Full review

AS you climb aboard the Slovenia-built, Renault-based compact four-berth, you’ll find various storage units, such as wardrobe and something resembling a British cocktail cabinet, across the rear.

An L-shaped kitchen, with curvaceous top cupboards, sits on the offside opposite a fridge/freezer/oven stack.

A forward lounge has a long settee and an L-shaped dinette with a pair of three-point belted forward-facing seats. In the nearside rear corner is a smallish washroom.

Outside, the intelligent use of coloured panels, three-tone grey bodywork and rounded trim avoids the dreaded white-box-on-wheels look and, as A-class motorhomes go, this is one’s not bad in the looks department, either – certainly better than last year’s Vision.

The Adria’s garage is big enough to carry two cycles, and this fact alone will persuade many potential buyers of its charms. That said, like the Laika, it has a big door on one side only. One bike would have to be reversed in and one would need its handlebars turning on the stem, as our careful measuring revealed.

When you slip into the comfortable Aguti driver’s seat, you’ll be delighted (as we were) if you find the optional Quickshift six-speed semi-automatic gearbox has been fitted.

In the cab, there’s not quite the stashing space across the Renault’s dashboard that you’d find in a Fiat Ducato.

It lacks the Fiat’s useful central drop-down case, which is big enough to carry a laptop, and there’s no adjustment on the steering column, which is important should driver sizes vary – there’s a whole foot between Pete and me.

It’s also a fiddle to swivel the driver’s seat, but the Vision made up for these shortcomings by sporting optional cab air-conditioning, as well as an electrically operated passenger cab window, pleated cassette blinds and reverse parking sensors.

First impressions of the interior are that it’s light, modern and not too cluttered. Upholstery is in a comfortable warm mink and mid-tones of wood-effect clothe the curves of the cabinetry.

There’s plenty of social seating in the lounge, with the bottom count reaching eight, though you’ll have to fight your way around the table.

While the table can be moved in both directions it still manages to be in the way most of the time. The French – specifically Rapido and Pilote – put a hinge down the middle, which halves the size and steals less precious space in the lounge. The first one to sit down will grab the long settee for feet-up lounging, and there’s a comfortable curved corner backrest too.

The A-class bed is superb, but the dreadful scrambling about on the floor trying to lower the telescopic table, and the jigsaw of cushions necessary to make up the second double bed could really only be faced occasionally.

However (and this is a positive), if you only extend the long settee sideways, it makes up into a generous single and, if need be, into a double.

Verdict
This interesting garage-equipped addition to the Vision range is well- priced and its underfloor storage, cosy upholstery and renowned engine and Quickshift automatic gearbox further its cause, too.

The table and dinette double bed could be better, and the payload is meagre. Drivers with the appropriate licence might consider a chassis upgrade.

A full version of this review first appeared in the October 2008 issue of Which Motorcaravan. To subscribe to the magazine, click here.