Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2022 i What Motorhome

Changes from Auto-Sleepers for the new season are quite limited, due to the well-publicised constraints that the whole industry has faced over the last two years. There are no new models but all 2023-season ’vans will get a 19.5in full HD smart TV with built-in FreeSat decoder, plus a 2 x 10W sound bar, which can be attached to the TV or used separately. The current on-board WiFi will also be changed to a new system from Avtex, and all coachbuilts receive a new Truma iNet X Control Panel with bluetooth connectivity. The internal look retains the current Casa Mila, Santana and Vogue trims but with the addition of a new Pamplona fabric available from January as an option on all models. The Mercedes coachbuilt range benefits from the latest…

IT first appeared as a prototype a year ago and now there’s a production version of Bürstner’s motorhome with the super-sized expanding overcab. In the meantime, it has been tested in wind, cold and heat, with 10 cycles each of a 24-hour period. Bürstner reports that the inflatable luton area was subjected to temperatures from minus 30 degrees Celsius to plus 80, as well as 1.5m of snow and winds of up to 120km/h. It survived them all. So, you should be able to use this unique motorhome in any conditions and still benefit from that upstairs bedroom, which you reach, quite literally, via a flight of stairs. The overcab roof rises in 90 seconds with the aid of compressed air and a specially developed air chamber system, which creates…

THE Neo was first introduced in 2020 as Frankia’s entry into the 3,500kg class, the company being better known for its larger, heavier A-classes, such as the fully loaded Platin. Now, for 2023, the Neo is set to make a bigger impression on the UK market, thanks to two significant changes. Firstly, there is a more traditional option for the interior design (called Manhattan/White), while, more radically, the Neo MT (low-profile) is joined by a new MI (A-class) version, still offered as a 3.5-tonne motorhome on a Mercedes chassis. Both body types are available with the GDK layout (twin single beds) or the BD floorplan seen here (with transverse double). This might be the baby of the Frankia fleet but it has a distinctive look featuring a bold new front…

KNAUS says that its brand-new Tourer CUV combines the best of both worlds – campervan and motorhome. It describes this one-of-a-kind vehicle as being as manoeuvrable as an ‘urban-class vehicle’ (by which we think it means the VW California and its ilk), but says it is ‘as spacious as a fully fledged motorhome for up to four people when stationary.’ That’s quite a claim, so we were more excited about this vehicle than perhaps any other at the Caravan Salon this year – after all, it is considerably more affordable than Hymer’s Venture S (see last month’s mag) which vied with the Knaus for star-of-the-show status. Based on the Volkswagen Transporter T6.1, the Tourer CUV is like no other VW campervan. For a start, it’s arguable whether it’s a campervan…

WHEN your entry-level model is priced at €186,450 (before the inevitable list of extras), your flagship has to be something very special. And so we come to the Morelo Grand Empire 120 GSO, a vehicle that stands out even in the Caravan Salon’s Premium Hall, where a motorhome’s garage is frequently frequented by a car, not an e-bike. Morelo modestly describes this 12-metre monster as “better than anything you have seen before”. Its customers wanted more luxury, more space, more performance and more safety, so it created this 26-tonne penthouse-on-wheels, based on a Mercedes-Benz Actros 2553 L chassis. The big news is the third axle, which is not only claimed to give better straight-line stability, but also improves manoeuvrability due to its rear-wheel steering. Grip on slippery surfaces is also…

YOU probably won’t be familiar with the name Yucon, although it has actually been around since 2019. This is Frankia’s campervan brand, which debuted with a rather one-of-a-kind Mercedes Sprinter, which was deemed a bit too niche for UK tastes. Since then, the Yucon range has been expanded gradually; most notably with the addition of Fiat Ducato-based models a year ago. These take advantage of Frankia’s ownership by Groupe Pilote and are actually built in France. So, for 2023, the Yucon line-up includes both Fiat and Mercedes-Benz-based models, in lengths from 6m up to 7m. There are fixed double bed and single bed layouts, as well as pop-top options (on both base vehicles) for those who need a family vehicle. But the big news is that Yucon is now coming…

IF you want just one vehicle on your drive, or you’ve never driven anything larger than a Fiesta or Mini, then even a Volkswagen Transporter or Ford Transit Custom might seem quite big. Hence, there are micro-campers based on car-derived vans, such as the Citroën Berlingo, Ford Transit Connect and VW Caddy to appeal to those looking for a more car-like design with a lower driving position and a bonnet out front. Even Volkswagen is dabbling in the sector, having launched its (rather basic) Caddy California last year. These estate car-sized campervans are ideally suited to solo campers but can sometimes cater for (slim) couples, too. Brighton-based campervan converter, Love Campers, builds on a range of base vehicles but the majority of its orders are currently for VW Caddy-based conversions.…

IT might have been the Lyseo Gallery that was attracting the queuing hordes – and the press photographers – but, in a small way, it’s the much smaller Playa Limited Edition that’s bigger news. That’s because it marks a return to the Renault marque by Bürstner and, for UK buyers, an entry into a completely different market sector. We’re used to seeing everything from compact low-profiles to super-sized Elegance A-classes wearing the red circle with ‘bürstner’ shot through its midriff, but a pop-top campervan? We were so convinced that this one wouldn’t be coming here that we all but ignored it… Until we sat down with Export Sales Manager, Guido Venter. To compensate for the difficulties that all manufacturers are experiencing currently with chassis availablity, Bürstner is doing even more…

