Carthago C-line I 4.9 LE L

Base vehicle: Mercedes Sprinter Al-Ko (FWD) Price from: £104,670 Berths: 4/5 Travel seats: 4/5 Length: 7.90m Width: 2.27m Height: 2.95m Gross weight: 4,200kg (4,500kg option) Payload: 725kg

Carthago rivals Hymer for choice of Merc-based motorhomes but, unlike its rival from Bad Waldsee, it continues to offer just as much variety on Fiat, too.

The ‘new generation’ C-line adopted the three-pointed star in 2019 but now all variants have been upgraded with exclusive-to-Carthago high-performance LED headlights.

Of the 21 C-line A-classes, eight adopt Mercedes-Benz mechanicals combined with an Al-Ko low-frame chassis. All are, of course, front-wheel drive, with 143bhp being the standard spec, although at this price level all buyers will surely upgrade to the 170bhp motor and the nine-speed automatic transmission.

Naturally, spending extra on the base vehicle won’t end there. The 10.2in MBUX multimedia unit seen here, which is such a key part of the latest Sprinter cab, is a £2,640 option (including sat-nav and DAB+ radio), while the Driving Assistance Package (Distronic adaptive cruise control, active braking assistant, alertness assistant and tyre pressure monitoring) is another £1,410.

This I 4.9 LE L (the extra ‘L’ indicating an increase in length from 7.52m to 7.90m) was seen at Premium Motorhomes and, fully loaded, it wore a £129,600 price tag, which is probably in the ballpark we’d expect of an eight-metre Mercedes A-class.

For that you get Alde heating, the Linea Moderna interior, Sand leather upholstery, carpets, and TVs in the bedroom and lounge. There’s also the Super Package, which includes everything from automatic air-con in the cab to central locking, from bus mirrors to a SOG toilet vent and upgraded garage with felt walls, luggage nets and tie-downs.

That pack alone adds £7,035 (and 92kg) to your C-line. Get too carried away with the options and you might need the 4,500kg chassis upgrade.

Carthago describes the body construction as ‘Liner premium-class’. A key aspect is the curved join of the aluminium walls to the GRP roof with rainwater deflection and RTM hard foam insulation. Of course, there’s a garage with a capacity of up to 350kg and a double floor with usable height up to 70cm.

The spacious lounge looks every inch the premium motorhome, with well-finished hide and a 32in TV behind the offside sofa. The rotating table operated by a foot pedal avoids fiddling with levers, too.

The kitchen counter in Corian (with a drip-catching lip) is all curves, while the storage below is a fine selection of Easy glide drawers. Flex organisers allow you to keep their contents arranged so they don’t slide and clatter. There are two bins and eight wine bottle holders, but perhaps the star feature is the metal tap with pull-out spray head. Opposite is a 153-litre fridge/freezer with oven (rather too high) above.

The washroom is the split arrangement that you’d expect, but a novelty is that the toilet area has two doors, so it can still be made private when the facilities are combined into a full-width en suite. A pair of two-metre single beds complete the layout.