Full review

THE Auto-Trail Arapaho drew envious looks all over the county.

I don’t think it’s the sheer size alone that draws attention, though: it has ‘presence’ and is altogether smart with an immaculate GRP finish.

You’re talking luxury accommodation here. A nearside entry, via a drop-down step (which parks itself when the ignition is triggered), presents you amidships at the offside washroom, with a wardrobe and big fridge/freezer opposite.

A nearside kitchen is sited opposite a dinette, with two of the four seats equipped with three-point seatbelts.

The dinette, as is the convention, converts into a double bed for youngsters. Two additional lap straps, incorporating fully padded back and neck rests, can be fitted to the rearwards-facing seats as an optional extra; a must if you have four children. 

A commodious U-shaped rear lounge can be made into a massive double bed or two singles.

A further two of the six berths provided can be found over the cab. A ladder is housed up there with your bedding and a table for the rear lounge lives in a slot in the kitchen. It’s a useful British-style table that can also be used for al fresco dining.

It’s the rear lounge that takes the biscuit in this motorhome, for it’s palatial. Battery-saving LED tubes adorn the undersides of the lockers, with mood lighting along the tops to give an even spread of light.

Sharing the lounge is a low stack of drawers with a surface of a convenient height upon which to shove your tray of coffees, if you don’t want to get the table out.

And at the two rear corners (behind rounded seat backs) are two triangular shelves where you can plonk your glass of wine and book. It’s all very nicely thought out.   

Dining
When it comes to feeding the tribe, you have a choice: four can sit handily opposite the kitchen in the dinette; or you can pull the big table out of its storage slot in the kitchen and eat in the rear lounge.

Four can eat here comfortably, but you could squeeze in five with no room for other than the basics. If you have a full complement of six aboard, you might wish to have adults at one table and children at the other, or even some inside and some out.

Kitchen
Most of the kitchen lies forward of the caravan door, with the large fridge/freezer amidships on the other side of the door.

The cooker has four burners, with the three gas versions having spark ignition and the fourth powered electrically; all motorhomes should have one of these to save precious gas. Cooking smells are dealt with by an extractor over the hob and also a three-speed, two-way ceiling fan.

I would have expected there to be more than enough space for a generous washroom in the Hunk, but ‘adequate’ would better describe the space.

As far as the bedrooms are concerned, let’s start with the rear one as it’s the biggest.  The area is so vast that two singles can be made by the removal (to the cab) of most of the backrests.

Internal storage looks more than adequate for six and the stack of drawers in the lounge is particularly useful for stuff that usually gets lost when travelling: glasses, diaries, money, gloves... A spacious wardrobe has loads of room, plus space beneath in which to bung your shoes.

Above the fridge/freezer is a tambour door compartment with a 230V socket. It could provide storage for a microwave, though you’d have to be tall to reach it.

Outside storage in the rear across-the-‘van locker is compromised only by the lounge footwell.

A full version of this review first appeared in the December 2008 issue of Which Motorcaravan magazine. To order a road test reprint call 01778 391187. To subscribe to the magazine, click here.