CHAUSSON S514 SPORT LINE
Well-received by lovers of the great outdoors when it launched, this revamped 2023 model now boasts even more distinctive good looks, says Peter Baber
If you think this vehicle, with its innovative ‘butterfly’ transverse bed that folds in half vertically for more storage, looks familiar, you would be right. We reviewed it, and generally liked it, 10 issues ago.
But for 2023, even this relatively recent addition to Chausson’s line-up has been given a revamp, with the most obvious change on the outside. Both the S514 and its sibling the S697GA, with a more conventional single-beds layout at the rear, are now part of Chausson’s new Sport Line.
To live up to the name, the vehicle comes decked out in an all-over grey. It’s a very special grey, too: known as Grey Matter, it was developed by Ford for the Puma and is not currently available on any other motorhome.
Together with the black alloys that come as standard and the exclusive black grille up front, the rugged S514 looks rather like a back-up vehicle for a Tour de France team.
There are more sporty things inside. All S-lines come with an automatic gearbox and Ford’s 170bhp Transit engine as standard. (All Chaussons this year are based on Ford).
There are also two branded metal shelves – one to the right of the door, providing a useful place for fobs and keys, and one over the travel seats.
There has been a slight change to the layout of the front dinette. The version we last reviewed had a large sideboard by the door, where you could house a TV. This has been modified to include a small seat, so you can accommodate five people around the narrow clip-on table. There’s still a storage cabinet underneath the seat, and the TV sockets are there, too.
The kitchen has a two-burner hob, a small sink and a half-height fridge – probably all you could expect in a ’van this size. But while that was all our test model, viewed at Chausson’s HQ in Tournon-sur-Rhône, had to offer, we were told that all 2023 UK models will include an oven in place of one of the overhead lockers.
Opposite, there is a useful mirror, then you roll back a tambour door to get into the washroom. This includes an oblong handbasin in front of a large and well-lit mirror. The circular toilet
is to the right. The basin and mirror swing out to reveal the shower. It is similarly well lit and roomy, but the partition itself is only kept in place by a plastic catch.
If you need additional space in the kitchen, there is a multifunctional, low-lying shelf that you could use if you fold up the front side of the bed.
Doing this also provides access to the hanging wardrobe opposite, and establishes a useful dressing space.
Folded down, the bed is comfortable, and easily accessible via a ladder.
But of course, the butterfly bed is most handy for the storage options it gives you. Fold the rear half towards you and there is much more headroom for storing bikes and other bulky items in the garage below. This space is also accessible via a large internal door.
With all that, plus the wardrobe and the two overhead lockers across the back, there is a surprising amount of storage in this compact ’van. Even with the oven installed up front, you still get another overhead locker here, plus some space under the side seat and a small shelf up top with elastic retainers. There’s a pelmet shelf in the cab and two well-placed cubbyholes for maps and sunglasses.
In the kitchen, to the left of the fridge, is a drawer with a cutlery tray, above a cupboard with a shelf inside that could just about accommodate a large pan. There is also a large overhead locker.
Washroom storage is a tall cupboard above the toilet. This is not particularly generous in either case, but possibly more than enough for the sporty types who will clearly love this motorhome.