Full review

Convenient layouts with single beds have two main alternatives on the market: high or low beds. The high version means you need steps to access the berths, although it allows for a large garage beneath. Low beds have no garage (although there should still be good stowage beneath each bed), but now the beds are easy to use. In some, such as the Roller Team T-Line 785, one final feature makes things even better and that’s an en suite washroom across the rear.

This Italian ‘van includes a drop-down double above the lounge that descends electrically to help make this a four berth – five if you include the less practical single in the lounge.

There’s a total of five travel seats on offer, too, but the fifth is rear-facing, with only a lap strap, no head restraint and little back support. I would not feel safe using it.

The Fiat Ducato base vehicle looks sharp in all its facelifted glory. Just 130 horsepower is adequate for this size of motorhome. Cab kit enhancements are offered by the Driver’s Pack.

The Fiat facelift did little to change the cab environment, but one addition is simple and very useful - the pop-up document-holder that can grasp something as large as an iPad, but also a much smaller phone.

There is absolutely nothing radical about the layout here, but this ‘van is well made, well finished and with impressive levels of equipment.

Its interior is a long way away from traditional British. Maybe it’s a tad too severe for some, but with a good range of LED lighting, the atmosphere after sundown was nice.

Even with the drop-down bed, the decent-sized sunroof means the lounge is well lit. There are windows on either side, and Roller Team has sensibly fitted the habitation door with a window.

There’s an L-shaped sofa on the nearside, plus a two-seater side seat and, with the cab pews joining in, you might squeeze seven here, although the lengthways section of the L-shape is a bit perch-like.

Dining comfort for four is pretty much assured, though, from a reasonably generous adjustable-top table. Its bright white surface is easy to keep clean – red wine and curry spills were easy to erase.

Upholstery, too, is in wipe-clean faux leather, although the foam within the cushions is rather too yielding. But there are no reading lamps serving the cab seats and the overhead locker next to the habitation door was obtrusive enough for me to bash my head on.

In the kitchen the Thetford fridge is a tall ‘n’ slim job. There’s over 140 litres of capacity inside, and indicator lights only come on when you use the controls, so there’s no sleep-disturbing glowing.

The oven, also by Thetford, is mounted low down and easy to get at. The hob is the standard triangular three-burner unit, sadly with no ignition. It’s tricky to get at the pan in the corner, too. There’s worktop ’twixt hob and sink, though. The sink itself is unremarkable, and there are no drawers, although the big cupboard at the end of the unit does have good pull-out shelves.

A short ladder gives good access, once the bed has come to rest just above the backrest of the rear travel seat. It overhangs the sink a bit and slightly impedes the habitation door, but doesn’t stop you using either.

The bed narrows towards its foot, though. It’s not a big bed but an adequate double for adults.

Downstairs, the lounge can become a single – probably for occasional use as it’s long enough, but less than 18 inches wide at its narrowest.

The rear singles are all very cosy in their own shut-off bedroom, but do bear in mind that those sleeping in the lounge will have to pass through to get to the loo.

The twin beds are of unequal lengths, but the shortest is a quite generous 6ft 2in long. They’re comfy, too, with good quality mattresses and sprung-stave bases. They are, however, quite high off the floor.

There are no lockers to loom above bed-heads, so you can sit up on thinly padded headboards.

There’s good lighting in here, although the reading lamps are set very low down on the headboards.

The washroom has precious little wrong with it. The separate shower is roomy, achieving “you’ll want to use it every day” status with ease. But there’s less floor space than some, so using the room as a private changing area may be a bit compromised.

Thanks to the drop-down bed, locker space is limited in the lounge, while there are the usual shelves and cubbies surrounding the overcab. The bedroom, in contrast, has six big overheads and capacious drawers in the forward ends of the bed bases. On top of that, apertures in both bed bases’ sides, coupled with exterior hatches, allow you to slide long kit right through, from one side to the other. Skis maybe?

There’s a big, externally-accessed locker beneath the washroom, too. Not a garage, but useful nonetheless.

The usual inboard fresh water and underslung waste water tanks hold plenty, while heating is by Truma’s more powerful, six-kilowatt Combi boiler that runs on gas and/or mains electricity.

This is an abridged version of the full review appearing in the February 2016 issue of MMM.