Full review

Swift has decided to realign its Autocruise range of Ducato-based van conversions for the 2017 season. The four models remain the same, layout-wise, but gain the moniker Select and come, as standard, in very basic form. Three out of the four are based around a rear lounge.

I must say I was a little disappointed that the test ’van was fitted with extras, as it would have been more interesting and informative to test the efficacy of the basic model (see page 36). And up in the driving department, it was the 130-horsepower engine upgrade that led the way. The most important items in the fitted Driver’s Pack are an airbag for the passenger and cab air-conditioning – for resale it would be advisable not to be without either. There was a pretty useful view through the rear windows, so the inclusion of an internal mirror was very welcome.

The forward-facing travel seat (with wall-hung table) is an option, replacing the inward-facing side seat/sofa that’s the basic offering. With two more belted seats on offer, berths increase, too, the front lounge converting into a transverse double bed.

Bed base sections store in a dedicated locker just inside the sliding door. A support slides forwards inside the side sliding door, while the base of the travel seat extends forwards. The bed sections can now be added to complete the job. This is one of the best, if not the best I’ve ever tried. In spite of a lack of any instructions, the bed was easy to make, flat and comfortable.

There’s plenty of stowage space in the galley, with three overhead lockers, a tall tambour-doored cupboard, two further cupboards and a decent cutlery drawer. Cooking kit is just a two-burner hob as part of a stainless-steel lidded sink/hob combo. Across the aisle, the 47-litre fridge is a compressor-type that runs just on 12V, so uses no gas. Storing enough fresh food for a quartet of hungry, thirsty motorhomers might be more than a bit of a challenge. I have less of an argument with the sink/hob as you can do a lot with only two burners, while all worked very well, both when cooking and washing up.

Step into the bathroom and a full-height moulded panel offers a practical basin, mirrored storage cabinet and counter. Sure, the surfaces are a tad slippery, but easy to wipe clean. Below, the wetroom-style floor houses one drain outlet and is served by the sturdy metal tap, which has a pull-out shower head that attaches to a wall bracket. A nylon curtain encloses when showering and, up above, there’s a rooflight/vent and a nice triple-LED lamp.

There’s space to house four folks in comfort in the rear lounge and with a Mini Heki above and four windows, there’s natural light aplenty. There’s only one reading lamp on each side, with ambient strips above the overhead lockers. Bed-making is a synch: pull sofa bases together, drop backrests in and you’re set. The result is flat, comfy – really pretty good and I slept very well.

Storage provision is entirely predictable and adequate, but that’s no better or worse than many of the type. The space above the cab houses the table (for travel and when the bed’s made) and would also take bedding if it weren’t for the presence of the cab’s quilted silver internal blackout screens. Front end stowage completes with two overhead lockers, a trio of pigeonholes and useful space below the rear seat, which houses the leisure battery. Finally, the raised dinette floor is home to a useful lidded well.

Above the side sliding door is the management panel and heater controls. The latter is Truma’s LCD digital job, which is programmable and easy to use. Here, it controls the 4kW version of the classic Combi, which is perfectly adequate for a ’van of these dimensions. The Truma controller is described as iNet ready. All rather swish for a ’van that aims at the value end of the market.

Useful and welcome bits and bobs include floor-level pinlights (for dazzle-free nocturnal visits), both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and surprisingly upmarket pleated blinds.

Almost all the extras are grouped into packs, with only a few (things such as front dinette and engine and transmission options) listed separately. Some features might be easily retro-fitted, but some (passenger airbag, cab air-conditioning) cannot. The most obvious omission is that of waste and fresh water tanks in the base model. Again, you must buy a pack – called Living – to get them, or you’ll need to carry caravan-type fresh and waste water containers with you. I really do hope that Swift decides to offer Select with tanks as standard or make them separate items on the extras list. Aside from that, this and the other basic-spec Select models should make perfectly usable campers for many and that would include me.

If you enjoyed this review, you can read the full version and more in the November 2016 issue of What Motorhome magazine. You can get a digital version of this latest issue of What Motorhome magazine here.