Full review

Words & photos: Peter Vaughan

The Bürstner Lyseo Gallery TD 649 G

It first appeared as a prototype a year ago and now there’s a production version of Bürstner’s motorhome with the super-sized expanding overcab. In the meantime, it has been tested in wind, cold and heat, with 10 cycles each of a 24-hour period.

Bürstner reports that the inflatable luton area was subjected to temperatures from minus 30 degrees Celsius to plus 80, as well as 1.5m of snow and winds of up to 120km/h. It survived them all.

So, you should be able to use this unique motorhome in any conditions and still benefit from that upstairs bedroom, which you reach, quite literally, via a flight of stairs. The overcab roof rises in 90 seconds with the aid of compressed air and a specially developed air chamber system, which creates a fully insulated zone, unlike a conventional campervan pop-top.

On site, the vehicle has an overall height of around 3.70m but, for travelling, the roof profile is not dissimilar to a standard motorhome and height reduces to little more than a typical figure, at 2.99m.

The bed

The staircase is on the offside, just forward of the habitation door, and hides a multitude of storage, while the bottom step slides away to create a clearer aisle through the vehicle.

Climb aloft and you’ll discover the Gallery’s defining feature – a bedroom with a 1.98m by 1.51m double bed and well over a metre of headroom.

Forget any memories of being confined in the luton of a conventional overcab coachbuilt; this is a wholly different environment with a big skylight above only enhancing the feeling of space – and allowing you to gaze at the stars!

The layout

Down below, things are much more conventional – and typically Bürstner. Of course, as the name suggests, the model is closely related to Bürstner’s very popular Lyseo TD Harmony Line, but, in the Gallery range, there are just two layouts to choose from.

The front lounge TD 689 G adopts the floorplan of the prototype, while UK buyers may be more drawn to this rear lounge version, the TD 649 G.

Externally, this seven-metre motorhome is based on a Fiat Ducato with 140bhp motor and a 3,850kg maximum gross weight, although power and weight upgrades are available. It comes with alloy wheels and cab running boards, while the habitation area benefits from flush-fitting windows. Even the rear lounge model offers a full-sized garage (internal height 1.15m), with loading doors on either side, although Bürstner hasn’t yet revealed the payload available.

The interior

The inclusion of a home for your cycles means that, inside, the U-shaped rear seating isn’t right up against the back wall, which rather changes the feel of the area. There’s still a large back window, as well as glazing on either side (all with Roman blinds), but there’s a large shelf between the rear window and the seating.

This area gains a section of mattress if you order your 649 G as a four-berth with an electric drop-down bed over the seats, so, when the bed comes down, it lines up with the shelf/mattress and you can sleep lengthways.

But this model probably works better for just two as the lounge area isn’t huge and the large table makes it feel less generous than it really is.

The kitchen

Between the lounge and the entrance is a tall fridge – a new Thetford compressor model with separate bottle drawer. On the other side of the motorhome, facing you as you enter, is the main galley which offers plenty of storage – and which, we hope, will gain an oven when UK models arrive this autumn.

The washroom

Finally, the washroom is a standard Bürstner design with a practical swing-wall arrangement to create the shower. Water capacities are 120 litres fresh and 90 litres for waste, while the heating is Truma’s 6kW Combi.