Bürstner B66 644 TD motorhome

Bürstner celebrates its 66 years in business with a new range that offers more kit for less cash…

Bürstner was the talk of this year’s Caravan Salon Düsseldorf, Europe’s biggest motorhome show. Innovative new models in the form of the Habiton campervan and Signature flagship low-profile motorhome grabbed the headlines and there was even a new company logo. Every 2025 model axed, every 2026 model new. A smaller range, devoid of A-classes. It’s a brave, clean slate approach that’s never been seen before in my 45 years in the industry.

Special anniversary model

It was clear, though, that even six weeks later at the NEC, the all-new models were still prototypes. Instead, the ’vans clocking up the sales were from the B66 range, a development of last year’s Lyseo TD Harmony Line that features five proven motorhome layouts (plus two high-top campervans).

Commemorating 66 years of the Bürstner brand (an obvious cause for celebration?), the B66s promise a tempting cocktail of more spec and lower prices. So tempting, in fact, that rival marques have been muttering darkly about how good they look.

And there’s plenty of choice – a compact, six-metre model (594), a spacious end washroom/garage layout (684), fixed single beds (690), twin lounges (744) and the unusual variation on the rear lounge theme that we’re testing here (644). All are based on a Fiat Ducato chassis with wide rear track but gross weights range from 3,500kg to 4,400kg and lengths from 5.99m to 7.36m.

Every model in the range comes with a comprehensive, one-size-fits-all specification, with an options list so short it barely registers as one at all – that’s refreshing from a German motorhome brand!

After all, you don’t really need options when an automatic gearbox, 100W solar panel, 100Ah lithium battery and faux leather upholstery (choose from cream, stone or chocolate colour at no extra cost) are all standard.

The B66 campervans start at £61,695, with the motorhomes kicking off at £76,995 and this 644 model costing £78,395. Those figures already sound good but grab your attention even more when you see that last year’s Lyseo TD 644, with the same layout but less spec, was £87,590. We all said that prices couldn’t keep rising…

High spec cab

There’s no hiding the fact that the B66 is a facelifted Lyseo but that also means that it looks like a premium motorhome. From the Lanzarote Grey cab to the 16in alloy wheels and flush-fitting, framed habitation windows, it has the appearance of an expensive ’van.

It’s 2.30m wide but it hides that well with a smooth join between Bürstner and Fiat bodywork that also includes cab running boards.There’s an opening overcab sunroof, external shower and barbecue points and a wide habitation door that’s linked to the remote central locking.

The body construction includes Bürstner’s Thermofloor (technical double floor) with GRP skins under the vehicle and on the roof. Even the four-metre Thule roll-out awning is included in the price, while practical details include the large bore waste water outlet, gas locker that’s low down and has room for a pair of cylinders side by side, and the reversing camera and high-level brake light built into the Bürstner logo on the rear. The electric step doesn’t auto-retract but instead comes with a piercing buzzer.

When you drive off, you’ll note the matching leather for the tilt/height-adjustable cab seats, each with twin armrests, but if you’re over 6ft you may have your seating position compromised by the shower cubicle behind you.

You won’t be hunting for extra features, though. Automatic lights and wipers, ESP, Traction Plus, Hill Holder, front fog lights, stop/start, fatigue detection, lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition are all standard. The only thing that’s missing is a spare wheel.

It’s the 140hp motor here (only the longest 744 model in the B66 range gets 180hp), but that should be adequate for this modestly sized motorhome (6.99m long) on a 3,650kg chassis. It seemed spritely enough on our short (unladen) test drive, which also elicited only a very few rattles on the lanes around Camper UK’s leisure park.

The Pioneer multimedia unit’s 7in screen seems tiddly in these days of 13in touchscreens, but it provided a perfectly adequate view when reversing, along with the twin lens door mirrors. At acute junctions you have to be more careful, though, as an over-the-shoulder glance has you staring at the toilet door. Conversely, the usually useless centre mirror provides some extra visibility, although only of artics, not Audis.

Rear lounge and a garage

While the 644 is the rear lounge model in the B66 range, it doesn’t suffer the usual consequence of such a floorplan – lack of storage for bulky gear and especially bikes. It’s not a new design, coming straight from the previous Lyseo line-up, but it’s still novel in the market.

So, the B66 has full-sized garage doors on either side that open to reveal a garage with 1.16m headroom (up to 1.35m at its extremities). It comes with a mains socket, rails with movable lashing hooks, a small (rather inadequate) lamp on the offside and the awning handle clipped to the back wall. Internal width varies from 97cm to just 61cm where the rear seatbelts’ structures intrude, so check carefully that what you want to carry will fit.

You can also access the garage space from the living area but only after you’ve removed a number of settee cushions.

Payload, at 455kg, is plenty to make good use of the garage and it’s pleasing to see that the chassis rails continue underneath, supporting any heavy loads.

U-shaped seating

But how does the B66 manage to provide the rear U-shaped lounge that British motorhomers still love in combination with that extra-large storage zone?

