Front lounge PVC - day to day living

Swings and roundabouts it definitely is! To me:-

PVC - most are on a H2 Ducato base, it's just not tall enough for me, my hair brushes the ceiling as I move about - even on days when I *don't* do either my beehive or my spiky mohican ;) . Seriously, that is a major problem for me and not many PVCs are based on "true" high tops. The curved nature of the body restricts useable space. They are difficult to insulate really well. Ducatos only go to 6.36m, personally I think longer is OK, I'd rather go 7m and have more room. I also want somewhere to lounge - current van just has dinette seats, even the cab seats aren't used once parked up, and the dinette seats aren't that comfortable. Windows can be a bit small, due to the structure. Highly unlikely to get a motorbike inside one, even if I could it would have to come out to use the van once parked up, trailer required.

On the plus side, the narrowness and ability to get to places that cars can (barring height barriers) is a huge plus. I *really* like the sliding door, outside in feeling - even better if the rear barn doors are useable as well. PVC's generally look good, they don't seem to stand out and attract unwanted attention from the natives like a coachbuilt/A-class van does. No problems with having a towbar.

A-Class - much squarer, more useable space, doesn't have to be much wider than a PVC with the right model. Better insulated. Nice big windows, especially the windscreen. I *might* possibly get a smallish motorbike in a garage with the right model, but I suspect that it would have to be one of the bigger and therefore wider ones. Downsides, (oh dear, I'll upset someone now!) they have looks that only a mother could love, vast majority are big white boxes that stick out like a sore thumb unless they are parked amongst other big white boxes. No sliding door, feeling of being separated from the outside world, just what I don't like about my present van. Towbar may or may not be a problem.

A Campscout wouldn't be any good for me, but a Campscout Revolution might be - alas they are like rocking horse dung. I'm also a bit concerend that a fixed bed in a PVC compromises the living & lounging space too much, I'm in the balance if the hassle of making beds up each night is worth it to get much more useable room. At the moment I suspect it is, for us.
Sou ds as if you have the same dilemma we have …
 
Dreamer Living! Lounge front and rear. Full headroom for me at 6'3 H3 Ducato. Front pull down double without needing to fold driver and passenger seat in addition to rear lounge make up bed. So a double each. Cross van toilet shower can separate front from rear. Rear bed we would leave up permanently if travelling and when lounging outside. If weather not good I do need a good long lounge to well, lounge in and the rear lounge in this one is plenty long enough for me. Comp. Fridge twin hab batteries and diesel heating.
Well that is our thoughts, coz still waiting for the beast but dealer has confirmed end of this month!!
 
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Dreamer Living! Lounge front and rear. Full headroom for me at 6'3 H3 Ducato. Front pull down double without needing to fold driver and passenger seat in addition to rear lounge make up bed. So a double each. Cross van toilet shower can separate front from rear. Rear bed we would leave up permanently if travelling and when lounging outside. If weather not good I do need a good long lounge to well, lounge in and the rear lounge in this one is plenty long enough for me. Comp. Fridge twin hab batteries and diesel heating.
Well that is our thoughts, coz still waiting for the beast but dealer has confirmed end of this month!!
Can't say as I've heard of them to be honest. Had a quick look at the website, the "Camper Van XL" looks very interesting - I do like the idea of electric drop down beds, they always strike me as a great use of space.

I couldn't see the "Living van" at first, had to Google it, maybe it's being dropped from the range. Looks good though. You still have enough head room even with the drop down bed? Is it a bed that is big enough for "proper" size ( ;) ) people?

Ooo, they are at the NEC as well - will take a look!
 
Can't say as I've heard of them to be honest. Had a quick look at the website, the "Camper Van XL" looks very interesting - I do like the idea of electric drop down beds, they always strike me as a great use of space.

I couldn't see the "Living van" at first, had to Google it, maybe it's being dropped from the range. Looks good though. You still have enough head room even with the drop down bed? Is it a bed that is big enough for "proper" size ( ;) ) people?

