Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2025 i What Motorhome

Electric cars accounted for 19.6% of new sales in the UK last year but electric campervans remain an extremely niche choice and electric motorhomes are still non-existent here. If you are determined that your leisure vehicle must be an EV then there are a few pop-top campers out there, if you search hard enough, but nothing mainstream. In the electric car world, though, Tesla is already making around 1.8 million vehicles a year. It doesn’t make a campervan, or even a van, and the Cybertruck doesn’t meet European legislation, but Wheelhome thought it could adapt the popular Model 3 car into a camper. You can read all about the remarkable result exclusively in this issue! If the Dashaway eRC is a bit radical for you, we do have some more…

CHAUSSON has been making motorhomes since 1980 and, to celebrate its birthday, it announced a special Spring Collection model that offers a little bit more – more space, more equipment. The anniversary logo talks of 45 years of innovation and indeed this French Trigano brand has often wowed us with things we haven’t seen before – centre kitchens, habitation doors on both sides, drop-down single beds, whole side walls that open, his and hers washbasins, a wardrobe-cum-changing room that becomes a garage… so, we were expecting something that had a built-in jacuzzi, a snooker table that became a triple bed and self-cleaning carpets. We were mildly disappointed then to find that the 798 Anniversary Line is little more than the existing 788 layout stretched by 20cm. This is a classic…

The layout is the easiest aspect to get wrong if you’re new to motorhomes, so don’t rush in. Ever wondered why you see almost-new’vans traded in with a handful of miles? Those buyers probably bought the wrong layout for their needs – and may have paid dearly when partexchanging for something more suitable. Unless you’re looking at small campervans, the first question you must ask yourself is: fixed bed or not? You can find fixed beds in campervans and motorhomes that are less than 6m long. Then, as you head into larger coachbuilt’vans, typically measuring around 7.5m, it becomes harder to find layouts without a fixed bed. A compromise can be a drop-down bed. If this is the main bed, it won’t take up any floorspace in the day but…

IT’S fair to say that Stephen Wheeler, founder and owner of Wheelhome, doesn’t think like other campervan converters. He has never stuck with traditional layouts or even the obvious base vehicles. The company’s past repertoire includes the Millennium, which was based on a Ford Galaxy people-carrier and Vikestian on the Suzuki Wagon R – a shopping car measuring just 3.4m long. Both gained pop-tops and became proper campervans in Stephen’s workshop. Most recently, Wheelhome has been converting the small Vauxhall Combo (sister vehicle to the Citroën Berlingo and Peugeot Partner). But not in van form, rather using the car derivative. Oh, and not petrol or diesel but the full EV version. The Vikenze III-e won the Best Campervan Innovation award in 2023. It was while away in one of his…

COACHMAN caravans have been around for almost 40 years but it’s still quite a fresh face in the world of motorhomes. It only entered the market in 2022 with its first Travel Master, a premium Mercedes-Benz motorhome that majored on winterisation and insulation thanks to being built in Sweden at the parent company, Kabe. Next, Coachman reached even further upmarket to compete with Carthago in the supersized A-class sector with the 200-grand, tag-axle Imperial, before introducing the slightly more compact Sportivo, still keeping the range entirely built on the three-pointed star. Its latest model, quietly launched at the NEC show in February, however, breaks the mould. While still manufactured at the Kabe plant at Tenhult, this is the first Coachman to be based on the Fiat Ducato, as well as being…

HYMER’S B-Class MasterLine I range (often shortened to B-ML I) sits almost at the very top of this iconic German motorhome manufacturer’s line-up – it’s pretty much the flagship if you discount the unique and radical Venture S model. Based on the Mercedes Sprinter with the 170hp engine, you get all manner of driver and safety aids as standard, with the option to add even more. It’s also married to Hymer’s own SLC chassis which provides a flat floor from cab to rear and has independent rear suspension for better on-road comfort. The double floor is 36cm high and offers through-loading; as well as extra storage, this space helps with insulation, making winter touring stress-free. The panoramic windscreen has the effect of wrapping around the sides, giving a true A-class…

I’M sure we’ve all watched YouTube videos showing vanlifers that have built their own campervan with a very different feel than in factory-produced models. Well, that’s exactly the look that Freedo is going for with its campers, but without you having to lift a finger – or buy a garage full of tools. And, with no DIY input, you don’t need to worry about whether the gas and electric installations are safe. The Freedo brand is new and was only launched here at the NEC show in February but it comes from the Affinity factory in Poland. Of course, Affinity is new in the UK, too, but this high-quality campervan marque is wellestablished on the Continent and produces some very impressive designs. It is also part of the Swedish Kabe…