Frankia FF2

Frankia’s FF2 is a two-berth, rear-lounge coachbuilt from the luxury end of the market – with a price tag to match!

The 640 FF2 is a low-profile coachbuilt motorhome from the high-end German manufacturer that forms part of the Pilote Group.

It is available on both Fiat Ducato and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis, features a large rear lounge (a rarity in this part of the market), a full-width front washroom (pretty much unique) and the good dose of the interior glitz you would expect from a motorhome with a starting price of £67,792.

For all that the Frankia is a well-proportioned machine with minimal rear overhang, and that boxy exterior just means that no interior space should be lost to the fripperies of curvature.
The FF2’s exterior reveals good-sized, full-width external storage with doors on both sides of the vehicle, making a huge storage area for bulky luggage and a couple of fold-up bikes, though it’s not quite a full garage.

The FF2 features a ‘central services unit’ (in Frankia parlance) on the central nearside of the conversion. This houses an electrical hook-up reel, a hose and an extending draining tube for waste water. There’s a hole in the floor for routing the various cables and pipes through, so the locker door doesn’t need to be left open.

This FF2 is in left-hand drive form, but it will be available in right-hand drive. It's also is packed with extras, bringing its total price to a sneeze under £80,000. Ouch!

• Alloy wheels (£895)
• 40 Heavy chassis (£1,150)
• Comfort-Matic gearbox (£1,450)
• 177bhp engine (£2,350)
• cab air-con (£1,275)
• cruise control (£275)
• 120-litre diesel tank (£90)
• passenger airbag (£275)
• Exclusiv Pack (£1,995)
• Grey-line paint finish (£1,295)

The upgraded engine is powerful, torquey and often just as economical as the smaller Fiat engines, but is quite as refined as the  2.3-litre engines. The FF2 might feel a tad underpowered with its standard motivation, so the trade off in engine smoothness is worth considering. The cab is otherwise tastefully dressed, with driver and passenger seats in matching material to the rest of the FF2’s abundant soft furnishings.

WASHROOM
From the cab there’s a hinged door that goes straight into the washroom, which spans the entire width of the motorhome. On one side there’s an almost full-size circular-base shower with attractive ‘mood’ lighting, and on the other there’s a loo or a washbasin - you can’t have both at the same time. The basin rises up into the ceiling while you are using the loo and then is pulled down so you can wash your hands. It’s space-saving, but not all that practical, or pleasant, in use. Taps, shower fittings, cubicle and toilet are all very good quality though, and the abundance of mirrors, lighting and a dedicated rooflight make the washroom feel much larger than it actually is.

LOUNGE
One further door, a sliding type, opens onto the huge main living area. The FF2’s rear lounge should serve as an example to other manufacturers. You won’t go short of daylight in this Frankia and at night you can switch between those spots and strips to create exactly the right mood. And there's loads of storage.
There’s room for eight on the plump sofas and four could comfortably eat at the expanding table. The table is secure and stable but it doesn’t have an obvious stowage point.

SLEEPING
The bed itself makes up quickly into two good-sized singles or an enormous double. The double uses a pull-out sprung-slat system. Cleverly the backrest cushions can be moved up and out of the way of bed-making on gas struts, if you are opting for two single beds, but the cushions can be left down in double mode and still leave a generous space to sleep in. The bed is every bit as comfortable as the sofa cushions it is made from.

KITCHEN
There are some compromises in the kitchen, however. There’s no oven or grill, just a three-burner hob and a fridge. The fridge is a good size at 106-litres and storage is good. But total available worktop area is limited.

Lacklustre certainly isn’t a term you could level at the Frankia FF2. This is a well-built and well-thought out motorhome with some innovative features and shedloads more storage than most rivals. The biggest problem with the Frankia is its price. Starting at just under £70,000 and nearing £80k in the spec tested here it simply isn’t that much better than rivals costing £20,000 less.