Ooo, they are at the NEC as well - will take a look!
I can't speak for the headroom on the XL not having been in one but on the Living Van I can walk upright at 6'3 under the pull down. The pull down is easy enough to use and no electrics to go wrong. Yes it's a full proper double but we like the option of a double each.
I know Rapido were going to drop the Living Van from the Dreamer Range but I think I remember talk that such was the UK demand for a rear lounge it can be ordered for the UK market as it would leave them with no rear lounge option in the range. Tried the so called front lounge albeit for a very short time on a demnstrator and it's not quite as lounge like as the rear is.
I would be interested in what Rapido say about the continuance of the Dreamer Living in their range at the NEC.
 
Swings and roundabouts it definitely is! To me:-

PVC - most are on a H2 Ducato base, it's just not tall enough for me, my hair brushes the ceiling as I move about - even on days when I *don't* do either my beehive or my spiky mohican ;) . Seriously, that is a major problem for me and not many PVCs are based on "true" high tops. The curved nature of the body restricts useable space. They are difficult to insulate really well. Ducatos only go to 6.36m, personally I think longer is OK, I'd rather go 7m and have more room. I also want somewhere to lounge - current van just has dinette seats, even the cab seats aren't used once parked up, and the dinette seats aren't that comfortable. Windows can be a bit small, due to the structure. Highly unlikely to get a motorbike inside one, even if I could it would have to come out to use the van once parked up, trailer required.

On the plus side, the narrowness and ability to get to places that cars can (barring height barriers) is a huge plus. I *really* like the sliding door, outside in feeling - even better if the rear barn doors are useable as well. PVC's generally look good, they don't seem to stand out and attract unwanted attention from the natives like a coachbuilt/A-class van does. No problems with having a towbar.

A-Class - much squarer, more useable space, doesn't have to be much wider than a PVC with the right model. Better insulated. Nice big windows, especially the windscreen. I *might* possibly get a smallish motorbike in a garage with the right model, but I suspect that it would have to be one of the bigger and therefore wider ones. Downsides, (oh dear, I'll upset someone now!) they have looks that only a mother could love, vast majority are big white boxes that stick out like a sore thumb unless they are parked amongst other big white boxes. No sliding door, feeling of being separated from the outside world, just what I don't like about my present van. Towbar may or may not be a problem.

A Campscout wouldn't be any good for me, but a Campscout Revolution might be - alas they are like rocking horse dung. I'm also a bit concerend that a fixed bed in a PVC compromises the living & lounging space too much, I'm in the balance if the hassle of making beds up each night is worth it to get much more useable room. At the moment I suspect it is, for us.
Don’t like making up beds either that’s why we use Duvalays , slide out rear couches a bit to give wide single bed, roll out Duvalays, jump in , lights off ….zzzzzzzz. 😉

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I can't speak for the headroom on the XL not having been in one but on the Living Van I can walk upright at 6'3 under the pull down. The pull down is easy enough to use and no electrics to go wrong. Yes it's a full proper double but we like the option of a double each.
I know Rapido were going to drop the Living Van from the Dreamer Range but I think I remember talk that such was the UK demand for a rear lounge it can be ordered for the UK market as it would leave them with no rear lounge option in the range. Tried the so called front lounge albeit for a very short time on a demnstrator and it's not quite as lounge like as the rear is.
I would be interested in what Rapido say about the continuance of the Dreamer Living in their range at the NEC.
Interesting stuff, thank you. I'd really want a double rather than 2 singles, but for a while we'll likely have our youngest with us - so the 2 doubles arrangement, plus more than 2 travel seats, would be ideal.
 
Don’t like making up beds either that’s why we use Duvalays , slide out rear couches a bit to give wide single bed, roll out Duvalays, jump in , lights off ….zzzzzzzz. 😉
Aren't Duvalays just sleeping bags? I use a mummy bag when camping, and I hate it. It's an extra large, alas so am I! I hate the feeling of restriction, having my arms restricted especially.
 
We love it (sliding door) and not yet sure a mini A class would offer a significant upgrade from the Campscout. I’d be really interested in what you think … 😂. Seems more swings and roundabouts.
We loved our Campscout, but we absolutely adore our Carthago. If you put them side by side I'd still pick the Carthago again. Whilst I agree not having the sliding door is one drawback what you do get is a big bright lounge even with the door closed due to the bigger windows (taller & wider) and the lovely 'conservatory' cab area.

