Full review

Images courtesy of Auto-Trail

The Tracker range was completely redesigned for 2021, with a much more modern low-profile exterior. With Auto-Trail’s now-familiar choice of six exterior cab colours (including the Nero Black seen here, a no-cost option), 16in alloy wheels and an overcab sunroof as standard, it’s a handsome-looking motorhome now.

The bodywork comes with high-gloss GRP scratch-resistant side walls, a colour-coded front bumper, a brushed aluminium grille and skidplate, and ABS skirts. At the back the new design looks contemporary and has bike rack mountings in situ. Marque devotees might miss the rear-mounted spare wheel (as seen on Frontiers), but a full-sized steel spare is fitted underneath. That’s despite even the longest Trackers being offered on a 3,500kg chassis, in this case leaving a payload of 360kg. You can up that by 150kg at no extra cost, if your licence allows, and this will become an essential if you add some of the other options available. A 4,250kg chassis is also possible, for a £1,200 premium.

The layout

The SB is one of three new layouts in the six-motorhome range this year, the other debutantes being a revised EKS (the sub-6.5m compact, now with a 140-litre fridge/freezer) and the RL (a 7.09m two- berth with a rear U-shaped lounge). Go to the top of the class if you’ve already surmised that ‘SB’ means single beds. Before we go inside this 7.39m motorhome, which we spotted at Marquis Leisure’s Surrey branch, near Guildford, it’s worth pointing out some more of the external features. On the nearside, they include a habitation door linked to the central locking and with a low entrance, so no additional, extending step is required. The door also features a waste bin, flyscreen and, of course, the trademark Auto-Trail umbrella. Also found on this side are a barbecue point and a small (750mm by 350mm) loading hatch for the under-bedroom storage.

There’s another, similarly quite petite, locker door on the offside, as well as an external shower. The reason for those smaller-than-expected outside loading doors is revealed as soon as you step inside and glance to the rear. While there’s a small step up from the rest of the living area into the bedroom, there are no further steps to climb to get into bed. This isn’t the usual twin-beds-over- garage format and the mattresses are just 670mm off the deck. It’s not unique in this regard (Dethleffs and Pilote are amongst the brands that offer low bed versions of their single bed layouts), but it is quite rare.

The beds

Of course, positioning the beds lower makes for easy access and a more spacious feel to the bedroom but it also leaves generous headroom for sitting up in bed (something that’s often lacking in layouts like this). The 680mm-wide mattresses measure 1.85m long on the offside and 1.91m on the nearside, while wardrobes (with a 720mm drop inside) are suspended over the foot of each bed, but with sufficient gap that you won’t kick them in your sleep.

That leaves deep (630mm-high) underbed lockers on either side of the Tracker, but access to this useful space could be improved. We’ve already seen that the external hatches are not very big and the slatted bed bases are awkward to lift from inside. A drop-front door eases access on the nearside, but not opposite.

Forward of the twin beds, you’ll find the continental-style arrangement of facing shower and toilet facilities, with the loo door hinged to close off the rear and create a private en suite bedroom. There’s no way of giving the ablutions privacy from those snoozing, though, which probably isn’t an issue if you spec the SB in standard two-berth form but could rile if you want a four-berth. As with other Auto-Trail models, the lounge here features no rear travel seats but these can be added with the HD lounge, which incorporates a half-dinette in place of one of the sofas for an extra £825 (and 25kg off your payload). Also, an electric drop-down double bed over the front lounge (£900 and 50kg) is a new Tracker feature for those contemplating family touring – now you’ll see what we mean about needing a chassis upgrade.

The washroom

Back to bathing and the offside shower has a step in its tray (onto which you’re warned not to stand), while also featuring a clothes drying rail and a corner basket for your shampoo, etc. Opposite, the toilet compartment has a roof vent (unlike the shower, where one is oddly omitted), as well as towel ring and loo roll holder. There’s a useful amount of storage and a small worktop adjacent to the basin.

The lounge

Some buyers will be drawn to the Tracker in its standard form because of the classic side sofa lounge, so beloved of British manufacturers but now also commonly seen in continental motorhomes. Here, the offside settee is the longer one (1.23m versus 0.84m) and there’s a slight step up into the cab, where both chairs swivel. The circular coffee table seen here is a welcome addition that we’re surprised isn’t standard – you’ll have to find another £200 for it. That’s money well spent as you won’t be retrieving the larger free-standing table from its locker alongside the fridge quite so frequently.

The kitchen

The kitchen comes with a 142-litre tall/slim cooler adjacent to the entrance, while the main galley is opposite. It’s an L-shaped unit that has everything you’d expect of an upmarket British ’van, including a full cooker with mains hotplate and separate oven and grill, and a microwave mounted above. A loose cover for the sink increases preparation space in the slate-style worktop and a folding flap extends this a tad more. Beneath that is a cutlery drawer but it’s a pity that this is the galley’s only pull-out storage.

Summary

The example we reviewed had the 160bhp engine upgrade (140bhp is standard), something that will be especially worthwhile if you’re going for a heavier chassis. It also came with the usual Auto-Trail Media Pack, which for £1,299 adds a 21.5in smart TV, omnidirectional aerial, reversing camera and, in the cab, an 8in Zenec touchscreen with DAB+ radio and motorhome-specific sat-nav. With the automatic gearbox fitted, too, that brings the total to just over £70k for this comprehensively kitted out and spacious two-person motorhome.