Hobby Optima De Luxe T65 HFL

Berths: 4 Travel seats: 4 Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Gross weight: 3,500kg Payload: 460kg

Coming in at a smidgeon under seven metres long, Hobby’s Optima De Luxe T65 HFL might be described as an ‘ordinary’ French bed low-profile, especially as it comes mounted on that stalwart of base vehicles – Fiat’s omnipresent Ducato.

But there are advantages to the French bed layout – firstly, there’s almost always a large locker beneath the bed and, secondly, as the washroom is alongside the bed, the motorhome can be shorter than equivalent island bed layouts. Here, the Hobby sneaks under 7m overall, where you might expect a fixed bed ’van to be closer to 7.50m.

As the choice of continental low-profiles with a permanent bed is huge, style, substance and details come to the fore and the T65 HFL has plenty of good stuff in all three areas.

External styling steals a march with a subtly curved rear panel and a roof that forms a cap on top of the body from overcab to rear panel (thus increasing its resistance to water ingress). This is still a classic low-profile, but these details add a touch of élan to the look.

Interior décor mixes rich wood tones with splashes of white that should feel homely even on a dark and wet day, which, as we all know, could be at any time of the year in Blighty.

Step inside and the lounge adds Brit-pleasing practicality with a large floor area and a generously long side sofa. Seating is available for up to seven and there’s dining from a big, extendable, wall-mounted table. So, no pedestal to get in the way and no L-shape-creating nearside section – many of which are narrow and more of a perch than a seat.

Above lurks the drop-down double bed that makes this motorhome a four-berth, but which stays out of the way when not needed.

Considering it’s ‘typically continental’ – a Brit-biased hack’s euphemism for not very good – the kitchen does OK, with big drawers, cupboards and large fridge, plus worktop-extending sink cover, a good chunk of space in front of the hob and a handy shelf atop and just behind the rear travel seat.

The bed is mounted higher than many, but that means more stowage space beneath, a fact evidenced by the deeper-than-usual external access door.

The bedtime story is a good one, too, with not too much cut-off at the foot (often a failing with French beds) and headroom enough to sit up at the other end. A thoughtful touch comes in the form of the heating controls that are mounted so as to be easy to operate while in bed.

Bathing sees the washroom with a counter-equipped vanity basin, big mirror and the latest curvy design in swivel-bowl toilets. The fully separate shower is big enough, has rigid screening and a pull-out airer/drying line for hand-washed smalls or drippy coats.

Added to all this, we’re expecting the 2018 Hobby range to come with a very high (class-leading, in fact) standard spec for British buyers.

If you enjoyed this review, you can read more in the December 2017/January 2018 issue of What Motorhome magazine.

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