Full review

There’s just one new layout in Marquis’ best-selling dealer special range this year, the Majestic 194. Its layout focuses on high-mounted twin beds in the stern, with a garage below – a format that has become increasingly popular in the UK but with its roots firmly in the German market.

The garage here is a good size, with 1.09m maximum interior headroom – enough for standard pushbikes. There’s a plastic floor, two loading doors and four (fixed) tie-down points, though the load height is not as convenient as some as there’s no dropped floor level aft.

Inside, the twin beds sit 1.25m above the main floor with two high steps providing access. At 1.80m (nearside) and 1.82m (offside), bed lengths are relatively modest but there’s no impediment to sitting up comfortably in bed – too often there are top lockers positioned (potentially painfully when you sit up) over the bed heads. Reading lights are provided, though, and there’s a TV bracket at the foot of the offside bed.

Where the Majestic really differs from its imported opposition is up front. Some continental makers (Adria, Chausson, Pilote, Rapido) have recently begun offering side settee lounges, but the Elddis goes its own way when it comes to travel seats. Rather than adapting the settees to face forward, cushions are removed, bases folded away and a pair of folding Aguti passenger seats is revealed. You’ll need to store the big sofa cushions while you travel but you get properly safety-tested seats.

In lounge mode there are armrests and scatter cushions to enhance sprawling comfort, while drop-front doors provide easy access to under-seat storage. Four reading lights are a plus, and the overcab sunroof (missing from the standard Autoquest on which the Majestic is based) means daylight can flood in. It’s worth noting, too, that the settees (which can convert into a transverse double bed) are an unequal pair – 1.27m long on the offside, 1.03m opposite.

If you’re comparing the Majestic 194 with a continental rival – a Benimar Mileo 264, perhaps, which is also exclusive to Marquis – then something to consider is the relatively small fridge here. It’s just an 85-litre under-counter Dometic to the Benimar’s 145-litre monster. The galley also features a central stack of four small drawers and a worktop extension flap by the doorway.

As you enter the motorhome, a tall mirror faces you on the bathroom wall but there are no coat hooks. In the washroom itself, the design is attractive – complete with countertop-mounted basin – but you’ll need to pull a curtain around for showering and there’s just one drain in the shower tray. Most continental models would put a greater emphasis on freedom from using campsite showers, but instead Elddis has allocated extra space to the kitchen.

Alongside the bathroom, the wardrobe provides a stowage location for the free-standing table. Under the foot of each single bed, tall lockers could act as further wardrobes.

But it’s the extra spec that’s key to any Majestic model. Significantly, it’s the powerful 160bhp Peugeot motor as standard, while the Boxer cab also boasts a touchscreen DAB radio with Bluetooth and sat-nav, as well as automatic cab air-conditioning with digital temperature settings. Also fitted to all Majestics are a reversing camera, solar panel, Aquaclean pet-friendly upholstery and external shower and barbecue points. Finally, for peace of mind, there’s a security tracking system and even a year’s free insurance. That’s a lot of kit for your £50k.

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