These were photos I took when we changed from our Campscout to our Carthago and you can see the width isn't a lot different, just a few cm, although counting the mirrors I think they were pretty much the same. The window size is deceptive though as we had the overlarge 'glass' type ones in the Campscout which were much bigger than the actual apertures so although they appear to be quite large they weren't.



Globecar & Carthago front.JPG
Globecar & Carthago rear.JPG
 
Aren't Duvalays just sleeping bags? I use a mummy bag when camping, and I hate it. It's an extra large, alas so am I! I hate the feeling of restriction, having my arms restricted especially.
No they're not, they have a memory foam base and a duvet top which is attached along one side only (zipped) so you can still stick your arms, feet or whatever else you want out at night! Some make their own versions with a double/king sized duvet cover by stitching from top to bottom near the centre so a single duvet fits snuggly in one side and then they cut memory foam to fit the other part, the only difference really is that you can't unzip them but certainly a heck of a lot cheaper to make than paying for the Duvelay ones.
 
Downsides, (oh dear, I'll upset someone now!) they have looks that only a mother could love, vast majority are big white boxes that stick out like a sore thumb unless they are parked amongst other big white boxes.
Not all of them are bad looking, we think ours quite handsome!

MH Photo 1.png

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No they're not, they have a memory foam base and a duvet top which is attached along one side only (zipped) so you can still stick your arms, feet or whatever else you want out at night! Some make their own versions with a double/king sized duvet cover by stitching from top to bottom near the centre so a single duvet fits snuggly in one side and then they cut memory foam to fit the other part, the only difference really is that you can't unzip them but certainly a heck of a lot cheaper to make than paying for the Duvelay ones.
I see, presumably the idea then is you chuck them on a seat without bothering with faffing around with bed sheets, if you need to make up beds every night?
 
No they're not, they have a memory foam base and a duvet top which is attached along one side only (zipped) so you can still stick your arms, feet or whatever else you want out at night! Some make their own versions with a double/king sized duvet cover by stitching from top to bottom near the centre so a single duvet fits snuggly in one side and then they cut memory foam to fit the other part, the only difference really is that you can't unzip them but certainly a heck of a lot cheaper to make than paying for the Duvelay ones.
Despite the cost I must admit (excuse pun) I'm warming to them!
 
It’s lovely but beds are too short in both the CV20 and the CV40 - OH is 6’3 » and sleeps fully stretched out
Grianan have you thought about a conversion,
The maestros at this are Shorelinecampers based near Hull .. (Beverley) . Worth a google . They’ve done my beds in the back of my pvc and I’m 6’ 4” plus stretching room. High standards of fit and finish. I didnt pick up whether you still have your pvc but maybe they could alter it?

I know what you mean about the cv 20 nice van but you need that toe room …


90C464F8-6804-438D-BEE7-50FB7403CD5E.jpeg
 
Aren't Duvalays just sleeping bags? I use a mummy bag when camping, and I hate it. It's an extra large, alas so am I! I hate the feeling of restriction, having my arms restricted especially.
No not sleeping bag, one side is fully open , no restricted feeling , more like a Duvet with a built in mattress, easily accommodate all sizes , super warm and comfy with the ability to fold over if too hot . Rolls up and into bag to store away.
 
Not all of them are bad looking, we think ours quite handsome!

View attachment 676953
Lovely van , would be top of our list if we were in the market to move on from a PVC …..had to zoom in on the photo , thought you had badges for every Motorhome club in the country on the windscreen 😀

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Lovely van , would be top of our list if we were in the market to move on from a PVC …..had to zoom in on the photo , thought you had badges for every Motorhome club in the country on the windscreen 😀
Silly Billy ... There is only ONE MH club worth bothering with ... Can you guess which? 😄
 
I look forward to having a mooch round the NEC on Tuesday - Carthago and Rapido Dreamer are there, as are a few others such as RP which I'd like to look at. Looking at the number of halls they are using, I think I'll be shattered by the end of the day! Mind you, a lot must be caravans, which I'm not interested in.
 
