MMM Motorhome Awards 2024: Best Family Motorhome

WINNER – Best Family Motorhome

Swift Voyager 475

(Photos courtesy of Swift)

Why the Swift Voyager 475?

Welcome back the overcab bed! Over recent years, low-profile motorhomes with drop-down beds have almost seemed like they were pushing their luton overcab rivals towards dinosaur-like extinction. But, perhaps, not any more. Swift, Britain’s largest maker of motorhomes, campervans, caravans and holiday homes, still has faith in this type of vehicle, as witnessed by the arrival of the new Voyager 4 Series.

Family buyers could opt for the 485 model (see further down this page), but it’s the 475 that would be our top choice for touring with kids. It sleeps five and has five seatbelts to match and key to its success in the family market will be a keen price. While some motorhome costs have been rising faster than a moon-bound rocket, Swift has kept the new Voyager below £70k, if only just. Despite its ‘full-sized’ 7.54m overall length, you can drive this model on a standard car licence, too.

That price isn’t just a starting point before things escalate with essential packs. The only factory option is the Ford automatic gearbox, while a bike rack and microwave can be added by your dealer.

Inside, the layout is a classic, with a front pullman dinette and a rear lounge, while the washroom and kitchen are amidships. What’s surprising – and so important when you travel mob-handed – is the feeling of space. Partly, that’s due to the slightly wider bodywork here (2.37m overall) but an even greater influence is the design up front, where the typical side seat has been replaced by a slim chest of drawers that’s also the perfect place for your telly. As a result, the aisle feels wide and open.

Space-saving design

It’s important, too, that the overcab bed (1.92m by 1.34m) tips up out of the way, simply lifting on gas struts (no complex electrics here). And, when it’s deployed, it doesn’t restrict the use of the lounge below.

That lounge uses a pullman arrangement, with high-backed double seats facing fore and aft. Even the rear-facing passenger gets a three-point seatbelt, while the seating comfort here is a world away from the upright pullman benches of yore. The fact that the table can be stowed away is also a big plus.

If mum and dad want a bit of quiet time while the kids are glued to their tablets, there’s a second (even more inviting) lounge area in the stern, where you can enjoy views out on three sides and a TV position on the wall.

Families are also likely to appreciate the outside shower and barbecue points, the large 133-litre fridge, Isofix for child seats, and heating that can be used while you drive. And, on the road, the Voyager benefits from a powerful 155bhp motor, 12in touchscreen display, reversing camera and front fog lamps.

Specifications

Highly commended

Itineo Cozi PS700

(Staff photos)

It's no surprise to see an Itineo in this category; the company has long been a specialist in bunk bed layouts. Here, though, is the first such floorplan that Itineo has offered in a low-profile body and the first time it has used the Ford Transit as a base vehicle. Standard spec includes the 1238bhp engine and manual gearbox but the Elite Plus Pack upgrades that to 168bhp and the automatic transmission.

Although the starting price looks ultra-competitive, you’ll need to add the Life and Elite packs to gain features like the multimedia unit, heated waste tank, overcab sunroof, reversing camera and flyscreen for the door, but the PS700 still stays well within the realms of the entry-level.

Where it excels is with the size of its lounge, with one straight sofa and a longer L-shaped one. Above is a drop-down bed that can come right down to seat height if you only need four berths. In that case, you’ll never to need to make up a bed as there are bunks across the back (each over 2m long), which kids (of any age) will love. The washroom is quite impressive, too.

Specifications

Highly commended

Swift Voyager 485

(Staff photos)

Almost everything that makes the Voyager 475 our class winner is equally true of the 485; they are, in fact, identical at the front (pullman dinette) and in the middle (washroom and kitchen). They only differ at the rear, where this model swaps the rear lounge for single beds over a garage.

We debated long and hard over which is the better family model – 475 or 485? In the end, it will come down to priorities and, perhaps, the age of your kids. Older ones may demand a 485’s garage space for paddleboards or bikes, parents with toddlers might need the extra floor space. The 475 has enough external locker capacity for some outdoor furniture, but it’s nothing like the 485’s 1.10m-tall garage.

Use this Voyager as a four-berth and you’ll also avoid the chore of turning seats into beds. As well as the same overcab double, the 485 has single beds that are 1.95m and 1.91m long and, unlike in many layouts of this type, there’s plenty of room to sit up in each of those rear beds.

This model is £500 cheaper than its sister, too.

Specifications