Knaus Sun I 900 LEG

Berths: 4 Travel seats: 4 Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Al-Ko tag axle chassis cowl Gross weight: 5,500kg Payload: 975kg

Knaus’s range was missing a luxury flagship. So enter Sun I - a motorhome that plugs the gap while maintaining the standards of its siblings with good quality and high style.

Value comes in the form of spec level and an excellent price compared with rivals - even if it is still over £100k. The only extra fitted on this example is Fiat’s Comfort-Matic gearbox.

The 900 LEG is built on a tag-axle Al-Ko chassis hauled along by a Fiat Ducato. Thankfully, the range-topping 3-litre, 177-horsepower engine is standard fare - at least until Euro VI versions arrive.

There’s a deep storage double-floor and large garage, Alde central heating and two roof-mounted air-conditioning units. An Oyster satellite system drives a huge TV which rises electrically from behind the lounge’s forward-facing seat to just the right spot for viewing.

An L-shaped lounge, central kitchen, walk-through bathroom and twin single beds play host to a maximum of four glamping folk, thanks to the equally usual drop-down double bed in the cab.

External styling includes a great-looking rump. In contrast, the tall and flat windscreen looks old-fashioned, although it does allow space for a drop-down bed that is nearly five feet wide.

The other sleeping space features singles that are each more than three feet wide with a curved bite out of the foot to aid access.

Further forward, the washroom would happily grace any luxury apartment. You’re spoilt for choice for storage, too, with enough pigeonholes and cupboards for all your cosmetics and towels. The bench cassette toilet occupies its own room, its door swinging across to create an en suite.

The bulk of the galley storage is drawer-based, so great to live with. Opposite this is a pull-out larder below a wine glass storage unit. Alongside is the fridge/freezer with Dometic oven/grill above. There’s a three-burner hob, nicely done in gas-on-glass fashion, but the circular sink has no drainer and there’s precious little worktop.

In chocolate and cream, the spacious eight-seater lounge has a touch of 1950s about it, while the single-leg table sports a pop-up leaf.

Kit levels impress, with a blinding array of lighting switched by confusing centralised lighting controls. Seven mains sockets are scattered around the interior. Outside, a pair of locker doors give access to service box facilities and a tricky-to-get-at hook-up point.

This is an abridged version of the full review appearing in the August 2016 issue of What Motorhome. Buy it now.

Knaus quality and style - and exceptional value - makes for a welcome newcomer to the tag-axle A-class market.