I look forward to having a mooch round the NEC on Tuesday - Carthago and Rapido Dreamer are there, as are a few others such as RP which I'd like to look at. Looking at the number of halls they are using, I think I'll be shattered by the end of the day! Mind you, a lot must be caravans, which I'm not interested in.
Wear comfy clothing and footwear, take rucksacks for stuff you buy and to put in the sarnies you make & take drinks, that way you won't have to wait ages to be served grub at extortionate prices. Also take some sweeties to give you a quick sugar boost when you start to lag. Spend a few mins looking at the stall map so you can plan your route to save lots of tooing and froing and ensure you don't miss stuff you want to see - I used to take a highlighter pen to mark our route, much easier to follow than trying to work out where you are and where you've been (just cross off the areas as you pass).
 
Like a sleeping bag with a broken zip then. Now I understand. 👍🏻👍🏻

😉😉
They have a wider top duvet cover though so you don't tend to get draughts 'round your regions' as you would with an unzipped bag.

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We’re constantly scouring the market. The Campscout is the best we have yet found for us as it is so strong in many areas. The things which niggle us are …
- lack of lounging space up front by the big door. Having the view is important. That’s why I’m not sure we would actually use a rear lounge very much.
- not being able to sit up in bed due to rear lockers) - we’ll try @Minxy’s idea but not sure how easy it will be to swivel round to get out of bed for the loo at night
- pinch point around the dinette/kitchen - we could swap the table out for that.

I think your next post is spot on - to achieve what we want we would need a bigger van like the Cathargo Light 143 LE. It wouldn’t be any longer than ours when we are carrying bikes, but it is wider and taller and white so looks much bigger. But that has other compromises.
And is a fair amount of money so perhaps a decision for 5 years down the line when we retire and can make better use of it.
Having just looked at the promotional video on the Cathargo Light 143LE, it seems a no brainer to get the Cathargo. It gives you more space, a proper wash room/toilet, a better entertaining/dining area, proper beds, etc etc, and a normal habitation door.
 
We’re constantly scouring the market. The Campscout is the best we have yet found for us as it is so strong in many areas. The things which niggle us are …
- lack of lounging space up front by the big door. Having the view is important. That’s why I’m not sure we would actually use a rear lounge very much.
- not being able to sit up in bed due to rear lockers) - we’ll try @Minxy’s idea but not sure how easy it will be to swivel round to get out of bed for the loo at night
- pinch point around the dinette/kitchen - we could swap the table out for that.

I think your next post is spot on - to achieve what we want we would need a bigger van like the Cathargo Light 143 LE. It wouldn’t be any longer than ours when we are carrying bikes, but it is wider and taller and white so looks much bigger. But that has other compromises.
And is a fair amount of money so perhaps a decision for 5 years down the line when we retire and can make better use of it.
We sleep the Minxy way in our Campscout. I’m 6’2” and can cope with swivelling past wife and dog to get up in the night without disturbing either. Love our Campscout!
 
We sleep the Minxy way in our Campscout. I’m 6’2” and can cope with swivelling past wife and dog to get up in the night without disturbing either. Love our Campscout!
One benefit of that is that the storage pockets for bits and bobs are right next to you.
 
Well - I had a good look round the NEC last Tuesday, that is a huge show! Biggest I've ever been to there.

So, I went to look at PVC's and compact A class primarily. What did I see & think?

Headroom is definitely the biggest problem for me on a PVC. Anything based on a H2 Ford, forget it. On a H2 Ducato, most were no good. Same with the H2 Sprinter. But - the Volkswagen Crafter / MAN TGE (it's the same van) was definitely a bit higher and were all OK.

I don't like the fact that you end up with smaller windows on a PVC than an A class - especially as they so often seem to tint them, makes them feel dark. But I do really like their external compactness and the sliding door.

The "in thing" from several of the smaller PVC converters seemed to be "all electric" motorhomes - no, not the engine, that's still diesel - it was having no gas at all, and relying on diesel heaters and on big alternators & solar and Li-ion batteries to power the cooking facilities and a compressor fridge. I'm not at all convinced, a diesel heater sounds great but gas works so well for cooking, why fret over battery levels.

