shown at the 2017 Detroit Motor Show, then VW could have another winner on its hands. However, the price will need to be right. Electric cars are expensive, with a battery-powered Mini starting at almost 50% more than its petrol equivalent. Against a background of motorhome prices rising substantially (some popular models up by more than £10k in a year), costs will have to be contained, if electric campervans are not to be affordable by just a tiny…

NEXT CALIFORNIA CAMPERVAN WILL BE ALL-ELECTRIC The Volkswagen AG supervisory board has now approved the capital expenditure for the all-electric ID Buzz, including a California campervan version. These will be built at the Hannover factory, alongside body construction for a new Bentley, the T6.1 Transporter van and recently launched T7 Multivan people-carrier. The VW California campervan range has been very popular and has recently been expanded to include the new Caddy California micro-camper (read our full review next month). Despite the challenging market situation, the number of orders received for the California models over the last few months has continually and significantly increased. Now, VW will start developing a further California camper for the second half of this decade, “The ID California, based on the ID Buzz, will combine the…

Special feature A-Z of rear lounge models Rear lounges The complete guide 2022 End lounge layouts come in all sizes, from 5.4m campervans to liner-sized A-classes, so there’s bound to be something here to suit your needs and your budget, including some exciting new models… REAR lounge motorhomes have been around since David had a bit of a spat with Goliath (probably), but their popularity shows no signs of waning. In fact, these are probably the most sought-after designs for larger campervans and, although this type of ’van has always been seen as being as British as pie ‘n’ mash, there are some exciting new continental offerings for 2022. To choose your perfect rear lounge model, you’ll have to decide on the size of ’van that will fit your needs. Then…

New ’vans Hobby Optima De Luxe T70 F Hobby’s flagship range, seen here with an unusual layout UNLIKE other German brands, Hobby doesn’t do A-classes, so the top of its range is the Optima De Luxe, a model that’s been updated for 2022. New this season for the De Luxe is the exterior look, with a redesigned overcab moulding featuring LED marker lights, and a new tail light panel, too. The cab is white, or black as a £700 option. More importantly, though, the interiors have a fresh appearance, developed in collaboration with an external company. The new design is said to blend Scandinavian design with the Nordic concept of ‘hygge’ – a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of cosiness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and…

This month New look for expanded Mobilvetta range Marquis Leisure has announced that it will be importing an updated range of motorhomes from Italian luxury brand, Mobilvetta. Both the low-profile Kea and A-class K-Yacht ranges are now based on the latest Fiat Ducato Series 8 with a 160bhp 2.2-litre engine meeting the Euro 6D Final emissions standards. All models are now on a 4,400kg chassis as standard and come with a six-speed manual gearbox, or the nine-speed automatic transmission as a £3,500 option. No other factory extras are listed. Each range gets a new look for 2022, featuring new graphics and upholstery, a new XL entrance door and Alde heating. The most noticeable update, though, will be revised styling for the front of the A-classes. Both the Kea and K-Yacht…

Swift joins the pop-top camper market Swift has unveiled its all-new Monza rising roof campervan, based on the Ford Tourneo Custom short-wheelbase (the passenger-carrying version of the Transit Custom panel van). The new compact campervan, which is priced from £58,395, is aimed at couples and young families. It comes with a 130PS engine and six-speed manual gearbox as standard, with the options of automatic transmission and to upgrade to a 170PS power output. It can be ordered in Orange Glow, Diffused Silver or Chrome Blue. Inside, there is a three-person Reimo Variotech sliding rear bench seat, which converts into a double bed. There is a further double bed in the German-made rising roof, making it a four-berth campervan that is able to carry up to five people in belted seats.…

