Bessacarr E789 - Practical Motorhome

Verdict

A luxurious family ‘van with plenty of space in all the areas where it’s needed.

Pros

Spacious interior; beautiful exterior styling; very well equipped.

Cons

Tacky dashboard trim; no ceiling vent in washroom.

Living

The Midi Heki rooflight over the front lounge and rear bed allow plenty of light to flood into the living areas. When travelling, the driver’s-side L-shaped lounge is easily converted into a forward-facing passenger seat for two. In lounge mode, the TV bracketed to the bulkhead behind the driver’s seat can be watched by four easily enough, with two on the side sofa and two in the L-shaped lounge. One of the merits of such a long motorhome is that you don’t have to scrimp on floorspace so it certainly feels roomy throughout.

An occasional table fixes to an L-shaped leg and a bracket behind the driver’s seat if you want a place to rest a mug or a book. For full meals, the freestanding table, which stashes in the wardrobe, comes into play. With the hinged extension section in place, it will accommodate five people.

Kitchen

Again, no space saving required here – the workspace stretches almost as far as the eye can see! The cooker has three gas hobs and an electric hotplate, with a dedicated light and extractor fan overhead. There is a clip-on drainer and a chopping board to fit the round, deep sink. A 150-litre fridge comes with auto-energy selection (AES) and digital controls, and a microwave oven sits at eye level. With a moulded tray for crockery, wire vegetable racks, and an abundance of storage space under the fridge, this is a very competent kitchen area.

Washroom

The lockable washroom door opens through 180 degrees, which is good news for access when someone is busying themselves in the kitchen. The large, separate, circular walk-in shower has a duckboard but there is no ceiling vent to let out steam when you’re enjoying a shower. A mirrored, overhead toiletries locker has a nice push-to-open mechanism and is all the more stylish for not having handles. The washbasin is rather small, though.

Beds

The L-shaped lounge is big enough for an adult to sleep in, and the pleated cab blinds cut out all light. The overcab bed, on easy-up gas struts for daytime access, has a very comfortable single mattress. The ladder is concealed in a storage tray beneath it and, with windows at either side, the area is perfectly habitable.

The rear double bed has a large, padded headboard and 67cm of headroom. The whole bedroom can be separated from the rest of the living quarters by a concertina divider for privacy, too, leaving the washroom free for others to use during the night.

Storage

There’s a waterproof storage tray on the driver’s side, accessed externally, that houses the batteries (but it does not stretch the full width of the ’van). However, we were surprised to find that the Thetford cassette is the old-style, smaller, pre-wheels variety.

The garage, though, is the E789’s pièce de résistance: doors either side guarantee quick and easy access to the interior, and a sliding wooden door also allows access from inside. There are LED strip lights on the back wall, plus a spotlight at the point of entry from within the ’van. It’s easy to wash out mud and the like thanks to the chequerplate-style floor with a drainage plug. Blown air is vented here, and there are four floor-mounted tethering points for securing the cargo in transit, as well as more shelf space than you can shake a stick at. For outside living there is a three-pin plug socket and TV aerial point here, too. All in all it is very comprehensive.

In addition to all the garage space there are two wardrobes and a chest of drawers servicing the rear bedroom, so there is space to travel heavy should you need to.