Looking at the manufacturers:-

RP Motorhomes. Beautiful, beautiful build quality, the best I saw - but at a price. Do you actually need that standard of fit & finish? No - lovely if you can afford it but they are just too much money for me to ever justify. Head room problems as well for me on most models. Their elevated lounge option I did not like at all, felt cramped and not enough headroom even sitting down.

Murvi. Small and friendly firm, which is a big plus, seem quite flexible to the customer need. Conversion I would describe as good quality, well built but basic - not a flash product at all, but I don't see that as a problem. Crucially for me, they will do a conversion on a H3 height Transit if asked, which gives plenty of headroom! However - go for the longer 7m body length and I would want the extra room over their shorter models to be in the front lounge. They won't do that - they will only use that extra length to give extra storage behind the bathroom and kitchen, more than I'd need.

Front lounge layout is the only one they do and is nice, but I'd need to try out the beds - they did look a bit of a faff for a tall person. Disadvantage of that layout, no people access at all through the rear doors. One I would consider though.

Dreamer (Rapido). I quite like the Living Van, based on a H3 Ducato, but was very disappointed in the drop down bed - too much intrusion on the headroom, and the bed itself was very close to the roof when folded down I thought, and a bit narrow. I'd want to take the drop down bed out completely, which is a possibility. Clever design with the washroom but the loo is not really useable with the door shut - you can shut a door across the corridor but there's still a big gap on the door to the rear lounge.

Wildax. Disappointing, everything there was based on a H2 Ducato and they seem to have quite chunky ceiling fittings as there was nowhere near enough headroom. I asked them why no Sprinters were there - they said they just can't get base vehicles at the moment. Other converters did have Sprinters there though?

IH - my favourite of the PVC converters I saw there. Very good build quality, not RP level fit & finish but more than good enough. Not the cheapest though. They had a MAN TGE (Crafter!) based conversion there that I really liked, but I preferred some of the details on a Sprinter conversion they also had - staff reluctant to say if they could put them on the MAN until they collared the boss, he was quite amenable to the idea though. He was telling me how much he rated the TGE/Crafter as a base vehicle. I liked their rear lounge layout, especially if done as 2 straight benches rather than a U lounge, so rear door access could be used. One I'd definitely look at and visit the factory for.

That was about it for PVC's - most others were the bigger makers on the H2 Ducato with not enough headroom, I saw some pretty dodgy build quality at prices not much below the smaller, better quality converters. VW T6 conversions everywhere of course, too small to be of interest.

A Class - I didn't get to see many. Very disappointed that Carthago, who had a whacking great stand, didn't have a single Compact Line model there. Had a look at some bigger A class, lovely but just too wide for what I want. I saw a narrow Rapido that I quite liked, and would take a closer look at at a dealers.

One van I did want to see was the Chausson X550. It's a coachbuilt, but very much pitched as an alternative to a PVC - same width and only 6m in length. What it's got that I really like is a drop down bed, being a coachbuilt there should be no problem with height and the square sides mean a decent width bed - struck me as a really good use of space, though the van did have issues.

https://www.lowdhams.com/new-chausson-x550-motorhomes

But - there were none there. I got talking to a man from Chausson, apparently they'd been having big problems with Fiat - vans arriving late and with the wrong spec. They couldn't get the assurances they needed for 2023 so switched everything to Ford, the X550 though was such a specific design to the Fiat base that it couldn't be converted in time and they decided to drop it for now, even though it's new and innovative and had sold well.

But - not only *may* it come back on a Ford base, there was also factory talk of possibly doing an X560, similar narrow body, drop down bed layout but on a 7m base with a garage - now that would be perfect for me, so I really hope they do that.

It was noticeable generally that there were a lot of non Fiat/Peugeot/Citroen vans - the dominance of the Sevel vans may be coming to an end. A lot on a Ford Transit base, Mercedes Sprinter base and I expect the MAN TGE/VW Crafter base to get more popular.

