Full review

Words & photos: Peter Vaughan

The Coachman Affinity One

Caravan manufacturer, Coachman, entered the motorhome market in 2023 with its Travel Master – and immediately scooped the Best Luxury Motorhome award. 

It has now followed that up with a flagship A-class and a more compact, 3.5-tonne model (LINK), but perhaps most exciting of all is the first Coachman campervan, the Affinity One. 

Unlike the motorhomes, which are built in Sweden, the campervan comes from Ozorków in Poland. In Europe, Affinity is a separate brand – which we’ve long admired when we’ve seen them at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf – but here the vehicles will be badged Coachman. 

On the Continent, it also offers six models on a mix of MAN and Fiat Ducato panel vans; the One will be the first to come here, with selected other models to follow. 

This is not just yet another lookalike imported campervan, though. The example shown here is left-hand drive (it was exhibited at the NEC in February to get feedback) but right-hand drive versions will be fully UK-handed with the sliding door on our nearside.

The spec

Yes, it’s the ubiquitous Fiat Ducato that is the basis here but it’s not just any Ducato; the 180hp engine and nine-speed automatic gearbox are included in the £86k price tag. 

Standard spec also includes LED headlights, front fog/cornering lights, the Safety Pack, four-season tyres, climate control, the electric parking brake, 16in alloy wheels, a leather steering wheel, digital dashboard and a 10in touchscreen with reversing camera.

This is also the biggest Ducato derivative, not simply an L4 (6.36m long) but the extra-high H3, while, to disguise the boxiness of the tallest van, Affinity adds its own overcab pod with a sunroof and smoother lines. There are flares at each side at window level to increase the internal width, too, and a Thule awning and 240W solar panel are also standard. 

Then, at the rear, the barn doors open onto an irregularly shaped under-bed boot area that’s ideal for all your outdoor gear; internal height there can be varied from 75cm to 1.15m.

The interior

So, the Affinity One is quite handsome on the outside but it’s inside that it really stands out as something special. That starts with the layout, which has more of a motorhome feel about it and includes a double floor as well as a sound-deadening headlining and handmade Nordic Oak furniture.

The most conventional component is, perhaps, the half-dinette lounge with swivel cab seats but, even here, the high-backed rear passenger seat with its comfortably inclined backrest strikes a note of individuality, as does the table which lifts out of the way to increase the impression of space. 

The beds

Even neater is the way this half-dinette bench transforms into an extra bed (a version that makes into bunk beds is also available).

The main bed is set to one side at the rear, so it’s a French bed. That’s rare enough to see in a campervan but here the bed rises and falls electrically to adjust the size of the storage space below. The mattress measures 1.88m by 1.25m. 

The washroom

Alongside the bed, in the back corner, is a washroom with Dometic’s upmarket loo, a wooden duckboard and a tip-up basin with gas strut assistance. 

This space is also a fully lined shower cubicle (no curtain required), while hot water and space heating come from a Truma Combi 4 E system. Water tanks are a good size – 110 litres each – and insulated.

The kitchen

The L-shaped kitchen sits between the lounge and bed and includes a 90-litre under-counter fridge and a two-burner hob. 

There’s no oven but a decent amount of worktop is provided – plus acres more (and loads more storage) thanks to a long sideboard opposite. Then there’s the quality which seems superb throughout.

Where to buy

Despite its very recent arrival in the motorhome market, Coachman already has 17 dealers for its campervans and motorhomes. These include Perthshire Caravans in Scotland, Spinney Caravans Flintshire and Newport Caravans in Wales, and Lisburn Caravans and Motorhomes in Northern Ireland.

In England, dealers stretch from Leisure World Catterick in the north, down to Alan Kerr in the southwest and Premier Motorhomes on the south coast.