Full review

Motorhomes that are less than seven metres but still have a luxurious end washroom are a growing trend. It’s not just so you can enjoy more pampering. Practicality comes into it, too. With the growth in the use of a drop-down bed, your motorhome designer has to find another use for the back of the ’van, instead of a fixed bed. A washroom is an obvious solution.

The first five UK-spec models in Spanish manufacturer Benimar’s Mileo range were fairly standard layouts, for example. But two new models are being added to the range for the coming season: one of them, the 286, does have a super rear washroom and changing-room.

The Mileo has the new-look Fiat Ducato as a base vehicle –with a 148bhp engine upgrade as standard. This provided plenty of zing, but the engine’s raspiness is beginning to make it look vulnerable when smoother rides from other vehicle manufacturers are coming on stream. Within the cab you do get a DAB radio with touchscreen sat-nav and a reversing camera. You also get a large sunroof above you.

As far as looks go, Mileo is nailing its Latin temperament to the mast. The rear includes a racy decal with the words ‘Mileo 286’ looking as if it has been quickly daubed on. Joan Miró would have approved.

The temperament lives on inside. Dark chocolate brown and latte cushions are set off by scatter cushions that are a fiery red. It’s Spanish looking, but not flamenco: there are hardly any frills and the cushions themselves have a modern boxy feel.

Whether or not you like the décor, you will undoubtedly be impressed by the 286’s lounge. With perfectly well-sized settees down both sides of the ’van and the cab seats swivelled, you could easily seat nine people in comfort here. Those who sit on the front seats will be at an upper level, a bit like a Tudor monarch. But perhaps that’s where those driving the ’van feel they should be!

The lighting is sympathetic, too: by switching some of the eight LED lights off or on you could suit the mood of the evening. While there is no installed TV bracket, there is a 12V and mains socket for smaller digital paraphernalia.

Everyone can stretch out partly because the table is free-standing. It is stowed away for travel in the garage – not ideal if you just want to stop for a quick spot of lunch and it’s bucketing down outside.

The table itself is also clunky, and can’t come close to providing a dining place for the number of people who could sit here. Because of the seat height difference mentioned already, those sitting in the cab seats would have particular difficulty.

The boards to make up the lower bed are also stored in the garage. Again, this would not be ideal if you were pitching camp late at night with sulky kids and pouring rain. The boards themselves were easy to position, thanks to prominent ledges, and the bed was super comfy.

You can bring the drop-down bed down to a level where anyone of reasonable mobility can get into it using the ladder. But, if you raise it back up to the first of its two automatic levels there is some 1.53m of headroom under here – enough that, with just a slight duck of the head, you can continue using the lounge underneath.

There is one large locker under the nearside settee, plus one smaller one under the offside settee. Lift up the travel seats’ base and you have access to the onboard fresh water tank. Yes, this is a fully winterised ’van, with a heated waste water tank as well.

The kitchen is across the UK-side windowed habitation door from the lounge. The first thing you notice is its enormous worktop, and the equally enormous window that illuminates it – not that there isn’t a good selection of lighting. You get a three-burner hob –two gas rings plus one electric. There are four good-sized overhead lockers, too, and even with a Thetford Triplex oven/grill and a Cata microwave, there are still three drawers. There is also an apothecary shelf at the far left. The 140-litre fridge includes both a small freezer and an enormous crisper drawer. There is a useful pan drawer under this.

And so to the end corner washroom. The separate shower comes with its own light, hanging rail and seating ledge, but only one drain hole. Unfortunately, the rigid screen kept coming off its runners while we were testing it.

The washroom itself is equipped with a good basin, tasteful lighting and cavernous shelves, plus it has its own illuminated wardrobe.

One advantage of not having a washroom across the back is that you get another wardrobe outside the washroom. You get two steps to access it, and you will need them – it’s that cavernous. Behind these steps there is internal access to the garage.

The garage itself has doors at both sides and comes with tie-down hooks, 12V and mains sockets, and a spare wheel. Other finishing touches include a 140W solar panel, plus external shower and barbecue points.

This is an abridged version of the full review appearing in the November 2015 issue of MMM.