Autocruise Jazz Champagne

HAVING rapidly grown not only the range but their sales volumes, Autocruise (and sister Mondial) are now market-leaders in the full-sized van conversion market.

And to celebrate their success, Swift Group have announced limited edition versions of the medium-wheelbase Jazz and the long-wheelbase, rear lounge Rhythm in Golden White metallic.

When we first tested the Autocruise Jazz we described it as ‘one of the best new ’vans of 2010’. With extra equipment this special edition version adds to the appeal – but Swift Group only plan to build two batches of these Champagne models, so you may have to make up your mind fairly rapidly if you want one.

And the changes go beyond a simple colour swap; there’s a good deal of extra kit too. That starts in the cab where you’ll find air-conditioning and cruise control, which are pretty much must-have features of modern motoring, but also front fog lights and an alarm.

Alloy wheels complete the more jazzy (sorry!) exterior, along with a roll-out awning in a black casing (which had yet to be fitted to our test vehicle).

More unusually, the Champagne Jazz adds to the versatile nature of its compact size by offering mirrors that fold in at the press of a button (perfect for parking on city streets) and reversing sensors so you can confidently slot it into any MPV-sized parking space.

Surprisingly, though, only the 100bhp engine and five-speed gearbox are offered.


Inside, it’s business as usual with the highly appealing Jazz layout and Autocruise’s familiar mid-tone woodwork and darker high-gloss highlights with smart stainless steel positive-locking cupboard handles.

What’s new is the very pale duo-tone Impala seat trim which is in a stain-resistant material akin to Bürstner’s very successful NovaLife. Not only does this promise to be much more practical than its light shade suggests, but it’s wonderfully tactile too.

If we’re being critical, then it’s a shame that the grey plastic cab seat armrests have not been covered with the new material, but the effect is to make the Jazz look more up-market. And it should look posher still when the new charcoal luxury pile carpet is fitted.

Other changes are few – a 12V external power point, so you can easily fill the fresh water tank from a water carrier with a pump, and a new easier-to-understand control panel, which for once actually seems to do what it promises and offers big obvious buttons and simply deciphered displays of water and battery levels.

Nothing fancy, just practical design.

And the Jazz is a very practical little motorhome. Despite a length of just 5.41m, it beats many long-wheelbase rivals in terms of lounge comfort, rear passenger seating, kitchen facilities and worktop and ease of double bed make-up.

It’s a shame that Autocruise haven’t addressed our criticisms of the interior lighting, though, which is still a rather all or nothing arrangement with the two main ceiling lights controlled on the same switch and no lights at all in the cab.

Nevertheless, much of the Jazz’s appeal stems from the lounge layout, which uniquely offers four shapely seats of genuinely automotive quality and, crucially, all at the same level.

The rear RIB seat is supremely comfortable and comes with height-adjustable headrests as well as twin three-point seatbelts.

Spin the two cab seats round and it’s hard to imagine how a better lounge could be incorporated into such a small vehicle – Autocruise even fit a big rooflight and speakers in the roof above.

And the kitchen is equally impressive. It’s L-shaped, running from just behind the sliding door to the near nearside corner and across about two thirds of the width of the back wall.

That means there’s space for a slot-in cooker boasting a three-burner hob and combined oven and grill, while the fridge has a decent (80-litre) capacity and is of the switch-on-and-leave compressor type that we love in van conversions.

We’re not so convinced by the washroom, though the tambour door makes access easy. The vanity unit and folding basin is the type of cheap ’n’ cheerful plastic item that van convertors have been fitting – and we’ve been moaning about – for years, meaning that storage space is rather minimalist.

But the clothes drying rail is a bit of a bonus and there’s just enough room to shower if you find yourself on a CL for a night or three.

And that really is the beauty of the Jazz. Everything you really need is here, but in a package so compact you’ll easily be able to get to the most remote campsites, down the tiniest lanes.

And if you’ve got the Champagne Edition you’ll be able to do it with a touch more style and comfort, all for £1895 more than a standard model, saving nearly £1200 on the retail cost of all the options (some of which are not normally available).

A longer version of this review was published in the November 2010 issue of Which Motorhome magazine.

To celebrate their market leading sales, Autocruise have released a special edition Jazz that gains cab air-con, cruise control, fog lamps, a roll-out side awning and stylish Impala trim.