Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2024 i What Motorhome

“There’s never been a better time to buy a new motorhome”− that’s according to the sales director of a very large motorhome retailer in the UK. And it’s hard to argue with that. The days of poor availability of new motorhomes is over and most dealers have a good range of makes and models in stock. That means that discounts are back (if not necessarily on every brand), sometimes cutting the cost of that new vehicle you want by thousands of pounds. Here are just a few amazing deals that we found… Images shown may be library shots, not the exact model for sale Adria Matrix Plus 600 DT This 2024 Adria low-profile was £90,995, now it’s a fiver under eighty grand – a whopping saving! It’s a popular layout,…

THIS premium Polish campervan converter has only had two seasons on the UK market but at its show debut it walked off with the Campervan of the Year trophy. Since that, it has wowed us again with its first VW Crafter model (watch motorhome.ma/review313 on YouTube). But these are the top model in the company’s line-up, so when I spotted the marque’s entry-level Explorer at dealer, ES Hartley, I wanted to see if it retained the same magic. Firstly, though, don’t get carried away with that term ‘entry-level’ – this is Globe-Traveller’s most affordable range but only in the same way that an iSmove is the least expensive motorhome from Niesmann + Bischoff. It lacks the Voyager’s redesigned rear that replaces the barn doors with a much neater top-hinged boot…

ORANGE Campers was originally a one-model converter, building its Trouvaille Classique on the short-wheelbase (4.99m long) Fiat Ducato. The side kitchen layout was definitely ‘classique’ but using the wider, flatter-sided Fiat panel van created a lot more interior space than in a similar-length VW Transporter. The plan seemed to be working well, with a niche product that struck a chord with sufficient customers. Err, right up until 2022 when Fiat decided to cull numerous derivatives of the Ducato LCV, including the short-wheelbase panel van… Richard Tomlin, the family man behind Orange Campers, immediately planned a medium-wheelbase version of the Trouvaille but the development of a new model, combined with chassis supply difficulties, has kept us waiting. In the meantime, we’ve seen new models on the smaller Fiat Scudo and Ford…

A SURPRISE debutante at this summer’s National Motorhome and Campervan Show at Newark was VanTourer, a German campervan brand that made a brief appearance on the UK market previously (around 2019). It makes its return to our shores through Oakwell Motorhomes of Barnsley. The first right-hand drive models to arrive here are the smallest, the 540 D on the medium-wheelbase Fiat Ducato, but longer 600 and 630 models will follow with a choice of transverse or lengthways sleeping. You’ll be able to see a selection of them at the NEC show this October. In the meantime, let’s take a look at one of the ’vans at Newark, priced at £81,236 with the 140hp engine and nine-speed automatic gearbox. It’s in Artense Grey and comes with the Comfort Pack, which includes…

Can I use my hair dryer in my motorhome? A common error is packing your domestic electrical equipment. Any item that involves a heating element – kettle, toaster, microwave, hair dryer, fan heater – will generally be a heavy current consumer and may trip out the campsite’s hook-up protector. Your domestic 3,000W electric kettle will gobble around 12.5A of electrical current, which may be too much for some hook-up systems. It’s worth buying low-powered gadgets or looking at alternatives (a kettle that sits on the gas hob). How do you empty the toilet? Familiarise yourself with how to empty your toilet before using it. Most cassettes simply slide out after releasing a latch and can then be wheeled or carried to a campsite emptying point. You generally have to rotate…

JUST under four years ago, Bailey introduced its first Ford Transit-based motorhomes. The Adamo replaced the company’s Peugeot-based Advance range and, since then, the relationship with Ford has only strengthened. The collaboration continued with the Transit-based Endeavour campervan and, soon after, the compact Alora low-profile range, both award winners in 2024. Now, just a year later, Bailey is refocusing its sights on the range that kicked it all off, the Adamo. There’s a new model joining the ranks, the 60-2 (main image above), offering twin sofas with a drop-down bed above, a central kitchen and a spacious end washroom. This essentially replaces the 60-4 four-berth from the previous range. The 69-4 has a similar layout but with a bigger end washroom and a bike garage at the rear. There are…

RYAN Hutchinson developed a love of VW Transporters while travelling all over Europe as a professional cyclist, racing for the British team. Already a trained carpenter, he then built himself a camper during the Covid lockdown but, when its pop-top failed on a trip to Cornwall, he decided he could do better. Now, Incline Campers not only builds bespoke VW conversions, it has designed and developed its own roof. Here’s a converter that likes to do things in-house. Ryan made a mould for the top, bought a VW and had the roof and frame M1-tested at Millbrook Proving Ground – no small feat for a fledgling firm. Incline makes its own stainlesssteel hinges, too, and says the whole pop-top has been designed to be “bombproof”. But this small company isn’t…

IT’S all too easy to think that all VW Transporter campervans look the same, with the same side kitchen layout. There’s usually a variety of converters and an array of models at any of the Warners outdoor motorhome shows and they can seem much of a muchness until you delve a bit deeper. Perhaps it was the Ravenna Blue metallic paint that caught my eye, or more likely the 20in black Momo alloys, sports bodykit and side bars. They say that first impressions count and this camper looked the part on its 40mm lower Cobra springs. Even the mains hook-up is hidden under the bonnet, so as not to spoil the aesthetics. It had the base vehicle spec you might dream of, too – the ultimate 204hp motor, DSG gearbox…

ELDDIS has long been the market-leader in the field of special edition motorhomes – in fact, it’s a sector that most others have now vacated. Here, as with others, it means a standard, mainstream model but with a new name and colour scheme, plus some extra spec, while still keeping a keen (sub-£70k) price tag. This island bed layout filled an obvious gap in the Elddis line-up when it arrived in 2021, but, with chassis availability since having been so poor, it’s probably the hardest version to find on the used market. And, if you’re buying new, why not treat yourself to one with all the toys? Dolphin Motorhomes’ Envy 150 comes with an Iron Grey cab and contrasting silver sides to the living area, plus an overcab sunroof. The…

KNIGHTS Custom Conversions has impressed us many times with its myriad permutations of a VW Transporter T6.1 conversion – side kitchen, rear kitchen, slide-out kitchen, etc – all carried out with fastidious attention to detail. Now, like many of the other VW specialists, it has turned its attention to Volkswagen’s bigger van, the Crafter. That makes sense on a number of levels, not least because there are more options in terms of design and layout with the larger LCV, and also reflecting the fact that some customers move on from a T6 to something more spacious while still wanting that famous badge on the grille. Often, those same Transporter owners want a vehicle with proper on-board toilet facilities, and probably a shower, too. But the buyer of this bespoke Crafter…

SPEEDS has been a regular at the Warners outdoor shows with a colourful array of Ford Transit Custom pop-tops but more recently it has also moved into the market for larger campervans. On the popular six-metre Boxer, it offers its Ripasso – named after an Italian red wine and described as a limited edition of 20 vehicles. Based on a pre-registered Peugeot panel van, Speeds’ newcomer seems bullishly priced at just a fiver under eighty grand, a price that exceeds that of a number of well-established competitors. It aims to justify that cost with an all-inclusive spec, rather than any novelty in terms of layout or design. In fact, the floorplan is a UK favourite with a spacious rear lounge – so this is a pure two-berth, with the only…