Front lounge
Twenty years on the market and still going strong
Where relaxing space is the focus
All the types we’ve described so far have a lounge at the front. But here we are referring to layouts without a fixed bed, so you’ll need to convert seats to beds at night, unless the main bed is a drop-down type.
Drop-down beds have transformed this sector, especially when the mattress lowers electrically, right down to seat height. Proving extremely popular currently and, perhaps, the most en vogue motorhomes of them all are low-profiles (usually a fraction under 7m long) that have XXL-sized rear washrooms that also incorporate a garage beneath their huge wardrobe. The latest entrant in this sector is Bailey, but compare its Adamo with rivals from Adria, Chausson and Pilote. With a garage for bikes, a big lounge, instant bed and huge washroom, these models tick a lot of boxes.
Chausson also offers drop-down twin beds, so you can go to bed at a different time to your
partner. In fact, the French firm is a dominant force in this part of the market. Its exciting new X550 is a must-see new model that could be perfect for buyers considering a van conversion, as well as those looking to downsize.
If you’re looking to buy used, A-class models with generous front lounges used to be big sellers, especially past models from Hymer and Rapido. Today, Auto-Trail, Frankia, Itineo, Pilote and Roller Team all offer A-classes without fixed beds – a key advantage being that (unlike in a low-profile) when the bed is down you haven’t lost all your lounge.
Much more traditional are British designs with an end kitchen, corner washroom and parallel settees up front. Usually found in smaller coachbuilts, this layout is a design classic that still works for couples seeking a compact ’van (Auto-Sleepers’ Nuevo and Auto-Trail’s Tracker
EKS are both long-established examples).
Families could look for overcab coachbuilts with a pullman dinette and a lengthways side sofa up front. This once top-selling design is almost extinct nowadays (Auto-Sleepers is one of the few to persevere with it). There’s plenty of choice on the used market, though, if you’re looking at older, budget-priced coachbuilts.
Whether it’s a pullman dinette or side settees at the front in these UK designs, it is the kitchen that remains the constant, arranged part way across the rear wall. Then, it’s the unit located forward of the door that houses the fridge, while its top provides an area for meal preparation.
If a corner washroom looks too small, consider longer ’ vans with full-width end washrooms. These two-berths fell out of fashion but can still be found from Auto-Sleepers, Auto-Trail, Bailey and Elddis.
Auto-Sleepers is celebrating its diamond anniversary and commemorating its position as the oldest major UK motorhome manufacturer with a special edition of the Nuevo, a model that itself has been around for 20 years.
Of course, today’s Nuevo – especially this Limited Edition with its cosmetic update and habitation air-conditioning – is a different ’van in many ways from the one that hit the scene in the early noughties, but the concept is still exactly the same.
Compact size is key (length is well below six metres), the base vehicle has always been a Sevel chassis-cab (you can have a Fiat instead of Peugeot if you want an automatic) and the layout puts side settees up front, a galley across the back wall and the washroom in the offside rear corner. You can quite quickly turn the seats into a transverse double bed while singles are possible, too, with feet resting on the rotated cab chairs.
Auto-Sleepers’ Premium Pack brings all the spec you’d hope for in a premium-priced motorhome, including Peugeot’s 165bhp motor, alloy wheels, an underslung gas tank, an awning, sat-nav and a reversing camera. The latest models have even been upgraded to an 84Ah lithium leisure battery.
The kitchen gets a full cooker with separate
oven and grill and even an extractor hood above while, forward of the entrance, a microwave sits atop the three-way fridge. You’ll even find a set of crystal glasses here, as well as a large pull-out worktop extension.