Full review

THE arrival of the new Chic range takes bespoke German manufacturer Carthago into new territory bringing it into direct competition with the big boys at Hymer, Bürstner and Niesmann.

At around £70,000 with the engine upgrade and additional equipment specified by the UK importer, the Chic I-47 we borrowed from Lowdhams is still far from cheap – but it takes a distinctively different approach to the other upmarket A-class converters, and with only very small volumes being built, retains that Carthago exclusivity.

In a demanding five-day tour of Scotland’s west coast, the Chic swallowed up 1,200 motorway, A-road and single track road miles without a hiccup, averaging around 19mpg - which for a vehicle weighing more than three tonnes and powered by the 3-litre Multijet Power turbo-diesel - is pretty reasonable.

All-round visibility is excellent. The steering is direct and offers plenty of feedback, the clutch is light and gearchange smooth and logically sprung.

It has one of the best driving positions I’ve encountered in the new Fiat – helped enormously by Aguti adjustable captain’s chairs.

The only drawback I found was that the top of the wheel obscured some of the instruments - including the indicators and the upper portion of the speedo.

The rear fixed bed has a memory foam mattress and is fabulously comfortable.

Up front, the pull-down double drops down low with the front seats reclined to accommodate it.

Underneath the rear fixed bed is a simply cavernous garage with a 3ft by 4ft access door which will swallow a quartet of mountain bikes or a scooter and still have room to spare.

Aside from this enormous load space out back, storage in the living area is adequate rather than generous. There’s ample room for two – but four adults may struggle to find cubbyholes for all the accoutrements of an action-packed holiday.

Much of the underfloor space – and indeed the voids underneath the lounge seats – is occupied by essential services such as water and heating, leaving only the space underneath the rear forward-facing seats to stow bulky items - and even this is compromised by the seatbelt mountings.

The generously proportioned washroom sports a slimline separate shower and a decent basin and vanity unit.

Although it has only three gas burners and a combi grill/oven is a £555 option, the kitchen is very functional though workspace is tight, especially if the twin sinks are in use.



The permanent circular dining is really designed to cater for a couple rather than a quartet for dinner – although with the front seats rotated, the lounge will happily accommodate a sextet of adults for drinks and nibbles.

Heating is another strong point in the Chic, which boasts an Alde ‘wet’ heating system.

The cabinetry is a joy to behold and build-quality throughout feels utterly bombproof, with no obvious signs of flimsiness or corner-cutting.

A quartet of rooflights (five if you include the one in the loo), plenty of windows and, of course, the characteristic A-class widescreen windscreen, make the most of natural light, but once the sun goes down, the Chic reveals another forté.

After repeated attempts, I lost count of the number of halogen spotlights, but it’s well over 25.

The only real niggles I encountered during five days at the wheel were a slightly recalcitrant inertia reel on my seatbelt and a similarly temperamental socket mechanism.

Given that the indicator lights were obscured by the top of the steering wheel, a more voluble warning signal would also have been welcome.



It could also be argued that an oven, radio preparation and metallic paint should be standard on a vehicle with this sort of price tag.

But this is hair-splitting - perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Chic is just how well everything works. Press the buttons on the control panel and the services just do their thing. Want hotter water? No problem - just press the boost switch. A tad chilly? Turn the digital thermostat up a notch or two.

So whilst the Carthago is incredibly stylish, it’s also supremely functional and beautifully built. Demand for this range is likely to be high and its only real drawback could be long waiting lists for delivery of much sought-after right-hand drive models.

Fact-file:
Carthago Chic 1-47 on Fiat Ducato Al-Ko 3-litre
Type: A-class
From: £60,995

•    A full version of this test, including full spec and fact-file, features in the August 2007 edition of Which Motorcaravan.

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