Auto-Sleeper Stratford (2010)

Auto-Sleeper Stratford 2010

AT the time of writing this was the only Auto-Sleeper Stratford in existence, I had a limited amount of time to enjoy this little motorhome so carried only my basic camping kit, which was lucky, as the lack of storage space was an immediate issue.

There’s no storage cupboard in the washroom, although there are three small shelves with fiddle rails suitable for smaller bags.

My main toiletry bag had to live in the washbasin. Also the kitchen lacks cupboard space as the only high-level locker holds the Daewoo microwave, and the adjacent high-level cupboard has Auto-Sleepers’ crockery set.

There is one large drawer (suitable for pots and pans) beneath the combined oven and grill, and a large cutlery drawer above the 80-litre compressor fridge, but that’s your lot.

For clothing there’s a narrow wardrobe as well as three eye-level lockers in the lounge – although I needed one of those for my books and another for my camera equipment and electrical gadgets.

But the biggest problem is where to put the bedding. There’s a narrow shelf above the cab, where the free-standing table lives, which had just enough room for my pillows and pyjamas.

I have a nice compact sleeping bag which I managed to fit into the offside under-bench area, but what you’d do with a full winter duvet I’m not sure. The difficulty lies in the fact that the offside under-seat area is almost completely filled by the boiler and leisure battery (the former kept my sleeping bag toasty warm!), although you could probably squeeze a summer duvet in here.

The other bench will be full of your outdoor equipment – hiking boots, mains lead, hose, chocks, pitch marker etc. Certainly in winter, you’d have to pack very carefully if you wanted to squeeze all your belongings into this Stratford.

That all sounds very negative, but overall I soon found myself really liking this Auto-Sleeper. It’s great to drive, comfortable to live in, and has everything on board that you could wish for in a vehicle of this size – plus more besides.

Size-wise it’s perfect on the road – how many motorhomes would you even attempt to park in central Stratford? And the rear lounge is spacious enough for two, with twin inward-facing benches and windows in the rear doors as well as at the sides giving you a great panoramic view of your surroundings. The kitchen is beside the sliding entrance door, while the washroom, with its separate shower compartment, is opposite.

With the Auto-Sleeper’s generous facilities in the galley there’s no excuse for being a lazy cook! Unfortunately though, M&S was situated in the same out-of-town complex as Tesco, and I ended up buying lots of things I shouldn’t.

But the 80-litre compressor fridge proved a real boon for my fresh shopping, despite its constant hum that took some getting used to. I never normally remember to switch the fridge from 12V to gas when I park up, but this compressor fridge runs all the time from the leisure battery and proved very efficient indeed.

The three-burner gas hob, oven and grill, in conjunction with M&S, provided some great meals and, with the cooker’s glass lid shut, the removable space-saving draining board made washing-up simple.

There’s even a wire rack that attaches to the back of the sink’s Chinchilla glass lid that will hold some of your crockery while it’s drying, although put too much weight in and the lid slams shut.

I’d brought a number of DVDs with me, which were neatly stored in one of the Auto-Sleeper’s two fabric-pouches, and with a bottle of wine sitting on the free-standing table I was ready for some all-too-rare relaxing evenings with my feet-up.

And when it came to bedtime it was easy to make the bed by pulling the two bench seats together and rearranging the cushions. The mattress didn’t feel all that long but then I didn’t remove the velcro’d upper-backrest sections – a must for those approaching 6ft as my pillows tended to nestle in front of the velour cushions rather than below them.

The temperature dropped considerably at night time, but the Truma Combi heating controls were within reach and in the morning I could switch on the hot water for a shower without getting out of bed.

The narrow washbasin runs along the sidewall at one side of the showering area, and the showerhead doubles as the main tap. There’s also a retractable mirror for shaving and a toothbrush mug. The towel rail is attached to the washroom door, along with some high-level hooks.

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

It’s good to drive and the rear lounge works well, but the Stratford could do with more storage space throughout.