It was possibly a sign of supply issues with Fiat when Swift launched its first range based on a Ford Transit. But the Voyager retains links with the past – three of its four models resemble layouts in the Fiat-based Escape. We were very impressed with the four-berth Swift Voyager 584 when we saw it before, but we were keen to take our winner of the best low-profile motorhome category at the Practical Motorhome Awards 2023 out for a longer spin, to see how well it fared after further in-depth scrutiny.
Exterior of the Swift Voyager 584
The Voyager comes with Ford’s grey metallic cab, but otherwise is a bit of a white box, except for grey metallic decals and some fetching embossed silver birds down the side.
There is a slight bulge to the roof, but it is nowhere near as pronounced as you would find with an overcab. The hump also produced no buffeting effect when we took the vehicle over the Yorkshire Wolds in winter weather.
In fact, for a ’van that is a hefty 7.85m in length, the 155bhp engine handled the hills very well. Our test model was fitted with Ford’s six-speed automatic gearbox that comes as a £1795 extra.
The cab interior is standard Ford, with drinks holders in the corners. This motorhome comes with two extra travel seats, which you fold out from under the parallel settees in the front lounge. As travel seats go, these are rather superior: each has a good view through the side windows, USB connections very close by, and good lighting.
The inclusion of travel seats means that you don’t get exterior locker doors, but there is a large, heated and lit, garage at the back that is tall enough for bikes and includes mains sockets, and, unusually, coat hooks. So bulky or wet jackets that perhaps take up too much room inside will still be easily accessible.
The electric hook-up point is on the offside, so the cable shouldn’t get in your way. So too is access to the water tanks. The cassette access, however, is on the nearside and close to the door, so it’s quite likely to be accessed from within any awning.
Cab in the Swift Voyager 584
You realise the advantage of having the hump in the roof as soon as you step in through the door (which comes complete with a flyscreen and an umbrella stand).
There’s a very generous 2.11m of headroom in here, so even the tallest person should easily fit. There’s no step, either, so you shouldn’t trip.
Perhaps more debatable is the new colour scheme. For the Voyager range (and for much else in the Swift line-up this year), the company has gone for blues and greys, rather than the browns and beiges Swift owners might be more accustomed to seeing.
This does look more modern and bright, but some might think it a touch bland. You could of course jazz it up with a few cushions of your own.
The voile panels on the side windows and the concertina blinds add to this pared-down effect. The sunroof is not the biggest we have seen, but it does open, and the level of natural light it provides is perfectly adequate.
Curiously, the switch for the ambient lighting in the lounge is in the kitchen. The switch by the door only turns on ambient lighting in the kitchen.
The seating arrangements here are very comfortable. The cab seats swivel smoothly, and each has a swan-necked, individually switched reading light nearby, as well as a mains socket. There are also two USBs close to hand in the lounge.
The well-upholstered parallel settees are either side of a fold-up pedestal table, which can easily accommodate four at mealtimes. Pleasingly, this doesn’t take up all the room in the lounge: there is space to stretch out your legs at either end, because the table also slides back and forth.
Sockets for the TV are to the right of the door, ready for a set to be mounted on the wall there, from where it could easily be seen by almost everyone.
Sleeping in the Swift Voyager 584
After the step up to the washroom, there is another step up to the rear bedroom, then an uneven set of steps to reach the beds themselves.
Although Swift has gone for two high single beds that are a common feature in many Continental motorhomes, unusually for a motorhome with this layout, they are just singles: there is no panel here to make them into a large double.
You can sleep sideways, but that big bite taken out of the mattress makes for rather a narrow double.
The opulent Duvalay mattresses are incredibly comfortable, however, and Swift has wisely done away with any overhead lockers, so headroom is fine, even with the beds in this high position – and you get padded headboards.
You also get more USB ports and a mains socket, not including the second set of sockets Swift has set on the wall for a possible TV here (see our motorhome TV guide for our pick of the best products on the market if you’re looking for one).
This rear bedroom is well heated, with a vent in the steps, and brightened by a large Heki in the ceiling.
