POPULAR SPANISH BRAND Benimar was reintroduced to the UK by another Trigano subsidiary, Marquis Leisure, five years ago. The tie-up proved so successful, it has since started importing Mobilvetta motorhomes as well.

With a strong emphasis on competitive pricing and family-oriented designs, Benimar produces three ranges, almost all low-profiles. Owing to the lockdown, any changes the company is making this year will be limited to minor cosmetic details.

Both the entry-level Primero range, with five models, including three overcabs, and the slightly more upmarket Mileo line-up are based on a Fiat Ducato.

You get a 140bhp engine on the Primero, and 160bhp on the Mileo. All models have four travel seats, regardless of the number of berths.

The Primero low-profile offering includes the end-washroom 202, while the overcabs are the transverse-bed 301, French-bed 331, and the 313, which has bunk beds across the back. All Primero models are 5.99m long.

The Mileo range includes three models that are 5.95m long – the transverse-bed 201, end-washroom 202 and French-bed 231 – and then the transverse-bed 243 and the rear-lounge 286, both just short of 7m. The rear-lounge 282 (7.39m) and island-bed 294 (7.35m) complete the range.

The Tessoro, in contrast, sits on a 170bhp Ford Transit. The eight models in the line-up are all four-berths and range in size from the 5.98m-long end-washroom 481 to the rear-lounge 482 and island-bed 494, both 7.38m.

The USP with all of these models is that, despite being built in Spain, they have habitation doors on the ‘correct’ side for the UK. And apart from the powerful engines, they also come with a long list of UK-specific extras.

Benimar: A quick history

Peniscola, with its famous castle, midway between Barcelona and Valencia on the Spanish Mediterranean coast, is probably best known as a place some lucky motorcaravanners might choose to spend the winter months to get away from cold Blighty. But it also happens to be where Benimar is based.

The company was founded in 1979, although serial production did not begin until 1986. By 2002, it was a market leader in Spain and big enough to be snapped up by the Trigano Group (which is a parent company of Auto-Sleepers and Marquis Leisure).

Benimar vehicles are now sold in 25 countries worldwide, and the company produces 4000 models a year. In the UK, the brand is sold exclusively by Marquis Leisure.

Click the links to find out more about the new Primero, Tessoro, Benivan and Mileo 

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