Found the right layout but what manufacturer do we choose?

[HumBea]

Hi

We've been looking at motorhomes for a while now, and have gone to many dealers/shows over the years, working out exactly what we want. We think we have finally decided on a layout and have found 4 different manufacturers producing what we're after (basically a sub 7m motorhome with 4 belts, a separate shower and a good size garage):
1) Swift Escape 640
2) Chausson 640
3) Bailey Adamo 69-4
4) Benimar Tessoro 487
Of all of them are very similar (payload/layout/price wise), although at the moment I'd say the Swift seems the nicest, followed by the Chausson, Benimar and lastly the Bailey. We're off to the NEC in October to hopefully get another look and to compare them all. Does any one have any particular opinions on these motorhomes, or can point us in the right direction of things to look out for to help us decide?

Thank you

 

[Stavelot]

We spent a similar amount of time working out what we wanted in a layout and just to make sure before parting with our cash, we hired different vans for a week each time. This enabled us to refine our choice and we bought the only van that ticked all our boxes. We're extremely happy with it.

I have friends who really wanted a van & did all the research, knew what they wanted, went to a dealer, got swayed by something else, bought it, went away for a weekend, hated it, sold it on the way home. Lost money. They had never hired one.

I used to sell boats and I always used to tell people to hire before they bought. It really helps you to refine what you want but most importantly what you don't want and don't like.

 

[mikebeaches]

We bought a Chausson and have found that the habitation door being on the ‘wrong’ side can be a bit of a pain. Something we didn’t see being an issue before we bought it. A lot of sites like everyone’s doors to face the same way so we often have to reverse into pitches rather than driving in, so when pitches look out over the sea or a lake we lose the view out of the front. Not a deal breaker but a consideration depending where you are likely to take it. Maybe we need to holiday in France instead so it will be on the ‘correct’ side....

An interesting point, but one we have honestly not noticed.

We've had 3 French-converted vans - 2 Rapidos and a Chausson - but don't recall once having an issue with the habitation door on the off-side. As you say, perhaps it depends where you stay, but we've stopped at all sorts of places, including club sites (both big UK clubs - though admittedly not often) and can't remember ever having an issue with parking in whichever direction we preferred.

If challenged on the subject, I would just firmly but politely explain how and why I'd like to pitch.

But perhaps I'm an exception..? And if it is a bit of an issue for you, fair enough.

 

[irnbru]

We have a Benimar, Spanish made but built for the U.K. market our hab door is on the U.K. near side. Apart from the small damp issue we had the build quality has been fine, nothing falling apart While they are more of a budget motorhome the spec is pretty good and most Benimar owners really do seem happy with theirs.

 

[Monty777]

We will all have ideas as to what is the best we had Pilote then a Hymer, Adria, Niesmann which we loved then a Carthago came along which looked great but I never fell in love nothing really wrong with it but just something. So now we’ve spent the extra and back in a new Niesmann again.
Its like layout’s we all think this is fine until we start using it, it’s like the Carthago large island bed great till you needed a wee at 4am in the dark trying to get down the little staircase trying to wrestle with the quilt getting more and more desperate because you’ve already put it off for an hour, so the new van is twin singles with much larger steps in the middle.
Its things like that you don’t think about to you try and use it.

Couldn’t agree more, we sold our old Hymer 655 Starline at the beginning of the pandemic-mistake-which we realised as the new owner drove away from us……..
Decided to downsize to a 6mtr PVC-which worked great when used as 2 singles but was a pain to use as a double-probably just us, and storage space was very limited having come from an A class. Traded that against our current Hymer Exsis i 414, lovely little van, only 6 meters long but masses of space-but….. I broke my hip before we got it, tried the bed access up the ladders and it all seemed fine-which it was-but not ideal as a 2 week trip to Switzerland and France this year proved-as above its the getting up in the middle of the night which is the problem. So now we are looking for a bigger van with singles and a large garage and steps between the beds-hopefully we will get it right this time.

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[AndyPK]

‘Third-van’ syndrome……..!

 

[DrDeath]

Hi Humbea
We ordered an Adamo 69-4 March 21. No movement Oct 21, found a virtually new one on autotrader. Drove from Brighton to Whitley Bay-loved it and bought it.
No "local" dealers, everyone we called declined to help with snagging issues!
Eventually found caravan servicing centre in Havant who have been great.
The van is great to drive, warm and super comfortable. Auto box is a dream. We cooked Xmas dinner (roast beef and dauphinoise potatoes) in the lake district!
We have spent 3 months in it!
It was good value at the time but is the now the best part of £16,000 more expensive so auto boxes in the others are more competitive
In summary, great van which we love but try to buy locally as dealers are very very unhelpful if they did not sell it. Find a local approved repair centre quickly as things will fail to work as planned!!
All your choices are great but we preferred the Bailey!

