Full review

Words: Peter Vaughan

Photos courtesy of Itineo

The Itineo Nomad CS660

Itineo has a pretty unique take on what a motorhome should look like. It specialises in A-classes, but at the opposite end of the price spectrum to the many German liners seen at Düsseldorf. Even in the 2022 season, prices start at under £60k.

Its vehicles have always had a distinctive appearance, too, while layouts don’t just follow the herd with samey island bed and twin single bed formats. Long before the current trend to get families back into motorhomes, Itineo was addressing this market with some well-thought-out bunk bed models.

Now, for the new model year, it has tackled another niche – the compact A-class. Of course, this isn’t a new idea; Hymer has long had its Exsis and Dethleffs’ Globebus I is well established, too, but Itineo is combining a 6.61m overall length and 2.19m width with far more attainable pricing than the German brands. It’s also come up with three layouts in this new Nomad series, including another family model – the CS660.      

The exterior

Like the larger Traveller models (6.96m or 7.42m long, 2.34m wide), the slimline Nomads have Itineo’s bold new external styling, introduced for 2022. The rather aggressive face is unmistakable, while a new rear panel features boomerang-style tail lights. Bus-style mirrors are now in contrasting black and the daytime running lights are in a row of five on either side, just below the windscreen.

You wouldn’t know it from the outside, as there’s no maker’s motif, but underneath it’s not the ubiquitous Fiat Ducato chassis, either (although that remains an option for those wanting an automatic). Instead, it’s the sister Peugeot Boxer that donates its chassis-cowl and 140bhp, 2.2-litre engine. Stop/start, cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring and central locking (cab and habitation doors) come as standard.

The body features Itineo Life construction with a 100% polyester exterior (walls, roof, underfloor and storage/garage door internal panels). With this layout, the garage door is on the offside and internal capacity depends on whether you have the lower bunk bed in situ. Width of the locker is 700mm, with headroom of 480mm increasing to 1.24m with the bed stowed.    

The layout

Inside, the rear of the CS660 doesn’t just offer bunks for the kids (or adults – they’re 2.01m long and 700mm wide), but also a second seating area with a single side-facing seat on each side and a central, removable table on a cranked leg.

Again, it’s not just a space suitable for littlies and, at night, the seats can be used to convert the lower bunk into a double bed (1.30m wide), making the ’van into a five-berth. A fifth seatbelt in the lounge is an option, too, but as standard it has four travel seats. On site, it’s a decent-sized space for a family, with an L-settee, offside sofa and swivel cab seats. The table folds in half and the full-width cab and large windscreen enhance the impression of space, even though this isn’t as wide a vehicle as most A-classes.

Of course, there’s a drop-down double bed in the cab, too, leaving a large part of the lounge area undisturbed.

In the centre of the layout are the offside kitchen and nearside washroom, plus a huge wardrobe offering a 1.30m hanging height! The galley is fairly modest and lacks worktop, but pluses are the centrally locked drawers and tall 142-litre Thetford fridge.

Opposite, the washroom impresses with its premium feel and a practical swing wall arrangement to create the shower cubicle.   

Summary

You’ll need to add the Pack Life option (£1,210) to complete the spec and you might want to consider options such as alloy wheels, a second leisure battery, oven and carpets, but this is a new ’van that families should put at the top of their must-see list.