Full review

Words & photos: Peter Vaughan

The Coachman Travel Master Imperial 845

In 2023, premium UK caravan company, Coachman, entered the motorhome market with not a little assistance from its Swedish parent, Kabe. Its Travel Master was instantly impressive – so much so that it took the Luxury Motorhome of the Year title (with the island bed 545 model).

At that time we commented, “It’s not every year that a major new brand enters the motorhome market and perhaps never before has one started off with a high-end model that’s gone straight to the top of its class. 

Of course, Coachman already had decades of experience in building caravans and its takeover by Kabe was just the fillip it needed to go from tuggers to luggers.”

But, even then, we knew that Coachman’s plans extended beyond the initial two-model line-up to include a 3.5-tonne low-profile, luxury campervans and, at the top of the tree, a flagship A-class. 

It launched its range-topper, the Travel Master Imperial 845, at last October’s NEC show and, although this time it was pipped to the post in our awards, it was still highly commended. 

Our comments included, “A £206k price tag sounds as substantial as the 8.82m overall length until you factor in what’s included” and “there are even heated carpets in this true flagship motorhome.” 

With that in mind, no A-class issue of the magazine would be complete without Coachman’s inclusion.

The cab

So, let’s take a closer look at this rather superior motorhome, built on a front-wheel drive Mercedes Sprinter with Al-Ko tag-axle chassis. 

Unsurprisingly, this 5.5-tonne vehicle comes with the 170hp engine and nine-speed automatic gearbox as standard. 

It also benefits from adaptive cruise control, ESP, ASR, Attention Assist, automatic lights and wipers, a sextet of  16in alloy wheels, an electronic parking brake, tyre pressure monitoring and the 10.25in MBUX display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, DAB radio, sat-nav and reversing camera. 

The body

The body uses the same balanced aluminium sidewall and roof construction with Ecoprim insulation as the low-profile models. With zoned Alde central heating as well as AGS II Pro underfloor heating, there are very few motorhomes that will match the Imperial for winter use.

Fresh and waste water tanks (150 and 90 litres, respectively) are heated, too, and it’s hardly surprising that a Swedish-built vehicle should excel in this regard, but Kabe’s insulation standards will be equally adept at keeping you cool in summer in conjunction with roof-mounted air-conditioning as standard.

The spec

Of course, this new Coachman is closely related to Kabe’s own A-class and, unlike the low-profile models, it is not UK-handed. The lower sales for such a motorhome mean that the habitation door stays on the offside and the cab door on the nearside, with right-hand drive. 

However, there are details that you won’t find on (also continental layout) rivals; things such as slide-out storage trays that make such practical use of the heated double floor and a gas compartment with rotating tray to make for easier cylinder swaps. 

The twin large access doors into the generous garage are linked to the remote central locking, there’s a 150W solar panel on the roof, a security alarm, an external shower and even a hydraulic levelling system. In fact, the only optional extra is the electric Thule awning, priced at £2,350.

The interior

Inside, the aluminium walls improve heat distribution and the ventilated wall covering eliminates condensation and improves sound deadening. Even the leather upholstery is standard – both on the cab seats and the settees (L-shaped on the nearside and straight on the offside). 

The layout holds no surprises, with plenty of space attributed to all its zones and, while the kitchen includes centrally locked drawers and a microwave, it’s a disappointment to see the small oven placed above the fridge. Spec does, however, also include an electric drop-down cab bed, twin leisure batteries and an 1,800W inverter.

Where to buy

Despite its very recent arrival in the motorhome market, Coachman already has 17 dealers for its Travel Master range. These include Perthshire Caravans in Scotland, Spinney Caravans Flintshire and Newport Caravans in Wales, and Lisburn Caravans and Motorhomes in Northern Ireland.

In England, dealers stretch from Leisure World Catterick in the north, down to Alan Kerr in the southwest  and Premier Motorhomes on the south coast.