Knaus Sky Ti 700MX
Image
Key Features
Model Year
2012
Product Class
Low Profile
Product Model Base
Fiat Ducato
Price from (£)
£54995
Length (m)
7.47
Berths
3
Belted seats
4
Main Layout
Island Bed
Full Review
Price from: £54,995 OTR
Price as tested: £57,790
The vehicle: Fiat Ducato camper chassis-cab, 2.3-litre Euro 5 turbo-diesel producing 130bhp, six-speed manual gearbox, front-wheel drive
Warranty: Base vehicle and conversion 2 years; water ingress 6 years
Dimensions: Length 7.47m (24ft 7in), Width 2.34m (7ft 8in), Height 2.75m (9ft 1in)
Gross vehicle weight: 3,500kg Payload: 520kg
Belted seats: 4 (incl driver) Berths: 3
Beds: Lounge single
Length: 2.00m (6ft 7in) Width: 1.25m (4ft 0½in) max - 520mm (1ft 8½in) min
Fixed island double
Length: 1.96m (6ft 5½in) Width: 1.36m (4ft 5½in) approx 990mm (3ft 3in) at foot
Tanks: Inboard fresh water 100 litres (22 gallons); waste water (underslung) 95 litres (21 gallons)
Gas: 2 x 11kg cylinders
Options fitted to test vehicle: satellite dish system, auto-seeking (£400), Avtex TV with built-in digital tuner (£400)
An extended version of this motorhome review first appeared in the September 2012 issue of MMM. You can subscribe or download the full digital issue by clicking HERE
The 650 MF is a classic French bed-equipped model, while sibling 700 MX has joined our fleet for long-term assessment by MMM and Which Motorhome’s band of experts. This model features an island bed in the rear with semi-en suite washroom, while kitchen and euro lounge are in line – forwards to the cab.
Sitting on the Fiat Ducato Camper chassis (low stance and wide-track rear axle), this motorhome is a classic seven-and-a-half-metre continental low-profile. Styling is fresh – the coloured cab, sweeping graphics and two-bird Knaus logo modern-looking, and to my eye, very appealing.
That low chassis removes the need for an external step as you board to discover an interior continuing the fresh-faced theme, with dark grey carpets and charcoal grained-effect panels complimenting modern wood shades and silver trim. It’s not all good news though, as I discovered issues with fit and finish; variable gaps between overhead lockers and cab bulkhead and some rather dodgy fitting shelves.
East Anglia’s A14 is a crowded road, but when there was some space I sailed along at 70, with plenty of power in reserve for rapid overtaking. Fuel economy – at 24.8mpg – didn’t seem all that good (especially as the Euro 5 version claims significant improvements over the previous Euro 4 incarnation), but very few miles on the clock and my leaden right foot were considerations. There’s no through vision to the rear and were this motorhome mine, it would have a rear view camera fitted.
As one of the more compact Euro lounges, this one only has room for a single seat at the side where the shorter French bed 650 MF model includes a two-person sofa. Swivel the cab seats and there’s room for five to get sat down in reasonable comfort. Bear in mind that there’s a step up into this lounge, the low chassis means it’s needed to bring it up to the same level as the cab floor.
Above, sources of illumination are many, with both an opening overcab sunroof and a wind-up rooflight flooding the interior with daylight. There’s plenty of artificial light too, with downlighters (some halogen, some LEDs) and LED strips in the frame of the rooflight. However, no adjustable reading lights are fitted.
Mealtimes are well catered for, as a strong, easy-to-operate, swing-out table extension allows all loungers to eat in reasonable comfort too.
All five can listen to the stereo through the speakers mounted in the rear of the overcab – but only four folks can watch TV, as it pops up from behind the side seat. Here, it’s easy to view from dinette and cab seats – the optional Avtex telly was connected to a self-deploying satellite dish by Maxview. The Omnisat Seeker system features a wireless control panel, making it easy to fit and use anywhere in the ’van, with easy installation and no unsightly wiring.
And so to the lounge’s sleeping facilities... As mentioned, Knaus quotes three/four berths for this Sky TI, but as the lounge bed is only 520mm wide at its narrowest, the suggestion takes optimism to new levels. And the bed is not very good either: lumpy (thanks to shaped cushions designed for sitting) and unconvincing, it’s almost certainly an occasional use item. These beds are sadly, often ill-conceived in many other ’vans and I wonder why.
Directly aft of the dinette, the kitchen is like many others of the type, L-shaped and quite compact. Stone-effect black worktop and neat LED strip task lighting add style and practicality, while the ‘designer’ sink is round and surprisingly deep. The tap worked wonderfully well, though, while the sink’s generous plug-hole drained the bowl in a trice.
