Full review

Hobby’s Optima OnTour range combines sturdy German quality with an un-Germanic standard specification.

The maker calls it HobbyComplete and the concept is simple – that you don’t need to add loads of extras to the basic vehicle.

That’s probably even more important here, because the T65 HKM model is a rare find – a low-profile motorhome that’s designed specifically for families.

It’s just a whisker under 7m long and built on a 3,500kg chassis but, while the cab looks familiar, the badge on the front is the double chevron motif of Citroën, not the usual Fiat roundel.

As a German model, it’s badged Jumper and the standard engine is a 120bhp diesel – exactly the same power unit as you get in a Peugeot Boxer.

Like that chassis, it’s manual-gearbox-only here – there’s no auto option, but you can upgrade to 140 or 165bhp. Extras fitted on this show model included alloy wheels and cab seats trimmed to match the living area.

The standard Citroën spec includes air-conditioning, driver and passenger airbags, cruise control, mudflaps, height-adjustable cab chairs and a front bumper and door handles that are colour-coded.

It’s the layout that’s the USP, with a pullman dinette on the offside and a long sofa opposite. There’s no need to struggle with infill cushions at night as the bed simply pulls down from the ceiling above.

It measures 2.00m by 1.30m (according to Hobby) and there’s also a pair of bunk beds across the back of the campervan. These aren’t just for kids, either, at 2.13m long and 0.84m or 0.90m wide. Better still, they’re a decent distance away from the dinette, so you won’t disturb the little loves as they (hopefully) sleep.

Whether it’s family time or after the kids have gone to bed, the lounge is a good size, even without bringing the cab seats into play, and the table extends towards the settee for when you’ve got an extra visitor.

The kitchen is well separated from the lounge, although the chef may be disturbed by comings and goings through the habitation door.

Its L-shape design incorporates a surprisingly generous amount of worktop, even before you deploy the extra flap across the door.

A full-sized oven/grill is an option that’s sure to be required by most British buyers and it’s mounted at floor level – better, perhaps, than up in the sky over a fridge/freezer, but certainly requiring some bending down.

Opposite, the tall/slim 133-litre fridge is not only easy to access but comes with automatic energy selection.

The Optima OnTour also comes with a range of other features, from body construction with a GRP underside and hail-resistant roof to a pull-out gas shelf to make changing cylinders much less of a back-breaking exercise.

Heating comes from the powerful (6kW) version of Truma’s Combi, although you do have to pay extra for the less baffling CP Plus controls, as well as the gas/electric EH version (standard is gas-only).

Fresh and waste water capacities are adequate at 100 litres and 96 litres, respectively, while even the latter is heated and insulated. That’s the philosophy here, a practical motorhome with all the essentials and, with the HKM layout, it has few direct rivals.