Bürstner’s Aviano i684 has what might be called a half-garage to go with its half-dinette, a French bed in its tail, a spacious washroom and some intelligently designed details.

The L-kitchen, opposite the door, has a big cupboard by a rank of drawers in descending order of size, the top one being a pull-out worktop extension.

A usefully large sink and a largely useful, ribbed drainer panel punctuate the marble-effect worktop.  Sadly, the hob lacks ignition but you get power and light above and the ‘glass’ shelves nearby, while their metallic fiddle rails are neat.

Opposite, a big fridge/freezer is topped by a combination oven/grill.

The Aviano’s French bed, with a pocket-sprung mattress and privacy blinds all round, is inviting enough.

At the head end, there’s a useful, lipped shelf for night essentials, beneath a quartet of lockers, three of them shelved.

Under the bed’s beech-sprung base is huge storage area, the forward end housing a Truma heating system. Next door, the washroom is an excellent example of space-efficient planning.

Mounted against the rear wall, a bench-type WC, with wheeled cassette, sits next to a useful cupboard over two, lipped cubbies.

Forward of the loo, the shower has two hinged screens; the front one protects the washroom basin while the rear one shields the toilet/loo roll/cupboard/cubbies from stray spray.

The shower is capacious and the basin, looking very smart in its metallic oyster grey finish, is headed by a mirrored corner with frosted spotlights above.

Like the tail end, the half-dinette has cream-coloured faux curtains flanking functional nets.

A longitudinally mounted Heki rooflight makes the area bright. The half-dinette can be converted into a double bed, using infill cushions stored in the wardrobe, so the Aviano will berth six, though it’s two travel seats shy of the full complement. 

And above the cab, a drop-down bed can be lowered easily to provide accommodation for two. The bed is large and comfortable and is lit by two, cool-running, multi-LED spotlights.

Looking around the Aviano’s exterior, it’s easy to be impressed by the fit and finish of the coachwork.

The new chassis-cowl helps make the Aviano a pleasure to drive. The 3-litre motor is refined and powerful, the conversion is quiet and the result is a user-friendly vehicle that feels nowhere near as big as it actually is.

Facts: Bürstner Aviano i684 on Fiat Ducato 35 chassis-cowl with 3-litre Multijet Power 160 engine.
Type: A-class
From: £45,350

•    A full version of this test, including full spec and fact-file, features in the August 2007 edition of Which Motorcaravan.

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