Full review

RAPIDO'S latest motorhome gets most of the important stuff about right, with the cab door (on the left with either LHD or RHD) shutting with a welcome solidity, the triple wipers clearing the screen well for the driver (but not so well for the passenger) and the top-hung mirrors giving an excellent field of view aft (even if you have to push the small lower lenses into position by hand).

The new heated and angle-adjustable reversing camera remains an option but its display is neatly incorporated into the double-size display of the standard Pioneer radio/CD unit, which also comes with speakers in the A-class dashtop, the lounge and the bedroom. And the sunvisors are electrically operated.

At the heart of all this detail is the well-respected combo of Fiat and Al-Ko, with a massive 4.7-metre wheelbase allowing the huge body size without a rear overhang measured in yards.

And with the much more modern front end come contrasting skirts, bumpers and rear corner panels – the colour is called Champagne-grey. Inside there’s a wider drop-down bed, and improved cab blinds too.

But the outside of this motorhome is not just about a bit of GRP Botox to keep it looking young. There’s real practicality here, the sort that’s designed for long-term touring.

For a start the 9002dFH is built on a double floor with full-width stowage for flattish items like deckchairs, and access from both sides and via a hatch in the lounge floor.

The skirt doors now open wider with the aid of gas struts and all the external lockers have nice new rotating compression locks. The underfloor area is heated too, while plastic storage bins behind the skirts and under the lounge floor provide even more space, though they could have gone even further and added a hidden safe.

All that’s before we get to the semi-garage storage at the rear – ‘semi’ because inside there’s a low-level island bed, but the 9002 still manages to offer 990mm of storage height in this area which comes equipped with an external shower, tie-down hooks, twin doors and a neat LED torch on an extending lead. And it’s heated of course.

Everywhere you look in this Rapido (even in the cab and the double floor) there are radiators linked to the Alde ‘wet’ central heating system.

To this end they have worked with the expertise of their Scandinavian dealers to provide truly all-weather heating, which they’ve named Arctic and which includes a heat exchanger to take warmth from the engine.

What we can be sure of is Rapido’s determination to build a truly luxuriously appointed vehicle, one that wants for nothing. As soon as you step inside you’ll be impressed by the large, open and light forward lounge, as much as by the proper end bedroom with central island bed.

You’ll quickly note the big fridge/freezer and the entirely separate toilet and shower cubicles, the rich classical woodwork and the feeling that this is a motorhome you could live in for a long time. You might have to pay extra for the leather trim but delve into the brochure and you’ll find that details like the twin leisure batteries and EFOY fuel cell are standard.

We were mightily impressed by the EFOY we had retro-fitted in our Bürstner long-termer last year as it did such a fantastic job of keeping the habitation batteries topped up, thus avoiding the normal periodically essential requirement of mains hook-up, but this is the first ’van we’ve ever had on test with a fuel cell as standard. And your independence from site facilities is extended still further when you own a 9002dFH by its massive 190-litre fresh water tank. Here for once is a motorhome that’s big not just to impress your friends but for practical reasons too!

The Rapido’s settees are shaped to allow the cab chairs (with tilting squabs and variable lumbar support) to turn to fully face aft with your feet up – perfect for watching the TV that slides out above the fridge/freezer. And if there are two of you on board then you’ll appreciate the convenience of that permanent table which, when folded, is unobtrusive but ever ready for coffees and snacks.

This isn’t just a two-person motorhome, though. It can sleep four in its two generous double beds, and with a bit of work it can adapt to give belted seats for five – just don’t plan to convert the lounge every day; it’s fiddly and requires extra cushions and supports that need to be retrieved from the garage.

Adding one extra seat (on the left, forward-facing) is simple but readying the other two places (forward-facing on the right and rear-facing on the left) is quite time-consuming (and legroom isn’t great, though the view out is excellent). If you do occasionally travel five-up then meal times will be no problem. Simply unfold the table of banqueting proportions – in fact there’s room to accommodate seven now!

If part of your holiday pleasure is stopping off at local markets and buying (too much of) all those things you can’t get at home, then the 9002’s new Dometic 8-Series fridge/freezer with its 160-litre capacity will delight. It’s a new design too, with the controls concealed till you open the mirrored black fridge door, while AES operation comes with the top-end A-class territory.

There’s no shortage of room for clothes in the bedroom with his and hers wardrobes and over-bed cupboards, plus a huge drawer at the foot of the mattress.

The bedroom has its own sliding door to close it (and the toilet compartment) off from the forward living area. Note though that the shower door opens into the kitchen, not the bedroom! You’re assured a comfortable night in a bed that’s over 6ft 4in long, with easy access, good lighting and mattress with adjustable raked backrest. The drop-down bed in the cab might be second best but is still a comfy double.

The rear bedroom includes a corner toilet area with a swivel cassette loo and tiny basin just big enough to rinse hands.

• This review was first published in the October 2010 issue of Which Motorhome magazine.