Carthago C-tourer I 141 LE motorhome

Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Al-Ko Price from: £80,660 Berths: 4 Travel seats: 4 Length: 6.65m Width: 2.27m Height: 2.89m Gross weight: 3,500kg (4,250kg option) Payload: 505kg (1,215kg option)

This is the smallest model in Carthago’s C-tourer range, which fits between the narrower (2.12m) C-compactline and the Chic C-line. But, at just 6.65m long, it still manages to offer permanent twin beds at the rear (the most popular format in the C-tourer range, accounting for five of the eight models).

Like all C-tourers, the I 141 LE sits on an Al-Ko chassis with a heated double floor. There’s external access into this space and usable height up to 45cm, while a deep floor locker can also be found just inside the entrance. Practical storage space doesn’t end there – there’s a slide-out shoe rack under the lounge settee.

It’s a small A-class but there’s still a big garage – with an impressive 350kg limit and 1.18m internal height. The main loading door is on the offside, with a tiny nearside hatch, too.

Above the garage, the compact body hasn’t limited bed sizes – the nearside single is 2.00m long and even the offside bed is 1.87m, each with seven-zone cold foam mattresses. A mirrored headboard is fitted, but the clever bit is the sliding steps, which retain easy access to the bed even when the centre section of the bed is extended to create a huge double – so much better than the usual ladder in this scenario!

This motorhome isn’t long enough to incorporate the popular split washroom, so there’s a one-piece washroom on the nearside, but its huge door still swings round to close off the en suite bedroom. Inside, there’s a swing-wall shower with no step in the shower tray. Twin shower drains are a practical plus, while the wooden toilet seat cover is a novel cosmetic touch.

Up front, the high-backed Aguti captain’s chairs offer a good view of the road ahead when driving, thanks to Carthago’s sloping dashboard. On site, they swivel to join an L-shaped settee and an oddly shaped jump seat by the door. The table slides and rotates when you press your foot on a floor-level pedal and the TV locker and bracket brings the telly (up to 22in) down to a comfortable viewing height above the travel seats.

The kitchen is necessarily compact, so the split sink lid which forms a shelf is a useful feature. We like the incorporation of five soft-close drawers, while the Smev oven/grill (a £780 option) is pleasingly mounted below counter level and the fridge is a large 145-litre Slimtower model. Here, there was even a high-level compartment for a coffee capsule machine (a £235 extra).

All this comes in a completely wood-free bodyshell with hail protection for the roof, GRP top and bottom on the floor and RTM hard foam insulation (which cannot absorb moisture), backed up by a 10-year warranty. Good detailing abounds, from the four-part rear bumper (for ease of repair) to the Bestview bus-type mirrors.

You’ll need to add options – as usual with a posh German A-class – and the Chassis Package (£2,265), Comfort Package (£1,585) and Media Package (£1,540) are just the starting point. But you will end up with a motorhome that makes superb use of its space and has top-notch A-class luxury.

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A small A-class this may be, but the C-tourer still has a large garage with an impressive payload and fixed twin beds, though there’s no split washroom. All in all, this is a motorhome that makes great use of its space.