After months of consideration on layout and kit levels, I recently bought a pre-owned Autocruise Select 144 from Somerset Motorhome Centre. After collecting the vehicle from the dealership – which has large premises near Taunton – we were helpfully booked into Cornish Farm Touring Park a few miles down the road to spend our first night in the campervan.
This was done in order to test everything out before taking the motorhome home the following day.
Cornish Farm Touring Park is a pleasant site just outside Taunton, and on turning up I remembered that I’d stayed here before, some years ago – all of the pitches are neatly laid out around a central facilities block, which would certainly be handy if anything went wrong with the vehicle.
We had a car with us, so took advantage and drove into the heart of the town for a meal at the rather lovely Ring of Bells pub on St James Street.
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Time to try everything out
Settled back at the campsite afterwards, we took the opportunity to really try everything out in the ’van. We hadn’t brought a great deal of kit with us, on purpose, but we were already pleased with the storage capacity in the vehicle – the previous owners’ forgoing of both an oven and grill and a microwave means a large amount of cupboard and locker space in the kitchen for kitting out a campervan.
The washroom storage is a bit more limited, though, with only a small mirrored locker above the toilet, which has room inside for little more than a handful of toiletries. However, we started to make plans involving small metal shelves that can be affixed by suction pad to the walls – an ideal solution that can always be removed if it no longer works for us.
The best campervans will offer excellent sleeping arrangements, and here, the rear lounge proved reasonably straightforward to turn into a comfortable double bed. Located in the half-height wardrobe is a set of boards and slats that simply sit between the two sofas when it’s time for sleep, before the cushions are moved down into position.
Getting everything to line up proved a little fiddly at first, but this won’t be a problem going forward – first, we’ll likely get used to it, and second, we’re intending to leave the sofas made up as a double (essentially fixed) bed for most of the time, anyway.
It was a cold night, with temperatures close to zero, and pleasingly the Truma Combi heating system kept everything warm, and our water hot.
We spent a very comfortable night in the ’van, but woke to a bit of an issue. It was cold in the campervan – very cold, something which those who have looked into how to keep a campervan warm in winter will know is not ideal!
What’s more, when I checked the control panel in the morning, the leisure vehicle battery was – despite us being on mains hook-up since arrival – reading as 10.3V. More concerningly, the ’van battery was the same. Trying to start the engine soon confirmed our worst fears: something had flattened both batteries overnight, leaving us stranded on the campsite.
As soon as they opened, we rang Somerset Motorhome Centre, who responded quickly and very efficiently – while we waited in the warmth of our car, they sent someone over straight away, who was with us in 20 minutes. Rather than attempt to fix the problem on site, they got the engine started for us, then I drove back to the dealer’s workshop for the issue to be assessed.
quickly began
We were given a much-needed hot coffee while we waited in comfort in reception; around an hour later, we were told the news. An issue with the wiring from the 100W solar panel on the roof had caused problems with the mains charger; it would be sorted, but was a more involved job than could be completed while we waited.
So we returned home without our motorhome, but Somerset Motorhome Centre kept us fully informed in the process. Less than a week later, our new (pre-owned) ’van was back on our drive – returned to us directly in Hampshire by the dealership – with its charger working properly, new batteries, a full tank of fuel and a completely cleaned interior and exterior.
We were delighted with the service – things do go wrong with all motorhomes, and it’s how the issues are fixed that is the mark of a good dealer.
We gave everything a thorough test back home, and all seemed to be working absolutely fine.
Planning our first tour
Then it was time to plan a more extensive trip. I’ve always loved the New Forest, so our first jaunt will be at one of the many sites there.
First up, though, was getting a few motorhome upgrades that might help us organise ourselves a little better. As well as those shelves for the washroom, we also bought a couple of stick-on hooks. A more pressing need was a fire extinguisher, so I bought a Fire Safety Stick, a product that we actually picked out as the best motorhome accessory at the Practical Motorhome Awards 2025.
We’ve also ordered an awning from Outwell, which will give us more space, particularly when we’re travelling with our large dog. I’ll report on our inaugural trip away in the next issue.
If you’re on the hunt for a new ‘van and are still unsure about the one for you, take a look at our tips on choosing the right size of motorhome – it’s something that can make a big difference to your touring experience.
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