Full review
A SIX-METRE motorhome is wonderfully compact for two people who want to visit out of the way places, be able to park in towns and squeeze into a Sainsbury’s car park.
But if you also want the comfort of a fixed bed that usually means a rather restricted lounge, with perhaps just a half-dinette and the swivel cab seats.
If you decide that’s a compromise too far, but you still want to keep it compact, then you’ll probably find yourself playing cushion jigsaw puzzles every night before sleeping on a bed with as many ridges as a ploughed field. Bürstner, however, think they have the answer...
Of course, this innovative German brand invented the currently en vogue concept of a low-profile motorhome with a drop-down bed. It’s just that this time they’ve taken the thinking a stage further and made the drop-down bed the main bed.
And they’ve incorporated the design into the new-for-2011 Ixeo Time range. First came Ixeo (née Quadro), then Ixeo Plus as a more upmarket version, now there’s Ixeo Time (the entry-level).
And while Ixeo Time includes the predictable fixed bed, island bed and garage layouts, it’s this 585 model that is surely going to be the talk of this October’s NEC show.
Take a first glance and you might wonder what all the fuss is about. This looks like a rather British style of motorhome with a continental flavour to the styling and décor.
The low-profile body is cleanly styled with a very short rear overhang for superior on-road behaviour and swirly red and grey graphics to please the younger-at-heart.
Inside, the layout could have been developed especially for the UK market. The front lounge is huge with an L-settee on the left and a slightly shorter straight settee opposite.
The habitation door is centrally sited and brings you directly into an open and spacious living area. Turn left as you come in and you’ll find a long L-shaped galley, plus a corner washroom (with swivel washbasin to create more space and bi-fold doors to keep the bench loo dry when showering).
All quite predictable, so what’s the fuss about?
Well, of course, being a member of the Ixeo family the bed is in the roof, over the lounge. In the day you’d hardly know it was there, though it does restrict headroom a little and cuts down the capacity of the eye-level lockers.
But at night you can forget re-assembling the lounge as a bed. Theoretically, you can still do that... but don’t bother. The bed looks lumpy and who is going to want to sleep underneath the drop-down bed?
No, see this as a spacious two-berth with the added ability to carry extra rear passengers if the need arises. And revel in the fact that the double bed just swings down effortlessly from the ceiling, simply requiring you to climb a short ladder and snuggle under the duvet. Headroom is plentiful and the mattress more comfy (much more!) than many fixed beds. And a world away from any bed made from a multitude of seat cushions.
The rest of this new Ixeo Time is less surprising. The lounge will seat six with ease, but sadly the table – in true German syle – is big enough for all six to enjoy a banquet.
And it’s a fixed table, albeit one that slides both fore/aft and side-to-side. That shouldn’t be a deal-breaker because it ought to be possible for you or your dealer to fit a smaller table if you really can’t live with it as it is. And don’t think the kitchen is going to put you off either, despite what you see in our photos.
Initially you’ll be in awe at all the worktop, all the space, the huge drawers, the big fridge, the fitted bin... but I think you’ve already guessed what’s missing. Of course, there’s no oven or grill.
But fret not. After initial doubt as to whether an oven could be fitted, Bürstner are committed to offering a wider unit running rearwards from the door for those who want an oven. So you’ll get even more worktop too.
Our test ’van didn’t have that Brit-friendly galley but it did feature optional kit in the form of Nova Amber trim (Bürstner’s superbly tactile and very practical suede-like upholstery), re-trimmed cab seats and the Chassis Pack (passenger airbag, air-con, electric mirrors and cruise control).
Remember that this is an entry-level vehicle, though, and you’ll be pleasantly pleased by the standard kit (including posh pleated blinds, opening overcab sunroof, external access to the right-hand under-seat locker), as well as the typically high quality of the finish throughout.
In a world of lookalike designs and me-too layouts, this new Bürstner is refreshingly different, without being weird.
A longer version of this review was published in the August 2010 issue of Which Motorhome magazine.Content continues after advertisements
Best viewed as a luxury two berth or an emergency, four-berth the Ixeo Time iT 585 offers a lot of motorhome for its compact dimensions.