Space-saving and with clever, flexible layouts, overcab coachbuilt motorhomes are a great way to utilise limited room, meaning you get the very best out of your ‘van. The top-heavy design can have an effect on fuel economy and it might take a bit of a buffeting from the wind, but if you want to pack the beds in and keep weight down, an overact coachbuilt could very well be the way to go.
Auto-Trail Frontier Scout Hi-Line (2017)
- BERTHS/TRAVEL SEATS 6/2
- L/W 8.04m/2.77m
- MTPLM 4500kg
- PAYLOAD 880kg
- PLUS POINTS Rear lounge is just great
- MINUS POINTS Limited kitchen work surface
OUR REVIEW SAID…
The rear lounge is very comfortable, with a second table stowed on the other side of the washroom door. You get plenty of light here from another rooflight.
The only kitchen workspace is located between the large sink with drainer and the four-burner dual-fuel hob. Then there’s the oven and grill. There’s also a generous, 175-litre Dometic fridge.
The washroom area includes a large separate shower, while the small handbasin has one racked cupboard above, another below and an illuminated mirror in front of it.
The rear-lounge double is made up from caravan-style roll-out slats, which we felt needed a little care when pulling out. The rear double bed is 2.08 x 1.95m or can be used as two 1.95 x 0.70m singles. The front double measures 1.85 x 1.04m and the bed in the overcab is 1.89 x 1.18m.
Rimor Koala Elite 722 (2016)
- BERTHS/TRAVEL SEATS 6/5
- L/W 7.22m/2.34m
- MTPLM 3500kg
- PAYLOAD 460kg
- PLUS POINTS Full-size double beds
- MINUS POINTS Habitation door on UK offside
OUR REVIEW SAID…
Six people will fit comfortably around the lounge table, with seats to choose from on both sides of the ‘van in addition to the travel-seats bench.
The 722’s gallery is located on the offside and is reasonably generous in length. A hob with three gas burners is situated on the end of the kitchen unit, with a sink with mixer tap mounted at the opposite end.
The washroom comprises two areas: the toilet and vanity unit as you enter, and the shower on the left. This can be closed off from the ‘dry’ area via a bifold door.
An out-and-out family motorhome, the six-berth Koala Elite 722 offers customers the choice of three substantial double beds: a transverse one in the rear, one above the driver’s cab and another double formed by dropping the lounge table and rearranging the cushions on top.
Bessacarr Hi-Style 496 (2015)
- BERTHS/TRAVEL SEATS 6/4
- L/W 7.75m/2.38m
- MTPLM 4250kg
- PAYLOAD 930kg
- PLUS POINTS Enormous lounge at the rear
- MINUS POINTS Washroom is rather compact
OUR REVIEW SAID…
You enter the 496 via the forward lounge. The Pullman dinette offers four fully belted travel seats, doubles as a dining area and converts – with a degree of cushion flipping – into a sizeable double bed.
The palatial lounge does encroach on the kitchen a little, although there’s nothing wrong with the kit on offer here (dual-fuel hob, separate oven and grill, microwave and reasonably sizeable fridge). Worktop is at a premium but is rescued by a fold-up extension flap by the door.
Opposite is the washroom, and the very spacious lounge rather compromises the space available here, too.
An additional control panel in the lounge gives up the 496’s little secret: a drop-down double bed. Meanwhile, the rear double bed is the biggest in the Bessacarr, stretching the tape measure to 2.11 x 1.67m.
Roller Team Zefiro 690G (2014)
- BERTHS/TRAVEL SEATS 6/4
- L/W 6.99m/2.31m
- MTPLM 3650kg
- PAYLOAD 540kg
- PLUS POINTS Lots of storage
- MINUS POINTS Washroom is a bit small
OUR REVIEW SAID…
The interior has a pleasing ambience and feels spacious. ‘Entry-level’ certainly isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
The offside midships kitchen has all the basics, including three gas burners and a fridge with a separate freezer, but lacks two essentials prized by UK buyers – a separate oven and a microwave.
The smart washroom is located opposite the kitchen. To the left is a full-size shower unit and to the right the toilet, with a sink and vanity unit in between. Access is via a door with a domestic-style handle.
To accommodate the large garage below, the bed sits high. It measures 2.16 x 1.34m (7’1″ x 4’5″) and offers plenty of support. The lounge double makes up using the seat extensions and extra cushions. The largest double bed is in the overcab.
Tribute T-720 (2014)
- BERTHS/TRAVEL SEATS 6/4
- L/W 6.95m/2.27m
- MTPLM 3500kg
- PAYLOAD 550kg
- PLUS POINTS Superb front lounge
- MINUS POINTS Blown-air distribution was a cost option
OUR REVIEW SAID…
With front and rear lounges, the T-720 offers the best of both worlds for families on tour. Children and adults can relax separately and congregate in one lounge or the other.
The nearside kitchen is well specified. Three gas burners, combination oven and grill, and a microwave offer ample options for cooking. They’re joined by an 80-litre freezer, a rectangular sink with mixer tap and two surface-mounted 230V sockets.
The midships washroom is compact but usable. You’ll find a small handbasin flanked by a swivel cassette toile to the left, and a separate shower cubicle.
With three double beds from which to choose, the T-710 offers a real choice at night: retire straight away to the fixed overcab double, or make up the bed in the front or rear lounge.
Auto-Sleeper Broadway EK (2014)
- BERTHS/TRAVEL SEATS 4/2
- L/W 6.28m/2.32m
- MTPLM 3500kg
- PAYLOAD 374kg
- PLUS POINTS Kitchen is excellent
- MINUS POINTS Some might not like using a ladder
OUR REVIEW SAID…
The lounge features a pair of facing seat benches on the offside; the forward-facing one has two belted travel seats. For meals, a folding table can be retrieved from storage in the wardrobe and popped between the seat benches to create a dinette.
Cooks get the benefit of a dual-fuel set-up: three gas burners and an electric hotplate, plus a separate oven and grill. A microwave and an extractor fan are also fitted as standard. A fridge with a removable freezer compartment is on the nearside.
In the offside corner, you’ll find a compact but well-equipped washroom, which has a false wall to divide the space into discrete wet and dry areas. The lounge converts easily into a a large double using two sliding slat bases. The seats can also be configured as twin singles. Two additional berths are available in the overcall’s double bed.
Benimar Primero 301 (2019)
- BERTHS/TRAVEL SEATS 4/2
- L/W 5.99m/2.30m
- MTPLM 3500kg
- PAYLOAD 850kg
- PLUS POINTS Comfy beds
- MINUS POINTS No cab blinds fitted as standard
OUR REVIEW SAID…
To make the lounge, the two cab seats (with Benimar covers) swivel to face two forward-facing travel seats across a long pedestal table. This has an extension, so there is room for four here.
The kitchen hob has two gas burners and an electric plate. There is a small space on its door side, to keep pan handles out of the way. The rest of the workspace is large and there is a Thetford Triplex oven and grill with a large drawer underneath.
You have to step up to the washroom, but when you do, you find a room than in effect has a separate shower cubicle, as it can be sealed off by plastic screens.
The rear transverse bed is comfortable and has two individually switched, directional spotlights. The overcab bed has three shelves, a window, two spots and a roof light.
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