Full review

THEY say that what goes around comes around. And nowhere is this sentiment more ironically apt than in the sometimes strange world of motorhome design.

UK manufacturers used to be berated regularly for never dipping their corporate toes in more adventurous floorplan waters, while continental rivals eyed our ‘dated’ end lounges with faint amusement.

Now, however, even that most quintessentially British of manufacturers, Auto-Trail, have several thoroughly continental island/French/twin single bed models in their line-up, while the likes of Rapido and Rimor are returning increasingly to end-lounge layout motorhomes.

Auto-Trail’s core staples have remained broadly unchanged for some time, however, and the latest Apache 700 is perfect example: dinette and kitchen up front; washroom in the middle; U-shaped lounge at the back.

Really and truly, you couldn’t come up with a more British layout if you tried – there might as well be Union flags on the walls and Rule Britannia on the stereo.

I have an innate liking for motorhomes with U-shaped end lounges; by their very nature, they remove you from the hustle and bustle up front of the Galloping Gourmet in the kitchen and the children in the dinette. 

The absence of the central chest of drawers (which, for me, ruins the whole design) means you can put your feet up, too. If ever a design was custom-made for advanced lazy-itis, then this is most definitely it.

Speaking of the forward dinette, incidentally, the 700’s example is augmented by not one, but two swivel cab seats, which seems strange given that the pullman’s forward bulkhead renders the driver’s seat unusable when swivelled.

I decided early on that I would sleep in the 700’s rear lounge, and not the gloomy-looking overcab bed – which in the absence of an access ladder in our test ’van would have been extremely difficult to reach.

While discovering that the rear bed base comprised nothing more than cheap-looking pull-out caravan slats was a disappointment, finding just how straightforward it was to re-arrange the cushions to suit was most definitely not.

I slept like a log every night, and enjoyed having – for once – ample space in which to establish my alarm clock and stow my watch, specs and paperback before sending up the zzzzs.

The galley has been revised and made larger for this ’09 model by moving the habitation door further rearwards. The re-positioned 88-litre fridge is quite obviously too small for a ‘van this size, but the dual-fuel Spinflo cooker and ample worktop/storage space go some way to making up for this shortfall.

Less impressive, perhaps surprisingly, is the 700’s washroom. On paper, it’s a winner: its separate shower is very good; both the available storage space and fitted C250 swivel loo impress; and the generous lighting (both electric and natural) and general, typically Auto-Trail ‘woody’ ambience appeal hugely.

Unfortunately, though, headroom is at something of a premium and legroom around the throne is somewhat restricted.

However, I enjoyed several long, hot showers in the 700’s cubicle, and while anyone much bigger than me would struggle to retrieve an errant bar of soap from the shower tray, it’s well-lit and available water pressure is mightily impressive.

One last word on ablutions: the 700’s fresh water tank is a reasonable 100 litres in capacity (if annoyingly underslung), but I’d have expected something considerably bigger than the puny 55-litre waste water tank (also underslung) actually supplied.

The interior LED water level gauge proved to be a bit erratic in use, too.

Elsewhere, though, the Apache does its best to impress. I’d bet my dog and lot that most 700 customers are couples looking for palatial living accommodation, but a family of four would be equally at home here.

The rear lounge is big enough to allow mum and dad to stretch out with the Sunday papers while the children mess about in the dinette, and the whole family can sit down to dinner in the self-same dinette with ease. Come bed-time, two children can sleep entirely separately, and still leave mum and dad to their Rioja in the rear.

Lighting is impressive, too, with switches seemingly everywhere to turn on, variously, the over-locker ambient lights, individually-switched LED lights and dimmer-enabled bulkhead mains lights.

Drawbacks? Well, there didn’t appear to be anywhere for the dinette table to live, should you wish to remove it, and – more seriously – the rear travel seats’ central seatbelt stanchion is both too exposed and too thinly padded.

And further marring the safety score are eye-level lockers lacking any positive locking catches. You’ll have to be very careful what you stow up high.

Verdict

The Apache 700 has its faults, most notably the small washroom, tiny grey water tank and uninviting overcab area, but it actually proves that older layouts are sometimes the best. Some may argue – with some justification – that the two lounges are too remote from one another (and the conjoining narrow corridor a bit off-putting), but the set-up actually works well in practice.

This review is taken from the April 2009 of Which Motorcaravan magazine, the number one magazine for motorhome testing. Read about Which Motorcaravan here.