Itineo Famili CJ660 A-class

Base vehicle: Peugeot Boxer Price from: £68,600 Berths: 4 Travel seats: 4 Length: 6.61m Width: 2.19m Height: 2.80m Gross weight: 3,500kg Payload: 630kg

Words & photos: Peter Vaughan

The Itineo Famili CJ660

Itineo introduced its compact A-class range a year ago and we’ve already reviewed – and been highly complementary of – the CS660 (bunk beds, November 2021) and the CM660 (island bed, Summer 2022 awards issue). Now it’s the third variant, the single bed CJ660, that’s under the spotlight – and here we have it in 2023-season spec.

All three of Itineo’s compact models are built on a Peugeot Boxer with 3,500kg gross weight, although a switch to the sister Fiat is possible if you need an automatic. Obvious competition for the new line-up comes from long-running slimline models, such as the Dethleffs Globebus and Hymer Exsis, but you’ll pay significantly more for these German alternatives. Itineo has always had value for money as a key USP.

The drive

A short drive is all it takes to appreciate the Nomad’s slimmer overall width. It doesn’t feel like a big motorhome and, even though there’s a large expanse of fascia between driver and windscreen, it’s not hard to place the Itineo accurately on the road. Big bus-style mirrors (albeit without twin lenses, as on Rapidos) and a reversing camera (part of the essential Life Pack) ensure that manoeuvring is just as stress-free. What could still be improved is the typically letterbox-like under-bonnet access.

Generally, the CJ660 benefits greatly from its reduced bulk. Not only is the standard 140bhp motor able to provide adequate performance, but you won’t have to leave Fido, or little Frederick or Frederica, at home because here is an A-class that you can drive on a car licence and still have a sensible payload. The only downside of driving applies to RHD versions, where access to the handbrake requires small hands.

The spec

Cab spec includes manual air-conditioning and cruise control, plus stop/start, while the Life Pack adds the ASR (anti-slip regulation), ROM (roll over mitigation), crosswind assist, hill holder, towing stability control, automatic post-collision braking, heated mirrors, LED daytime running lights and Pioneer DAB radio and multimedia system with 6.2in display. The £1,210 pack also includes habitation features such as the electric step and an entrance door with bin and flyscreen.

Itineo motorhomes have their own look as well as Itineo Life construction with Styrofoam insulation and impact-resistant polyester exterior panels, including under the floor. Aluminium side skirts and framed habitation windows also belie the price tag. This model also boasts a generous garage (limited to 150kg) with doors on either side and internal headroom of 1.16m max.

The interior

Inside, the Urban furniture, which was new last year, has obviously gone down well with customers because it now also features in Itineo’s larger motorhomes. It mates a pale wood tone with dark grey panels and gloss white handleless kitchen drawers for a contemporary feel.

There are three upholstery options – Pepper, Macadamia and Magnetic (seen here). The lounge isn’t big but it’s big enough, thanks to the full-width A-class cab and its vast glazing.

There’s a good mix of artificial illumination, too, but no directional reading lights, except in the bedroom. The table scores maximum points, though, as it folds in half in a fashion that Rapido started.

The kitchen

You might be grateful for the generosity of the table when cooking because the galley isn’t overendowed with worktop space. The glass lids of the three-burner hob and stainless-steel sink fill most of the counter, leaving just a slot-in extension panel to provide serving space.

A change for 2023 is the new Dometic 128-litre fridge, above which an oven can be fitted. The galley also incorporates plenty of storage via large soft-closing drawers, all locked centrally for travel via a simple twist knob.

The washroom

Another appealing detail is in the washroom, where the tap is a smart waterfall-style type serving the stylish circular basin – both look like they belong in a much pricier model.

This washroom also has a very practical design. There’s no shortage of leg or shoulder room when ‘on the throne’ and the seat height, for once, doesn’t require lanky legs. Headroom of 1.90m is only marginally less than in the main living area and a roof vent provides daylight as well as ventilation.

There’s a large mirror (a taller one is on the outside of the bathroom door) and there’s an array of shelving and cupboard space for toiletries – pity that the lips fitted just do lip service to keeping things in place, however.

Perhaps the best aspect of this zone is the shower. Unbolt the wall behind the washbasin and it swings to the right to cover the cassette loo, while a bifold door completes a good-sized cubicle with its own showerhead on a fixed-height bracket. When you step out of the shower, a new, less colourful/controversial (delete according to taste) curtain provides a private changing area.

The beds

It’s right at the rear where the CJ660 differs from other models in the range, as single beds (each over 2m long) sit atop the garage. The beds aren’t a regular size (the nearside one is angled around the washroom wall, the offside mattress narrows at the foot), but they are a good size.

And, for once, the cupboard at the end of the bedroom is only in the centre of the motorhome, so there’s plenty of room to sit up in bed. I could almost kiss the Itineo’s designer for this but, being French, he’d probably just think I was saying hello…

And, if all this talk of kissing, makes you yearn for a double bed, then there’s the usual central infill to turn the area into a 1.99m by 1.51m double with a ladder for access.

Beneath the foot of the nearside bed is a large wardrobe with 780mm drop and both front and top access, while opposite is a generous shelved cupboard rather than a second wardrobe.

Being an A-class, there’s a second double bed above the cab. It has a 200kg weight limit and, as usual, you just need to tip the front seats’ backrests forward before lowering it manually.

You might expect the CJ660’s narrow body to have shrunk the bed to kids-only dimensions but it’s actually a more-than-acceptable 1.86m by 1.40m. It has adequate headroom (640mm), as well as a single ceiling light, a privacy curtain and a security net, but no roof vent directly overhead.

Finally, the heating deserves a mention because the UK spec includes an upgrade from the Truma Combi 4 fitted for continental markets to the 6kW unit with gas and 230V power.