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Benimar Mileo 201
Sections:

Key Features

Model Year 2015
Class Low Profile
Base Vehicle Fiat Ducato
Price From (£) 42,995
Engine Size 2.3TD
Maximum Weight (kg) 2,900
Berths 2
Main Layout Garage
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At a glance

PRICE AS TESTED: £39,995 BERTHS: 3 MAXIMUM WEIGHT: 3,500kg BASE VEHICLE: FIAT DUCATO CAMPER CHASSIS-CAB

Full review

Back in the depths of the noughties, Benimar found fame in the UK, providing good-quality, well-equipped motorhomes at prices that belied their mid-market status. But then exchange rates changed, prices rose, the dreaded recession hit and Benimar retreated to Spain with its tail between its legs.

But now (July 2014), Benimar has once again set foot on our shores, this time imported by Marquis Motorhomes. Marquis is the sole importer, but that’s no shame for us as the firm has the UK’s biggest dealer network, with 11 branches spread north to south, east to west. If you decide to buy, you shouldn’t have too far to travel.

That’s the ‘back story’, as hacks love to say these days, and now we turn our attentions to the subject of this tale – the Mileo 201. First off, the test ’van – tested exclusively by Which Motorhome – is a 2014 model, built on the now old-shape Fiat Ducato, but Marquis plans to have several up-to-date models on display at October’s NEC show, and these – and all subsequent UK-bound Benimars – will be built on the latest facelifted Fiat.

The 201’s stats are simple: 5.99 metres of low-profile coachbuilt placed on the lower, Camper chassis version of the Ducato. The interior layout is a continental classic, with a ‘Euro lounge’ ahead of a side kitchen, centre bathroom and a transverse double bed, above a garage, out back. The result is a pretty little ’van that has a solid look from the outside. Grey, silver, black and yellow graphics look OK too – not overdone and they work well with the all-white coachwork. Inside, the furniture features quite dark-coloured wood, but it’s nicely balanced with creamy wood-grained locker doors and a white tabletop and work surface. The biggest lump of furniture in here is the bathroom itself and Benimar has seen fit to curve its walls in splendid fashion, thus reducing the number of sharp edges in the interior. Upholstery follows the theme, executed in chocolate and cream faux leather. And all appears nicely done too: fit and finish is good and there are rustic nets and what I’ll call ‘crushed taffeta’ décor panels to lounge and bedroom windows.

SPANISH FLYER
My week away in ‘southern climes’ was, sadly, not in Spain, but started from Marquis’ Hampshire branch, not far from Southampton. Here, Marquis’ first-in-the-country Benimar was housed, so my trip involved a wander along the south coast,  a trundle through the New Forest and beyond.

The 130-horsepower motor performed as well as 130-horsepower Ducatos are wont to do when fitted with small low-profile bodywork: with capable ease. A bit of a blast up the M3 (the A27/M27 coast road proved frustratingly stop-go) saw velocities that are de rigueur on French autoroutes achieved with ease, and in unruffled fashion. The included multi-media pack has a reversing camera which can be switched on permanently (good for keeping an eye on tailgaters), or alternatively it fires up when you engage reverse. The monitor looks a tad old-fashioned with its tin hood, and is rather bulkily ‘nailed’ onto the right-hand dashtop. However, function overcomes form with a useful picture available even in the sunlight that defeats most of the other displays I’ve tried, including the one in my own ’van.

The only real in-cab niggle was the rattles coming from the Remis blinds fitted to the cab doors – the frames clouting the steel of the doors. But that’s not the fault of Fiat, just a problem that needs snagging by the technicians at Marquis. Fortunately, Marquis has a good reputation for customer service.

This 2014 model also came with a passenger airbag, Fiat stereo and cab air-con, as well as cruise control, automatic lights and wipers and Traction+ (to hopefully defeat muddy pitches); a pretty high spec that should be enhanced by the features of Fiat’s facelift.

THAT’S HANDY
I test so many Fiat Ducato-based motorhomes every year that the Ducato cab is as familiar as my old slippers and I rarely come across a layout that I’ve not seen. Tried ’em all, yawn... Complacency? Maybe. Perhaps I’m getting old, or even becoming a bit of a smart arse but, at first, I failed to notice the one very obvious and important feature about this motorhome. Indeed, it was only when I decided to go nose-in onto a sloping pitch to level up the ’van a bit better that I noticed. Yes, the caravan on the next pitch had its door facing mine. Strange. Then I realised: the Mileo 201 is adapted for the UK. Its habitation door is on our nearside, so unlike almost all other continental imports – which have their habitation doors on our offside – here, you can alight safely onto the UK kerb. But why? How? Continental ’vans made like this are as rare as hens’ dentures, so a quick call to Marquis was needed for an explanation. It’s quite simple really: Benimar builds to Marquis’ specific specification and that also includes a high level of kit in standard trim and UK-friendly equipment – much of which is found in the kitchen.

UP FRONT AND PERSONAL
Once through that conveniently located door, which is set low enough to not need an external step, you find yourself in a compact continental-style lounge that’s well illuminated thanks to a big overcab sunroof and a Midi Heki rooflight. There’s no room for a separate side seat in here, so residents use the swivelled cab pews and the forward-facing bench that also provides two belted travel seats. However, lurking behind the table, the bench includes a little wall-side section that turns it into an L-shape. There’s still not much room for more than four to sit though, as leg-space is at a premium. This side section also has to be removed to allow the outside travel seat passenger somewhere for their legs when en route. All the cushions here are sculpted automotive-style with generous knee-rolls and they look good. However, the squabs are a tad short and a little high off the floor.

