Full review

Even nine-metre A-class motorhomes don’t always have the size of kitchen you might expect – or hope for. By the time you’ve devoted a couple of metres or so of length to a bedroom, installed a generous en suite bathroom, and added the sort of spacious lounge that you’ll want to relax in on a tour lasting months, there might not actually be that much space left for the galley.

Consider, too, that most motorhomes are designed so that kitchens, bathrooms, etc, can be common to different models and different layouts and you’ll start to understand the problem. And that’s before we even venture into the realms of whether our continental cousins actually do as much boiling and broiling on board, or whether they are more closely wedded to the outdoor life – and their barbecue.

But now there’s an addition to Niesmann + Bischoff’s flagship Flair line-up that prioritises cooking. As you enter this new Flair 920 EK you are faced by the superb new galley. Taking centre stage is a three-burner, gas-on-glass hob with the worktop on either side angled outwards. There are eight drawers for storage, ranging in size from large to XXL, while a Krups coffee machine on a slide-out plinth is the sort of touch you find at this price level.

A sink lid in the Corian-style worktop adds to the already generous preparation space, while a slide-out extending surface at the forward end of the galley is engineered in a way that is only possible in a ’van like this with over seven tonnes maximum weight.

Opposite the main galley, next to the offside sofa is a chest with sliding top that opens to reveal room for 16 bottles – enough for a very good party, except that the area isn’t cooled. Yet. This feature’s expected to come. Then, on the other side of the habitation door, is the latest Dometic Series 10 Tec-Tower with its fridge door opening from either side via a clever hinge system.

The lounge may be smaller than in some Flairs but it’s far from small. Cupboards fitted over the cab in this show model (instead of a drop-down bed) mean there’s standing room – and a flat floor – right into the cab, with more than 2m headroom, too. Also featured here was Buffalo hide upholstery – a special order option, finished impeccably.

If that impresses, then the vast en suite area between the kitchen and bedroom will make you forget you’re even in a motorhome. With its domestic-quality shower, Jabsco marine loo and room to swing several felines at once, this is more boutique hotel than leisure vehicle. Then, of course, there’s the rear bedroom, with twin beds each over 2m long. Below that is a garage with 1.39m headroom and there’s plenty of payload, too.

Of course, the payload figure quoted here will reduce as you load up with options – and the price will rise substantially, too. But the 2019 Niesmann range is more about choice than ever before. There’s new Modern Line furniture as an alternative to Classic Line, matt or gloss doors, new upholsteries, new exterior colours, a new Alpine sat-nav and much, much more.

If you enjoyed this review, you can read loads more like it in What Motorhome magazine. You can get a digital version of this latest issue of What Motorhome magazine here.