What Motorhome October 2022

This month’s article on solar power for your motorhome made me think, especially as I’ve just been away in my Vee-Dub, which is virtually self-sufficient – 12V (for fridge and lights) being topped up by the solar panel and driving, gas for the hob (we don’t cook a lot!) and diesel for heating (not in August!). But each of the sites we stayed on included mains hook-up in what appear to be ever increasing pitch fees. That might appeal if your caravan is plonked on a pitch for a week, gobbling 230V for hot water, fridge, TV, etc, but is that fair for those of us who aren’t even on the site for much of the day? And is a system that encourages profligate use of 230V power – I’ve…

When the Hymer Vision Venture concept car was unveiled at the Caravan Salon Düsseldorf in 2019, the motorhome manufacturer from Bad Waldsee revealed its view of how motorhomes might look in 2025. That vision is now a reality as Hymer celebrates the launch of its new Venture S. Packed with innovations, such as the Instant Loft – a pneumatic pop-top roof including a true staircase to an upper bedroom – as well as the striking tailgate and exclusive sun deck, the Venture S is a motorhome quite unlike any other. It is aimed at a highly discerning customer group while playing a key role in the birth of a new breed of campervan. ”With the Venture S we have reimagined motorhoming from the ground up while drawing inspiration from the…

YOU might think of Auto-Explore as a dealer special edition, as this is a campervan range that’s only offered by one dealer – Webbs. But it is more than that because this is no mere mass-produced conversion with a few added trinkets and a fancy new name. No, the Auto-Explore range (which we previewed in our 2023 new models special issue last month) is a new line-up developed from the ground up. In fact, Webbs was working with Ibex Motorhomes (which builds them) on this exclusive range for a year before the launch in recent months. All three models adopt familiar floorplans. The RL takes on the numerous rear lounge, two-berth layouts, while the SB is another British classic that is sure to lock horns in the marketplace with Auto-Sleepers’…

AYEAR ago, Chausson launched its ‘S’ models – a pair of compact low-profiles designed to compete with campervans – and to appeal to first-time buyers and those on a budget. Now, for 2023, it has tweaked the recipe with new Sport Line versions that look completely different, thanks to the simple expedient of colour – a special grey normally seen on Ford’s Puma mini-SUV and, in the motorhome world, exclusive to Chausson. It’s applied to the cab and the habitation body (except the roof, for reasons of insulation/heat) and, for the plastic components, it is impregnated into the parts rather than painted. That’s not all that’s changed, though, so let’s take a look at this latest S514… The Sport Line adds a £5k premium over the original First Line model…

IT’S fair to say that Coachman’s Travel Master range – the first motorhomes from this upmarket caravan brand – has got off to a flying start. The company took 22 orders on the vehicles’ debut at the NEC in February, despite virtually zero prior publicity. And those conquest sales came at the expense of top German marques, including Carthago and Hymer. Since then, the 545 island bed model has even nabbed our Luxury Motorhome of the Year title. Some going when Coachman had never offered a motorised model before… It hasn’t done it alone, of course, its Swedish parent company, Kabe, not only being involved in the development but also building the production vehicles. It may not be well-known here but Kabe manufactures up to 850 motorhomes a year and,…

LARGE campervans with pop-tops, not for standing room but simply extra sleeping capacity, have been a growing trend over the last two or three seasons. It’s an easy way to turn a two-berth ’van into a family model, after all. The other fashion in van conversions has been for large sunroofs above the cab, in the style of low-profile motorhomes, but rarely are sunroofs and pop-tops seen together, as here with Dreamer’s D55 Up, a member of its entry-level Fun range. So, this is the Fun D55 Up Addict – what a name! – but you can also choose from a White Addict (in white, as here) or a Black Addict (no, we don’t need to explain, from £64,250). And there’s also a D43 Up Addict – a shorter model,…