Carado I338 Clever motorhome

Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Price from: £58,929 Berths: 4 Travel seats: 4 Length: 6.98m Width: 2.32m Height: 2.93m Gross weight: 3,500kg (optional 3,650kg) Payload: 549kg

Carado doesn’t introduce new layouts on whim or fashion; its business model is based on mass production of only the top-selling layouts with appeal right across Europe. But it has introduced a new floorplan for 2020, reflecting an increasing demand for sub-seven-metre motorhomes.

It already had the 339 model in its range for those seeking a more compact island bed design; now there’s a single bed model in the 7m class, too. Available as a T338 low-profile or an I338 A-class, the latter has already proved its worth by being Carado’s best seller at the 2019 Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf.

There are also some minor evolutions to be seen here, including standard flush-fitting habitation area windows (which are not only more expensive to buy but require more production line time to fit). They certainly help to avoid a budget-priced look.

Inside, there are new flatter ceiling lamps and reading lights with integrated USBs in the bedroom, while a new splashback panel frames the kitchen window. So, it’s not a case of reinventing the wheel – or the motorhome – but gradually improving it.

There’s plenty to like to begin with, starting with a sub-£60,000 price tag where few manufacturers offer any A-class competition. Quality exceeds your expectations at that price, too, with details like the aluminium (not plastic) frame for the flyscreen on the door being just one example.

It’s a surprisingly spacious-feeling vehicle, too, thanks not only to the full-width cab and super-sized windscreen of any A-class, but also a line of sight right along the nearside from the cab to the inside of the back wall in the bedroom. That has been made possible by putting the ablutions facilities on the offside and keeping the wardrobe (on the nearside) relatively low. There is no floor-to-ceiling furniture at all down the left-hand side of this new layout.

Of course, the kitchen is positioned on this side, but with the 167-litre fridge opposite. It’s the typical L-shape design of galley but with a low-mounted Thetford Duplex oven/grill in addition to the three-burner hob with an optional Dometic cooker hood above.

Galley storage is provided in one large drawer and a generous cupboard, which includes a waste bin. Alongside is the modestly sized wardrobe, which, because it’s not too tall, also adds a bit of extra kitchen worktop – and yet still manages a useful 880mm hanging height.

Beyond the kitchen, the beds measure 1.97m on the galley side and 10cm less on the offside. There’s just a curtain for privacy and a small rooflight for ventilation but the centre section of mattress (between the twin beds) extends with a slide-out section that runs the full length of the beds – thus creating an absolutely huge 2.11m by 1.87m bed with a ladder to reach it.

In fact, that’s just one aspect of the Clever Pack that also adds the All-in-One Pack (roll-out awning, bike rack, 22in TV and satellite dish) and second garage door (leading into a space 1.18m high and 1.00m wide). Standard UK spec on Carado A-classes already includes the Basic Pack and Chassis Pack, so you get a 140bhp engine, carpets, and gas/electric Combi 6 heating.

For once, this is a German A-class that needs neither very deep pockets for its purchase nor extensive studying of pages of options. Almost everything is standard and, while the looks might be a bit boxy for some tastes, the value for money is unarguable.