Swift Kon-tiki 675 - Practical Motorhome

Kon-tiki has been a hugely popular mainstay of Swift's ranges for decades, and this season sees the launch of a fully refreshed line-up.

Verdict

This is a hugely luxurious motorhome, and it’s all the better for its new tweaks. It’s ideal for families…. but it certainly has a luxurious price to match. If you can afford one – and you have the C1 category license to drive it – you’ll find this is a classy, beautifully designed ‘van that will impress for years to come.

Pros

None

Cons

None

There aren’t that many names in motorcaravanning better known than ‘Kon-tiki’ – Swift’s big coachbuilt that has been a mainstay within its ranges since its launch way back in the mid-1980s.

Over the years, it’s proved hugely popular with those buyers looking for a luxury motorhome with all the bells and whistles.

So we were excited to hear earlier this year that Swift was to launch a fully refreshed version of the Kon-tiki; and it was with even greater anticipation that we tested the 675, an all-new, twin-fixed-bed layout for the 2019 season.

Our test Kon-tiki was a high-line version, which adds a further two berths over the cab area. Combined with the double bed that can be made up from the cushions in the front lounge, this takes it to six berths in total.

Choosing that overcab option (for no cost) means a small, 60kg reduction in the payload, but when it still remains at a whopping 888kg, you’re likely to consider this well-worthwhile – although bear in mind that there are only four belted seats.

The height of those two rear beds creates space for a garage beneath - and it's enormous

Living

Step into the vehicle and it’s clear just how much room is available within. There’s masses of space in the lounge to your left, which features new ‘Darwin’ soft furnishings; other improvements here include new ‘Oyster Grey’ upper locker doors, along with decorative flyscreen and blind surrounds. Built-in Wi-Fi and underfloor heating here will help make things even more comfortable.

Kitchen

The kitchen in the centre of the ‘van is well-equipped: the kit list includes a vast, 190-litre Dometic fridge (which can be opened from either side), a microwave, an extractor fan, an exclusive Dometic CU600 oven, and much more.

The amount of space that the ‘van’s 9.01m length affords is amazing; that means there’s plenty of storage space everywhere.

In the kitchen, this takes the form of vast lockers and lots of cupboards to store the food of all six occupants.

Washroom

The washroom sits across the middle of the ‘van, and it’s plenty big enough to get dressed in. Both fore and aft doors can be shut to create a true ensuite; within its confines is a large separate shower cubicle.

The Ecocamel showerhead has an on/off switch to help save water (although the fresh tank is a whopping 125 litres in size), while heating is provided by a radiator, powered by an Alde system that offers zonal control.

Beds

As for the sleeping areas, that Stargazer window pays huge dividends in the back. The two single beds can be joined with an infill cushion, and the whole area is flooded with light from above and behind. The Duvalay mattresses are thick and hugely comfortable.

The overcab bed is vast and has masses of headroom. If there are four of you, this would definitely be the bed of choice over the make-up example in the lounge.

Storage

The height of those two rear beds creates space for a garage beneath, and it’s enormous – two doors help you to retrieve stuff from within it, too. Even with that payload reduced to 888kg, you should have plenty of weight to play with here.