Well, the seating simply moves forward of the garage, with a generous shelf over the top of the storage area, between the sofas and the back window. Here, there’s a large cushion (looking a bit like a kid’s bed although it isn’t one), under which is a shallow, partly hidden, top-loading cupboard.

The seating area itself might not have quite the same panoramic all-round views of a more traditional end lounge, but it still offers the opportunity to stare at your – hopefully picturesque – surroundings in three different directions.

It’s an exceedingly comfortable space, too, with the leather sofas giving you enough space to put your feet up. There are Roman blinds when you prefer privacy and a selection of downlights, spotlights and mood lights make up for the fact that there’s no daylight from above, due to the drop-down bed.

There’s a typically Germanic fixed table – impressively sturdy but rather large (88cm by 76cm) – but here its bulk doesn’t seem to intrude because it slides easily fore/aft and side to side and the lounge feels just so spacious.

You can even carry extra passengers. A couple of three-point seatbelts hide behind the forward-facing settee backrests and there are slot-in head restraints. I’m not sure I’d fancy travelling here, though, as you’re so remote from the cab (you can barely see the driver) and aft of the Fiat’s rear axle where you can expect the ride to be bouncy.

Super king size bed

A UK super king size bed is 2.00m by 1.80m. This Bürstner beats that in both directions. It does so with a key-operated electric drop-down bed that glides down until it lines up with that cushion under the rear window – now you know why it’s there!

The downside is that, of course, the rearmost (fixed) section of the mattress dictates the bed height – 1.16m off the floor – so a ladder is required. And you’ll note that the bed narrows between the corner cabinets, too, to 1.60m (from 1.93m).

There are mains sockets and reading lights at the head end of the bed, as well as a single switch that allows you to operate the lighting in four different zones of the ’van. But there’s also a shelf above that completely precludes sitting for brekkie in bed.

If you don’t fancy clambering down a ladder to get to the loo in the night, another option is to keep your finger on the bed switch for a little longer and bring the mattress down to just 83cm off the floor. Now it’s a smaller, transverse double (1.93m by 1.40m) and you have to remove all the settee backrest cushions first, as well as lowering the table. You can stack them in the cab.

Dropping the table between the seats also allows you to make another bed under the super king size one – except that headroom here is only 53cm maximum (39cm under the cupboards). The infill cushions for this are a £450 optional extra – I’d say don’t bother unless you’re punishing the grandkids for bad behaviour…

Brilliant bathroom

At the other end of the motorhome, the washroom is one of my favourite features of the 644 layout.

For a start, there’s a sliding door that shuts off the cab, keeping the coldest part of the ’van completely isolated. Then, the toilet door (on the nearside) swings around to create a full-width ablutions area that matches that of much larger 
A-class motorhomes.

The cassette loo has plenty of leg and shoulder room and the adjacent basin has room to get your face over for a morning splash. There’s a large mirror, a roof vent and more than enough storage.

Opposite, the separate shower is even better, having all the best-practice features. Two drains, diagonally opposite each other – tick. Shelf for shampoo and gel – tick. Room for folk larger than a supermodel – tick. It even has doors that are well secured for travel, so as not to rattle.

British spec kitchen

From the lounge at the back right through and into the cab, the B66 has a flat floor – no steps to trip you up! And in the central kitchen area there’s a trapdoor into a storage area (1.31m by 37cm by 12cm high) that’ll be completely concealed when you have the removable carpets in place – a home for laptops, etc?

As for the kitchen itself, Bürstner has been selling motorhomes in the UK for decades and long ago discovered our need to have an oven, so that we could store the bread in it – or possibly cook a pizza. Here, it’s a Thetford Triplex unit, so you get a grill and three gas rings as well.

There are no extension panels to increase the cook’s preparation space but there’s some room between the cooker and sink and the latter has a worktop-matching loose lid. The only mains socket is poorly positioned, so that any appliance’s lead will have to be long and will drape across the front of the cooker.

Better is the storage, with a selection of soft-closing drawers, including one for cutlery. Then, on the opposite side of the motorhome, above the fridge, is a better place for your toaster. The surface here is 1.33m off the floor but there’s a large, flat area with a convenient 230V socket. And the fridge below it is impressive – a compressor model with a generous 140 litres of cooling capacity and 34 litres for frozen food in a drawer underneath.

On the other side of the doorway, there’s an illuminated glasses rack and a useful shelf for keys and phone (with USB). The controls for the Truma 6kW gas/electric heating are above and around the corner is a five-bottle wine rack, although I’m not 100% convinced that your Châteauneuf-du-Pape would survive vigorous cornering!

The B66 range offers excellent value for money, with a high specification at reduced prices. This 644 adds even more appeal, with a super washroom, great lounge and a garage but, if you want to take advantage of the super king size bed, you’ll need to be comfortable with using a ladder in the night. Despite having four berths and belts, this model is really a couples’ motorhome.