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Swift Champagne C402 coachbuilt motorhome
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Key Features

Model Year 2019
Class Low Profile
Base Vehicle Fiat Ducato
Price From (£) 47,350
Engine Size 2.3TD
Maximum Weight (kg) 3,300
Berths 2
Main Layout Rear Lounge
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At a glance

Berths: 2 Travel seats: 4 Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Gross weight: 3,300kg Payload: 548kg

Full review

Brownhills’ Champagne range is one of a number of dealer specials based on Swift’s entry-level Escape coachbuilt motorhomes. New for 2019, though, is a trio of six-metre models, based on the new Escape Compact.

Narrower than the standard Champagne, these newcomers are 2.26m wide. There’s a rear fixed bed model and two rear lounge layouts, including the two-berth C402 and the C404, which adds a drop-down bed. Champagne-coloured cabs give them a distinctive look while detail enhancements this year include Fero dark grey worktops and the addition of USB ports.

As with any special edition, the key focus here is extra equipment. That goes much further than the coloured cab with coordinating front bumper and the different soft furnishing scheme. Here, the spec extends to include reversing sensors, a 100W solar panel, external barbecue and mains electric points, an Omnivent roof vent with extractor, driver and passenger airbags, overcab sunroof, Winter Pack (heated waste tank, insulated pipes and fridge vent covers), silver dashboard trim, TV aerial, pleated windscreen blind and an upmarket habitation door with window, bin and central locking.

The floorplan of this C402 model features a small rear lounge and a second seating area up front, where a half-dinette bench caters for rear passengers. Here, the overcab sunroof is a vital addition, creating a feeling of space, while the window in the habitation door also lets in more daylight. With the cab seats swivelled, a table can be added – mounted on an island pole rather than the usual wall rail.

In the centre of the vehicle the kitchen sits opposite the bathroom but, because this coachbuilt is wider, the aisle between doesn’t suffer from the claustrophobic impression that you experience in many van conversions. There’s a decent amount of worktop here, too, even before you deploy the flip-up extension.

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In terms of galley specification, the relatively small (85-litre) fridge is compensated for by the high-level microwave. Cook’s kit also includes a Thetford Triplex unit with combined oven and grill and three gas burners.

But, despite all the extra bells and whistles, it’s the rear lounge that will be the main reason to buy a Champagne C402. It’s not a big space but with triple-aspect glazing and a rooflight above, this is a cosy area in which to relax.

At night the rear seat bases pull together to make a transverse double bed. It measures 1.92m by a fairly slender 1.28m, so make sure that it’s big enough for you – and remember that one of you will have to climb over the other to get to the loo in the night. At least you won’t be battling with flimsy caravan-style bed slats when it comes to putting the bed away in the morning. And, keeping you cosy, there are trim panels to stop your pillows touching the walls.

The washroom is an all-in-one unit that seems bigger than you’d find in a panel van but still requires a clingy curtain for showering. More disappointing is the lack of externally accessed storage space in this motorhome.

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.

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