Full review

HOBBY motorhomes have always seemed to be designed for wealthy and discerning couples and there’s no arguing with just how special and upmarket this new family model Siesta coachbuilt feels, especially at night.

And especially with all the extra kit added for the UK market. Long-distance high-speed motorway cruising was also something at which the 140bhp Ford Transit was extremely good, not least with the standard-fit cruise control deployed.

Couples who entertain visiting grandchildren on a semi-regular basis will find the Hobby fits in perfectly with their overall needs – top quality and well-equipped accommodation for two, with room to spare, in other words.

The simple fact of the matter is that on site this Hobby looks and feels mighty special. And Brit-spec models will come with a pretty special kit list too, including wood dash trim, heated waste tank, cab blinds, cab air-con, two airbags, TV bracket and an awning.

I’m not normally a fan of motorhome lounges that don’t feature a proper settee of some description, but this Siesta 600’s dinette is of the pullman variety, and there’s a swivel cab seat upon which to perch should you prefer a bit of ‘me-time’.

Certainly, we three adults never really felt like we were sitting on top of one another at any point during the week, and from a games perspective (we’re big fans of Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble and the odd hand of cards when we’re away), the Hobby’s lounge layout is ideal.

Having six berths in a motorhome this compact means having a set of fixed bunks, and the Siesta 600’s are slung out back in transverse (rather than longitudinal) fashion. Keeping in with the recurring lofty theme, it proved to be a bit of a climb for Mrs Le C’s mum into the lower bunk.

There’s a very good reason for that, though – you can stow a lot of gear beneath it via the offside garage door, even with the bed base lowered.

And the bed you snuggle into is generously proportioned and well served by both a window (located less conveniently at the head end) and an unutterably cute teddy bear night-light which can be dimmed by a judicious tweak of its nose.

Stroppy teenagers might find it a bit soppy (there’s a teddy light in the top bunk too), but my mother-in-law absolutely loved it!

As for Mrs Le C and I, it’s a case of limber up and get ready for the climb up to the overcab bed. As usual, I get the inner berth, which also means my nose is only a short distance away from the sloping roofline – claustrophobic types would be better off kipping down on the downstairs double.

Located between the dinette and the bunks, the washroom disappoints just a little by lacking a fully separate shower, but in reality this is a compact family vehicle at just 6.4 metres long, so there has to be a trade-off somewhere.

In any case, it’s a good-looking and well-finished room with the usual trademark profusion of mirrors, lights and shelves, a circular rooflight mirroring the heavily grooved shower tray below and a Thetford C200 swivel loo.

There’s a fair amount of room to move within the cylindrical shower cubicle, but inevitable wheelarch intrusion cuts back on available floor-space and care is needed to adjust the sliding doors just-so to avoid overspills.

Overall, though, the Siesta’s washroom is fine for families (or, indeed, couples) who frequent full-facility sites. Big families looking for self-sufficiency on CLs or CSs should consider their options carefully before committing.

The essential full English fry-up that ensues once teeth have been scrubbed and fresh clothing shrugged into proves to be a bit of a squeeze on the Siesta’s three-burner hob.

And we have no other culinary options as the standard-for-the-UK oven/grill – fitted high up over the fridge/freezer – is missing in this continental-spec model.

Better news comes in the shape of a bewildering array of large, deep drawers. The strap that renders the nearby window non-opening seems a rather Heath Robinson way of preventing careless owners from allowing the window to bash into the neighbouring door, though.

Still, it’s a well-designed and brightly-lit galley that has the added benefit of a 150-litre AES fridge/freezer located remote from the kitchen proper, opposite the washroom.

On the long haul north to return the Hobby to its supplying dealer, I’m reminded starkly of its dynamic shortcomings at the Saddleworth Moor summit of a particularly palm-sweatingly windswept M62, but overall I can’t help liking the upper-class German.

It’s clearly been built to last and designed in such a way as to laugh in the face of the bleakest of mid-winters, and the beds and general storage levels score highly, even if the under-nourished kitchen and compact washroom impress a little less.

A full version of this review was published in the March 2010 issue of Which Motorcaravan magazine.

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