Chausson 611 Welcome Travel Line

Berths: 4 Travel seats: 4 Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Gross weight: 3,500kg Payload: 474kg

Plenty of motorhomes offer four berths (or more), but how many offer really comfortable travel for a quartet of people?

Half-dinette seating, which dominates in coachbuilt motorhomes, tends to be too upright, with a lack of shoulder-room for two adults and, maybe, a fixed table in front further restricting space. Some van conversions (including Knaus and Westfalia) do better, but what if you were to throw away the rulebook and come up with something that offered a bit of luxury for back seat passengers?

Well, Chausson has done just that.

Its 611 motorhome was introduced for the 2017 season and comes with four swivel captain’s seats at the front. No longer are those sitting in the rear travelling second class. Even better, access to the living area is via a door on either side so, whether you’re touring in the UK or on the Continent, you’ll always be able to alight safely onto the pavement.

On site, the four comfy chairs make a great place for drinks, a game of cards or just a natter, and there’s a small circular table for your espresso cups.

When it comes to more serious dining, this isn’t the place. Despite a modest overall length of less than seven metres, the 611 comes with a second lounge – equipped with a much larger round table – at the rear. Even here, the Chausson isn’t entirely conventional, as the main seating is L-shaped rather than U-shaped. There is also a raised window seat, too.

As with the Benimar Mileo 282, neither seating area makes into a bed, though each lounge becomes a bedroom by virtue of the drop-down beds fitted above. Here, both beds are operated electrically with a key switch but only the forward bed requires a ladder for access. You’ll have to stoop to get into or out of the ’van when the front bed is lowered, but the rear bed comes down nice and low.

In the centre of the vehicle, the galley is on the offside, the bathroom on the nearside.

The kitchen comes with a triangular three-burner hob, while opposite is a 134-litre AES fridge. An oven is added for the UK market.

The bathroom is accessed via a space-saving tambour door and, although not the largest of rooms, it has a semi-separate shower with solid screens.

Unlike most models in the Chausson range, the 611 is not available in entry-level Flash spec. Nor is it offered on a Ford Transit. In fact, uniquely, it comes in Welcome Travel Line trim with more features than a standard Welcome. For the Fiat cab a 130bhp Euro VI engine is standard, but engine upgrades and Comfort-Matic transmission are available at extra cost.

If you enjoyed this review, you can read more in the May 2017 issue of What Motorhome magazine.

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