Full review

SOMETIMES we test a new motorhome and just know, straight away, that it’s going to be in the running to win a Which Motorcaravan award – and so it was with Rapido’s new 9010dF A-class.

In fact, we spotted the rightness of the concept when the model was unveiled last June, our world exclusive first live-in test only serving to reinforce our view that this was a very special motorhome. On the October 2008 issue front cover we called it ‘Rapido’s best ever A-class.’

The 9010dF is not just another continental A-class, though – its layout looks as if it was created for these shores even though the model is on sale right across Europe. Indeed, the only real differences between the French spec test ’van in which we toured Brittany last August and the UK spec model shown here are the side on which you’ll find the steering wheel and the fitment of the optional oven and grill.

So to that layout, which not only includes one of the most comfortable rear lounges we’ve ever sat in, but also a second seating area up front for extra versatility – and (crucially) a pair of occasional use rear passenger seats.

With a comfortable drop-down A-class bed in the cab meaning virtually no bed-making, surely this motorhome is the ultimate amalgam of European and British thinking in motorhome design. So what if the caravan door is still on the continental side? There’s a cab door on the nearside if you have to get out onto the pavement.

And while some European (and especially German) motorhomes stand out as being so very different to UK tastes, the Rapido range has the sort of warm wood tones, restrained fabrics and conservative styling that we love over here. Add in quality that is a match for the best of the rest and you can see why Rapido motorhomes have become a common sight on UK sites.

Expect that sales success to continue to grow thanks to the 9010dF, which is one of the very few A-class motorhomes to ever feature a rear lounge. Niesmann’s rear lounge layout Artos seem to have become a casualty of their change of importer, and in truth they needed more input from someone who really understood the UK motorhome scene.

Then there’s the much smaller, much cheaper, City Van CV60A, or a couple of Dethleffs – one much bigger, one much smaller. So the Rapido 9010dF is that rarest of motorhomes – one that has no direct rivals!

Step inside, though, and it impresses immediately, feeling ‘right’ straight away. Of course, rear lounge layouts are as old as the hills, but their limitation is usually the lack of rear travel seats. Models that combine a comfortable rear lounge with a second seating area up front to offer more than two travel seats are usually described as six-berth family models – and they’re big.

The 9010dF isn’t big, however; it’s actually a perfectly manoeuvrable 6.49m long – that’s shorter than the Swift Bolero nominated in this class – and that has only two berths and two travel seats.

The Rapido is rather more versatile thanks to its second seating area, too. Just behind the swivel captain’s chairs in the cab are two inward-facing single seats, but you cannot travel facing sideways these days so a little rearranging of cushions and backrest supports changes them to face forwards.

Just as importantly, the Rapido can sleep four, or a couple can enjoy an instant double bed with no cushion shuffling. Or they can each have their own bedroom. And all this has been fitted into an A-class that’s shorter than most others.

Standard spec includes a reversing camera, cab air-con, radio/CD with rear speakers, remote central locking of both doors, Isri captain’s chairs and new-for-’09 front end styling with top-hung driving mirrors. Those coach-style mirrors are a real improvement and even the interior mirror provides some through-view.

It’s on the open road that the 9010dF is at its best, however, as you savour the widescreen views and the surefooted AL-KO chassis. Mechanical noise is well suppressed, cab comfort is assured by the Isri chairs, and power comes as standard from the Fiat’s excellent 2.3-litre Multijet engine.

Think that the lack of a fixed bed in this motorhome will limit your storage potential for those long trips to the sun? Well, think again. The ‘d’ in ‘9010dF’ stands for ‘double floor’. On the nearside there’s a skirt hatch that stretches virtually from the cab door to the rear wheelarch.

Immediately inside here there’s a trough for levelling wedges, hose etc, while larger, flatter items can lie in the underfloor area that stretches right across the vehicle. An even more capacious compartment runs under the rearmost section of the lounge, too.

For all its many plus points, though, it’s the wrap-around seating out back that will really sell you the 9010dF. Here it picks up where the sadly short-lived, but fondly remembered Rapido 7068F left off, with superb seating comfort and genuine thoughtfulness in the practicalities of rear lounge motorhoming.

The big windows (with highly desirable and ultra-convenient but rarely seen single-handle locking) are a given, as is the wind-up Heki sunroof, but it’s the details that count – the corner shelves, radio speaker, swivel reading lights and the heater control positioned so you can adjust the temperature without getting up.

Then there’s the way the seating wraps around in front of the wardrobe, allowing extra feet-up space or perhaps a perch for the cook. Of course, there’s a slide-out bracket for a flatscreen TV, while even better is the way the table slides away under the settee.

This isn’t the world’s biggest rear lounge, but we don’t think you’ll find a more comfortable one. Seat height, curvaceous corner cushions and seating softness have all been judged to perfection. And if you wish to dine here, then the table is rock solid – incredibly so for an island leg type.

The kitchen is necessarily quite compact in this far-from-huge motorhome but the space has been well-planned. The hob has a split glass lid that allows one, two or three burners to be uncovered. Alongside, under a slot-in cover, is the matching stainless steel sink and drainer, while below is the 97-litre fridge and above the Baraldi extractor hood.

Add in the oven and grill option, and low-level storage might be lacking, but you’ll find enough cupboard space elsewhere. The 9010dF has a plentiful array of high-level lockers though they lack positive locking catches on their doors.

There’s generous cupboard capacity in the washroom too, which boasts a separate shower with semi-circular revolving door, a swivel cassette toilet, an opening window, a roof vent and a deep washbasin. It’s all very stylishly appointed and practical in use, and although it looks a bit short of ‘manoeuvring’ room at first, this is not an issue if you use the toilet’s swivel-ability at appropriate times.

So, there it is: a rear lounge motorhome that combines Britain’s favourite layout with Gallic flair, an A-class bodywork, an instant bed and top-notch build-quality. You can add leather trim (£1450) while music lovers might fancy the Symphonie Pack, but a habitation door flyscreen is the only obvious omission from the standard spec.

This is a well-equipped motorhome that really does impress more and more the longer you spend using it.

This review first appeared in the March 2009 issue of Which Motorcaravan. To subscribe to the magazine, click here.