So there we go. It answered some questions for me and was a useful exercise, but I'll be hanging on to my old coachbuilt for a couple more years yet at least. When we're down to just the youngest of our 3 kids wanting to come away with us, we'll start thinking more seriously about it *if* finances allow.

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Well - I had a good look round the NEC last Tuesday, that is a huge show! Biggest I've ever been to there.

So, I went to look at PVC's and compact A class primarily. What did I see & think?

Headroom is definitely the biggest problem for me on a PVC. Anything based on a H2 Ford, forget it. On a H2 Ducato, most were no good. Same with the H2 Sprinter. But - the Volkswagen Crafter / MAN TGE (it's the same van) was definitely a bit higher and were all OK.

I don't like the fact that you end up with smaller windows on a PVC than an A class - especially as they so often seem to tint them, makes them feel dark. But I do really like their external compactness and the sliding door.

The "in thing" from several of the smaller PVC converters seemed to be "all electric" motorhomes - no, not the engine, that's still diesel - it was having no gas at all, and relying on diesel heaters and on big alternators & solar and Li-ion batteries to power the cooking facilities and a compressor fridge. I'm not at all convinced, a diesel heater sounds great but gas works so well for cooking, why fret over battery levels.

Looking at the manufacturers:-

RP Motorhomes. Beautiful, beautiful build quality, the best I saw - but at a price. Do you actually need that standard of fit & finish? No - lovely if you can afford it but they are just too much money for me to ever justify. Head room problems as well for me on most models. Their elevated lounge option I did not like at all, felt cramped and not enough headroom even sitting down.

Murvi. Small and friendly firm, which is a big plus, seem quite flexible to the customer need. Conversion I would describe as good quality, well built but basic - not a flash product at all, but I don't see that as a problem. Crucially for me, they will do a conversion on a H3 height Transit if asked, which gives plenty of headroom! However - go for the longer 7m body length and I would want the extra room over their shorter models to be in the front lounge. They won't do that - they will only use that extra length to give extra storage behind the bathroom and kitchen, more than I'd need.

Front lounge layout is the only one they do and is nice, but I'd need to try out the beds - they did look a bit of a faff for a tall person. Disadvantage of that layout, no people access at all through the rear doors. One I would consider though.

Dreamer (Rapido). I quite like the Living Van, based on a H3 Ducato, but was very disappointed in the drop down bed - too much intrusion on the headroom, and the bed itself was very close to the roof when folded down I thought, and a bit narrow. I'd want to take the drop down bed out completely, which is a possibility. Clever design with the washroom but the loo is not really useable with the door shut - you can shut a door across the corridor but there's still a big gap on the door to the rear lounge.

Wildax. Disappointing, everything there was based on a H2 Ducato and they seem to have quite chunky ceiling fittings as there was nowhere near enough headroom. I asked them why no Sprinters were there - they said they just can't get base vehicles at the moment. Other converters did have Sprinters there though?

IH - my favourite of the PVC converters I saw there. Very good build quality, not RP level fit & finish but more than good enough. Not the cheapest though. They had a MAN TGE (Crafter!) based conversion there that I really liked, but I preferred some of the details on a Sprinter conversion they also had - staff reluctant to say if they could put them on the MAN until they collared the boss, he was quite amenable to the idea though. He was telling me how much he rated the TGE/Crafter as a base vehicle. I liked their rear lounge layout, especially if done as 2 straight benches rather than a U lounge, so rear door access could be used. One I'd definitely look at and visit the factory for.

That was about it for PVC's - most others were the bigger makers on the H2 Ducato with not enough headroom, I saw some pretty dodgy build quality at prices not much below the smaller, better quality converters. VW T6 conversions everywhere of course, too small to be of interest.

A Class - I didn't get to see many. Very disappointed that Carthago, who had a whacking great stand, didn't have a single Compact Line model there. Had a look at some bigger A class, lovely but just too wide for what I want. I saw a narrow Rapido that I quite liked, and would take a closer look at at a dealers.

