Full review

I don’t often wax lyrical about the a motorhome exterior, but I am prepared to make an exception for the Florium 74 CTC, our favourite in a range that is back in the UK for the first time in nearly a decade, courtesy of Webbs.

Fleurette, the French company which makes Florium (and its sister Fleurette range) makes its own GRP at its factory, which accounts for the retro magnolia tinge to the exterior. Combine that with the slight snout at the front – which makes the ’van look slightly like an old-fashioned school bus – and the forward-thrusting decal, and there’s enough to give you a childish wave of excitement about going on an expedition. Which is exactly what a motorhome should do.

Practically speaking, there is a little that could be improved. There is a large storage compartment at the rear but its access door is only 99cm high. You might have a squeeze getting a large bike in here. Which is just as well, because the payload – only 272kg – is not generous.

The gas bottle locker also intrudes into the area by the driver’s seat. This is a common problem with many European A-classes, but it’s particularly acute in the Florium. On the plus side, there is a second external storage compartment running right under the front lounge.

The drive was a good one. Even with the standard 2.3-litre, 130bhp Fiat engine, this 7.46-metre long ’van never felt cumbersome.

Thanks to the use of a double floor, the interior is on the same level from the driver’s cab right back to the washroom. If you come in through the habitation door, there’s a useful locker to the right that’s much bigger than the lockers you often find in this position.

The lounge includes a sizable round table, an L-shaped settee and a second settee on the offside so that, once the cab seats are swivelled around, there is easily dining space for five or six here. There’s a clever locker system above that includes a drop-down locker for items that you need to be just an arm reach away.

Lighting is particularly impressive, as there are no harsh spots or dark corners. The ‘van looks like a really warm place to come home to.

You get a three-burner hob with extractor fan, a kitchen roll holder with a mains and 12V socket next to it, and a sensibly-sized apothecary shelf that elegantly slides out from between the lockers. Underneath here, you get three soft-close drawers and a swing-out compartment for the bin under the sink that, once opened, also reveals a bottle rack and even more cavernous space beyond.

On the other side of the vehicle there’s a 150-litre fridge and a combined oven and grill, plus another locker high up above this, with a 12V and HDMI socket (a TV bracket is included to the left of this unit). It’s just a shame that kitchen worktop space isn’t great.

With doors to both sides of the island bed and a partition separating off the kitchen, the 74 CTC creates a central dressing area very well. There’s even a fold-out partition if you need to use the loo while someone is in the shower.

There is loads of shelf space in here, not just in the washroom and shower, but also behind the central mirror. A wheelarch intrudes a little way into the shower tray, which also only has one plughole, although this should still function OK on all but the least level pitches and the compartment itself is nicely heated.

At 1.86m by 1.40m, the island bed is roomy, and, although there are lockers above it, they are high enough so that you can sit up and read in bed – or watch TV. You get a choice of lighting, too, as well as two bedside tables with surfaces that lift up to reveal cubbyholes for books and small items. The wardrobes both light up when you open their doors, while underneath the bed there are two ample drawers for clothing that you can also access by lifting up the bed. The whole rear bedroom feels wonderfully cosy.

At the same length as the island bed, and only 5cm narrower, the drop-down bed at the front is comfy. It comes with its own lights and a cubbyhole for books.

The only slightly unusual feature is that, when you come to pack away, the tabletop gets stored loosely on the raised bed. I am not sure about this arrangement from a safety perspective. A drop-down bed is not really designed to carry a table, particularly one as heavy as this. That said, such an arrangement is not unheard of, and we didn’t hear the table shift once, even on the tightest bend.

This is an abridged version of the full review appearing in the February 2016 issue of What Motorhome.