Full review

AUTOCRUISE'S only medium-wheelbase model in an expanded range of six high-top campers, the Jazz looks as if it could hit just the right note.

Autocruise seem to be rolling out chart-topping van conversions with almost monotonous regularity just now. From the little pop-top Pulse to the innovative Alto, Autocruise seem to have every base covered.

It’s not hard to see where the inspiration for this new medium-wheelbase came from. With its double forward-facing RIB rear passenger seat, rear offside corner washroom and L-shaped kitchen aft of the sliding door, the layout would appear to be pure Murvi Piccolo.

Except that Autocruise have added touches of their own – a raised rear seat and higher floor in the lounge to put all four seats on a similar level, and a wider kitchen to the detriment of the washroom. And few will argue with the Autocruise’s well-appointed galley, which actually betters many coachbuilts.

Its silver body and matt black graphics are sufficiently streetwise, though the optional alloy wheels might tempt the more style-conscious. And in town the 100 Multijet engine always had plenty of poke.

As the smallest Fiat Ducato model in the Autocruise range, the Jazz also comes with the littlest engine, though the 120 Multijet is offered as a £1495 upgrade, as long as you also tick the box marked Comfort Pack. That adds cab air-con, cruise control, alarm and reversing sensors for a further £1175.

Our pauper spec prototype had neither but was content to cruise at 70mph. Perhaps it lacks a little of the 2.3-litre unit’s refinement, and it has to make do with only five ratios in the gearbox, but the 100 engine is much more acceptable here than in a coachbuilt. With its keen £37k starting price, there’s a good argument for keeping your Jazz standard.

Continuing the cab’s floor level rearwards to the two-person back seat makes the lounge area pretty much perfect for such a small motorhome – as well as adding a useful underfloor hidey-hole.

Both cab seats swivel easily and the table comes out of the open shelf over the cab to make for comfortable dining for two. And while it’s easy to see why some rivals have their rear seats described as a ‘bench’ (as in as flat as the park variety), the Jazz’s RIB seat is as shapely as a Page Three girl.

Now, seats designed to fit the average human usually make for a bed that’ll keep you awake all night, but not here because you sleep on the reverse side of the cushions to the ones you sit on. It’s a clever system that requires you first to flip over the squab cushion, then fold the backrest down flat.

There’s an extra infill cushion to make the bed longer, but if you’re under 6ft tall you won’t need it. You do need to return the cab seats to facing the front, though, while a thick lined curtain closes off the cab for a snug bedroom feel, that makes life easier for the Truma Combi 4 gas/mains heater.

The cushion that goes between the seat and the wall can reside there full-time, while the smallest infill can slide in under the wardrobe. That just leaves the one that extends the bed’s length to slot under the seat. Your feet sit under the wardrobe where the gap to the mattress is just 11 inches. If you’ve got big feet you should try before you buy.

With the impressive kitchen, Jazz owners will have no excuse for not dining well. The Spinflo cooker has three burners and an oven/grill in a neat package, while storage is plentiful (including plate/cup racks and a decent-sized cutlery drawer) and worktop space shames many larger motorhomes. The only thing that’s missing is a draining board.

A silver tambour door leads to the washroom, aiding access to a compartment with enough space for motorhomers but insufficient room for their lotions and potions.

There’s nothing wrong with the old-style cassette toilet but the design of the tip-up basin and vanity unit comes with the usual downsides – cheap-feeling plastics, toothbrush recesses that don’t seem to hold toothbrushes, and a dearth of storage. Pity, because otherwise this is a very serviceable washroom with plenty of room to use the loo and a shower.

There’s a full-height washroom wall, hidden behind a tall door that reveals loo servicing, the back of the basin and a couple of small shelves. Access to the gas locker and a small cupboard is also provided through the twin rear doors, but there’s nowhere to put large items.

Rear radio speakers are a welcome touch, as is the insulated fresh water tank, the slide-out storage for a flatscreen TV, the Heki sunroof, the passenger airbag and new soft white LED lighting – we’d like more lights and individual switching for the two main ceiling lamps.

A longer version of this review was published in the April 2010 issue of Which Motorhome magazine.