As usual with these kitchens, worktop space is at a premium, so Knaus has fitted a three-in-line hob that leaves space in front for preparation and the like. The hob follows the budget continental tradition of needing matches to light it, while the sink lacks a drainer.
Across the way lurks the fridge, with oven/grill above. No auto energy selection here, but this cooler features electronic controls with LED indicators, a removable freezer box and reasonable capacity. The oven, mounted above, suffers from the usual continental malaise: it’s too bloomin’ high of course, and this situation is all the more puzzling as there’s a large cupboard below the fridge. As far as I can see, the lot could be moved down, thus placing the oven at the perfect height to use safely and easily.
There’s another step up into the bedroom area, where clever design sees the island double and washroom facilities in a special relationship. First, the bed base slides back lifting the head and creating space to move around its foot – past the corner of the toilet room on the offside, the separate shower on the nearside. Next, the toilet room’s rear wall does its trick, as it slides out, thus increasing its interior space. Finally, the toilet room door swings forwards through 90 degrees and across the aisle to make an en suite with the bedroom, albeit an open one (closed off only by a floor-length curtain).
The bed’s sliding mechanism is strongly made and I found it easy to operate, and with head end raised I was propped up at the perfect attitude to read my Kindle and slurp hot chocolate. Lowered, the bed is a good length, but bear in mind that its foot is rounded. The bed’s six-foot-five is at the centre, so a couple should try it together to make sure it’s long enough for both. Quality is not in doubt however, and its memory foam mattress rides on sprung slats.
To the toilet room, where washbasin and storage display best practise, along with a nice chunk of style. The good-looking, generous-size, stainless steel basin is set into a sizeable counter with plenty of room for your potions to stand. Fed by a stylish wall-mounted faucet and with a triptych of mirrors above, all is great to look at and equally great to use. Storage has a sensible fiddle-shelved cupboard and shelves above, and a good-sized cupboard below the basin.
It’s now that we discover the reason for the space-making slide-out wall, as floor space in here is tight. I found it okay standing at the basin and the Dometic toilet (which had a rather feeble sprinkling-style flush), but sitting on the loo proved a tad tight. Of course, with the door in en suite mode things are better however, complete privacy from the bedroom is lost. Seems Knaus has considered this scenario, as a privacy curtain is provided, simply to enclose the bed area. The circular shower is a good ’un. It’s not too big, but enclosed by rigid doors and equipped with an LED light and roof vent.
An extended version of this motorhome review first appeared in the September 2012 issue of MMM. You can subscribe or download the full digital issue by clicking HERE
Price as tested: £57,790
The vehicle: Fiat Ducato camper chassis-cab, 2.3-litre Euro 5 turbo-diesel producing 130bhp, six-speed manual gearbox, front-wheel drive
Warranty: Base vehicle and conversion 2 years; water ingress 6 years
Dimensions: Length 7.47m (24ft 7in), Width 2.34m (7ft 8in), Height 2.75m (9ft 1in)
Gross vehicle weight: 3,500kg Payload: 520kg
Belted seats: 4 (incl driver) Berths: 3
Beds: Lounge single
Length: 2.00m (6ft 7in) Width: 1.25m (4ft 0½in) max - 520mm (1ft 8½in) min
Fixed island double
Length: 1.96m (6ft 5½in) Width: 1.36m (4ft 5½in) approx 990mm (3ft 3in) at foot
Tanks: Inboard fresh water 100 litres (22 gallons); waste water (underslung) 95 litres (21 gallons)
Gas: 2 x 11kg cylinders
Options fitted to test vehicle: satellite dish system, auto-seeking (£400), Avtex TV with built-in digital tuner (£400)
An extended version of this motorhome review first appeared in the September 2012 issue of MMM. You can subscribe or download the full digital issue by clicking HERE
The 650 MF is a classic French bed-equipped model, while sibling 700 MX has joined our fleet for long-term assessment by MMM and Which Motorhome’s band of experts. This model features an island bed in the rear with semi-en suite washroom, while kitchen and euro lounge are in line – forwards to the cab.
Sitting on the Fiat Ducato Camper chassis (low stance and wide-track rear axle), this motorhome is a classic seven-and-a-half-metre continental low-profile. Styling is fresh – the coloured cab, sweeping graphics and two-bird Knaus logo modern-looking, and to my eye, very appealing.
That low chassis removes the need for an external step as you board to discover an interior continuing the fresh-faced theme, with dark grey carpets and charcoal grained-effect panels complimenting modern wood shades and silver trim. It’s not all good news though, as I discovered issues with fit and finish; variable gaps between overhead lockers and cab bulkhead and some rather dodgy fitting shelves.