 

[Speve]

An interesting point, but one we have honestly not noticed.

We've had 3 French-converted vans - 2 Rapidos and a Chausson - but don't recall once having an issue with the habitation door on the off-side. As you say, perhaps it depends where you stay, but we've stopped at all sorts of places, including club sites (both big UK clubs - though admittedly not often) and can't remember ever having an issue with parking in whichever direction we preferred.

If challenged on the subject, I would just firmly but politely explain how and why I'd like to pitch.

But perhaps I'm an exception..? And if it is a bit of an issue for you, fair enough.

I agree we have had two Hymers over last seven years and never had a problem with hab door on Other side?
never been to any site that asked us to move I think perhaps Traceymya is the exception

 

[nicholsong]

I have a N&B Arto with hab door on RH side.

We do not go in campsites so no problem there.

The only time I had a problem was when I had to stop on a hard shoulder on the M6. I am careful to open a crack and make sure it is safe to open fully, which it was, but just as I opened it more a 44t artic passed and his 'bow wave' ripped the door out of my hand. Fortunately no damage.

It is a warning to us all.

 

[minesapint]

Hello and welcome?

I was told some advice when we first bought a motorhome by some friends that had been at it for years. The habitation chassis are usually Alko but it the build on that is the quality bit. The cab bit is very important. I was told Fiat and I have stuck with that. Never buy French. That was their opinion. Swift have been making motorhomes and caravans for years and know what they are doing. They are a bit like Marmite. Bailey are late comers to the party and look very boxy to me. Definitely do not get one based on a Ford Transit. As mentioned on many threads here, they are easily nicked.

So for me the Swift, but it is your choice that matters.

They are all easily stolen, the fiat has the same problem as the others, screwdriver hammered under the lock and away it goes. The fiat and Peugeot have a lousy dash display so it almost impossible to read the speedo during the day, but are comfier to drive, than the Transit. The Hobby we had on a transit, did not roll as much as the Fiat. It is all down to personnel choice.

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[HumBea]

Thanks everyone for the replies. They’ve given us a few things to think about.
They’re going to love us at the NEC, rattling their motorhomes about to test the quality! Motorhomes cost a fair whack new or used, but given the unbelievable price hikes the past year or so, it feels like a major decision. I certainly don’t want to be the person like Stavelot’s friend who sold it on the way home…madness!
Thanks again.

 

[Traceymya]

I agree we have had two Hymers over last seven years and never had a problem with hab door on Other side?
never been to any site that asked us to move I think perhaps Traceymya is the exception

Happy to be an exception! I think maybe it’s because we collected it at the beginning of covid in 2020 and sites were super cautious to keep people apart so wanting doors all facing the same direction so you weren’t opening on to one another, and many seem to have stuck with that rule. Our favourite site in Cornwall actually asked someone to leave because he would not oblige and pitched the way he wanted to. Maybe things will relax again now we are over the worst of it.
Think hiring one in the layout you fancy first is a great idea. No better way to figure out what works for you than try one!

 

[VXman]

I'm not sure if anybody else has made this point - but in my view, buying as close to home as possible is an important consideration, if purchasing new from a dealer.

Unlike new motor cars, it can be difficult to get a local dealer to undertake any required warranty work if you didn't purchase the van from them. With new cars, you can normally call in at any franchise dealer for warranty repairs, but usually not so with motorhomes. So it can become both expensive, time consuming and inconvenient returning to a retailer a long way from home.

So, as you've discovered, there are lots of considerations when buying a new van. But keep the geographic logistics of the supplying dealer in mind, alongside all the other decisions...

Good luck, whatever you decide!

Totally agree with this. We bought 200 miles round trip away because they had the model we wanted on the forecourt. However, we had numerous issues and a dealer that was a bit useless. Must have done 6 or 7 round trips trying to get things fixed. That's 1400 miles of diesel, wasted miles in the clock and a lot of days spent wandering around the town.

 

[VXman]

They are all easily stolen, the fiat has the same problem as the others, screwdriver hammered under the lock and away it goes. The fiat and Peugeot have a lousy dash display so it almost impossible to read the speedo during the day, but are comfier to drive, than the Transit. The Hobby we had on a transit, did not roll as much as the Fiat. It is all down to personnel choice.

I don't find a problem with the fiat dash - except maybe the kmh are a little small when in Europe - easy to remember key speeds in mph anyway.

The new Fiat is digital dash anyway and looks a lot better.