The second bed is made by electrically lowering the table, using the switch by the kitchen window, and pulling out a little platform underneath the offside settee. You will also need eight cushions to construct it. We were pleased to see all of these are already in play, so no infills are needed. However, when the bed is made up, there will still be a few displaced cushions to find a home for overnight.
The bed itself is very comfortable (because the cushions fit tightly), and long. Striplights under the overhead lockers provide great light for reading.
Kitchen in the Swift Voyager 584
The kitchen has an impressively large sink, but as a result, there isn’t a vast amount of workspace – there’s no fold-out extension flap, for example. As a result, we think if you are doing some elaborate motorhome cooking, you might need to make use of the table, placed in its rearmost position.
The plastic drainer and sink cover/chopping board that come with the sink are designed to fit together for easy storage. The drainer itself is big, which will prove handy when it’s time to do the washing up. There are also two mains sockets within easy reach.
You get a dual-fuel four-burner hob, and a combined oven and grill. Across the aisle, a two-way opening 133-litre Dometic Series 10 fridge should be ample for the food of a party of four.
Specify the microwave (a cost option) and it would go in the lower of the overhead lockers. Kitchen storage space is good throughout, so this wouldn’t be a big sacrifice.
The kitchen work surface has no extension, so while it has two mains sockets nearby, if both were being used for, say, a motorhome kettle and a toaster, you wouldn’t have much worktop left. We’d say you might have to use the table.
Washroom in the Swift Voyager 584
You step up into the central washroom, but there is good headroom, and it is sealed off with a swing door at the front and sliding doors to the rear.
You step back down into the offside shower cubicle, giving you even more headroom. It’s good that the shower tray is so deep, because it only has one drainage hole. The wheel arch intrudes, but only where the shower is, so there is room to move around.
There is a pull-down bar for drying clothes, a roof vent and a striplight.
The main washroom on the nearside is part of the central area: there is no separate partition. The basin is sunk into a large shelf, with plenty of storage space. There is a large, well-lit mirror, a towel ring, and a well-placed heating vent.
Storage in the Swift Voyager 584
Having two travel seats under the settees up front limits your options for storage in the lounge. Swift makes up for this with four large overhead lockers, all of which have shelves. There are map pockets and cubbyholes above the cab, and a small space for keys and fobs in the door itself.
The lack of any overhead lockers at the rear does mean you only get two cupboards under the beds.
However, there are cubbyholes in the steps, along with drawers that ingeniously come out from the sides.
It’s a pity there’s no internal access to the ample garage, which is big enough for bikes, with external doors providing easy access outside. The 12V socket here is handy, too. But that means there is extra room to provide a useful set of drawers and cubbyholes in and around the steps between the beds.
There is a wardrobe under the end of each bed, one with a hanging rail, one with shelves, but both only accessible from the side – they don’t have lifting tops, as some Continental models do. Still, you hardly notice the absence of overhead lockers here.
The kitchen has excellent storage, with two overhead lockers (one can be used for a microwave as a dealer-fitted option). There is a large cupboard with two shelves and two large drawers – not lockers – under the oven and fridge. This should make access easier. There is also another cupboard over the fridge.
In the washroom, there is a shelved cupboard next to the mirror, another below the handbasin, and a small space behind the toilet that is perfect for storing toilet rolls.
Equipment in the Swift Voyager 584
The Voyager’s cab is certainly well equipped. Having an entertainment system and a reversing camera fitted as standard is a bonus. A switch on the dashboard lets you run the radio off the leisure battery.
You only get quilted cab blinds that you have to fit yourself. This is likely a question of cost, but a dividing curtain might have been an alternative.
A toasty Truma Combi 6 heater keeps the inside warm, and you get a sizeable fridge and useful dual-fuel hob.
You might miss having a barbecue point or shower outside, but the multiple sockets and USBs should keep even demanding teenagers happy.
Practical Motorhome Says…
With the launch of this new range from Swift, the motorhome brand has shown that although it has traditionally worked on Fiat, it is more than capable of switching to other base vehicles. This is a very comfortable motorhome to tour in, and everything fits together so well, you’d think the designers have been working with Fords for years.
The lounge in particular is comfortable and well appointed. The mains socket and USB provision is particularly good – you shouldn’t have the family squabbling over that.
