Full review

Perhaps the French aren’t as good at spelling as they are at making wine. Or cheese. They’ve long missed the second ‘f’ out of Renault’s Trafic and now the Rapido Group brings us the Color Edition – with no ‘u’.

But, while the Franglais – or is it Framerican? – might leave a little to be desired, the idea here is a good one. Fun models (the cheaper ones in the range) can now be enlivened with a choice of Ocean (turquoise) or Coral (orange – see above right) highlights. Dreamer describes this as “a style that is both sober and contemporary.”

We say that it adds a bit of frivolity to Dreamer’s range and gets away from the wholesale ‘boring beige’ that afflicts so many leisure vehicles.

Splashes of colour aside, the D42 is an established model from Dreamer, the budget van conversion brand that builds its vehicles alongside Itineo and Rapido vehicles in Mayenne, northern France. Established, yes, but unusual, too. Going for the medium-wheelbase (5.41m long overall) Fiat panel van is already a less common choice than the six-metre alternative, but eschewing the transverse rear bed format (as seen in sister model, D43) for a French bed makes this a much more unusual motorhome.

Of course, running the bed lengthways, with the washroom alongside, does restrict the space available for sleeping. Mattress length is a generous enough 1.87m but width is 1.14m maximum, narrowing to 0.83m at the foot (where a jacket-length wardrobe overhangs the bed). Think of it in terms of being not dissimilar in size to a VW campervan bed – then think about your own dimensions to decide if you’ll fit.

There’s a large side window alongside the bed but the rear doors are unglazed – probably a good thing for propping up pillows, but leaving the exterior looking rather commercial.

It’s possible to make up a third berth up front in the dinette. This uses two metal supports, a roll of slats and an infill cushion, so its creation is rather fiddly. The bed measures 1.76m by 0.99m/0.57m and it also blocks the sliding door when erected.

The half-dinette lounge itself is a good size, especially for a MWB model. There’s no extension leaf on the table, no cab reading lights and no big Heki sunroof (just two small clear rooflights) but look at the price tag here and you’ll forgive all that. Dreamer ’vans have always been super-competitive.

The galley has a combined hob/sink unit with push-button ignition for the two burners. Below is an 85-litre Vitrifrigo compressor fridge, plus a trio of soft-close drawers.

More impressive, though, is the surprisingly spacious washroom. The walls here are properly lined with plastic mouldings and there’s the latest swivel cassette loo. The basin’s tap doubles as your showerhead but there’s plenty of room to use both the fixed basin and toilet, although the shower curtain is likely to make things feel more confined when you want a hose down.

If you enjoyed this review, you can read more in the December 2017/January 2018 issue of What Motorhome magazine.

You can get a digital version of this latest issue of What Motorhome magazine here.