Full review

The Pimento is a cuddlier version of Murvi’s Morello.

Until recently, most Murvis were based on Fiat’s front-wheel drive Ducato, except for those who could afford the Mercedes Sprinter version. The old Transit was a tad too slim. The shiny new Ford, however, has an increased girth. So, you can now have a Pimento with front, rear or four-wheel drive, where no such animal existed previously.

I’ve long been a Transit fan – liking its superior-feeling engineering, cheaper servicing costs and compliant ride. The new Ford does not disappoint. It walks a line between the Mercedes’ squishy suspension and the Fiat’s sometimes bone-jarring ride, providing very comfortable progress.

Performance from the optional (£600 extra) 123-horsepower motor proved plenty good enough – although no ball of fire, it was easy to keep up with the pack on the M5.

External styling is conservative, but the cab internals are mostly superb, with the Ford Focus-style dash providing up-to-the-minute design and facilities.

The Trend spec cab (fitted here) isn’t cheap, but it brings many useful features that upgrade the Tranny to car standards, with items such as automatic lights and wipers and power-folding mirrors.

My only gripe is the heater controls. They are too small, too far from the driver and angled slightly downwards. Why? But one feature to make up for that is the Ford-factory-fit reversing camera (around £250 extra), which is mounted low enough on the rear panel to make it easy to clean. The monitor’s image within the mirror is incredibly bright, even in sunny weather.

The Pimento’s high-back seating provides domestic-style ergonomics on a short settee that’s big enough for two or three to relax in comfort.?Swivelling cab seats join in, but thanks to the design of the base vehicle, these are located higher. This situation persists with many front-wheel drive base vehicles as rear load area floors are lower. But these chairs are well placed for watching the TV, which lives on the side of the wardrobe to the rear.

The overall result is a lounge that’ll take up to four people in comfort. The same applies when it comes to dining, as two tables do duty – one for each seating area. The first is a good size and stands in front of the sofa, providing a great place for two to dine. Table number two attaches to the base of the swivelled cab passenger seat, providing a smaller surface, but still a good one. But entering the leg into its mounting clamp and achieving a comfy position to use it can be tricky.

There’s just a lengthways double bed on offer, as the sofa base slides out. The sofa is just over four feet long, but transforms into a 6ft 5in bed, thanks to a cantilevered wardrobe with a further upholstered section beneath that slides out to create a generously sized double for this size of ’van. There are some gaps present, but they’re likely to be between two people rather than underneath. An innovative fabric ‘cube’ zips open to receive bedding when you don’t need it, then stows neatly below the wardrobe.

There is a choice of different cooking/cooling combos. Three different hobs are on offer – one includes a mains hotplate, another is diesel-fired and, when combined with a compressor-type fridge option, can help create a gas-free campervan. There’s a grill on the list and a mains-powered microwave/grill, too.

There’s also a rare built-in drainer and a flip-up worktop beyond. Storage is good, with big cupboards below, three lockers above and a good drawer. Murvi’s attention to detail provides cutlery, fitted melamine crockery, a rubbish bin – even a stove-top toaster, kitchen-roll-holder and chopping board.

The washroom takes its lead from the Morello, but this time there’s access through the rear offside door. The Morello and Fiat-based Pimento locate the toilet to one side, making access easier. Due to restrictions imposed by the Ford base, this isn’t possible here and the loo has to face rearwards. You have to hop over the loo to get in or out. Toilet servicing, however, is easy.

The rest of the washroom is arranged practically with a single-outlet wet-room/shower tray floor. Realistically, the shower is probably an occasional-use feature, but it’s great to have.

There’s a fair bit of storage space under the sofa and in two overhead lockers. The wardrobe is large for a ’van of this size. Above the cab, a slot-style locker is home for the large table, but there’s space in here for more.

Lighting is all-LED and there’s plenty of it, but it can be subtle too thanks to clever switches. Webasto’s DualTop heater runs on diesel from the vehicle’s tank. Like the Truma, however, it runs on mains electricity when connected to campsite hook-up. Gas is supplied by an underfloor tank.

Upholstery choice is mind-boggling. Just the sight of the many fabric swatches is enough to confuse. But it is the fabric that can change the look and feel of a motorhome’s interior the most. This demonstrator had a simple plain blue theme that created a cool, modern feeling. But I had to be careful with my glass of Shiraz!

This is an abridged version of the full review appearing in the Summer 2015 issue of MMM.