Full review

Words: Peter Vaughan

Photos courtesy of Le Voyageur

The Le Voyageur Héritage LVXH 7.9 CF

Back in 1981, there was a new name in A-class luxury motorhomes – Le Voyageur. More recently, Fiat and Iveco have been chassis suppliers to this premium brand, now owned by Pilote, but for 2022 the three-pointed star is back on the front of a motorhome from La Membrolle-sur-Longuenée. Appropriately, the new range is called Héritage and it’s based on a Sprinter in front-wheel drive form with an Al-Ko chassis.      

What’s included

A 143bhp engine and six-speed manual gearbox are standard, but it’s likely that every homme and his chien will upgrade to the 177bhp motor and nine-speed automatic. Irrespective of that, standard spec includes driver and passenger airbags, stop/start, Attention Assist and a crosswind stabilising system. LED front and rear road lights are fitted, too, along with automatic wipers, a reversing camera, an electric parking brake, cab air-con and heated SKA captain’s chairs. Even more importantly, it’s a 4,500kg chassis, giving a whopping payload (before options) of 1,200kg.

Of course, the Merc dashboard features the MBUX display with optional 10.25in screen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay but an interesting addition is the drone view, provided by four high-definition cameras. This gives the illusion of a drone’s view from overhead, thus eliminating blind spots when manoeuvring. An optional dashcam can be added and it can even be used as a video surveillance system day and night.     

The exterior

The body has a new look that separates it from the existing Classic range (on Fiat Ducato). There’s an imposing gloss black grille, wearing the Mercedes star, while the body construction uses a rotproof frame with polyester exterior skin and 35mm of insulation. Naturally, at this level of the market there’s a double floor (26cm deep), as well as a 1.05m-high garage with two large loading doors to take advantage of that generous payload.   

The interior

Inside, you could only be in a Le Voyageur. The beige Prestige Vision leather upholstery and characteristic Dune furniture give a Gallic style to the interior, which has a side settee lounge, fold-in-half table and a suitably upmarket ambience. The small (85mm) step down into the cab seems like potential annoyance but, below the sofas, the fold-away Aguti travel seats could prove useful for those occasions when you need to carry passengers. At the rear, the island bed slides back into a chaise longue position, while the drop-down cab bed that provides the LVXH 7.9 CF’s other berths lowers electrically.   

The kitchen

The handleless furniture in the galley has matt black detailing (tap, splashback, extractor hood, etc) and, while the standard hob has just two rings, there’s fairly generous worktop provision. More notable, though, is the electric central locking of the large drawers and the fact that there are two bins and an eight-bottle wine rack. Sadly, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape is not included, but opposite you do get a 153-litre fridge/freezer to keep the Chablis cool. It’s the type where the doors open from either side, too. We’ll just have to wait and see where UK versions get their oven, but it seems likely it’ll be mounted above the fridge.   

The washroom

Striking black highlights feature again in the shower, which boasts 1.90m headroom and a shelf for gels, as well as a drying rack, roof vent and duckboard. Across the aisle, the toilet room has its cassette toilet on a plinth (check that out if you have little legs), large mirror-fronted cupboards and a washbasin mounted atop the counter.   

Summary

As ever, we love the fact that this Le Voyageur has a different style to its main Teutonic rivals. Just be sure you include the Luxury Pack when comparing costs because it adds all the items you’ll want, from Alde heating to alloy wheels, from automatic transmission to lithium batteries.