East Anglia’s A14 is a crowded road, but when there was some space I sailed along at 70, with plenty of power in reserve for rapid overtaking. Fuel economy – at 24.8mpg – didn’t seem all that good (especially as the Euro 5 version claims significant improvements over the previous Euro 4 incarnation), but very few miles on the clock and my leaden right foot were considerations. There’s no through vision to the rear and were this motorhome mine, it would have a rear view camera fitted.
As one of the more compact Euro lounges, this one only has room for a single seat at the side where the shorter French bed 650 MF model includes a two-person sofa. Swivel the cab seats and there’s room for five to get sat down in reasonable comfort. Bear in mind that there’s a step up into this lounge, the low chassis means it’s needed to bring it up to the same level as the cab floor.
Above, sources of illumination are many, with both an opening overcab sunroof and a wind-up rooflight flooding the interior with daylight. There’s plenty of artificial light too, with downlighters (some halogen, some LEDs) and LED strips in the frame of the rooflight. However, no adjustable reading lights are fitted.
Mealtimes are well catered for, as a strong, easy-to-operate, swing-out table extension allows all loungers to eat in reasonable comfort too.
All five can listen to the stereo through the speakers mounted in the rear of the overcab – but only four folks can watch TV, as it pops up from behind the side seat. Here, it’s easy to view from dinette and cab seats – the optional Avtex telly was connected to a self-deploying satellite dish by Maxview. The Omnisat Seeker system features a wireless control panel, making it easy to fit and use anywhere in the ’van, with easy installation and no unsightly wiring.
And so to the lounge’s sleeping facilities... As mentioned, Knaus quotes three/four berths for this Sky TI, but as the lounge bed is only 520mm wide at its narrowest, the suggestion takes optimism to new levels. And the bed is not very good either: lumpy (thanks to shaped cushions designed for sitting) and unconvincing, it’s almost certainly an occasional use item. These beds are sadly, often ill-conceived in many other ’vans and I wonder why.
Directly aft of the dinette, the kitchen is like many others of the type, L-shaped and quite compact. Stone-effect black worktop and neat LED strip task lighting add style and practicality, while the ‘designer’ sink is round and surprisingly deep. The tap worked wonderfully well, though, while the sink’s generous plug-hole drained the bowl in a trice.
As usual with these kitchens, worktop space is at a premium, so Knaus has fitted a three-in-line hob that leaves space in front for preparation and the like. The hob follows the budget continental tradition of needing matches to light it, while the sink lacks a drainer.
Across the way lurks the fridge, with oven/grill above. No auto energy selection here, but this cooler features electronic controls with LED indicators, a removable freezer box and reasonable capacity. The oven, mounted above, suffers from the usual continental malaise: it’s too bloomin’ high of course, and this situation is all the more puzzling as there’s a large cupboard below the fridge. As far as I can see, the lot could be moved down, thus placing the oven at the perfect height to use safely and easily.
There’s another step up into the bedroom area, where clever design sees the island double and washroom facilities in a special relationship. First, the bed base slides back lifting the head and creating space to move around its foot – past the corner of the toilet room on the offside, the separate shower on the nearside. Next, the toilet room’s rear wall does its trick, as it slides out, thus increasing its interior space. Finally, the toilet room door swings forwards through 90 degrees and across the aisle to make an en suite with the bedroom, albeit an open one (closed off only by a floor-length curtain).
The bed’s sliding mechanism is strongly made and I found it easy to operate, and with head end raised I was propped up at the perfect attitude to read my Kindle and slurp hot chocolate. Lowered, the bed is a good length, but bear in mind that its foot is rounded. The bed’s six-foot-five is at the centre, so a couple should try it together to make sure it’s long enough for both. Quality is not in doubt however, and its memory foam mattress rides on sprung slats.
To the toilet room, where washbasin and storage display best practise, along with a nice chunk of style. The good-looking, generous-size, stainless steel basin is set into a sizeable counter with plenty of room for your potions to stand. Fed by a stylish wall-mounted faucet and with a triptych of mirrors above, all is great to look at and equally great to use. Storage has a sensible fiddle-shelved cupboard and shelves above, and a good-sized cupboard below the basin.
It’s now that we discover the reason for the space-making slide-out wall, as floor space in here is tight. I found it okay standing at the basin and the Dometic toilet (which had a rather feeble sprinkling-style flush), but sitting on the loo proved a tad tight. Of course, with the door in en suite mode things are better however, complete privacy from the bedroom is lost. Seems Knaus has considered this scenario, as a privacy curtain is provided, simply to enclose the bed area. The circular shower is a good ’un. It’s not too big, but enclosed by rigid doors and equipped with an LED light and roof vent.
An extended version of this motorhome review first appeared in the September 2012 issue of MMM. You can subscribe or download the full digital issue by clicking HERE
