Full review

Having recently launched the MWB Colorado and having the rear lounge Aztec and twin-lounge Sahara models firmly established in its portfolio, Devon is completing its Fiat/Peugeot-based line-up with this, the new Arizona.

Like the Colorado it features a conventional front lounge with side-facing sofa opposite the sliding door and a single forward-facing rear travel seat adjacent to the opening. Here, though, the extra space of the LWB van is used to benefit the ablutions facilities. The bathroom runs right across the full width of the ’van, with a tip-up washbasin mounted over a bench cassette toilet in the offside corner.

The key feature, though, is the good-sized separate shower on the nearside. It has tambour doors (no shower curtain) and blown-air heating but only a single drain outlet in the tray. Two roof vents serve the washroom area and there are opening windows in the back doors. On this prototype there was also a slot between the shower and back doors for storing outdoor chairs, though on production models your al fresco seating may go on the inside of the doors themselves.

Internal seating caters for at least five, though the front seats are noticeably higher than the rear ones when rotated. There’s no Heki rooflight above but there are good views out through the sliding door from the reclinable settee. The table is a free-standing unit that stows in the overcab area. Converting the lounge into the (only) bed is a simple matter of sliding forward the settee and flattening its backrest, then doing the same with the single seat. This transverse double measures 1.77m by 1.45m but a gap between the mattress and door means usable bed length is a more practical 1.85m. There’s plenty of storage for bedding beneath the sofa.

The rear kitchen comes well-appointed, including a full domestic-style cooker with mains hotplate as well as a separate oven and grill. Opposite the main galley there’s more worktop – an ideal place for your TV. There’a a 95-litre Dometic 8-Series fridge here, too, plus a slide-out bottle rack and, alongside, a very generous wardrobe. We particularly liked the neat recesses in the wall behind this offside section of galley which house your plates and mugs. That should be a good rattle-preventing idea.

As well as introducing new models, Devon seems to be updating its (previously rather dowdy, though solidly built) reputation. A sign of this is the Bardolino Oak furniture and the off-white sparkly worktops seen here. Seen here on a Peugeot, Devon’s price list actually indicates that the Arizona is usually based on a Fiat. The base price of £44,505 looks keen but you’ll be tempted by the Designer Pack Plus – at an extra £3,100. This adds cab air-con, a passenger airbag, a reversing camera, parking sensors, DAB radio, sat-nav, cruise control, a leather steering wheel, metallic paint, alloy wheels, an electric step and an underfloor gas tank for a particularly complete specification.

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