BENIMAR TESSORO 483
If you’re looking for fantastic storage space, the large garage in this well-equipped, couples-friendly low-profile could be a deal-maker, says Peter Baber
End washrooms are increasingly popular, or so it seems. They have featured in new models from a range of manufacturers, including the Mobilvetta Tekno Line K.Yacht 59 that we recently reviewed (issue 257).
With that in mind, we decided to view a vehicle with a similar layout which, while not a brand new model for 2022, has been gaining attention.
Like the Mobilvetta, Benimar’s Tessoro 483 is sold exclusively by Marquis Leisure. We went to the Northampton branch to see it.
Tessoros are mainly distinguished from their Mileo cousins by their base vehicle. In this case, it’s a Ford Transit, rather than a Fiat. But as with many Marquis ’vans, the more powerful 170bhp engine is standard.
There are two big plus points on the outside. The first is the large garage at the rear, with three doors. The second is the gas bottle locker, on the offside behind the driver’s door: it’s set low down, so hauling bottles in and out should be no problem at all.
Inside, the cab is standard Ford, with drinks holders in each corner.
There is a slight step down into the lounge, but once you are settled in, this is easily disguised, because the huge pedestal table turns in virtually any direction and stretches right up to the cab seats when they are swivelled.
In addition, you won’t have to worry about pushing it down, because it rises and falls neatly at the flick of a switch.
Plenty of daylight floods in here, too, thanks to the sunroof, and you should not be left in the dark in the evening, given the eight LEDs in the panel underneath the drop-down bed. However, there are no spotlights below
the lockers, and reading lights by the cab seats wouldn’t go amiss, either.
A plexiglass striplight down the side of the settee adds to the bling, as does a lit mirror just to the right of the door. The latter is not as big as it could be: a good part of the panel is taken up with the housing for a TV bracket. There are two USBs and another mains socket just behind the driver’s seat.
The kitchen runs flush with the side of the ’van and the seats between it and the lounge are tall, so it feels quite separated. Workspace is limited,
although the sink is a good size. You also get a three-burner gas hob, a combined oven/grill, and an extractor fan. Across the aisle is a 145-litre AES fridge-freezer and above, a microwave.
There’s a step back up to the washroom, but there is a sturdy handle on the door, and once inside, plenty of space to get dressed in.
The washroom area is bright and airy; although there’s only one drainage hole, headroom in the shower is very good.
The drop-down bed lowers to just above the travel seats; there's a handy