Burstner Motorhome Buying Guide

Bürstner is a major German motorhome manufacturer that has enjoyed continued – and growing – success on these shores. This success comes down to a strong dealer network and well-built, well-specced motorhomes.

Last year saw Bürstner’s UK sales increase from around 400 to 500, beating its own predicted increase of 20% for the 2016 season. The brand’s sales have been steadily increasing over the past few years. The current dealer network stands at 14, one of which has three outlets, across the UK and Ireland. The only gap is in Northern Ireland but UK Sales Manager, Ian Knowles, doesn’t consider that is a gap that’s essential to fill yet.

While the European market sees Bürstner as a mainstream mass-market brand, in the UK it’s viewed more as a mid/upper range marque. However, this may be down to the fact that, for the UK, Bürstner motorhomes are loaded with much higher equipment levels as a starting point, compared with their German market equivalents.

The strength of Bürstner is in low-profile coachbuilt motorhomes, innovating with the first drop-down, lengthways bed and now a drop-down island bed (although Chausson got there first with that concept). Aiming at the over 55s, the two layouts that Bürstner is concentrating on most are single  beds over a garage and island beds.

New Burstner Motorhomes for 2017

For 2017 Bürstner has introduced an all-new Lyseo range and launches its 30th anniversary specials. To celebrate the thirtieth year of Bürstner, there will be a raft of Edition 30 models from the most popular examples in the Travel Van, Nexxo Time, Ixeo Time and Viseo series. All the Edition 30 vehicles will have distinctive exterior graphics and redesigned furniture with Ginger Teak and light, high-gloss doors. The Edition 30s all come with the Chassis Package fitted, 16in alloys, LED daytime running lights and the extra-wide Hartal Premium XL door, Truma Combi 6 heater, Pioneer multi-media sat-nav system, framed windows and a 4m awning with LED lighting.

Lyseo

It’s all change at Bürstner as the company seeks to simplify its offerings by making this the last year of the Ixeo Time range. It will be replaced by the Lyseo line-up, which for the UK will come in either T (low-profiles) or I (A-class) versions.

The I models will not arrive here until next spring. Stepping into the breach is the new Lyseo range, where the low-profile T versions will be seen as a mid-priced product. They have completely new interiors which feature a double floor and internal headroom of 2.05m, reducing to 1.87m where there’s a drop-down bed. The double floor is 135mm thick and holds the fresh water tank, as well as heated and insulated pipes, so the ’vans can be used all year.

There are eight Lyseo floorplans in total and six of them can be ordered with an optional electrically operated drop-down bed. They all have large, high-set 145-litre fridges and modern furniture in either Ginger Teak or Santina finishes. In the models with island beds there is more storage space and the beds themselves are height adjustable. The two gas cylinders are positioned in a specially designed cabinet that doesn’t intrude into the garage area.

One of the most intriguing versions is the Lyseo T 744 which has a rear L-shaped lounge (main photo above) with a 2m-long drop-down bed above it, flush with the roof. This area has large windows and a sleek cupboard with shelf space, plus mounting and connections for a large TV, so you can relax in comfort. The forward dining area has an extendable table and swivelling driver and passenger seats. There’s also a second drop-down double bed over this area.

Of the other models in the range, there’s the sub-7m, T 690 G with twin single beds over a garage, the T 734 with an island bed at the rear, and the T 728 G with twin beds over a garage, an L-shaped kitchen and a washroom with separate shower cubicle.

The option packs for the Lyseo include the Light Package, which adds indirect ambient lighting, the Kitchen Package (including repairable worktops) and the Sound Package that adds high-end Bluetooth-compatible speakers and a USB port which can moved individually along the light rails.

City Car

The City Car panel vans, which were not previously sold here, are now coming to the UK with an expanded model range. Last year saw the launch of the City Car C 600 in mainland Europe and this 6m panel van has now been joined by City Car C 602 and C 640, both of which have longitudinal double beds, plus the C 540 which has a transverse double bed. All four will be available here.

