Ci Carioca 694

CI Carioca 694 2009

The Carioca 694 appears to offer a lot for the money, but how does this entry-level motorhome stack up in the competitive sub-£40,000 market?

THE 694 is the largest low-profile motorhome in Ci’s budget Carioca line-up and fits into a wider range that includes 13 models (including more upmarket Rivieras) on a mixture of Ford Transit and Fiat Ducato base vehicles. Where its two smaller siblings, the 100 and 200, are both Ford-based, the 694 rides on a Fiat wide-track motorhome chassis with engine options from a 100bhp 2.2-litre to a 157bhp 3-litre.

The model on test here has the ubiquitous 2.3-litre 130bhp variant. Given the relatively light weight of the 694 – certainly when compared to many motorhomes packing this engine – the Carioca 694 should go pretty well. We’ll find out soon. It may be well-equipped under the bonnet, but save for a pair of swivelling seats clad in vivid Afra cloth, the 694’s cab is rather basic, with not even a radio/CD-player to help tackle the tedium of a long journey. Buyers can opt for sounds, of course, but at £490, you might well consider having a unit fitted aftermarket for around half that price.

THE DRIVE

The Ducato’s diesel note breaks the silence and we’re off on a cross-country route from Ci’s UK base in Grimsby to Southwold. A 155-mile cross-country journey that will hug the east coast, skirt round the Wash, arrow past Norwich and then make a beeline for the sea. The 694 is an ideal size for a journey like this. It’s big enough to carry all the equipment that makes for a luxury camping experience (fixed bed, well-equipped kitchen, separate shower, etc), but not too large to wield along some of the inevitably tight spots that this route will entail.

The 130bhp engine proves it is up to the task right from the start with the 694’s sub-3-tonne unladen weight and our light load showing up in strong, smooth acceleration and good top-end speed, at least where the brief outcrops of dual carriageway appear. Unless you need an automatic there’s no need to spend the extra £3000 that the 27bhp more powerful 3-litre engine adds to the price.

This route is twisty, bumpy and replete with junctions as B-roads intersect A-roads and vice versa. Daphne in the sat-nav has failed to notice a number of these pretty essential stops and on a couple of occasions I’ve had to haul on the brakes. The Ducato chassis boasts great stoppers and the 694’s body doesn’t overpower the base vehicle when slowing down.

Equally impressive is the fact that apart from a badly-packed teacup (my fault) the Carioca doesn’t squeak, rattle or protest in any fashion. Ci make a lot of fuss about their Extreme Protection System (ExPS) and the
way it adds strength to the coachbuilt body – judging by this performance, it appears to work. Of course, the real proof of the pudding will be in long-term ownership.

Having filled up the big inboard tank with water when I arrived on site, it’s was a bit of a surprise to find quite
a lot of it puddling up in the lounge area and threatening to wash through to the kitchen. Draining the tank down to half way stops the torrent, but this is not the start I’d envisaged for the weekend.

THE TOUR

As the floor dries, I take my first proper look round the 694. The layout (a European favourite) is more of a success, with a generous lounge area providing seating for six once the driver and passenger seats have been turned round to face the living area. The table extends towards the side-mounted bench seat, making the area easily capable of feeding six people, too.

There are double high-level cupboards on both sides of the lounge and even more storage under the bench seat. Ci’s attention to the essential detail of storage is impressive, and with all the cupboards and drawers sporting positive catches, stored stuff stays put. Behind the lounge the L-shaped kitchen has an oven, grill, three-burner hob, double overhead cupboards and a pair of drawers, one above and one below the oven. There’s lift-up storage to the right of the hob and a 150-litre fridge opposite the sink, making the whole kitchen area immensely practical. Well at least it would be if the fridge actually worked. No amount of fiddling will get the Thetford unit to spring into action.

THE BEDS

At the back of the Carioca is one of its prize assets – the fixed double, French bed style with washroom alongside. For anyone coming from a van conversion, where beds usually have to be laboriously made up at night and tediously taken down in the morning, a fixed bed is one of the key things that sets the world of coachbuilts apart. Even if you’re used to a fixed bed, the 694’s is worth further mention. First off, it’s a pretty generous offering, being just under two metres long and 1.30m wide. There’s a window behind the bed and another to the left of that and the two come almost together in the corner of the motorhome. This creates a huge amount of natural light (easily shut out behind black-out blinds, of course) and a perfect viewing platform for the lazy sightseer.

There are three cupboards above the bed and a double row of shelves above the rear window. Hanging clothes go in the wardrobe more or less opposite the bed. By folding the two-piece mattress up and hinging the slatted bed frame upwards, a large under-bed storage space is revealed. This area is also accessible from an external door on the driver’s side of the motorhome. It’s an ideal spot for bulky camping gear and muddy boots, but the exposed heater-vent tubing does look rather vulnerable to the attrition of a shifting load. The Carioca’s boiler is also located under the bed with the controls positioned at knee height on the end panel of the bed. In this position it is very easy to knock the heating up and down as you walk past.

The 694 is advertised as being suitable mainly for couples, but the lounge area can be converted into a bed for additional sleepers. The lounge goes from seating to sleeping very quickly with the table, seat cushions and a selection of additional bolsters (purloined from their wardrobe storage spot) all coming together to create a bed immensely long (2.16m), rather narrow (1.21m), tapering down to very narrow at just 0.97m wide at its base. Once the bed is deployed there’s nowhere to sit, so parents (or grandparents) of young children may opt to put the little ones on the luxurious fixed bed, stay up in the lounge and then make up the second bed.

Despite concerns about the bed being too narrow, it’s actually fine for an adult couple who are not above average in width. There’s always a risk of a foot or a leg dangling out down at the thinnest section of the bed, but that’s about it. Considering the bed is made up of so many different parts it’s surprisingly comfortable as well.

THE HEATING

Outside it’s not much more than a couple of degrees, but the combination of the powerful 6kW gas/electric heating system (a £608 optional upgrade) and thick Styrofoam insulation in the walls means the interior is warm enough for instant de-bedding. In a large interior space like this it’s quite common to get hot and cold spots thanks to poorly placed heater vents. On the 694, though, a lot of thought has gone into the positioning of the vents and the heat spread is just about perfect.

THE WASHROOM

One area where you really want warmth is in the washroom. And with a single dedicated vent pumping hot air aplenty into this compact space there are no complaints here at all. The washroom has as much storage as you’ll possibly need with double overhead cupboards, a large single cupboard under the basin and a recessed shelf above the loo. The big semi-opaque window lets in loads of light, as does the miniature skylight over the separate shower.

The shower itself is powerful by motorhome standards thanks to the Carioca’s hefty water pump. An enjoyable shower turns to a bit of a rude awakening, however, when the warm water cools after less than a minute and then goes, and stays, stone cold. Leaving the hot water system to regroup gives a fresh burst of hot water half an hour later, and while it’s enough for a bowl of washing up, the shower does its water torture trick again in very short order. The Truma system should be more than up to the task of providing hot water for a shower, so it would appear there’s something amiss with this Carioca’s boiler. There’s also something wrong at the washbasin that leaks into the storage cupboard beneath.

THE CONCLUSION

Taken as a whole, the Carioca 694 is a good entry-level motorhome. The layout is a success, it has a high level of equipment, plenty of storage and it is rather good to drive. In some areas, however, this example lacked the levels of quality control we would hope to find in a modern motorhome.

To read the full motorhome review in PDF format exactly as it appeared in the June 2011 issue of Which Motorhome, click here.

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It does offer a lot of vehicle for the money and seemed to work practically in all areas, but there were a few quality niggles that proved disappointing.