Thanks, in part, to the L-shape the table is pedestal-mounted (it cannot be wall hung) and its top adjusts in every direction. This is a good bit of kit – generously-sized and thanks to its movement, easy to use for all four people; luxury for two.

NOT JUST TAPAS AND TOASTIES
Whether you hanker after continental cuisine, or more solid British grub, the kitchen is capable of producing far more than just a snack or two. Two pieces of equipment and one feature here are all quite rare in a continental motorhome, and all conspire to make this a very practical galley.

Simplest first, and it’s work surface. There’s loads of this ’twixt sink and cooker, and it looks lovely in gloss white. It’s the same material that’s on the tabletop – it looks tough, but only time and use will prove or deny its case. The equipment consists of a slot-in stove (rare) and a microwave with a mains-powered grill (even rarer). I haven’t often seen the like in an imported motorhome, but of course, all here is done to Marquis’ spec. The stove offers three burners – one, a high-speed job – and a decent-sized oven/grill that grilled my potato, spring onion, cheese and tomato concoction well and made a nice job of baking a quiche.

At first glance the microwave brought forth a heavy sigh from yours truly as, like many, it’s mounted rather too high up for easy use. However, the adjacent bed is equipped with generous fold-out access steps: jump onto the bottom step and you can reach the nuker no bother. Serendipity or by design? Dunno, but it works.

Storage gives a deep drawer, cutlery drawer, decent cupboard and shelved overhead lockers. Not bad at all in this compact galley. The Thetford fridge was new to me, so I fiddled with the controls for a while, before finally letting down my gender by actually reading the instructions. ‘Press button A for two seconds, then button B until the desired energy source is selected...’ No, an operator didn’t connect me to Whitehall one-two, one-two, but I did find out how to use the thing. And once the selection process is over the indicator lights go out, so there’s no disturbing sensitive sleepers in the pitch black.

FOREIGN FLAVOUR
As much as this ’van is unusual in other areas, the bathroom is typically continental. That’s to say it’s spacious, bright, practical, easy to clean and furnished with a sensible basin and big mirrors. There’s even an obscured window in here, which actually isn’t typical of the breed, but welcome nonetheless. Good  countertop, a cupboard and bin-style stowage space enhance this washroom further. The shower is integrated with a twin-outlet floor and semi-circular rigid screen.
The room is enclosed by a tambour door too, so you can leave it open for easy access in the middle of the night. All good then? Not quite. The toilet (Thetford C250) is plinthed a tad high off the floor for comfort and the shower screen encloses you with a swing-across double panel that puts a bit too much strain on the main screen’s slide mounts. I didn’t break it, but thought I might.

SIESTA TIME
We already know that the bed access steps are easy to use, so you can be in bed in a trice. Getting out is easy too – like most new ’vans now, this one is festooned with LED lamps and, here, there are some blue pin lights mounted down low near the floor. Switched from the head of the bed, they let you see your way in the dark with out blinding you – the loo the obvious target at 3am.

The bed is domestic-double wide and more than long enough. It’s also adjustable. Got at from outside and via the garage below, a handle engages and winds the bed up or down. Choose from a lower bed and more headroom inside or a higher bed (raised by about 20cm) and a garage tall enough for bikes.

Ventilation in this bedroom is good, with a window at either side and a ‘suck/blow’ roof fan overhead. It seems slightly strange to have it here, but I guess it’s also there to serve as a kitchen extractor. Hot weather (if not Costa Brava hot) arrived during this test, so the ‘suck’ feature proved great at cooling the interior of the ’van. Twin reading lamps at the bedhead, and there’s a TV bracket (sockets above) attached to the adjacent bathroom wall. I guess it’s to allow your set to be viewed from bed or lounge, but it doesn’t appear to be ideally placed for either. It also rather spoils the nicely curved lines of the bathroom walls. I’d rather have my TV on the forward end of the bathroom wall (in the lounge), with perhaps another TV in the bedroom.

LIGHTS AND LOCKERS
It’s all LED lighting and plenty of it, with the ceiling lights that some lack, so no complaints there. Heating is courtesy of Truma’s trusty Combi E, complete with mains element: heating and hot water from hook-up as well as gas is the result. Best of all this Combi is controlled by the increasingly common, and almost new, LCD panel that’s so much better than the downmarket rotary controls that I could never get to grips with. Scrap ’em Truma; I’ll not shed a tear.

We’ve not mentioned the internal stowage, but this takes the form of a low-level wardrobe beneath the bed: jacket-length hanging, two shelves, shoe well and an LED lamp. There’s also a pair of very long overhead lockers along the rear wall, above the bed.

Outside, the garage is slim, but should take a couple of bikes through one of its doors – one on either side. There’s a standard-fit spare wheel, too, but it’s mounted in the garage – easy to get at and check, but robbing the garage of some width (we doubt you’ll mind when it saves you getting stranded on a Sunday in rural France!)

It’s great that the height of the garage can be adjusted, too – a welcome feature for anyone with bulky kit.
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Our verdict

It’s great to welcome Benimar back to the UK. If all the 2015 models are as good as this one, and such great value, Marquis should be on to a winner.

Advantages

Compact and good looking
Superbly equipped kitchen
Height-adjustable bed
Well equipped standard trim

Disadvantages

Rear seat squab rather narrow and high
Flawed shower screen
Toilet mounted a little high

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