Verdict
The Chausson 630’s drop-down beds are very appealing. That they come in such a stylish package on a 3500kg chassis is no bad thing, either.
But the offside habitation door may not suit all buyers, ditto the electrically operated beds if you’re the kind of motorcaravanner that likes to go off-grid.
And to see other Chausson motorhomes for sale, click here.
Pros
We like the option of the Ford Transit base vehicle
It’s great to see an innovative layout
It is a stylish design with lots of storage – and a huge rear garage
It’s sold with a seven-year warranty
Cons
The habitation door is on the UK offside
If you want to go off-grid, electrically operated beds aren’t ideal
It has a compact kitchen
If you want a ’van with wow factor, look no further!
A regular winner of the innovation gong at Practical Motorhome‘s Motorhome of the Year awards, French manufacturer Chausson has a reputation for pushing the boundaries of motorcaravan design.
And the new-for-2017 Chausson 630 showcases yet more genuinely innovative thinking, in the form of individual drop-down twin single beds over the lounge.
The 630 is one of 18 the Trigano brand is offering in the UK this year, 16 of which, including this, are low-profile coachbuilts. All have licence-friendly MTPLMs of no more than 3500kg. And all come with a seven-year warranty.
Pricing for this model starts at £45,510 on the Ford Transit in entry-level Flash trim, or £46,480 on the Fiat Ducato. Add £3060 to get Welcome trim, seen here.
The show-stopping feature of the Chausson 630 has to be its individual drop-down twin single beds over the lounge
Living
Enter via the offside habitation door and prepare to be wowed. The living space is bright, with especially snazzy upholstery, but this is a great space in which to spend time.
A backlit mirror and hooks are on the left as you enter, as is a useful grabhandle. To your right is the generous parallel lounge. You could comfortably seat four, or swivel the cab seats so two more can join in.
The space is inundated with light from the opening panoramic window over the cab, and from the side windows with attractive Roman blinds.
At night, a host of twinkling LEDs takes over, including some recessed in the underside of the drop-down beds, plus strips on the surrounding shelves and on the seat bases.
And there’s more! At the rear of the nearside sofa is a surface that you could put a cushion on for an extra seat. It has drawer underneath it and a shelved cupboard on the wall behind it, so it won’t be comfortable for more than just perching. There’s another cupboard in the end of the offside sofa.
The TV mounting point with all the relevant connections is by the fridge/freezer.
Kitchen
The fresh, modern design continues in the Chausson Welcome 630’s nearside kitchen. As you’d expect from a Continental ’van, it’s not exactly massive.
As standard on 630s destined for the UK (which our test ’van wasn’t), you get a three-burner hob with a splashguard to the left and a grill or oven/grill, depending on the trim level.
The circular stainless-steel sink has a sleek, square, chromed tap, but it’s not awfully wide. Opposite is a 175-litre fridge/freezer.
Storage is good, starting with two overhead lockers. Under the sink are two deep drawers, to the right of which is a third, even deeper drawer, with a cutlery drawer above. And there’s another cupboard by the fridge/freezer. All are soft-closing with push-button locks.
Thanks to the hob’s glass cover and the lift-up extension flap, there should just about be sufficient worktop space.
You get a decent-sized opening window with a blind, accompanied by a quartet of square LED lights stacked up its left-hand side, as well as a ventilator/extractor. There’s a strip of LED task lighting under the locker, too, and ambient lighting under the worktop.
An unusual touch is the rail above the splashguard with hooks so you can hang tea towels or utensils here.
Washroom
Across the rear of the habitation area lies the washroom, with a good-sized separate shower cubicle to your right.
On the other side of the Chausson 630 is the toilet, a rectangular sink and a backlit mirror. Two overhead cupboards (one of which is shelved) and a third under the sink should provide ample storage.
The frosted window behind the toilet will preserve your modesty and let light in. A sliding tambour door separates the washroom from the rest of the motorhome.
Beds
The show-stopping feature of the Chausson 630 has to be its individual drop-down twin single beds over the lounge. At the touch of a button, a bed motors down from the ceiling.
You can drop one, or the other, or even both. For both you’ll need to lower the pedestal table, but if just the nearside one is deployed, you can fold half the table away and there’s still somewhere to rest a drink.
Storage
With a user payload of 400kg, the Chausson 630 has a selection of inventive places to stash touring kit, some of which we’ve already mentioned.
Instead of overhead lockers in the lounge, shelves run the full length of the walls. There’s also a big shelved storage space behind mirrored doors between the two halves of the washroom.
This sits above a simply massive rear garage that has three doors, is heated and has a 12V socket.
Technical Specifications
| Payload | 400 kg |
| MTPLM | 3500 kg |
| Shipping Length | 6.99 m |
| Width | 2.35 m |
