Full review

The word ‘unique’ is over-used in this market and features claimed to be so are often simply rare. However, the Signature genuinely does have a USP. Just look at the very automotive styling of this luxury (another over-used term but apposite here) A-class and you might wonder if it isn’t quite ready to leave the factory floor – where are the bus-style mirrors suspended from on high on the cab?

Well, the Signature has no need for such ungainly appendages and benefits accordingly in terms of appearance and aerodynamics. Instead, there are cameras on the outside and neat screens adjacent to the A-pillars on the inside. You get two views each side (plus a reversing camera view via the central dashtop display). The screens give a better view – we’ve tried them a couple of times now and think they’re great.

At the opposite end of the motorhome there’s another feature that’s not quite unique but is certainly unusual. The two single beds (each measuring 1.97m by 0.82m) look pretty conventional but they have a neat party trick – they slide together electrically to create a double bed. Better still, you can sit up in bed, despite the cupboards all around, as the head end of each bed tips up to create a lounger-style arrangement.

The base for this rather special motorhome is the latest Iveco Daily, uprated here as part of the Chassis Pack to a 3-litre 210bhp model with slick eight-speed automatic transmission. In fact, this show model was loaded with extra kit, including the £14k Comfort Plus Jet Pack (featuring a lithium battery, inverter, solar panel, satellite dish, two TVs, etc), resulting in a total price of £191,087.

But this is a 5.6-tonne, 8.5m motorhome that bears comparison with the best German brands. Its automotive styling is a standout aspect, there’s a 270mm-deep double floor and a tonne of payload (in standard spec). Details impress as soon as you start to examine the multitude of external hatches, and especially when you discover that you don’t need a mains lead or hose – they’re built in.

The comfortable side settees give an open-plan feel that’s en vogue, while the cab chairs rise electrically to a similar level because the cab floor (and driving position) is lower. Then, when you need rear travel seats, fold-away Aguti chairs unfurl beneath the sofas.

The central washroom area is huge, with a domestic-sized shower cubicle and a smart washbasin with wall-mounted tap – boutique hotel style. Also featured here is the optional Tecma macerator toilet with 100-litre tank.

The kitchen has plenty of worktop (in resin, of course), a slide-out pantry storage unit over the sink and an oven/grill, while opposite are the domestic-type 173-litre fridge/freezer and fitted microwave. Adjacent, the Grundig telly hides behind a ridged white panel that splits and slides (half up, half down) to reveal the screen.

But it’s not just about surprise and delight novelties, this Gallic luxury-on-wheels comes with a 300-litre fresh water tank, a garage that’s 1.21m tall, an athermic windscreen, an electric awning, a heat exchanger and twin rear wheels with widened track.