Full review

Pilote’s Galaxy range includes lengths from 5.99m (G600) up to 7.89m (G781), with the most popular size amongst UK customers being 7.49m (G740). However, a new option this year is the G720 at 7.25m long, although there’s just one floorplan choice (which is also available in a similarly sized low-profile Pacific model).

The FC suffix here indicates a face-to-face lounge (the ‘F’) and an island (or central – hence ‘C’) bed at the rear. It’s about as en vogue as you can get in a motorhome of these dimensions.

That current popularity is not hard to explain as the front part of the motorhome feels especially open and spacious. The lounge is particularly comfy, too, aided by the fact that cab and rear share the same seat and floor heights, while the fold-in-half table is not overly large.

The longer nearside sofa also has an angled forward edge, enabling the adjacent captain’s chair to rotate right around, so you can put your feet up. The fact that the TV bracket (on the side of the fridge) is height-adjustable is a further plus.

The settees also convert easily into a pair of forward-facing rear travel seats and we liked the way the settee backrests attach with magnets.

The nearside kitchen is a little smaller than in the longer G740FC model and eschews the usual L-shape for a straight run of deep cabinets. However, there’s plenty of worktop in front of the two-burner hob and lots of drawer-based storage below. The latter is reduced if you order the 36-litre oven/grill, but at least this isn’t mounted over the tall fridge/freezer (a 134-litre model) opposite.

You won’t be short of storage, though, as there are 130mm-deep compartments in the floor, as well as a drawer-style skirt locker on the nearside (max 70kg). There’s a neat service hatch on the opposite flank with the fresh water filler, mains hook-up point (the lead feeds up through the floor), fuses, RCD and leisure battery all sited together. At the rear, the garage has large loading doors on either side and storage bins, moveable tie-down hooks and 880mm headroom inside.

Above that large locker space is a generous island bed, measuring 1.90m by 1.50m (max) although it’s curved at the end. There’s a new backlit headboard on these latest Pilotes, while usefully large flat surfaces at either side of the bed (complete with double USBs for him and her) are made possible by the raised wardrobes. There are rear speakers here, too, as well as flexible wand reading lights and room to sit up in bed. Adequate room at the sides of the bed allows for undressing, but space at the foot is especially tight when the sliding bedroom door is closed.

Forward of this, the en suite is split with the good-sized shower (with roof vent and drying rail) on the nearside and a surprisingly commodious toilet cubicle (the door of which shuts off the back of the motorhome) on the offside.

Shown here in Sensation spec (from £71,596 excluding VED), British buyers are more likely to be tempted by the GB Edition Pack which is based on the Essentiel trim but with added Media, Comfort and Energy packs, as well as features such as carpets, an oven and Truma Combi 6EH gas/230V heating.