Florium Baxter 65 LJG low-profile motorhome

Refinements for 2024 make this compact French motorhome more practical

The Florium Baxter 65 LJG motorhome

Words & photos: Rachel Scholes
 

For those who don’t recognise the brand, Florium is part of the Rapido Group. Its vehicles are made alongside their not-quite-identical twins from sister marque, Fleurette, in a factory in the Marais Poitevin area of the Loire, rather than at the group’s larger Mayenne plant further east.

The Baxter’s sister models in the Fleurette range are called Migrateur and this 65 LJG layout is available in both versions. Simply pick whether you want a more modern interior (light wood tones with contrasting matt black fittings for the Baxter), or something a little more traditional with the Migrateur’s warmer wood with chrome fittings.

Though classed as compact by its maker (thanks to a 2.23m width), this is the biggest model in the Baxter range – but, at 6.59m long, it’s still far from huge. 

The lounge

Inside, you get a cosy – that’s estate agent speak for small! – L-shaped lounge opposite the habitation door. However, there’s also a small fold-down seat right by the entrance – perfect as an extra pew, or even as a footrest for the closest cab seat. It operates easily – simply pull it up to fix it in place, then pull the two catches to unlock the button and lower it again.

The fixed table slides for access, or to allow four to dine, and although the half-dinette offers belts for four to travel, the 65 LJG is only a three-berth. 

The lounge can convert to a single bed running across the width of the motorhome, but realistically this model is ideally suited to a couple with just the occasional need of an extra bed for a grandchild. 

The kitchen

The washroom and kitchen are central. For the cook, the two-burner hob is mounted on top of the work surface, maximising the storage below. It has a glass lid that folds up against the wall when in use; this is a good idea as it doesn’t block the ventilation and daylight available from the window. 

The adjacent circular sink is a good size and, as it is recessed, its cover is flush with the worktop, creating a useful amount of preparation space for the chef. The fridge is more than big enough, too, offering 145 litres of cooling and freezing space. 

Storage includes two eye-level lockers and three particularly generous drawers, plus a larger cupboard above the fridge. 

The washroom

The washroom, too, manages to make the best use of the limited space available. The shower area is large, with one central drain hole in the tray. 

The toilet is set onto a small plinth and there’s a door to shut off this area when showering, so the clean-up afterwards should be a doddle. 

However, possibly the neatest aspect is the basin unit that drops down above the toilet. Stashed away, it means the area around the loo is very spacious, but, when lowered, the basin is both sizeable and has worktop for toiletries. A small eye-level locker will accommodate those toiletries. 

The bedroom

Finally, the bedroom is right at the back, with single beds that are a quoted 1.94m (6ft 4in) long by 80cm (2ft 7in) wide. 

Thanks to the single central roof-level locker here, you can easily sit up in bed in this area – many rival vehicles have full-width lockers, making this impossible. Instead, there’s high-level storage on either side, as well as more underneath the foot of each bed – a jacket-length wardrobe on one side and drawers on the other.

The garage

The garage has been optimised for this season with a 2,000-litre capacity as well as larger doors. There’s also a new location for the gas locker.

Where to buy

Wandahome in Yorkshire is currently the only dealer for the Fleurette and Florium motorhome brands in the UK.