The C 540 is a 5.41m, compact van that will be presented in Stuttgart in January, while the rest will be available for the start of the 2017 season in the autumn. All the models have the same half-dinette with the variations starting with the kitchen. The C 600 and 640 have larger kitchens, with the C 600 having an 80-litre absorption fridge and the 640 getting the slightly larger 90-litre compressor fridge. Both of these models also feature two illuminated wardrobes and six fully extending kitchen drawers with soft-close mechanisms. The compact C 540 has a more sporty look with premium framed windows and attractive exterior graphics on both the standard and special paint finish versions.

Ixeo

The Ixeo range was a success last year, with the IT 680 G bagging a Highly Commended in the National Motorhome Awards Non-Fixed Bed category on the back of hiding a longitudinal drop-down bed in the lounge roof. For this year there’s more innovation in the shape of the 6.49m-long Ixeo IT 640 where it’s hard to describe exactly what’s going on it the lounge. For a start it has two centrally mounted forward-facing travel seats, with a side-facing bench wedged right into the side of one of them. There’s another side bench seat, too, and the driver and passenger seats rotate so that all the seats surround a central table. At this point there’s space behind the travel seats to access the kitchen unit. At the rear is the washroom, where you go in to access the toilet and basin but then turn left to go into the shower cubicle. There’s also a ceiling-to-floor storage space for any tall items you want to carry. There’s more fun and games at bedtime because then the forward-facing travel seats fold flat and an electrically operated, longitudinal island bed descends from the roof.

Elegance

The top-of-the-range Elegance A-classes have had a makeover and there are two new layouts in the form of the I 910 G and the I 920 G. The new Elegance I 910 G and I 920 G are tag-axle A-class Elegance models that are identical except for their beds. The 910 has two single beds (but the central area can be filled in to make a giant double) whereas the 920 has an island bed. Both sit over the rear garage.

There’s a comfortable lounge up front, a high-quality L-shaped kitchen, plus separate shower and toilet rooms. For the entire Elegance series the gas compartment has moved from the garage to the passenger side at the front, freeing up more loading space, and the drop-down beds over the lounge have a redesigned underside with integrated lighting.

Used Burstner Top Pick 

Bürstner Argos A747-2G 

FROM £37,500   

BASE VEHICLE Fiat Ducato Al-Ko

ENGINES 3-litre 157bhp

LENGTH 8.86m

GROSS WEIGHT 5,000kg

PRICE WHEN NEW £44,415 (2002), £76,670 (2013)

Big and beautiful? We’re not arguing with one of those... the other is in the eye of the beholder. What is for sure, however, is this mighty overcab coachbuilt on a tag-axle chassis overcame lots of odds to prove amazingly popular here in the UK (something we predicted, as it was named the 2007 Motorhome of the Year).

A full six-berth (in fact, it can sleep seven if you really wish), this is a motorhome with major presence. It’s well over 3m tall, too.

Earlier 747s on the previous-generation Fiat cab lack the Argos name but can be found now from under £30k. The current Fiat Ducato base came along in 2007, followed by some serious price hikes over the next few years – a particularly tricky time for the world economy, let alone the motorhome industry – but it didn’t seem to put off buyers.

Its Al-Ko chassis underpinnings mean it’s a far easier vehicle to drive than its dimensions might lead you to expect. That 3-litre engine was always considered the bees’ knees, too. If you can beat 20mpg you’ll be doing well, although engine remapping is always a consideration.

Alde heating and a double floor topped a sky-high specification for a vehicle that really was set up to cope with all weather extremes. As well as the extensive living space – it’s a huge front lounge, even with the cab cut off, thanks also to a super-comfy settee – there was also a mighty garage set under the double bed at the back (total payload hovers around the one-tonne mark). As you can guess, that overcab bed is pretty roomy, too. This really is a motorhome that’s got the lot.

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