Rear lounge comparison test Pilote P696U v Rapido 854F French fancies It’s normally UK manufacturers that favour end lounge layouts but, for 2022, two top Gallic brands have launched luxurious rear lounge models SINCE Brexit, the French and British governments seem to have had as cordial a relationship as the cartoon characters, Tom and Jerry, but, fortunately, motorhomers are generally a bit more open-minded, more live and let live. So, France still figures top of our favourite European touring destinations and Chausson, Pilote and Rapido remain big selling motorhome marques on our shores. Up until now, though, these Gallic brands have tended to stick largely to continental-style fixed bed layouts with island beds or fixed singles, leaving the classic rear U-shaped lounge to British manufacturers. After all, those fixed bed…

Looking to buy a motorhome? Be inspired by the very best motorhome reviews in What Motorhome. Every issue is packed with more motorhome and campervan reviews than any other magazine. It also includes expert buying guides, special themed issues and advice on insurance, accessories and more. Auto-Trail When you subscribe to the paper version of What Motorhome, you’ll enjoy all of these great benefits: • FREE day visitor entry to the Yorkshire Motorhome & Campervan Show & savings on day visitor entry to all other Warners shows • SAVE £5 on each show when you pre-book as a rallier at all Warners shows • SAVE money on the cover price • Get FREE delivery direct to your door – BEFORE it goes on-sale in the shops • PROTECTION against cover price…

New ’vans Morelo Palace 88 G At just under 9m, it’s the smallest model with a garage for a car HOW big or expensive does an A-class have to be to become a liner? That’s a good question, because we reckon even the smallest Morelo Home (7.81m long, 3.32m tall) looks pretty liner-like, even if it’s not granted the Liner suffix by its maker. Step up from the Home, past the Loft, and you get to the regal-sounding Palace – now, surely, we’re in liner territory? After all, loaded with tasty options for the Caravan Salon, it weighed in with a €340,590 price tag! But Morelo announced the new 88 G layout, describing it as “decidedly compact.” All things are relative when your range-topper is 12m long, sits on an…

New ’vans Swift Select Compact C500 Rear lounge coachbuilts don’t have to be big – this newcomer lives up to its name THERE’S no doubting the nationality of Swift’s new baby coachbuilt, as it flies the Union flag proudly on its cab doors. Its ‘Select Compact’ branding might also be new – along with the Lanzarote Grey nonmetallic colour for the latest Series 8 Ducato cab – but this is another redevelopment of the Escape Compact, which in turn evolved from the more upmarket Rio (the one with the big lift-up rear door). Unlike the Select range (Swift’s van conversion line-up), however, the Select Compact is a range of four low-profile coachbuilts, each slightly slimmer of body (2.26m) than Swift’s larger motorhomes. The word ‘Select’ now seems to mean small…

New ’vans Knaus Sky TI 650 MF Platinum Selection A classic layout and a surprisingly generous spec IF you think that German motorhomes come with a pretty basic standard spec, then a list of options as long as a politician’s excuse book, then it might be time to look at the Sky TI. This range offers three models for the 2022 season – a pair of twin bed layouts (in 7m or 7.5m lengths) and, more unusually, this MF version with a classic French bed floorplan. This layout is increasingly rare now, having long been usurped by island beds, but here it makes for a spacious ’van that’s less than 7m long. And while you gain in having a more compact motorhome, you also benefit from a spec list that…

Rear view mirror Rear view mirror Rear lounge layouts have always been popular in coachbuilts, but they arrived later in campervans… Pixabay The first rear lounge van conversion that I remember seeing was the Auto-Sleeper VX10, based on the Volkswagen LT (forerunner of the Crafter). It was as luxurious as you’d expect of the brand and achieved Motor Caravan of the Year status for 1980/81, but it failed to set a new trend for big, end lounge campervans… Almost two decades later, we pitched another Auto-Sleeper (the front lounge Symbol, which in its evolved form still sells well for the Cotswold maker today) against a young upstart, the IH Savannah Gold. Both were based on the medium-wheelbase Fiat/Peugeot panel van. The Symbol was already a proven best seller, while the…