Full review

The Alto has been stretched out from last year’s 6m to its new 6.36m extra-long Peugeot base. Autocruise has used the extra space to move the washroom from the nearside rear corner to the nearside middle. This has freed up space around the fixed rear double bed to create a proper bedroom.

While you can opt for a Fiat Ducato to get Comfort-Matic, the new Boxer is a much better looking van than the one it replaced, thanks to its short, neat bonnet and slimline headlights.

The hellish rattle that the engine delivers from stone cold hasn’t changed. Once moving, however, the 130bhp engine has enough torque to get the ’van moving quickly from a standstill. These longer wheelbase vans iron out uneven roads and generally feel more stable than their shorter siblings. The Alto doesn’t rattle either.

The front lounge is made up of a forward-facing half-dinette with an extending table which, when driver and passenger seats are turned, provides eating space for four.

The high-backed seats have an aircraft look about them. Buyers can opt for ‘Impala’ part-leather seating, which, for £595, is a bargain and would prove more practical than cloth seats. Light-coloured wood for the surrounding cabinets and light beige wall cladding keeps things bright.

Space for the nearside kitchen has always been tight in the Alto, but here clearance between the two sides is reduced to just 56cm at the widest point. This makes the kitchen feel very cramped.

Standing space isn’t the only problem. What appears to be a large cupboard below the sink turns out to be the back of the gas locker. The cupboard above the hob is completely full of the microwave (part of the Comfort Pack). The desire to pack an already small kitchen with as much kit as possible means storage is reduced to just two small drawers by the grill. That gas locker also has a large lip over which you have to lug your bottles – and yet there is storage space at the back that could have swallowed at least one bottle.

Worktop space on the main kitchen unit is only available with the lids of the sink and hob down. There is a small flip-up section, although the table is close by too.

The washroom is still quite compact and makes the usual space-saving arrangement of using the shower base as the floor for the whole room. The shower uses the basin’s tap, a system which will be familiar to many, although here you have to keep pressing a button on the showerhead all the time to make the water flow. But the finish in here is very high end, and is bright and welcoming with all that white plastic.

The winner in this interior reshuffle is undoubtedly the rear bedroom. Where the previous Alto fixed bed felt rather cramped, the 2015 model borders on the luxurious, especially for a conversion. It leaves room for a clear aisle up one side of the bed. The heater controls are also conveniently found here.

This layout is designed primarily for a couple: there is a single bed made up from the half-dinette, but it is really a child’s berth.

This is an abridged version of the full review appearing in the June 2015 edition of Which Motorhome.