Auto-Trail Excel 690T low-profile motorhome

The Excel motorhome name is back, here with a single bed layout

The Auto-Trail Excel 690T 

Words & photos: Peter Vaughan

The name isn’t new (it was previously used by Auto-Trail from 2009 to 2011) but this Excel 690T is part of an all-new four-model range of Ford-based compact low-profiles for 2024.

An important aspect is the 2.24m overall width and Auto-Trail says its new models are aimed at customers looking to upgrade from a campervan. Interestingly, this slimline coachbuilt sector seems to be growing – Bailey’s new Alora targets a similar buyer.

The options

Prices look keen, too, starting here at £64,478. However, to match the Bailey’s spec, you’ll need to add alloy wheels (£995) and cab blinds (£680). 

Then the Lux Pack (9.5in touchscreen with sat-nav and reversing camera, external barbecue point, TV aerial, Omnivent, upgraded habitation door and carpets) adds a further £1,578. 

And the Drivers Pack (electric/heated mirrors, automatic headlights, front fog lamps, body colour side mouldings, a heated windscreen, colour-coded front bumper, cab air-conditioning, rain-sensing wipers and cornering lights) is another £1,975.

That’s a total of just under £70k, which is still less than the Alora, while the Excel has the advantage of the more powerful 170hp motor as standard. If you want an automatic it’s an extra £1,860.

On the outside, the 4m Thule awning shown here is £1,145.

The spec 

All Excels have a 3,500kg gross weight and yet payloads are generous (570kg for this 690T).

Like the Bailey, this is a completely new design and there are practical touches like a low entrance step, opening overcab sunroof and external shower point. 

Inside, the Moyet Oak furniture contrasts with Serica matt grey worktops and on-trend matt black for the kitchen tap, spice rack and reading lights. You can also have the cab in a choice of five colours at no extra cost (black, silver, two greys or an attractive metallic blue). 

Water tanks are of good capacity (100 litres fresh, 80 litres waste) but both are underslung and neither is heated or insulated, although the T-handle makes for easy emptying of the grey tank.

The key exterior feature is the garage, with headroom of 1.03m and width of 98cm. There’s a strip light in the nearside corner but no tiedowns and nothing to stop the garage doors flapping in the wind.

The interior

Inside, the Excel goes for a more continental-style lounge compared with the Bailey, featuring a half-dinette. Handleless top lockers, fabric surrounds to the windows (which have pleated blinds), plenty of ambient light  (some of it dimmable) and an attractive grey, tweed-style upholstery create a good first impression and the classic half-dinette feels more spacious than usual here because the table can be stowed away in its own locker alongside the fridge. 

The sunroof over the cab must be one of the biggest but there are no reading lights over the front seats and this space is less successful with the table erected as it cannot slide far enough forward and thigh room for those sitting on the bench seat won’t suit all. 

There’s no extension leaf, so dining here is best suited to just a couple.

The beds

The lounge also makes into a third berth but one that requires bulky extra cushions to be carried and which blocks the entrance door when erected. The bed measures 1.93m by 0.88m, narrowing to 0.63m, so it’s adult-sized.

Most owners will surely see this Excel as a two-person motorhome with the versatility of additional travel seats. 

Its main bedroom features single beds above the rear garage, accessed via a couple of steps (although it’s then still 76cm from floor to mattress) and each bed stretching the tape measure to 1.87m long and 0.72m wide. The mattresses sit on solid, unvented bases and, whilst there are reading lights, the cupboards overhead will stop you sitting up. 

There’s a TV station at the foot of the nearside bed and a wardrobe with hanging rail and removable shelf under the foot of each berth. 

Both wardrobes can be accessed from the front or top, but lift the lid and there’s nothing to keep it up. Even more clothing storage is provided by a useful pull-out shelving unit under the offside bed and a third wardrobe next to the washroom.

To keep you cosy at night, the Excel comes with a Whale blown-air heating system that operates from gas and mains and has a 4.7kW maximum combined output.

The kitchen

In a British motorhome you expect a well-appointed kitchen and you’ll not be disappointed here, despite the Excel’s compact size. Nor does it suffer the narrow aisle between bathroom and galley that you’d find in many campervans.

Key features of this space are the Thetford Triplex cooker with three gas rings plus a combined oven and grill, and the tall 149-litre fridge. 

Interestingly, like the Bailey, the Excel has a compressor fridge (rather than a three-way absorption type) which appears to be following a new trend. 

It’s a move that’s welcome as compressor fridges seem so much more efficient in hot weather, but, if you’re planning  any off-grid touring, you might want to upgrade the leisure battery (70Ah lithium as standard). A second battery is a factory option at £595.

The 690L’s galley also has a decent amount of worktop, thanks to a slot-in, flush-fitting cover for the sink and a large lift-up flap at the forward end of the galley. 

The latter has the kitchen’s only 230V socket close by but, when deployed, the extension does block the entrance for even slim motorhomers.

Storage is provided in abundance, with an extra-large soft-closing drawer complete with cutlery holder, a double-door cupboard under this and more large cupboards below the oven and fridge. 

Of course, there’s a big top locker, too, and a waste bin is fitted on the habitation door. 

The washroom

Opposite the galley, the washroom seems aimed at those using full-facility campsites rather than aires or CLs. First impressions are of white, wipe-clean walls and a space that’s a lot larger than you’d find in a campervan. 

However, the shower (with a curtain) is like you’d find in many a panel van conversion and it’ll never be as appealing as a separate shower cubicle or even a swing-wall design. 

Redeeming features are plenty of room on the swivel cassette  loo, an opening window, large mirror and the small black shelves that are perfect for holding your shampoo, shower  gel, deodorant, etc.

Where to buy

Auto-Trail’s dealer network includes 34 outlets around the UK. In Scotland the dealer is Perthshire Caravans and in Northern Ireland it’s Abbey Caravans & Leisure, while in Wales Spinney Flintshire and Threeways Motorhomes cover the north and Continental Caravans is in the south.

In England, you’ll find a good spread of Auto-Trail retailers, from Tyne Valley Motorhomes near Newcastle down to Marquis Motorhomes’ Plymouth branch.

The company also has dealers in Australia and New Zealand but none in Europe.