Berths: 2/4
Travel seats: 2/4
Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato
Gross vehicle weight: 4,500kg
Payload: 880kg
Full review
We all think, “I could design a better motorhome than that!” Heidi and Lothar Schleinkofer did just that, convincing Dethleffs to produce their novel design, the Alpa.
Their second design has been adopted by Dethleffs’ parent company, Hymer. The DuoMobil only narrowly missed out on winning the Luxury Motorhome of the Year 2015 title.
The ‘van’s habitation door is a generous 70cm wide and part of the central locking system (as, unusually, are the two garage doors). It has a window, door pocket, two umbrella hooks and a full flyscreen. Because the DuoMobil has a double-floor containing the life-support systems, this leads to two internal steps (one, with a lid, forming storage).
Further inside, you notice this bespoke design is unlike most rivals. Behind two non-swivelling captain’s seats, where A-classes almost always have a half-dinette, the DuoMobil has half-height cupboards both sides. Then, on the offside, is a wardrobe, followed by the shower cubicle – and, opposite, the washroom. The kitchen is opposite the habitation door, the fridge immediately behind the door and, at the rear, the U-shaped lounge sits around a large, fixed table.
As expected, the décor is luxurious. There’s an impressive array of LED lighting throughout, with four reading lights and eight ceiling clusters in the lounge, four more in the skylight surround and display lighting in the corner glasses cabinets – and all is dimmable.
Move into the cab and, with no hints externally, you see you’re in a Fiat Ducato. The steering wheel and gearknob (here controlling a Comfort-Matic gearbox) are leather-bound, and there’s automatic climate control, plus ESP, traction control and hill start, as well as the usual cruise control and twin airbags.
To shift this 4,500kg ‘van (with an 880kg payload), Hymer provides the 148bhp, 2.3-litre engine as standard, but far better is the optional 3-litre, 177bhp lump in the test ’van. This, combined with the Comfort-Matic gearbox, gave a smooth, seamlessly powerful driving experience and 23.1mpg overall.
The lounge seats a maximum of five. Both long and shorter sofas offer a good, if slightly close-up, view of the wall-mounted TV, which has a slot above for an audio unit, plus four overhead speakers. Behind the rear seat, a deep window sill contains a cubby with mains and USB sockets and two corner cabinets each store six wine glasses.
The constant need to move the swivel tabletop when entering and leaving the lounge could be irritating. The DuoMobil is intended for couples but Hymer offers two Aguti travel seats that fold away in the settee bases. They are quite comfortable for shortish journeys, although foot-room is limited.
The kitchen, in gleaming white and chrome, looks especially appealing with its Corian worktop. There’s copious storage in two deep drawers to right and left, and a central drawer containing two bins. Generous overhead shelved cupboards sit alongside an electrically-lowered coffee-maker unit.
The three-burner hob can as an option include an electrical induction plate. Like most motorhomes, the DuoMobil sits slightly tail-up, so unfortunately the sink’s plughole - centrally positioned to the far side - inevitably left an undrainable puddle on the down-side. And instead of flowing down the drainer area, soapy water flowed past the sink and onto the floor. Many will also find the 160-litre fridge a little high, at 1.60m (5ft 3in) to the base.
The washroom door swings across the aisle, creating a sumptuous en suite. The large, separate shower cubicle has corner shelving and a hanging rail and the shower tray has front and rear plugholes. Opposite, the spacious washroom has lots of storage, mirrors and lighting.
The DuoMobil’s large main bed hides over the cab. Instead of a cold metal ladder, a set of wooden steps slides out from the nearside cupboard – and these provide yet more storage. Headroom above the bed is good and there’s a small push-up Heki, reading lights, a master switch for all internal lights and a TV point.
To make the twin single option, remove two boards (with upholstered cushions) from their slots against the walls and lay them on the bedside cupboard tops. These allow two people to sleep longitudinally in a very wide bed. You’re expected to sleep heads to the front, so you’ll need to level the ’van unless you like sleeping head-down, which is not as comfy. The other occasional sleeping option – a double made up from the lounge – proved disappointing in use.
Storage is excellent. There are no less than six overhead cupboards around the lounge and four out of the five between-floor cubbies are available for storage – the biggest (in the lounge floor) is even set up as a linen basket.
Best of all, the garage (which has lighting and heating) has a maximum payload of 400kg. There’s another inter-floor locker, too, with doors either side, for skis and long items.
We’ve never before met a motorhome with 19 mains sockets. Heating too is superb, with Alde’s ‘wet’ system. Both fresh water (190 litres) and waste water (175 litres) are in tanks situated within the insulated floor. The waste is easily emptied using an extension hose and operated by a switch in a nearside locker.
This is an abridged version of the full review appearing in the September 2015 issue of MMM.Content continues after advertisements
The DuoMobil, as you might expect, has excellent storage and a great washroom. But an overlarge table gets in the way.