Benimar Mileo 313

Berths: 5 Travel seats: 5 Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Camper Chassis Maximum vehicle weight: 3,500kg Payload: 500kg

‘Family motorhome’ often means a motorhome in which grandparents occasionally take the grandkids away. Benimar and its UK importer, Marquis Leisure, however, are promoting the latest trio of additions to the UK-spec Benimar Mileo range as proper family motorhomes.

The baby of the new series, the bunk bed 313, manages to fit six berths into an overall length of just 5.99m. But Benimar is currently only promoting it as a five-berth because, with a 3,500kg chassis, it only permits a payload of 500kg.

The roof of this overcab slopes down so gently that towards the rear internal height is still 2.10m.

That relatively gentle shape – and the 148bhp engine – makes the drive smooth. Yet the overcab still manages to have an internal height of 65cm and include a massive double bed complete with two reading lights and two windows.

The cab seats play no part in the lounge, so the full-sized wardrobe is moved up behind them. There’s a drawer underneath, but you will have to be choosy in what you pack away because, apart from three medium overheard lockers on the other side, that is all the space you get for clothes.

With a couple of infill cushions you can extend the front pullman dinette settee so that it butts up against the wardrobe, shutting off the cab. These extension seats are often uncomfortable, but this one has good back support and, complete with a base-only extension to the rear settee, makes dinner for six possible. The double bed here is made by repositioning these same cushions and lowering the phenomenally heavy table.

The moderately sized kitchen includes a three-burner hob (two gas, one mains), a Thetford Triplex oven and grill, a Cata microwave and an 150-litre Dometic AES fridge. But there’s not much worktop space and the two bottom cupboards are almost entirely taken up by the gas locker.

The washroom is more accommodating. The tap doubles up as a showerhead, and there’s a decent cupboard space too.

The bunks are incredibly long. Both have their own window and light. With both beds in operation, there is still a full-width externally accessible locker that’s about 20cm tall under the lower bed. You can also fold this bed away to free up space for stuff you don’t mind going outside to retrieve.

This is an abridged version of the full review appearing in the March 2016 issue of What Motorhome.

The 313 is a great attempt to get family space within a length that won’t cause problems in too many car parks. But storage for people’s gear, particularly clothes, is challenging