Full review

The epitome of a British luxury two-berth, Auto-Sleepers’ Winchcombe campervan also comes married to an upmarket chassis: uniquely in its class, Mercedes’ Sprinter provides motivation.

Perennial, popular and pretty much perfect for the British touring couple – the classic layout here places twin sofas up front, with divided kitchen behind and a bathroom that stretches full-width across the rear. The chassis provides rear-wheel drive and a comfortable, compliant ride that’s great for relaxed holiday cruising – if you’ve not owned a Merc before, try before you buy, as it’s a very different animal to the Fiat/Peugeot.

Auto-Sleepers’ motorhomes always come well equipped as standard and here that story starts with a 163-horsepower engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. In reality, though, just about every Auto-Sleeper Merc ever made has the optional, super-smooth, seven-speed, torque converter-based automatic transmission. Swivelled cab seats provide a pair of comfy armchairs, the sofas offer feet-up lounging for two. Dining is from a versatile free-standing table with room for four to eat.

Come bedtime, there’s a choice of a transverse double or two lengthways singles. The double uses just the forward section of the sofa’s bases, pulled together, so leaves handy seats, one each side, with the bed made. The singles are easy to make as neither intrudes into the cab.

Cooks should be well pleased with the kitchen as it offers all the kit and simple, but practical features, too. The full-sized cooker has a separate grill and oven plus one mains electric hotplate fitted to its four-pan hob, while across the aisle a digital microwave sits above a roomy fridge/freezer. Forward of this there’s a very big slab of worktop that also serves as a handy surface for the lounge and, at bedtime, it makes a great nightstand. Downsides? Very few, but the sink has no permanent drainer and the microwave is mounted a tad high up.

It’s a given that kitchens and bathrooms sell homes and in the case of this motorhome it’s the bathroom that’s the star. The right-across-the-rear location provides loads of space – enough, in fact, to allow a large separate shower. And, with the wardrobe/chest of drawers in here and plenty of floorspace, it easily achieves dressing room status. Other features of note include a vessel-style washbasin and bench-type toilet with its larger-capacity waste tank.

All is not lost if you like everything about the Winchcombe, but need more berths, as a double-bed-equipped overcab is a no-cost option. However, the essential rear travel seats will set you back another £1,000 – the offside sofa then being replaced with a pullman dinette similar to that in the Broadway EK.

On the subject of extras, the £4,000 Premium Pack includes such goodies as a solar panel, awning, alloy wheels and cab air-conditioning. There’s also a reversing camera, cruise control and sat-nav included, and, crucially, the automatic gearbox.

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