HERE’S a fixed bed motorhome that might be considered as an alternative to a campervan. At 5.99m long, it’s the same length as a long-wheelbase Fiat Ducato panel van. It is, of course, wider (and with flat sides), though, which makes for more space inside (but less suitability for the smallest of back roads). Not only does the latest Joa Camp’s size put it into contention with some van conversions, but its sub-£60k price tag actually makes it an affordable option, too. This French marque is all about entry-level vehicles, after all. However, as ever, there are options packs to consider that may see the cost rise beyond its keen £58,070 base figure. The Chassis Pack (£1,140) adds a leather steering wheel and gear knob, aluminium-effect finish on the dashboard…

NIESMANN seems to occupy a niche all of its own, above Hymer and Carthago, but below the giants of the liner class, such as Morelo. Here is its new flagship. Initially, the only model is this 920, although a 40cm shorter 880 version will join the ranks later, with a more compact lounge and kitchen. Both versions have a bedroom with conjoined single beds (2.01m by 2.04m) that, its maker hopes, will cater for both twin and island bed markets. The Flair 920 is 9.27m long, based on an Iveco Daily, with a gross weight of 7,200kg (or optionally 7,490kg). Power comes from a 3-litre engine with up to 210PS, driving the twin rear wheels and every buyer will surely opt for the eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. Externally, there’s the…

Lincolnshire-based premium campervan converter, Knights Custom Conversions, unveiled its first Ford Transit Custom campervan at the Motorhome & Campervan Show Season Finale. The new Custom Tourer is closely related to the company’s existing Prestige Tourer conversion, which is based on the VW Transporter T6.1. As well as the different base vehicle, the Custom Tourer’s USP is that it’s a gasless camper. So, it has a Sterling single induction hob, rather than a gas cooker. It also comes with a 42-litre Vitrifrigo compressor fridge and (optional) Webasto Air Top 2000 STC diesel-fired heating, as well as a 1,600W inverter. The conversion (excluding the Ford base vehicle) is priced from £22,990 (plus £5,650 for the Reimo pop-top), and also includes a Reimo Variotech 3000 sliding seat system with Isofix, blackout blinds, swivels…

THE Twin was the original fixed bed campervan but any sense of it being unique was lost long ago. This is now one of the most crowded sectors in the motorhome market, with offerings from all the main European manufacturers, as well as campervan specialists. But Slovenian firm, Adria, has not sat back on its laurels, adding multiple variants on the Twin theme over the years. The latest is this 600 SX, in upmarket Supreme spec. It’s still a six-metre Fiat Ducato with a rear transverse double bed but there’s plenty to mark out the latest model. So, let’s start with the bedroom, which features an electric bed that rises and falls on seatbelt-style straps. The mattress (on a slatted base) measures 1.94m (a good length, making the most of…

FOLLOWING Erwin Hymer Group’s announcement that it has signed a new partnership with Ford, Dethleffs is the latest manufacturer to add an alternative to Fiat base vehicles in its line-up. Its new Just Go range is built on the Ford Transit. There are six models to choose from, with four twin single bed layouts, a French bed floorplan and this one, the island bed T 7055 DBL. Across the line-up, modern interiors offer tones of grey with light wood and contrasting backrest cushions to add a pop of colour. Of course, excellent driver facilities come with that blue oval badge: a car-like dashboard and a driving position that is widely regarded as one of the best on the market. A 130PS engine is standard for this 3.5-tonne motorhome. You enter…

THE big news from Knaus this year is its VW Transporter-based compact coachbuilts – the high-roof Tourer Van and pop-top Tourer CUV. However, this similarly sized campervan, based on the MAN TGE (sister van to the VW Crafter) caught our attention, too, despite being more conventional. From the outside, you can instantly see that it’s not just another high-top camper. An extra-high pod on the roof increases interior headroom and takes overall height to a lofty 3.20m but somehow its curved profile, sloping down to the rear, stops the XL looking ungainly. Inside, there’s good reason for the additional height, as there’s a roof bed above the cab. At night, the EasySlide bed lives up to its name and simply pulls rearwards on tracks to create a lengthways double, utilising…

WHEN manufacturers tell us they’re relaunching a range, you just don’t know what to expect. A new look for the furniture, a new layout or two, maybe, but this Italian company has outdone itself with the new Kreos, which it says is the first of a new generation of Laika motorhomes. It’s attractive on the outside, with its flush glazing and carefully merged cab and body, but the real change is when you step on board. It’s worth noting that the exterior and interior look was conceived by father and son designers, Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro, who have the likes of Lamborghini supercars in their portfolio. Laika needed to adapt the concept to suit manufacturing processes and supplies, but it’s instantly clear that this model is wholly different to the…

MOTORHOME prices seem to have risen exponentially in the past year – beaten only, perhaps, by milk, butter and household gas supplies. However, there are still a few entry-level models that have real entry-level price tags and, better still, Rimor – already a brand with value for money at the forefront of its offering – has launched a brand-new range for 2023 where every derivative is expected to carry a list price below £60,000. In the case of this compact overcab coachbuilt model the cost is even more compact, at only £54,995. The Italian company hopes you’ll fall in love with its newest range. It says ‘Kilig’ – from the Tagalog language – is an unbridled passion, like when you find yourself face-to-face with something you love deeply: a new…

MAX POWER Up until now, almost all Adria Twin models have been based on the Fiat Ducato (those with a great memory and full membership of the Adria Fan Club might remember a short-lived Renault Master model). Perhaps that’s about to change… The Slovenian company openly criticised Fiat for chassis delays on press day and also revealed this ‘design study’ based on the MAN TGE. Called the Twin Max 680 SGX, it looked production-ready and would be Adria’s biggest-ever campervan. Will we see it in the 2024-season Adria UK line-up? We certainly hope so. BATTERY BÜRSTNER The Ford Transit-based Lineo campervan is not part of the UK range but this electrically powered version caught our attention. Just a ‘show car’ for now, an EV campervan is said to be at…