The only niggles would be the relatively limited kitchen workspace and the lack of a panel to make the rear single beds a big double. But the Swift Voyager 584 is still a ’van that will be easy to live in for families, or couples looking for just a little bit more space.
- Take a look at our guide to the best motorhomes with fixed single beds for more ideas from ‘vans with a similar layout
What we like:
- Great cab and an easy drive
- Comfortable front lounge
- Masses of storage
- Good headroom in rear beds
What we don’t like:
- Not much dedicated kitchen workspace
- No cab blinds fitted
- No panel to make large rear double bed
Buy if…
You are a couple who need storage space for bikes and plenty of clothes, but only occasionally take extra guests along. The second double bed is manageable, but you possibly wouldn’t want to make it up every night for an extended period, and with so much of the internal storage weighted towards the rear, four people touring continually for a long time could quickly start treading on each other’s toes.
Technical spec:
- Price: £67,495
- Sleeps: 4
- Belts: 4
- Base vehicle: Ford Transit
- Engine: 2.0-litre, 155bhp Euro 6D
- Length/width/height: 7.85/2.37/2.87m (25’8”/7’7”/9’4”)
- MTPLM: 3500kg
- MiRO: 3076kg
- Payload: 424kg
- Water (fresh/waste): 110/85 litres
- Leisure battery: 80Ah
- Gas: 1 x 6kg
Technical data:
Base vehicle
- Chassis: Ford Transit Engine 2.0-litre TDCi EcoBlue
- Power: 155bhp @ 3500rpm
- Torque: 405Nm @ 1750-2500rpm
- Transmission: Six-speed automatic (cost option)
Features
ESC, emergency brake assist, daytime running lights, captain’s seats with armrests, Zenec Xzent F-285 entertainment system with DAB radio, Bluetooth connectivity and reversing camera, cruise control, cab air conditioning, quilted cab blinds, steering wheel controls
Conversion
Magnetic grey cab, partial body-colour front bumper and chrome grilles, SMART construction with full GRP bodyshell, GRP front low-line pod with opening panoramic sunroof, white extruded skirts linking with full-height GRP rear panel, 16-inch alloy wheels, 100W solar panel, habitation door with flyscreen, umbrella stand and central locking, flush-fitting acrylic windows, rear garage with lighting, heating, sockets, hooks, overhead lockers, bike rack fixing rails
Lounging and dining
2.11m internal headroom, fold-down Aguti travel seats with Isofix fixing, Sangallo Elm woodgrain detail with Oxford Tajet, Toro Tela and Grau furniture, cream gloss locker doors with feature inlays, pleated window blinds with voile decoration on sides, sectioned removable and bleachable carpets, four mains sockets, dedicated USB points for all seats, TV points with mains, 12V and aerial sockets, Truma Combi 6 boiler, LED lighting throughout, electrically operated table
Kitchen
Thetford Triplex combined oven and grill, Dometic Series 10 two-way 133-litre fridge with removable freezer, Slate Weft laminate worktop with Beige Weft splashback, chrome-effect mixer tap, removable drainer and nylon chopping board
Sleeping
Front double 1.94 x 1.05/1.32m, rear double 2.06 x 1.15m OR rear singles 1.95 x 0.78m
Equipment
Truma Combi 6 boiler, 100W solar panel, VIN CHIP identification system, smoke alarm, CO alarm
Or you could try…
- Benimar Tessoro 483: this is a well-designed ‘van with plenty of storage on offer.
- Itineo CM660: this ‘van provides a comfortable lounge and good quality fixtures and fittings.
- Mobilvetta Tekno Line K Yacht 95: space and comfort are provided in this motorhome.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this article, why not get the latest news, reviews and features delivered direct to your door or inbox every month. Take advantage of our brilliant Practical Motorhome magazine SUBSCRIBERS’ OFFER and SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER for regular weekly updates on all things motorhome related
Technical Specifications
Berth | 4 |
MiRO | 3076 kg |
Payload | 424 kg |
MTPLM | 3500 kg |
Shipping Length | 7.85 m |
Width | 2.37 m |
Engine Size | 2000 cc |