Carthago C-tourer T 148 H

Berths: 4 Travel seats: 4 Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Gross weight: 3,500kg Payload: 525kg

Think Carthago and you’ll probably conjure up an image of an A-class motorhome in your mind.

The next thought might well be ‘I can’t afford that’. But, if you’re in the market for a luxury coachbuilt from British brands like Auto-Sleepers and Auto-Trail, then this German low-profile should also be on your must-see list. With a starting price of £66k – and even with plenty of extras taking that up to £77k as shown here – the C-tourer can compete with more mainstream rivals.

The C-tourer T 148 H layout differs from its 148 (no ‘H’) sister model in having a larger seating area. The side settee is wide enough for two and the L-shaped sofa and twin swivel cab seats take capacity up to six, or more.

Adding further appeal to this comfortable and appealing lounge is a table that rotates and slides using a foot pedal and a pop-up 24in flatscreen TV that rises from behind the offside sofa to an ideal viewing height. A fifth travel seat is an option, too, while the electric drop-down bed over the seating area is well concealed in the ceiling, if you opt for this £1,705 feature (the price also includes an overcab skylight).

The L-shaped kitchen comes in either Bright Ash Tree style or more contemporary Epic finish with greater use of high-gloss ivory colouring. The drop-down Nespresso coffee capsule machine is a further option (at £235) – the kind of feature usually associated with liner-class models that has yet to filter down to British ’vans. A 160-litre fridge is standard but you can upgrade to a Tec-Tower with gas oven above. Ambient lighting under the countertop is another luxury feature.

In today’s market, where separate shower and toilet areas facing each other from opposing sides of the vehicle are commonplace, it’s more of a surprise to see all the facilities behind a single door. The shower shares floorspace with the swivel loo but rotating screens stop the rest of the room getting wet.

As with all C-tourer low-profiles, the 148 H is available on a 3.5-tonne chassis, but you can also upgrade to 3,650kg or a Heavy chassis and 4,250kg. The latter will give you well over a tonne of payload (before options), so you can make full use of the motorbike-sized garage and its own 250kg allowance. There’s a true double floor, too, giving the Carthago extra stowage space, better winterisation – and a real advantage over any UK-built rival.

You’ll definitely want to add the £2,300 Chassis Package (everything from automatic air-conditioning to cab blinds) to your C-tourer, while the Comfort Package (£1,705) includes the AES fridge, SOG toilet fan, flyscreen door, an extra skylight and so on. Finally, the Media Package (£1,445) adds that 24in telly as well as a touchscreen radio and reversing camera.

If you enjoyed this review, you can read the full version and more in the July 2017 issue of What Motorhome magazine.

You can get a digital version of this latest issue of What Motorhome magazine here.