Full review

A compact, sporty alternative to a van conversion. That’s Elddis’ description of the Accordo, a four-model range that offers standard layouts in entry-level low-profiles that are based on the very successful Autoquest range.

In common with its siblings, the Accordo 140 includes a boot in its rump designed to allow the loading of bulky kit. The boot aperture, however, is only 0.66m high and 1.20m wide.

At 2.14 metres wide, this ’van is slim. The chassis is the lower motorhome-specific type, so there’s no need for an external step, although the internal step is set higher than some.

There’s a good array of standard kit in the cab. One of the latest Peugeot DAB radios offers no CD slot, but has both USB and aux sockets in the locker below. Cruise control, passenger airbag and air-conditioning are all included. Optional extras don’t even include bigger engines or an automatic gearbox.

With nearly three-quarters of a tonne of payload on its 3,300kg chassis, this ’van is pretty light, so nipping along at a licence-threatening speed was no problem. Note that Elddis quotes payloads excluding any fresh water, so realistically you need to reduce the brochure figure by 70kg.

The low chassis and wide rear axle mean this motorhome does handle as well as a panel van, even if I did experience more noise from the rear.

Cab comfort proved fine. A danger with this layout is the inability to get the pilot’s seat far enough back to achieve a comfortable driving position. Thankfully, that’s not a problem here.

Moving aft, the washroom is followed by a decent-sized wardrobe with the kitchen on the nearside beyond the habitation door.

In the lounge, twin sofas are quite generously sized – just long enough to provide single beds as an alternative to the expected double. Mid-brown furniture and cream worktops are teamed with well-done latte upholstery. There’s good seating for up to eight on thick cushions that are soft enough to be comfy.

Three windows and a Midi Heki rooflight provide plenty of natural illumination, while there are also four reading lights, a pair of wall lamps and over-locker ambient lighting.

The table is a bit tricky to extract from its lair, but that’s because it’s large. It should be perfectly possible for six people to eat here in comfort.

But with a 1.80-metre lounge in a ‘van this size, the kitchen is rather bijou, if well equipped. A big sink, three-burner hob, oven/grill and 95-litre fridge pretty much fill the space down below, with just enough room for a good utensils drawer.

Up top, a pair of deep lockers provide decent volume – one filled with mug and plate racks. But that’s about it, so you might need to store other kitchen items elsewhere. A flip-up surface next to the habitation door does quite a good job. Another flip-up lives opposite, below the wardrobe.

The washroom vanity unit is old-fashioned and basic, but it works okay and has a decent basin and two cupboards, with large mirrors above. There’s a separate shower mixer to feed the integral floor, and a large wall-mounted cupboard. The only lamp in here is mounted far enough away from the basin to be behind your head - not great for shaving or applying make-up.

When bedtime arrives, it’s great to have the option of a double or two single beds, even if, at a smidge under six feet long, not everyone will be able to kip comfortably on a single.

The double is easy to make as sofa bases meet in the aisle and backrests drop in. The transverse double created is two metres long and 1.80 metres wide, so as big as a king size domestic bed.

The nearby kitchen unit serves well as a night table and there’s always a reading light available, thanks to lamps mounted in all four corners. A niggle is the pull-down blinds, which let light in at the bottom.

For heating Elddis has departed from that Truma Combi norm, fitting a separate boiler and space heater from UK firm Whale. The boiler provided plenty of hot H2O, but the space heater proved less good. The unit is mounted underfloor to save space, but it proved to be noisy when used on gas.

Bürstner, followed by Swift, started the rear-hatch-on-a-compact-coachbuilt craze. Both these ’vans feature full-height tailgates. The Accordo has a much smaller lid.

There’s some clever stuff inside, though, as both sofas fold up, giving you a big space, enough to load lots of kit, as long as it fits through the boot lid. Bear in mind, though, that some of the underseat space is occupied by the fresh water tanks and water heater, plus the wheelarches. Normally, these areas will hold other kit when camping – crucially bedding, as this is often the only place to stow it out of sight. The sofa bases here may be strongly engineered with metal frames, but there’s no top access so the whole has to be lifted to get at anything inside. Front access is confined to a tiny hatch. I gave up and stowed my bedding in the cab while on site.

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