Verdict
The CI caters excellently for families with its ergonomic kitchen layout and plentiful storage. You will struggle to find a better family coachbuilt below the £30,000 mark.
Pros
Clever location of transverse rear bunks and side washroom, and a highly specified kitchen.
Cons
Lack of cab electric pack and slats below the overcab mattress.
Living
Five out of six can sit for dinner, a feat made all the more impressive when you consider that its a short ’van. This trick is achieved by running the fixed bunks across the back. The dinette feels a bit snug as a result, but the layout works well, particularly the side washroom.
Four can dine comfortably, and there’s also a single facing seat on the opposite side to the dinette. Not all the residents can eat together, though. In a holiday setting and fine weather that’s not a major issue, but during low season touring, the lack of seating could be a major bind.
Kitchen
The Carioca has a dedicated work area, an impressive four-burner hob, a recessed sink with a usable drainer and a particularly useful vertical drawer cupboard, with wire mesh trays. Three overhead lockers and a sensible fridge mean the kitchen’s a good place to cook.
Washroom
The consciously budget CI has a predominantly plastic washroom, which is situated at the side of the ‘van, rather than its rear corner like many rivals. On that basis, it struck us as strange that the CI seems so spacious. It has a separate shower area, which feels light and spacious.
Beds
The overcab will probably be the master bed. Under the mattress, there are no slats or spacers, so condensation could be a problem.
The dinette bed is rather compromised. It’s only around around 1.8m long, for a start. As for the bunks, the lower bunk has a mattress that’s split into smaller fillet pieces to allow for folding up.
Storage
The CI offers great access to the rear garage, thanks to those transverse bunks, which allow access from either end. On the downside, however, the bottom bunk is trickiest to stow as you can only get to one end at a time to flick the securing latches. Seat base locker storage is good.
Technical Specifications
| Payload | 628 kg |
| MTPLM | 3500 kg |
| Shipping Length | 6.53 m |
| Width | 2.28 m |
