You might think a pandemic would have stifled Chausson’s penchant for innovation, but among its (admittedly reduced) line-up this season is the 660, a Ford-based four-berth offering TV lounge, kitchen and walk-in garage with a second door – all within a 6.99m-long vehicle.
We took a look at one at Emm-Bee Motorhomes in Bury.
The second door on the nearside corner instantly attracts your eye. It makes loading the ‘van supremely easy, and not just for bicycles (there is in any case a bike rack fitting on the rear wall). The only snag is, this door is not included in the central locking.
With the rear taken up by the garage, the washroom is moved to the offside, which means the cassette access hatch would almost certainly fall within any awning you might put up.
Chausson includes a roll-out awning as standard on all UK versions of this ‘van. You also get a 120W solar panel, and in the cab, a multimedia system with a rear-view camera. The cab is standard Ford with two cubby-holes below the shelf under the sunroof.
The cab seats swivel, although they aren’t really central to this unusual lounge layout. With a side settee that includes two forward-facing travel seats, the lounge is centred on the TV that slides up out of the unit opposite.
Between the cab seats and the table are two units that serve as extra seats or can be joined to turn the front end of the settee into a lounger. Both units fasten to the furniture with a magnet, so won’t slide about while you drive.
The table, too, is multifunctional. In its highest position it can be rotated so everyone in the lounge (except those in the cab seats) can dine. Lower it and flip the corners for a smart coffee table.
Thanks partly to the sunroof, natural light floods in. You’re well served at night, too, with eight LEDs under the bed, strip lights under the lockers and four little LEDs by each cab seat. There are two USBs in the top corner and a mains socket under the settee.
Headroom is surprisingly good. Even with that drop-down bed, this 6ft 6in tester did not have to stoop.
Chausson describes the kitchen as glazed off, but you’ll be relieved to know the stylish partition is plastic, not glass. The workspace on top of the 135-litre fridge behind it is a perfect height for taller people, and well lit. The worktop level drops for the sink and three-burner hob. There is an oven (no microwave), and a mains socket and more USBs under the worktop.
There’s a step up into the washroom opposite, but good headroom inside. There is a sunken handbasin with a big tap, a large lit mirror and a robe hook. You detach the magnet holding the partition door to open up the shower, but it stays in place at the other end with a Velcro strap. The shower is a good size, with two drainage holes, and the washroom has a roof vent.
The beds are generous. Flick a switch to lower the ceiling bed – it can drop to the level of the settee if there are only the two of you. The French bed below needs just one infill.
The huge garage includes a mains and 12V socket by the door for bikes. But you can store so much more there, so long as you keep an eye on payload: 355kg isn’t overly generous for four.
A tower of shelves folds down once any bikes are out of the way. Bigger shelves and two drawers are next to the washroom, with the half-height wardrobe opposite the kitchen.
Overhead lockers in the lounge are not large, but there are two drawers beside the TV and some space under the settee. In the kitchen, you get a drawer under the oven, a cupboard next to it, a drawer under the fridge and two overhead lockers. In the washroom, there’s a cupboard above the opaque window behind the toilet.
PRACTICAL MOTORHOME SAYS…
Chausson is once again offering a clever new design, and this time it doesn’t skimp on storage – although payload could be bigger. There are some small niggles about the bed positioning and the rear door not being part of the central locking system, but if you are the kind of family that is active on tour but likes to gather to watch TV in the evening, this could be just the vehicle for you.
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The huge garage includes a mains and 12V socket by the door for bikes. But you can store so much more there
Technical Specifications
| Berth | 4 |
| MiRO | 3145 kg |
| Payload | 355 kg |
| MTPLM | 3500 kg |
| Shipping Length | 6.99 m |
| Width | 2.35 m |
| Engine Size | 2000 cc |
