Auto-Trail Imala 715 - Practical Motorhome

Read the Practical Motorhome Auto-Trail Imala 715 review and discover why this affordable, French-bed, British-built four-berth is turning heads

Verdict

Auto-Trail brings its own-brand French-bed floorplan to the masses with the affordable Imala 715. Focused on quality and specification, this is a very appealing package. And to see other Auto-Trail motorhomes for sale, click here.

Pros

The washroom has a sealed shower cubicle and a blown-air heat vent
Storage space is good
It’s useful to have removable carpets

Cons

The French bed has a large cutaway

Celebrated British manufacturer Auto-Trail caused a stir last summer, when it announced that a new affordable entry-level range would be joining the portfolio. Hitherto best known for its iconic coachbuilt motorhomes that are a fixture on Britain’s holiday routes all year round, the Imala represented something quite different.

As revealed at the launch, Auto-Trail told how it was under-represented in a key area of the market: the sub-£50,000 price point. It also wanted to offer more ’vans under 3500kg – its subsidiary brand Tribute has a presence in these areas.

Younger buyers are the target market for these new Auto-Trail-branded vehicles, so Imala interiors are styled accordingly, while offering the mod cons popular with this demographic.

Imala sits just under Tracker in the Auto-Trail portfolio and offers five floorplans. The 715 is the only fixed-bed option; its siblings offer a choice of parallel lounges, half dinettes and rear lounges. Though normally specified in low-line form, all can be upgraded to high-line versions with a double bed over the cab at no extra cost. Their pronounced GRP overcab mouldings and branding in silver lettering make the front end classic Auto-Trail.

Space around the kitchen is generous, with a wide-open feel

Living

The interiors feature mid-toned cabinet work with two-tone overhead locker doors. Rather than handles or positive catches, they have catches on the underside of the doors that fasten with a reassuring click. The soft furnishings are a neutral oatmeal that goes well with the woodwork; scatter cushions and curtains sport red details.

A panoramic sunroof above the cab, together with two large side windows, flood the front parallel lounge with light; this is augmented by ambient over-locker lighting and LED spotlights.

Kitchen

The offside kitchen is well specified, with a dual-fuel hob for maximum flexibility, a separate oven and grill, and a microwave oven at shoulder height with matching aluminium surround.

The amount of work surface is perfectly ample with the sink and cooker covers lowered, while a space-saving retractable vertical socket strip allows four devices to be run at once. An 80-litre dual-fuel fridge with removable freezer sits under the sink.

Space around the kitchen is generous, with a wide-open feel. The gangway is slightly pinched towards the offside washroom, but that’s to be expected with this layout.

Washroom

The combined washroom has a basin and a swivel toilet near the door, with a well-sealed shower compartment in the rear corner. A hanging rail is provided for towels and wet clothes, and a blown-air inlet helps the space work well as a drying room.

Beds

Measuring 1.9m x 1.35m (6ft 3in x 4ft 5in), the rear French bed will be large enough for most couples. The cutaway on the inside, to permit access to the washroom, is pronounced so this is definitely where the shorter of the two occupants will sleep.

In the lounge, the parallel seating can be rearranged in no time, by pulling across slatted frames, to create a double bed that measures a very respectable 2.17 x 1.22m (7ft 1in x 4ft).

Storage

Thanks to the large rear bed, there’s generous storage in the Auto-Trail Imala 715. Space underneath is only slightly restricted by electrical and plumbing equipment, and items can be loaded into the space from outside via a hatch in the nearside corner. Eleven overhead lockers are available, too, in addition to the lounge seat boxes and two wardrobes.