Full review

The Symbol has been a mainstay of the Auto-Sleeper range since 1998 but its layout actually goes back even further, to Talbot-based conversions in the 1980s. Today, this is the smallest motorhome in the Auto-Sleeper line-up and the only one based on the medium-wheelbase Boxer window van, rather than the long and extra-long versions which, perhaps, pose designers with fewer constraints.

That floorplan is a British classic with a rear kitchen and corner washroom and a front lounge with a side settee on the offside and a single forward-facing seat adjacent to the sliding door. At night, the lounge converts into either twin singles or a transverse double.

Auto-Sleepers claims dimensions of 1.86m by 1.46m for the double bed, but the singles may be the preferred option as access is easier with the central gangway retained. The twin beds do not involve the cab seats (which are pushed forward) but the nearside one is quite slim (1.94m by 0.63m) and the offside bed is modest of length (1.71m by 0.70m). Heads have to go to the cab end as feet tuck under the wardrobe on the nearside. As ever, when buying a motorhome, check carefully to see that the beds suit your own measurements.

In the day, the stepped floor (lower in the lounge than the cab) means that the front seats are considerably higher than the settee when rotated. The free-standing table is, therefore, best suited to sitting side by side on the sofa. There’s the usual choice of traditional soft furnishings, in a variety of colours, and scatter cushions complete the ensemble. The single nearside seat is fitted with a three-point belt, so the Symbol can carry an occasional extra passenger.

The rear kitchen is ranged along the offside, where you’ll find a worktop flap overhanging the settee. The cooker, alongside, is a Thetford Triplex with three gas burners and a combined oven/grill, while there’s a microwave mounted in an eye-level locker above.

To the right of the hob is a glass-lidded sink, then the height of the unit rises quite notably over the fairly compact three-way fridge. With a mains socket adjacent, this is where you’ll have to site your kettle, but there’s also a slide-out worktop extension here. There’s no opening window in the galley area but a vent is fitted in the ceiling.

The washroom is opposite the fridge, in the rear nearside corner and in this small but fully self-contained space you’ll find a modern Dometic toilet, above which are a rather basic fold-down plastic basin and a tiny mirror-fronted vanity unit. A separate showerhead and curtain cater for occasional stays away from campsites.

Despite being more compact (and more manoeuvrable) than its sister models, the Symbol comes with the same 2-litre 160bhp diesel engine for gutsy performance. It’s only a 3,300kg maximum gross weight for this model but this still results in a decent payload of 485kg.

As with all the Auto-Sleeper van conversions, it’s the Premium Pack (£2,500 extra) which adds essentials like cab air-conditioning and the reversing camera, while Media and Winter packs are £995 and £295, respectively.

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