This big low-profile with a rear lounge impressed the judges at the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s recent Motorhome and Campervan Design Awards, where it won the ‘up to six berth under 8m’ category. We visited Motorhomes and Caravans in Hull, its UK distributor, to take a look.

Like all models in the Italian brand’s Evo range, it sits on a Ford Transit, and even with that rear lounge, manages to include a garage with two doors.

Lounging and dining

Step up through the habitation door and you come into a light, airy front dinette, with swivelling captain’s seats in the standard Ford cab, opposite two travel seats and a single seat on the offside. This forms a backwards-facing travel seat, with a lap belt only.

Swivel the cab seats to face the table in the front lounge for comfortable dining
Swivel the cab seats to face the table in the front lounge for comfortable dining

The table can be swung forward further than usual, so is very versatile. This front lounge should stay bright at night, thanks to an LED in the ceiling and strip lights below the overhead lockers. A mains socket with USBs is tucked away under the settee.

If you are impressed with the table up front, wait until you see the one in the rear lounge: at 1.06 x 0.92m, it’s one of the largest we have ever seen. That said, when it is fully pulled forward there is a bit of a squeeze to get behind it to the seats at the back.

Standard Ford cab with sunroof and handy cubbyholes for maps
Standard Ford cab with sunroof and handy cubbyholes for maps

With another drop-down bed above, this lounge isn’t quite as bright as the one up front, but it’s well equipped, with an LED in the ceiling and more striplights. There is another mains socket and more USB ports under the settee, while TV sockets and a bracket are positioned above the fridge.

Kitchen

There is no pull-up extension to the side kitchen, so the only space for food prep is between the three-burner gas hob and the sink. At least the latter has taps that fold down under the cover, so you get a larger area if you don’t need the sink. The 141-litre fridge is plenty big enough for the food of five.

Central kitchen is well equipped, but some might find the amount of work surface a bit limited
Central kitchen is well equipped, but some might find the amount of work surface a bit limited

You do get a combined oven and grill, although it is a little way from the kitchen, below the wardrobe.There is no microwave, but you could possibly put one in the space above the fridge, if you don’t need a TV.

Washroom

There is a big step up to get into the washroom, and if the front drop-down bed is lowered, you might have to remove the ladder to open the door. But inside you get a cubicle with a rain shower and that also houses the handbasin and mirror. The toilet is beside an opaque window.

Washroom houses a rain shower, mirror and handbasin
Washroom houses a rain shower, mirror and handbasin

Sleeping

This motorhome is obviously aimed at larger families. In standard mode there are five beds, including two drop-downs. All are a good length, but we did have a bit of an issue with the widths. The rear drop-down is 1.94m long, but only 1.08m wide.

Ceiling beds are a good length, but might be a bit narrow for some
Ceiling beds are a good length, but might be a bit narrow for some

The front drop-down is a little wider, at 1.17m. Both come with a reading light, but the headroom here is slightly limited. The lower bed, which you make up out of the lounge cushions, can either be a long single or a double for children.

Storage

Storage is a lot more satisfactory. There are two large overhead lockers in the front lounge, although the way they slam shut is a rear indication of the budget price tag of this vehicle.

The 141-litre fridge should be plenty big enough for the food of a large family
The 141-litre fridge should be plenty big enough for the food of a large family

The four overhead lockers in the back of the ‘van are smaller, but there is excellent access to the garage from underneath the seats. The spacious wardrobe is located above the oven.

The kitchen continues the deep but clunky locker theme. But under the worktop, you also get a big cupboard with a shelf and a cutlery drawer, and a larger drawer below that, with a trapdoor opening at the bottom that allows space for bulkier items – and cleverly disguises the wheel arch.

Overhead lockers are capacious and deep, but tend to slam shut
Overhead lockers are capacious and deep, but tend to slam shut

Best of all, this part of the unit can be centrally locked for driving. You only find that elsewhere on much more expensive motorhomes.

The washroom includes one locker and two cubbyholes under the basin.

PRACTICAL MOTORHOME SAYS…

U-shaped rear lounge provides an impressively large table
U-shaped rear lounge provides an impressively large table

The Evo 77 Plus could easily cope with a very large family. You don’t find that too often, even among motorhomes that claim to be family-oriented. For a budget ‘van it is also well specified, with a rain shower and central locking on some drawers. But we would like to see slightly wider beds if family harmony is to be maintained.

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