The Flash 08 is the latest A-class from French manufacturer Chausson. While it may not look so Flash to some, there’s no doubt that it offers good accommodation at a budget price.

This ’van uses the Fiat Ducato 15 cab with a few extras, such as electric mirrors and windows, included. The model we saw also had a reversing camera with monitor built in to the rear-view mirror.

The swivelling captain’s chairs in the cab are very supportive and the soft facings look to be of a good quality. The large door mirrors, with blind-spot sections, compensate for the lack of rear window through-vision.

Behind the cab there are three belted passenger seats. Extra map pockets above the doors provide additional space for those essential nick-nacks while on the move.

From the outside, the Chausson hardly sets the world aflame, but then neither do the three-colour ‘flash’ graphics offend. In a reversal of current trends the skirt running around the habitation area is black, rather than keyed to the overall exterior colour. The side lockers are easy to open and an exterior door enables access to them from beneath the rear bed.

Internally, we liked the detailed touches such as the design of the handles on the locker doors, the neat TV cupboard and the secure double-locking caravan door.

The dinette offers seating for four at a push. However, a clever flip-up section of the table makes space for another diner on the facing sofa.

The L-shaped kitchen has a three-burner hob and a sink, but the Smev oven and grill are placed at the same height as the overhead lockers – not the most practical arrangement, nor the safest. The 97-litre Dometic fridge is not huge, compared to those in some of the Flash’s rivals, but it’s big enough to hold a couple’s food supplies for a few days.

We thought the washroom in this model was rather cramped. Space around the cassette toilet is adequate once the unit has been swivelled away from the sink, but the washroom door is a little tricky to manoeuvre around. Some storage space is provided in and around the washbasin plinth and there’s a shelf for shampoo bottles.

Sleeping in the Flash should be a relaxing experience due to the large, fixed, bed with its softly sprung mattress. The bed base lifts to enable access to a generously sized storage area, long enough for items such as skis. Further storage space is provided by overhead lockers around the bedroom and a long, narrow, space above the cab area.

At the front of the Flash, the dinette converts into a double bed, making this 6.46m motorhome a true four-berth, although living accommodation for four adults over a wet weekend might be a little cramped.

Couples wanting some well-designed comfort should take a closer look at the Flash.