 

[Jonno1103]

Hi

We've been looking at motorhomes for a while now, and have gone to many dealers/shows over the years, working out exactly what we want. We think we have finally decided on a layout and have found 4 different manufacturers producing what we're after (basically a sub 7m motorhome with 4 belts, a separate shower and a good size garage):
1) Swift Escape 640
2) Chausson 640
3) Bailey Adamo 69-4
4) Benimar Tessoro 487
Of all of them are very similar (payload/layout/price wise), although at the moment I'd say the Swift seems the nicest, followed by the Chausson, Benimar and lastly the Bailey. We're off to the NEC in October to hopefully get another look and to compare them all. Does any one have any particular opinions on these motorhomes, or can point us in the right direction of things to look out for to help us decide?

Thank you

Simple answer from me is the Chausson 640 Titanium Premium. Innovative build, good build quality and arguably the best mass used base vehicle around at the moment. The Ford is streets ahead of any of the Stellantis base vehicles and so too is the wide track motorhome specific chassis. Factory chassis up plating is a no no but the likes of SV Tech will up plate the L3 chassis to 4100kg as a cost option paper exercise.

The Bailey lacks kit for the price tag, the Tessy is built on the smaller chassis, the Swifts lack a factory finishing touch - wiring tends to be a bit spaghetti like and they're build on the very disappointing but expensive Fiat Ducato.

Is the 8 cm's that important? As a further consideration the AT F Line F70 will give you all the options you want including a 2nd leisure battery, separate shower and large garage in a 7.3m van with a payload of around 510kg.

Happy Hunting!

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[pelican]

If going to the NEC, may I suggest going towards the end of the week? We went once at beginning and once at the end and the difference in van appearance was stark.

At the beginning the vans are unspoilt, untried and in pristine condition, everything working properly and intact. At the end of the week some of the vans had wear and tear showing after a few hundred, possibly thousands of hands had touched and feet had trampled through them. Some of the vans had kitchen or shower doors hanging off, drawers removed, tired looking flooring etc. This raised a concern in my mind about build quality. Those with faulty aspects were removed from our list.

That something that really bugs me. A major exhibition where your products should look there absolute best.
I see no reason that the producers don't have a techy attend to problems daily after the show closes.

 

[Border-Reiver]

Look at the little things on them all so you know what to expect regardless of which one you eventually go for.

Things like door catches with plastic strike plates, what's that all about Auto-Trail, £3.45 on eBay will get you some steel replacements. Look where the spare 240v plug sockets are if you want to add extras, water pipes fixed to the back of blank plates, what's that all about Auto-Trail? A screw driver and some re-routing will fix things like that though. Look under the sink for cupboard space with pipes and wires not boarded in, what's that all about Auto-Trail?. Nothing that some ply, a saw and some fittings can't fix, but I thought that was Auto-Trails job.

Don't get me wrong we love our van and we just fix things as they come up. Good luck and regardless what you choose chances are you'll have niggles but you'll still love it.

 

[BikerGraham]

I don't find a problem with the fiat dash - except maybe the kmh are a little small when in Europe - easy to remember key speeds in mph anyway.

The new Fiat is digital dash anyway and looks a lot better.

I just use the sat nav set to Km/h when over the water. Easy to see and accurate

 

[Paul and Val]

Personally, I would avoid the FIAT based models like the plague. The Transit 170bhp engine has far more torque, pulling power and drivability. I am told that the recent Ford auto box is excellent but I have only driven the 6 speed manual which is also very good.
There was a recall over poor quality fuel injectors but A) This was rectified by Ford free of charge and B) only affected a period of less than a years production.
I have never understood the popularity of the FIAT engine. While more reasonably powered now, the 130bhp FIAT engine used for many years is in my opinion absolutely pathetic and never had a place in a 3 ton motorhome. The lack of performance and its general feebleness is the main reason why motor-homers have such an awful reputation for causing long tail backs.
Non-Transit owners will trot out stuff about the ease of theft but there is nothing more reliable than a Transit and it does not remain the most trusted work horse of all by being anything other than the best at what it does.
Whatever you decide enjoy your purchase but don't over-do the research. Buy it and enjoy it
Good luck
Paul

 

[Paul and Val]

A quick add-on thought. I really like the Chausson 640 but in our 628 special edition one failing is that it needs another power socket on the kitchen side further along.
We had three warranty claims but all were sorted out very quickly by Chausson. We also took out the extended Ford guarantee so we still have cover for another year. I think that FIAT offer the same option

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[Lenny HB]

The Hobby we had on a transit, did not roll as much as the Fiat. It is all down to personnel choice.

Depends which chassis the Fiat is on, some of the budget vans are on the chassis cab that does roll a bit but has the advantage of higher ground clearance. The Camping Car chassis & the Al-Ko chassis are very stable with very little roll.