Full review

The rear seats in a motorhome are often best suited to dining, with some being equally adept for lounging. Few are really ideal for travelling and most are a decidedly second-class option compared with the chairs in the cab. But that’s not the case here, where a pair of rear passengers get treated to captain’s chairs the equal of those up front.

But it’s not just the quartet of comfy seats that makes this Chausson a one-of-a-kind motorhome. While most continental motorhomes have their habitation door on the right and UK-built ’vans have theirs on the left, the 711 has two doors into the living area – one on each side.

From Chausson, one of the first firms to bring us drop-down beds in low-profile motorhomes, we’ve seen Hideaway Beds (as it calls them) as doubles, singles, island beds and even bunks. Here, then, it’s no surprise to see that the main sleeping quarters electrically lower from the ceiling.

What’s more of a USP, if not quite unique, so perhaps RSP (rare selling point!), is that there are actually two drop-down double beds in the 711. At the rear, the lounge table descends at the turn of a key, so the bed can come down to an easy-hop-in sofa level. This double berth is comfortable, long and wide, too. The front bed cannot come down as low – you’ll need to use the ladder here as the top of the fridge is partially in the way, but there’s still good headroom above.

Externally, the Chausson’s looks are pretty standard stuff for a seven-and-a-half-metre low-profile motorhome, bar that second habitation door, of course. There’s nothing else to give away the surprises within, but although this motorhome doesn’t have a fixed bed, it does have a garage – is there no end to the inventive design here? Not only are there garage loading doors on both sides, but a large, top-hinged lid in the rear panel, too. The garage is big enough for bikes and its across-the-rear boot lid allows access to all your kit, no matter where it’s located.

Then, if you’re an enthusiastic outdoor cook, you don’t have to clutter the garage with a gas grill. The optional Easy Chef – a three-burner hob/griddle which slides out of a dedicated locker – is a brilliant addition. Less novel, but still worthy of mention is that the electrics and water fill point are grouped inside an external hatch, ‘service box’ style. 

Inside, those four swivel chairs up front aren’t just great on the road, but they make an excellent second lounge area, too. First impressions are that the front seating area is very spacious. There’s a snack/coffee table here, too, and unusually for an imported ’van it’s removable.

But the 711 doesn’t feature just one lounge – it has two. And the second lounge is that British favourite – a rear wrap-around U-shape. Here, you could probably seat eight in reasonable comfort, so there’s oceans of room for the 711’s four residents. And the larger round table here makes the back of the ’van a great place to dine.

Also, the garage projects into the lounge far enough to allow a shelf to be fitted between the seating and the rear window, so there’s plenty of room for the detritus of life when pitched. And the back corners are home to a pair of capacious, jacket-length wardrobes, too.

After all this adventurous design, the kitchen is pretty ordinary. Ordinary, maybe, but better equipped in the UK than in a French-spec 711. For British buyers the galley has been especially redesigned to incorporate Thetford’s Triplex cooker with dual-fuel hob, grill and oven. It’s rare to find a continental model with a mains hotplate (as here), while the compact oven is big enough for a roast. Where imported vehicles often trump their English alternatives – fridge size – the Chausson does not disappoint. The tall ‘n’ slim Dometic unit boasts 134 litres, as well as benefiting from a removable freezer section and automatic energy selection.

A circular theme in the washroom sees a round basin, toilet lid and integrated shower cubicle fit snugly, while storage is squarer, with a shallow but expansive cupboard above and big pigeonhole further down behind the loo. There’s good countertop acreage, too, as well as a roof vent and opening window. And the semi-separate shower makes good use of the available space. 

If you enjoyed this review, you can read loads more like it in What Motorhome magazine. You can get a digital version of this latest issue of What Motorhome magazine here.