Full review

IF you’re looking for a motorhome of stunningly different styling, something that will turn heads on roads and campsites, then an Itineo could still be just the ticket.

And the Itineo range is unique in being solely A-class – and priced at a level below that of most A-class rivals.

The latest model to reach the UK – new for 2009 – is the MD740, a four-berth with some great features that reach much further than that eye-catching exterior. The layout is straightforward: drop-down cab double, longitudinal island bed at the rear, central kitchen and forward lounge area.

It’s the detail that identifies the MD740 as different. Take the cab bed for example. That panoramic wrap-around windscreen, which makes a strong contribution to the exterior styling, also provides a huge, flat area on which to place your bed.

And we mean ‘place’ – for this double lowers into place with, literally, fingertip ease. It does take substantial engineering, though, to achieve this mechanism – in the form of large struts that raise and lower the bed.

The next aspect of the MD740 that will impress you is the spaciousness of the dining area. With the cab seats swivelled towards the table you can seat five with ease. No headroom issues, no ducking under cab-entry bulkheads – just a great feeling of space.

Itineos also win fans from motorhomers who seek Hymer-echelon styling and quality – a really good European A-class, in other words – but don’t want to reach up to Hymer prices.

To see more reasons for that, come with us into the kitchen. You could be in any number of Hymer models here. It’s L-shaped, with a triple-burner hob, large circular sink and two cavernous cupboards.

There’s no automatic ignition to the hob or grill/oven, though, in typically continental style, so don’t forget to pack your lighter. Opposite, you have a full-size fridge/freezer topped by a Smev grill/oven. No surprises there. But look closer. Above the oven/grill a small locker opens upwards to reveal a neat flatscreen television mounting bracket that swings forward to enable you to watch TV from the swivelled cab seats facing the table.

Finish and quality of manufacture is high everywhere. Looks are typically European, as you’d expect, and with a few surprise touches like the grey slate-effect of the kitchen surface and table.

The head lockers open on gas-filled struts and have positive-click latches. The central control panel (above the door) is touch-control, there are two coat-hooks on an upholstered panel by the door, the dining table extends to give you space for five place-settings (just)… the list of points to note in this motorhome goes on and on.

Take the shallow step up into the bedroom to discover more. This time it’s the configuration of shower, toilet and bedroom that takes you by surprise. The door that closes off the bedroom doubles as the door to the little room housing shower and washbasin, just behind the fridge on the offside.

The bedroom is as cohesive an en suite bedroom-cum-dressing room as you can create in anything on wheels. It’s a near-perfect replica of a standard domestic design: island bed flanked by wardrobes and surmounted by overhead lockers.

One black mark concerns the MD740’s lack of mains power points. There is only one (in addition to the television point): it’s in the kitchen, usefully, in the perfect position for your kettle. But using a hairdryer in the bedroom or a laptop on the table would be a challenge from this single power source.

An easy remedy, of course, is to just order yours with more sockets… one under the table, one in the bedroom area, one by the shelf just behind the driver’s seat (the perfect position for a table lamp).

A full version of this review first appeared in the May 2009 issue of Which Motorcaravan. To subscribe to the magazine, click here.