One van I did want to see was the Chausson X550. It's a coachbuilt, but very much pitched as an alternative to a PVC - same width and only 6m in length. What it's got that I really like is a drop down bed, being a coachbuilt there should be no problem with height and the square sides mean a decent width bed - struck me as a really good use of space, though the van did have issues.

https://www.lowdhams.com/new-chausson-x550-motorhomes

But - there were none there. I got talking to a man from Chausson, apparently they'd been having big problems with Fiat - vans arriving late and with the wrong spec. They couldn't get the assurances they needed for 2023 so switched everything to Ford, the X550 though was such a specific design to the Fiat base that it couldn't be converted in time and they decided to drop it for now, even though it's new and innovative and had sold well.

But - not only *may* it come back on a Ford base, there was also factory talk of possibly doing an X560, similar narrow body, drop down bed layout but on a 7m base with a garage - now that would be perfect for me, so I really hope they do that.

It was noticeable generally that there were a lot of non Fiat/Peugeot/Citroen vans - the dominance of the Sevel vans may be coming to an end. A lot on a Ford Transit base, Mercedes Sprinter base and I expect the MAN TGE/VW Crafter base to get more popular.

So there we go. It answered some questions for me and was a useful exercise, but I'll be hanging on to my old coachbuilt for a couple more years yet at least. When we're down to just the youngest of our 3 kids wanting to come away with us, we'll start thinking more seriously about it *if* finances allow.
Nice considered review 🙏🏻
I have pvc and I’m slightly too tall for it but hardly spend any time walking up and down in it, so tend to ‘stretch’ in the handy big skylight bit in the middle! Works for me, although a high top would be better.
Have had a couple of bigger vans but the pvc is perfect now.
Did you see the prices of some of the vws?
One there for 90k !! Madness
Some of the vans were customers vehicles hired in for the show can you imagine a thousand people trotting through your van, I did see how flimsy some fittings are, plenty of knobs and switches that were loose or missing.

Good review of the show Feltwell
 
One thing I forgot to say - our current coachbuilt, despite being Italian, has a proper cooker - 4 gas rings, separate grill and a decent size (by MH standards!) oven. All of which we use a lot.

I don't like it that so many continental vans, PVC's especially, just have 2 or 3 gas rings, and that is it. When an oven is an option it's usually very small and is a combination oven and grill, which certainly in a house I've always found means a useless grill!

The small British converters know their market - pretty much everyone had the option to have a proper cooker with separate grill, similar to what we've got now.
 
Agree with what you say about the cooker. We had the same issue with our Adria Twin , lovely van ,hi spec finish but a combo sink / gas hob and a tiny oven/grill was no good for us , also lack of microwave oven was no good for us. As you say most UK conversions have large gas ( and usually one electric ring) hobs and large oven/ grill and usually the option for a microwave, which we have in our Elddis CV20 . Suits us perfectly all year round , but everyone has their own priority when choosing a van.
 
One thing I forgot to say - our current coachbuilt, despite being Italian, has a proper cooker - 4 gas rings, separate grill and a decent size (by MH standards!) oven. All of which we use a lot.

I don't like it that so many continental vans, PVC's especially, just have 2 or 3 gas rings, and that is it. When an oven is an option it's usually very small and is a combination oven and grill, which certainly in a house I've always found means a useless grill!

The small British converters know their market - pretty much everyone had the option to have a proper cooker with separate grill, similar to what we've got now.
One thing hubby was ecstatic about when we changed from our PVC to our Carthago was the 3-ring hob! :giggle:

We have a combi oven/grill and have to say it actually works very well, its a Dometic one though rather than the crappy Smev ones.
 
The "in thing" from several of the smaller PVC converters seemed to be "all electric" motorhomes - no, not the engine, that's still diesel - it was having no gas at all, and relying on diesel heaters and on big alternators & solar and Li-ion batteries to power the cooking facilities and a compressor fridge. I'm not at all convinced, a diesel heater sounds great but gas works so well for cooking, why fret over battery levels.
Trouble with diesel heating is it still needs a good bit of battery power to get it going, so if your batteries get low you're stuffed. Even Tam Northernraider is having fun with his mostly electric (domestic) MH at times despite him having a massive battery and solar set-up.

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