Verdict
A highly attractive blend of quality and style – plus innovation – that demonstrates Rapido is perfectly at home at the top end of the market. As is the way at this level, there’s scope for you to dip into a pretty extensive list of optional extras to make sure a motorhome like this really is the one of your dreams.
See the full list of Motorhome of the Awards
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Pros
Feeling of space
Design innovation
A number of options and upgrades
Cons
Basin a little shallow in the washroom
Shower has just one, small, plug hole
A trip to the Brownhills mega-site on the outskirts of Newark, Nottinghamshire, is usually rewarding. I was there in the run-up to Christmas, so, while key staff took time out to serve a free festive lunch to valued customers, I was able to sneak in and take a closer look at this new-for-2020 model from Rapido.
One of the best motorhomes of the year, the M96 is an award-winner, scooping the Best Innovation prize in our Motorhome of the Year Awards 2020, with the judges noting that it’s “packed with clever features that make it a very deserving winner”.
Rapido has established itself as a producer of premium motorhomes. Hardly surprising, then, that it’s turned its attention to the Mercedes Sprinter as the base for the newest sub-range, called simply M (near-twin sister M66 has twin single beds).
Clever design has all of this (two double beds, kitchen and washroom) in a vehicle just over 7.65m long that never feels cramped.
Living
The lounge only features short settees to complement the swivelled cab seats, but those inward-facers can switch to forward-facing single seats for travel if required. What’s really clever here is that heating is ducted up through the table leg – no cold knees in the evening!
Kitchen
The kitchen is space-efficient, thanks to its L-shape and other design aspects.
Washroom
The washroom comprises a shower cubicle on the offside and a toilet room nearside, with the door for the latter combining with sliding panels for privacy. The shower has full plastic wall linings, although the drainage is just a single, small plug-hole.
The toilet room has a swivel-bowl toilet and handbasin; the basin is a tad shallow and there’s no window here, but it’s otherwise typical of the quality and practicality throughout.
Beds
The wider-than-average double bed is thanks to a cutaway angle to the wardrobes either side. The bed itself has height adjustment of some 30cm should you wish to optimise storage in the garage below.
Technical Specifications
| MTPLM | 3500 kg |
| Shipping Length | 7.54 m |
| Width | 2.35 m |
| Engine Size | 2200 cc |
