DETAILED REVIEW

Words & photos: Peter Vaughan

The Swift Kon-tiki 894

It was only in 2019 that the Kon-tiki last had a major makeover. Then, this iconic name in British motorhomes was well over 3m tall and it introduced two interesting innovations – the Swift Vision camera system to aid all-round (not just rear) visibility and a Stargazer window at the back that wrapped over from the roof into the tail panel.

Both those novelties are absent from the 2022 Kon-tiki, which is 21cm lower than before and now a true low- profile (the overcab bed option has gone), but somehow with less presence, too. Not that it’s short on space – this 894 is still on a six-wheeler Al-Ko chassis and measures just 5cm less in length than previously. Unlike the old model, it now undercuts its closest rival (from Auto-Trail) on price but, at over £100k in automatic form, it’s still competing with both (smaller) A-classes and more prestigious brands for your money.  

What’s included

One aspect that has been carried over is the metallic black cab, but buyers are likely to want to upgrade from the 160 to the 180bhp engine with such a giant amongst motorhomes. What you do get as standard is Fiat’s 10in radio/sat-nav screen as well as the fully digital 7in instrument cluster and automatic air-conditioning.

Apart from sheer size, the SMART-construction body boasts two 100W solar panels, twin reversing cameras, external shower and barbecue points, a full-length awning, an electrically opening Skyview overcab sunroof and Alde heating. A tracker and 5G WiFi are included, too.

Its 5-tonne chassis means a more than generous payload, so you shouldn’t be too worried about overloading the garage but, unless you raise the rear bed, the locker isn’t tall enough to get bikes inside, and that transformation is done manually. There are also slide-out pannier lockers under the garage on either side, but a stepped floor for the garage would have been more useful, lowering the loading height and increasing headroom without adjusting the bed.  

The lounge

There’s no shortage of headroom in the huge lounge, which is the star feature. The offside settee is more than 6ft long and, while its opposite number is a tad shorter, it gains a padded armrest. Raked backrests ensure comfort and this lounge area feels quite special, with its ‘Ultra-leather’ upholstery. Note, though, that the front seats sit higher than the sofas and that the floor steps down aft of the cab – there’s no double floor here and the disappointingly small water tanks are underfloor. A 90-litre fresh tank is half what we’d expect on a ’van of this size and the waste tank is smaller still.

The lounge can be converted into travel seats, albeit with a selection of leftover cushions to stow, but, with no drop-down bed here, we’d expect this Kon-tiki to be used more as a super-sized two-berth. In the rear is a double bed with a 1.95m by 1.43m Duvalay mattress. Twin sliding doors can close off the bedroom and still leave plenty of room to get around the bed, while large bedside tables and a tall bedroom mirror are further pluses. There’s a big push-up type rooflight, too.  

The washroom

Between the bedroom and the main living area is a spacious, full-width washroom with a large separate shower featuring just a single drain outlet. Opposite, though, it’s hard to fathom how the inclusion of two steps in the floor around the toilet got past the prototype stage. 

The kitchen

Much better is the kitchen. Here, not only do you get a full domestic-style Thetford cooker with separate grill and oven, but also a fitted microwave and huge 177-litre fridge/freezer. There’s plenty of worktop and a generous pull-out pantry for all your non-perishable foods, although the cutlery drawer does seem like a bit of an afterthought.