Verdict
This is a sound, well-designed and thoughtfully constructed motorhome. It is quiet and comfortable and very well-equipped, and is easy to live in and use, both day and night.
Pros
Smooth, quiet and comfortable to drive; superb build quality with excellent user-friendly instruction manual
Cons
Payload allowance is low for this class; poor handbrake position
Living
Although this is a two-berth motorhome, Murvi has provided a forward-facing rear seat with two seat belts so you can legally and safely travel with four people on board. Forward vision from the rear seats is somewhat restricted but this is amply compensated for by the panoramic view available through the two wide side windows. Both of the cab seats swivel but the slider position needs to be adjusted first and the driver’s seat will not swivel if the handbrake is still on.
There are two table options provided. The table can attach to the wall and this option is a good one for those sitting in the rear seats. The second configuration brings the two cab seats into play via a clever additional table that fits into a slot on the front passenger seat and swivels as required.
A fabric cover is provided to fit over the excellent, built-in LCD television screen when not in use, which keeps it protected and hidden from potential thieves. The optional Teleco directional and height-adjustable aerial provided good digital reception in most locations. However, we didn’t always remember to lower it before driving off!
The lighting is excellent throughout, with eight LED spotlights and two fluorescents. All the switches are sensibly positioned, too.
The dual-powered Webasto combined space and water heating system is very powerful and can be operated on the move, using the base vehicle’s diesel engine. However, we found the heater fan was rather noisy when starting up, although it did quieten down once the temperature had stabilised.
There are three 230V mains sockets in the living area. An additional three-pin socket in the wardrobe is powered by a 12V inverter (which is live when the TV is on) and it proved useful for charging a mobile phone in the evening. However, access to it is somewhat restricted by the shaft of the Teleco aerial.
Kitchen
Although small, the kitchen is very user-friendly, with good levels of workspace. This test vehicle was fitted with the £100 option pack comprising a 97-litre Dometic fridge, four-burner Smev hob and separate grill. An oven was not included on our test model but one can be fitted at a cost of £450. Instead, it came fitted with the optional (£395) microwave oven, but it is positioned above the Smev four-burner hob, which is not ideal.
The sink and drainer unit is small but practical, and the water drained quickly. The sink is fed with hot and cold water from the on-board 16-gallon fresh-water tank and drains into a 12-gallon waste tank.
Lots of equipment comes as standard in the kitchen, including melamine crockery, a cutlery drainer basket and a chopping board. The rear window lets in lots of light and has a venetian blind fitted. At night, the three 8W fluorescent lights illuminated all the worksurfaces and corners exceptionally well, and the omnivent 12V ventilator was fantastic at removing cooking smells and steam.
Washroom
The rear washroom has a good-sized sink and many thoughtful additions such as hooks, a towel ring and soap dispenser. The Thetford toilet has a swivel seat and electric flush, and there is enough leg room to sit down in comfort.
The room can be accessed internally and externally. This could prove very handy if you have been on a muddy site, or for a country stroll, and wish to go straight to the washroom without having to pass through the living area in your muddy wellies. You can even extend the shower hose to use outside the ’van when sluicing down dirty boots and the like.
Beds
The rear seats quickly make up into a reasonably sized double bed (1.9 x 1.2m). It is possible to convert the seats into a bed single-handedly. However it did take a number of attempts before we properly got the hang of it.
The base of the rear seat pulls out and the back rest folds down flat to complete the bed. It is a quick and simple system that has been well thought out. The resulting space underneath the bed proved to be an ideal ‘bedroom’ for our four-legged companion, but the space could also be used for additional storage.
For a made-up bed it is comfortable enough. At first, we did find it a little bit on the hard side but we didn’t stir much either.
There are handy reading lights, which are adjustable, situated near the bed head. We were also extremely impressed by the excellent cab blinds, which made converting the cab into night-time mode an easy job.
Storage
There is a generous amount of storage space under the lounge seats and a useful place for bedding behind them. There are two good-sized, fabric-covered top lockers and a cavernous space above the cab for various odds and ends that would otherwise clutter up the lounge. Two cubby holes on the offside wall complete the lounge storage space.
The half-height wardrobe is large enough to swallow a couple’s clothes for a weekend. The bathroom has a cupboard under the sink and two overhead lockers. The kitchen has two deep, low-level cupboards, one of which holds an integrated cutlery tray. We particularly liked the adjustable shelves in the other side cupboard, and there were two useful overhead lockers in the kitchen, too.
Technical Specifications
| Payload | 400 kg |
| MTPLM | 3300 kg |
| Shipping Length | 5.41 m |
| Width | 2.50 m |
