Benimar Primero 301 motorhome

Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Price from: £44,995 Berths: 4 Travel seats: 4 Length: 5.99m Gross weight: 3,500kg

Overcab coachbuilts have been increasingly replaced in most model ranges by low-profiles, especially those with over-lounge drop-down beds. It’s easy to see the appeal of the smoother, more aerodynamic shape - but the overcab is not dead.

Family-orientated ’vans are still regularly seen with an overcab bed. Kids love that luton ‘den’ and it’s a great dumping ground for lightweight stuff such as bedding and coats, as well as being an instant bedroom. When motorhomes are, increasingly, being used by wider family groups, it’s not surprising that the type endures.

You won’t find overcabs in the best-selling Swift Escape or Elddis Autoquest line-ups these days, but not all the major continental makers have deserted the sector. Carado, Chausson, Roller Team, Sunlight, Sun Living, Weinsberg – and more – are all active in this market, along with the Spanish marque, Benimar. Its Mileo range offered no less than five overcab models in 2018.

For the new season that has been reduced to three but your choice hasn’t suffered – the manufacturer has simply moved two of the layouts into the new, more affordable Primero range.

There aren’t many things that get cheaper year-on-year, but the Primero 301 you see here is a whopping £6,000 less than the Mileo 301 it supersedes. Of course, there are consequent reductions in kit, too, but a sub-£45k sticker price is increasingly rare on a new coachbuilt…

Benimar Primero: practical styling

The styling here is more about practicality – creating a generous overcab bedroom – than aesthetics.

It’s a tall ’van (over 3m) and you can feel the reduced urge above 60mph as the 2.3-litre diesel engine pushes that uncompromising shape through the air.

That said, the 130bhp engine never really struggles. And, while you miss out on some of the Mileo’s luxuries (such as sat-nav and alloy wheels), everything you really need is here. There are no options packs, either, so what you see is what you get – including cab air-con, cruise control, a passenger airbag, radio/CD with Bluetooth and ESP, Traction Plus and Hill Descent Control.

The Primero's fixed bed layouts

Both overcab models in the Primero range come with fixed bed layouts and a modest overall length of just 5.99m. There’s the 301 (as tested here) with a transverse rear double bed over a garage and the 331 with a French bed floorplan.

Both are layouts more usually associated with low-profile motorhomes - however, six-metre, rear garage low-profiles are usually two-berths (with, possibly, an occasional extra bed formed from the lounge).

The fact that the Benimar comes with four berths in two instant double beds is its biggest USP, then. Whether you want really generous, separate his ‘n’ her beds, or room for kids or grandkids, this is key to the 301’s appeal.

When you sample the overcab bed, you’ll appreciate the reason for the Primero’s bulging luton. If you are going to use an overcab as an adult bedroom it needs to be a big one like this – and forget the looks.

There’s no real loss of headroom at the front of the overcab and the bed is a huge 1.99m by 1.54m. It’s a well-planned bedroom, with an opening window on the offside, a roof vent, and two individually switched spotlamps on the nearside. As well as a double USB port, there are also useful moulded pockets for tablets, phones, magazines, etc. When morning comes, half of the bed tips up on gas struts so you don’t have to stoop to enter the cab.

The rear bed is even longer than the overcab one, although a little narrower. Headroom is greater, though (a metre versus 630mm), and there’s room to comfortably sit up in bed and read.

Impressive storage in the Benimar Primero

The other big plus is the storage – a door beneath the bed reveals a small wardrobe.

The garage itself has two loading doors, which are higher off the road than some as there is no step in the floor level here. However, internal height still just exceeds a metre and there are 12V and 230V sockets, as well as heating and lighting and servicing access for the boiler, although there’s no spare wheel.

If you fill the garage with other gear, you can mount a bike rack on the stern – the fixings are already there.

Washroom detail

The Primero may not be as lavishly appointed as a Mileo, but it still has upmarket framed windows, Grade III insulation and NCC approval, as well as 99% wood-free construction.

More importantly, perhaps, it has the habitation door on the UK side, unlike most imported motorhomes.

While the galley is without a microwave, it does have an oven/grill, a hob with mains-powered hotplate (as well as two gas rings) and a more-than-acceptable slab of worktop space.

There’s a deep pan drawer under the oven as well as a cutlery drawer and three overhead lockers. The fridge has a modest 81-litre capacity.

A stranger detail concerns the washroom opposite. There is a gap of up to 110mm between the top of the washroom and the ceiling. Washroom whiffs and steam may inadvertently enter the living area this way, though ventilation via a window and roof vent. The shower has twin drains.

Compact but not claustrophic

White walls, light-coloured fabrics and furniture and plenty of artificial illumination mean the Primero doesn’t feel claustrophobic inside, despite its compact size and the lack of any XL-sized rooflights.

On site, the front seats swivel to face a half-dinette bench and wall-mounted table with rotating extension leaf. There’s room for four to dine but the front and rear seats are at different levels, with a 110mm variation in floor height.

Befitting its entry-level status, there are no rear speakers but that’s not a big concern with this layout. More of an issue for some will be the omission of a TV bracket or any obvious location for one.

For a budget model, though, the Primero is well appointed. Heating, for example, is by a gas/mains 4kW Truma Combi and the door has a window and bin. You’ll also find five 230V sockets, four 12V ones and double USBs in each bedroom.

Read the full review in the March 2019 edition of MMM magazine - buy a digital back issue here.

The two big double beds, both instantly available with bedding in situ, are key to the appeal of this new Benimar. Added to that are a keen price, compact size and that rear garage which, for once, is mated to a generous payload. Of course, the lounge is the compromise, but the spec doesn’t seem to have suffered too much (considering the price) – reading lights and cab blinds could easily be added by a dealer.