IH Oregon RL Anniversary Edition

Prices from: £50,767 Price as tested: £60,145 Type Approval: UK Small Series Berths: 2 Travel seats: 2

AFTER some financial problems a couple of years ago, family-run converter IH Motor Campers is now fighting fit again, with reduced staffing levels and lower overheads at its West Yorkshire factory. 

It is also now concentrating on its core market of luxury van conversions, having branched out into coachbuilts in the past.

Driving Experience

With Fiat’s 3-litre Euro V engine, the Oregon RL flies along, easily keeping up with traffic on motorways, plus the long wheelbase makes for stable handling with less pitching on rough surfaces. I was also impressed by just how quiet the interior conversion was while driving, with very few rattles or squeaks.

Due to the rear washroom, which has a central door to divide it off from the main living space, there’s no through visibility from the driver’s seat, but you can opt for reversing sensors or a reversing camera. Meanwhile, removable carpet and hinged arms for the fully adjustable driver’s and passenger’s seats add a touch of luxury to the driving. 


Time to relax

Your first step when arriving on site is to swivel the cab seats, to set up the lounge/ dining area. The passenger seat swivels through a full 180 degrees, but the driver’s seat has the settee right behind it, so only turns through 90 degrees to face the side of the passenger seat. In reality, where couples are concerned, one person will likely claim the swivelled passenger seat as their favoured spot, with the ability to relax and recline the seat back, while the other takes the L-shaped settee for themselves, putting their feet up and using it as a comfortable chaise longue.

When it’s time to dine, a free-standing table can be called into action and is easily removed from its dedicated storage space behind the furniture unit on the nearside wall. There’s even an extra fold-up flap of worktop attached to this furniture unit, either to add to chef’s worktop space in the kitchen or to be used as a table by anyone sitting on the end of the L-shaped settee.


The Kitchen

Initial thoughts, on first entering the vehicle, were, “quite well-equipped, with a hob that even includes an electric hotplate, as well as its three gas burners, plus there’s a large stainless-steel sink with built-in drainer”. However, I then looked around and saw the rest of the kitchen, which faces the main cooking area from the nearside wall. Here there’s a fair-sized three-way fridge plus a combined grill and oven, which for once in a motorhome is mounted at the perfect working height! Having seen the full scope of the cooking facilities, thoughts changed from “well-equipped” to “wow!”

The Washroom

In the Oregon RL the ‘smallest room’ isn’t actually that small. The washroom is accessed through its own solid door, revealing a spacious compartment which has a slightly nautical feel. That’s a feeling that is enhanced by the round mirror and the wood-coloured trim which surrounds the lockers on the wipe-clean gloss white walls. There’s a small stainless-steel basin inset into a dark wood worktop, plus a fixed bench-style cassette toilet.

The Bedroom

This is the smallest section of my test report, since the bed in the Oregon RL is simplicity itself to set-up. You simply need to pull out the slatted base of the inward-facing settee at the front so that it lines up with the end of the L-section of the settee. This makes a large double bed, which I measured at 6ft 1in long, though clever positioning of your pillows could probably extend this a little at the cab end. IH has even tied the settee backrest to the squab, so that when you pull out the base the back automatically falls down into place – perfect!

To read this review in full, order a digital edition of the September 2013 MMM here.

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The extra-long Fiat van has allowed IH to incorporate near-coachbuilt levels of luxury and space in this upmarket van conversion. The rear panel and boot are unique IH touches, while the lounge and kitchen are class-leading.