Miller Lakes Winnipeg 2006

The Winnipeg has GRP sidewalls, which are great for absorbing light knocks and bumps with minimal fuss. The Miller looks smart, if a little over-white because of its extensive colour coding, and no doubt some won’t like the plain look.
The waste water handle is under the rear skirt, making tank emptying a pretty unpleasant business.
An electric step is standard, and unusual in a motorhome at this price.

In the cab, you get electric windows and mirrors, and a radio/CD, but no remote central-locking. Silverscreens (rather than curtains) are standard – these are better at retaining warmth in the ’van and also mean that cab visibility isn’t hindered. The 2.3-litre JTD turbo-diesel is standard.

The lounge provides a good space in which to stretch out. It has an extending table, too, which enables five people to sit down and eat, and up to eight people to lounge. The only thing counting against it the flatness of the seats, which makes it less comfortable than sculpted seats – but then they make a flatter mattress.

The Winnipeg offers a fixed overcab bed, a dinette bed which converts into a double, and a long single bed running along the ’van’s offside. The overcab bed is generously proportioned but there are no base slats and the ten centimetre-thick mattress is unlikely to prove comfortable during a long tour. The single bed is the pick of the berths and a good size, with a firm, 12 centimetre-thick, mattress.
The dinette beds isn’t perfect, but one advantage of those flat lounge seats is that they provide a flatter mattress than motorhomes with sculpted seats.

The Miller’s washroom is in one corner, and despite its compact dimensions it feels and looks roomy and very useable. The separate shower controls feel sturdy, too, and storage is reasonable for the size.
The Elnagh feels distinctly average by comparison. Things such as the light switch being mounted in the overhead locker, unattractive plastics and the lightweight shower fittings mean that the Elnagh’s separate shower cubicle and extra elbow room doesn’t translate into extra points in this test.

There’s lots of storage space beneath the single bench seat, which runs along the offside of the ‘van. There’s also external access to the locker from a long, horizontal, door. The nearside has the fresh water tank and Truma boiler monopolising space underneath the dinette seat bases. Elsewhere, the overhead lockers are a good size, although the inclusion of interior shelves would be useful. As it is, your gear needs to be piled up inside and you have to hope that the contents don’t rain down on you when you open the door at the end of the journey.