Shire Phoenix 2XL Studio - Practical Motorhome

Practical Motorhome reviews the Shire Phoenix 2XL Studio Twin – a bespoke van conversion so spacious that there's even room for a wheelchair inside!

Verdict

Gentleman Jack’s experiences as a judge for the Caravan Club Motorcaravan Design and Drive Awards left him with the impression that the Shire Phoenix 2XL would be as good ‘in the field’ as it was in the showroom, and it was. That said, he didn’t fully appreciate just how easy this layout is to live in. It’s all down to that unobstructed lounge floor space and non-compromised side door aperture. The spacious Shire Phoenix 2XL is an excellent example of the maxim that ‘less is more’.

We’d go for a conversion only (£19,000+ VAT) on a fully loaded 3-litre base vehicle that was ‘just secondhand’. Buyers can save a mint this way and get more for their money.

Jack knows, because he’s done it!

You can read Gentleman Jack’s Motorcaravanning for less than £2000 series of articles on his self-build online, as well as his friend Grant Long’s self-build article, Build your own motorhome for less than £8,000.

It’s much easier to get Shire Conversions to convert your van for you, however, and within reason you can have whatever you want!

Pros

Choice of engine and transmission options
Choice of interior fabrics and furniture finishes
Choice of equipment
Choice of exterior colour
Uncluttered floor space
Good for wheelchair users and the less mobile

Cons

The substantial bed base is heavy to lift

Panel van conversions or PVCs are enjoying a renaissance. This is partly due to the fact that modern high-top vans in general and the Ducato in particular are eminently suitable for conversion into a mobile home.

Vertical sidewalls and a squared-off roof provide an almost perfect cuboid. At a stroke, one of the major disadvantages of the previous generation of PVCs has been addressed – that of a claustrophobic feeling at eye-level. Now add in a fully crash-tested shell, ease of fixing rear travel seats, low floor height, lack of rear overhang and a choice of exterior colour and the reasons behind that renaissance become clear.

In addition, there are far more bespoke panel van converters than coachbuilt manufacturers, and these really do offer potential customers ‘choice’ with a capital ‘C’.

Shire Conversions, based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, is one such firm and although it is relatively new, it has already gained both traction and gravitas by achieving many awards including a Gold Award in the Practical Motorhome Owner Satisfaction Survey 2014 and Silver in 2015. The award scheme title is declaratory and so really is worth keeping in mind that Shire’s past customers are very happy with this bespoke van converter as you read our review.

The spacious Shire Phoenix 2XL is an excellent example of the maxim that ‘less is more’

Living

It’s not just what Shire included in this extra long version that makes this a great motorhome, but of equal significance is what it resisted putting in.

When offered the extra-long wheelbase version over medium- or long-wheelbase derivatives, many designers immediately fill the extra space with more furniture. Shire has executed a modest extension to the galley but crucially left the unobstructed side door aperture unmolested. This is key to the amazing feeling of spaciousness that is immediately apparent on stepping aboard. No, that’s underselling the design – it isn’t just a feeling of spaciousness, but an incontrovertible fact.

The other major contributor to Shire Conversions’ unrivalled performance in the interior space race was the hinged table/worktop adjacent to the side door. Able-bodied motorcaravanners will enjoy the huge and uncluttered lounge floor this contributes to, but wheelchair users will find it so convenient. There is plenty of room to turn 360 degrees, plus somewhere to park in the lounge that is socially inclusive, but not in the way of the central aisle.

An island leg and two sizes of table-top to slot onto it turned the swivelled cab pews into a dining room. Also included in the mix is a tripod base for dining under the awning.

Finally, in this section, we like the soft furnishing fabrics, but if they don’t float your boat, you can choose whatever takes your fancy!

Kitchen

Located centrally and split either side of the central aisle, this is one of the best kitchen galleys we’ve seen in a panel van conversion. Loads of available storage, mainly under the base units and in high-level lockers, is supplemented by lipped open shelves and fabric pockets adorning the walls at chest height.

The standard specification is impressive and includes a microwave oven, retractable power dock and a wine cooler. It’s a kitchen designed for those who enjoy preparing raw ingredients and cooking instead of relying on warming-up ready meals. There’s a goodly acreage of worktop between the sink and cooker and cooks can spread out onto the hinged extra worktop/table opposite. It is all illuminated by a useful amount of natural and artificial light.

Ventilation was courtesy of an adjacent top-hinged window and a powerful two-way fan in the overhead rooflight. We appreciated the position of the absorption fridge which had been raised above floor level and meant that we didn’t have to bend double to retrieve items from the bottom shelf. Prefer a compressor fridge?

You’ve only got to ask!

Washroom

The washroom is immediately behind the kitchen and is accessed via a centrally placed door. The design makes optimum use of the available space.

The vanity basin has a useful flat outer edge on which bottles and sachets can be parked and the large illuminated mirror behind is well placed for wielding a mascara brush or razor.

A proper towel rail – not the ring variety – and a separate monobloc mixer tap complete the equipment inventory on the offside.

The shower tray is centrally placed and against the nearside wall an electric-flush toilet with wheeled cassette resides. Above that is a surprisingly capacious shelved (recessed) cupboard.

Located in the centre of the compartment’s rear wall is another door. This allows the shower hose to be passed outside where it could be usefully employed cleaning muddy canine paws or sandy feet. More on this under ‘storage’ where the two doors’ other useful function will be revealed.

The washroom is frequently the Achilles’ heel of PVCs so it was pleasing to find that this one isn’t compromised other than the step-up from the floor level, which is unavoidable if you are going to have a shower tray in a PVC.

Beds

Whether you’re a solo motorcaravanner or two, the bed is a Hobson’s choice longitudinal double that is made from the sofa in the time-honoured way of extending the base and allowing the backrest cushion to lie flat. Extra width was available by repositioning the armrest cushions and utilising a small infill.

The result was a pleasingly flat bed of a sensible size 1.85 x 1.26m (6’1” x 4’2”). We did feel that it could be improved by supporting the aisle edge of the cushion and by providing the inboard occupant with an adjustable reading light in the manner of those for the aisle seat passengers on aeroplanes.

On the plus side, the heating can be turned on first thing on chilly mornings without having to get out of bed.

When friends tour together, sharing a double bed might not be appropriate. Shire is aware of this so in the future there will be a choice – a single-beds option is under development.

Storage

The Phoenix 2XL Studio has six large (undivided) overhead lockers and a huge underseat storage space. There is also a two-door wardrobe, notmunusual in itself, but this interpretation is. It is divided horizontally and each half is different. The top section is a half-height hanging affair, while the lower section is shelved, perhaps recognising that fleeces and jeans are more likely than full-length ball gowns and tail coats to be the motorcaravanners’ apparel of choice.

If this arrangement doesn’t appeal, you can choose to have both sections shelved or combined into one as a full-height hanging wardrobe.

In the main living area are four handy wall-mounted elasticated pockets, and Shire’s signature array of storage pockets decorate the outside of the,washroom wall. The latter are accessed via the (blind) rear doors.

Some people dislike having to open a cupboard door to access a drawer, in particular a frequently opened cutlery drawer, as in this case, but this is a personal preference and not necessarily a design fault.

All at Practical Motorhome use their motorcaravans for load lugging so it was great to find that loading of long thin cargo will be a doddle as both washroom doors open to enable anything – from canoes to flat pack furniture and rolls of carpet – to just slide straight in.