Full review

IF the exterior design of some Rapidos is a touch passé, the interiors are simply classical and all of them succeed in looking expensive.

Never has this been truer than with our 909M test ’van. This year’s new – a shade darker – Elegance furniture in Indian Summer Maple looks rich and luxurious.

The (also new) chrome details – entrance door handle, mains socket covers and light switch surrounds – enhance that upmarket impression, while the fabric trim on the bedroom cupboard doors shows that Rapido can be a little more adventurous at times.

It’s all rounded off to perfection by the optional beige leather trim, though there’s something to suit all tastes in the soft furnishings department if cloth is more your thing.

Our test ’van was a one-off, using up a last-of-the-line 2009 Euro 4 chassis. Its 2143cc engine (badged 315CDI) is a close relative of the new 316’s but it has 13 fewer horses in its corral and produces about nine per cent less torque.

If footie is a game of two halves, then this must be Posh and Becks’ ideal motorhome. The front half is very much the daytime living, driving and cooking part, the second (rear) half the sleeping and washing area.

There’s a small step – and even a proper sliding door (another new design feature that Rapido say has Japanese ‘Zen’ influence) – separating the two. Unless you pull the door across, though, this feels like a large and spacious motorhome inside.

With the cream panelled door shut, the front of the 909M has the feel of a cosy apartment. Two swivel armchairs combine with two side settees, the longer one opposite the entrance, to create a comfy lounge for up to four.

And the table not only moves forward/backwards and side-to-side but rotates and folds in half. When folded it’s ideal for snacks, while unfolded it awaits the sort of French gastronomy that is well beyond my culinary skills (and beyond my bank balance except on birthdays). You’ll have no problem setting the table for four either, and your guests are spared the view of your unmade bed!

The galley isn’t big but it is well detailed. There’s a second sink, which has a removable glass lid (for chopping on), as well as two inserts (one a draining board, the other for veg preparation). The hob is neat, too, with its split glass lid, so you can uncover just a single burner for a brew, while leaving the rest as useable worktop.

Opposite, at a slightly jaunty angle, as if the designer had a glass too many of the local vin ordinaire over lunch, is the pièce de résistance – the latest, frameless front, 149-litre Thetford fridge/freezer in a matt grey finish and with SES (Smart Energy Selection, so it chooses gas, 12V or 230V by itself). And the angle of the fridge is no accident – it’s optically pleasing – while the grey finish shows that classic and modern can live side-by-side in harmony.

As ever in the world of motorhomes, there’s an insect in the ointment – the beautifully crafted top lockers lack positive locking, leaving you with the nagging doubt that you might be showered with all your possessions in the event of an accident.

The majority of motorhomes in 2010 have proper beds – not ones cobbled together from seat cushions – but how many really have a bedroom? In our view not nearly as many as the manufacturers claim. Even in most island bed layouts there’s a sort of all-in-one bedsit-style living arrangement. Not here. This is a bedroom.

Access to and around the bed is good, whichever side you sleep, but the shape of the bedroom does compromise the amount of hanging space in the triangular wardrobe. There are shelves inside, though, and two large cupboards below.

Most importantly, the bed is as comfy as a bed should be.

Like most A-classes, the 909M also offers a drop-down bed in the cab – and it’s as easy to use and as inviting as any rival. There are lights at both end of the bed and, crucially, there’s a roof vent above it.

Most motorhome makers share features across different models and that’s true of Rapido and the 909M, but the washroom is unique to this model.

The longer 9009dFH allows the washroom to extend behind the bed to accommodate a separate shower. Here, though, compromises have had to be made, so you get an all-in-one washroom with shower doors closing off a large cubicle in front of the loo when required.

Lift out the duckboard before showering, however, and the problem of a wet floor afterwards is resolved. It also releases a fraction more headroom, which will be marginal for some folk (a minimum of only 1.77m/5ft 9½in with the duckboard in place).

The washroom makes a good first impression with plenty of rich wood, offset by minty green for the washbasin, shower wall and cupboard highlights.

There’s masses of storage, a good-sized mirror, an opening window and the ceramic bowl Dometic cassette toilet.

All good news. Then there’s the (huge) basin which hides in a corner, then swings out over the toilet and clips into position.

We loved its glass-like finish and the illuminated soap dish; here’s a washroom that exceeds the sum of its parts. Expect to see it in other 2011 Rapidos, hopefully with a few inches more headroom.

A full version of this review was published in the November 2009 issue of Which Motorcaravan magazine.

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