Full review

It was Burstner’s Ixeo Time it 585 that really cemented this style of a non-fixed bed layout where the drop-down was the main sleeping space.

Now the company has come up with a lengthways drop-down bed. Changing the way the bed goes gives you bigger eye-level lockers, a bed that is harmonised into the interior and fully integrated into the ceiling when stowed, and easier access because the bed comes down almost to seat height. The step in the lounge floor (which you might trip over in the day) becomes a bonus as it makes it a doddle to slide onto the comfy mattress.

You can also only partially lower the bed and make up the lounge as a second huge double. This is the first drop-down bed ’van in which you might really consider popping the (grand)kids to bed first and carry on sitting in the lounge below.

It’s a good lounge, too, with plenty of room for four (or more) to relax around the table. You can opt to replace the side seat with a TV cabinet and a 32in TV: standard is a 21in flatscreen hidden in the locker above the side window.
Even with the bed raised, the Skyroof does allow a shaft of light into the cab, at least in summer in southern Germany. We look forward to trying the same in December in Doncaster.

Partly becaue the Ixeo doesn’t have to accommodate a fixed bed, the kitchen has a decent amount of worktop, including a serving shelf atop the forward-facing seat’s backrest. And while the three-burners-in-line hob frees up preparation space, the only oven option is a Tec-Tower combined with the 142-litre narrow fridge. You do get three extra-large, soft-close drawers.

The bathroom stretches right across the rear of the motorhome and incorporates a big separate shower. The vast amount of clothing storage behind the washbasin will really win you over.

The Ixeo has a full-width garage, too, with doors on both sides. On the nearside there’s full-height storage with a folding shelf halfway up. On the same side, the service unit provides easy access to the fresh water filler, boiler drain valve and mains hook-up point.

This is an abridged version of the full review appearing in the August 2015 issue of Which Motorhome.