Full review

What’s the point of the product? Look around the motorhome market and you’ll discover that the vast majority of continental ’vans have four belted seats but lack the cosy rear lounge beloved by us Brits. You’ll also find UK motorhomes with both belted seats (in a full dinette up front) and a rear lounge, but they’ll be quite a bit longer.

The Lifestyle here provides four berths, four belted seats, that all-important lounge, and all in a ’van that’s well under 6.5 metres (21ft) long. With the market now increasingly favouring more versatile models with berths and belts for four, and with many buyers seeking to downsize, this layout seems more relevant than ever.

Design

Externally, the 644 is styled in plain fashion – typical, in fact, of many entry-level offerings. Four features enhance over the standard Swift offering: there’s silver metallic paint decorating the cab, a wind-out awning and an electric step that auto-retracts on engine start up.

Step aboard and it’s the furnishings that buck the entry-level moniker – it’s good-looking and feels substantial. The upholstery is well executed and blends perfectly in the current neutral shades fashion.
The unusual layout takes full advantage of interior space, as both cab seats swivel to help form the up-front half-dinette lounge. The kitchen and washroom live in the centre, and then the compact twin-sofa second lounge in the rear. The beds come as two transverse doubles (singles aren’t possible): one above the cab, the other made from the lounge.

Living and Dining

If you buy this motorhome it should be because you want a compact four-berth with a rear lounge. The rear travel seats simply make it a sensible proposition – one that’s safe for all residents to travel in. However, with the cab seats swivelled you also get a second lounge, and one that’s nicely spacious, if a bit dark, thanks to the lack of windows on the nearside.

The rear lounge is light – thanks to three windows and a Midi Heki rooflight – and comfy. There’s feet-up lounging for two in here, while a TV bracket (with attending power/aerial sockets) is nicely set on the adjacent wardrobe wall. There’s good seating for five, but bear in mind that the rear wall is only equipped with a thinly padded backrest
– the Lifestyle pack’s scatter cushions will be needed, plus maybe a few of your own.

Up front, the dinette is equipped with a little flip-up coffee/snack table and there’s another table mounting socket in the floor. But there’s no second table to use in it.

The Kitchen

This British motorhome brings a very British kitchen. Kit-wise, the galley is just about spot on for the motorhome cook. The generous sink sports both a removable drainer and a drop-in chopping board, and the cooker is the half-height stove that provides an effective oven and reasonable grill without robbing too much storage space. The fridge is modern, with electronic controls.

The hob features one big high-speed burner that, while it’s designed for woks and the like, also boils your morning kettle quickly when you need it most. Above, another Lifestyle enhancement comes in the shape of a roof fan that sucks and blows – ridding steam and smells and providing a source of cooling air in hot weather. And it has no less than 12 speeds. From a whisper to a roar, this fan is a useful addition that will serve more than just the kitchen.

The Beds

Both beds are transverse doubles, so length should not be much of an issue: with 6ft 10in on offer in both, only basketball players might complain. Widths come in at 4ft 6in and 4ft 5in – front and rear – so figures akin to domestic equivalents provide enough room for two adults in each.

An alloy ladder gives access to the overcab bed, which is quite spacious. Its mattress is rather thin, although it proved comfy. A window gives natural light and ventilation, a wall-mounted halogen lamp artificial illumination.

In the lounge, the bed is easy to make, using the time-honoured caravan method of pull-out slats that bridge the gap between the sofas. Backrests drop in and an infill cushion completes the job. 

The Washroom

We're fans of the drop-down washbasin as it helps make the best use of space in small washrooms. The bowl empties into a drainage trough behind and below.

Above the basin there’s a well integrated cupboard: large, with two mirrored doors and plenty of deep shelving within. Below all this, the loo is the bench-type Thetford that also integrates beautifully. A larger-than-the-norm wheeled waste tank and built-in flush water tank provide extra love-it points from yours truly.

The shower is integral and features a separate mixer head with trigger flow control above a twin-outlet tray.

To read this review in full,  order your digital edition of the September 2013 MMM here.

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