Marquis Wiltshire

Price from: £65,995 Price as tested: £69,995 Type Approval: European Whole Vehicle Berths:2 Travel seats: 2

A classy motorhome from the UK’s oldest established manufacturer, the Marquis Wiltshire is worthy as clan leader, capable of competing with its UK rivals. Very well made and equipped, it looks the part, and drives well.

Yes, we’d make changes, but this is a prototype, so with the expected production modifications, the Wiltshire will be a most desirable motorhome.

OUTSIDE the Marquis Wiltshire

The prototype Wiltshire is an imposing motorhome at 7.9-metres long, complete with a five-metre Prostor awning.

Sleek bodylines mean the Wiltshire looks slimmer than its vital statistics of 2.35m
Wide, however.

Sitting quite low on its Mercedes LWB chassis, its 2.5-metre overhang raises concerns about grounding – when boarding ferries, for example.

Auto-Sleepers recognises this and so will modify the design, possibly curving the underside – and shortening the ’van by a few inches.

The Wiltshire tips the scales at 3,880kg GVW (gross vehicle weight), so check your licence before buying. The (estimated) payload is a very modest 320kg.

INSIDE

Lounge
The lounge is capable of seating four, plus two squeezed into cab seats. The settees are comfortable, with just slight knee-rolls.

The Wiltshire features Auto-Sleepers’ familiar darkish-brown Amarti furniture, high-level cupboards with silver strips and door catches (while overhead kitchen lockers have white translucent panels).

The interior is well lit thanks to LED dome ceiling lights, reading lights and dimmable mood lights.


Kitchen
In a top-line British motorhome you’d expect a top-line British kitchen, and
it doesn’t disappoint with lots of work surface, including a sturdy pull-out extension, a Caprice cooker with three burners, one hotplate, hob, grill and oven. It also has a pan cupboard, with an extractor fan above.

There's loads of cupboard space – four drawers under the sink (one with cutlery tray), a deep drawer and shelved cupboard alongside the cooker and two big high-level cupboards above.

Opposite, there’s a monster 190-litre auto-selection Dometic fridge with separate freezer. A Daewoo microwave, set above, is accessible at 1.53m.

So, it has work surface, appliances, storage – what’s missing? You’ve guessed – the sink, with glass lid and external mixer-tap, lacks a drainer.

It’s replaced by a plastic tray and a little rack (enough for two mugs and tea spoons), which attaches to the sink lid.

We also disliked the two sockets’ location, in the corner behind the sink, a long stretch from the work surface.

Beds
The Wiltshire’s en-suite bedroom is truly luxurious, featuring a sumptuous French bed. It comes with a thickly-padded headboard incorporating plush, removable, headrests.

There’s an impressive dressing table with illuminated mirror and cupboards above and below.

Alongside are two huge wardrobes, each with 1.31m hanging drop and two drawers below.

It’s such a pity that the bed is rather short (1.84m) with a heavily cutaway side. Width reduces quickly from 1.31m maximum to a narrow 98cm.

In the lounge the settees pull out easily to the centre on sturdy metal frames (returning to Auto-Sleepers’ best traditions).

Seat cushions, having slight knee-rolls, need turning, but even that is easily accomplished and (with two in-fill cushions) a 2.21m by 1.22m bed quickly results.

Washroom
Beyond the boudoir lies the rear, full-width, transverse washroom.

The toilet is a Dometic swivel-type, with flush tank and ceramic bowl. There’s plenty of elbow-room and a correctly-placed toilet-roll holder.

Centrally, beneath a large mirror, there’s the now-familiar clear plastic washbowl.

Behind a bi-fold door is the large, rectangular shower cubicle. With smooth (easily-cleaned), tile-effect walls, riser-bar, chromed accessories basket, ceiling light and extractor fan, plus the tray’s twin drainage holes, it’s well-nigh perfect.

Indeed, the whole washroom is well-designed, if a little austere.

IN THE CAB

Cab seats each have just a single armrest, but are supportive and multi-adjustable. Combined with the steering-wheel’s reach and rake adjustment, a comfortable driving position is assured.

Instruments are clear, though the speedo lacks vital 30, 50 and 70mph markings.

The Premium Pack, costing £4,000, includes many desirable features, including the
automatic gearbox (a pukka automatic, not a robotised manual like Fiat’s Comfort-Matic).

The dash-mounted lever can be left in Drive or used manually, changes being extremely smooth.

The handbrake, floor-mounted between the seats, drops flat so doesn’t catch on the swivelling seat bases. Clever – but not always easy to release when setting off.

ON THE ROAD

Given its size, the Wiltshire is surprisingly easy to drive.

The cab has excellent visibility, with narrow pillars and two extra-long-stalked, electrically-adjustable door mirrors.

There’s an excellent rear-view camera, with a cab mirror-mounted monitor giving long-distance constant vision behind from immediately below the bumper.

The 2.2-litre 163bhp engine is seamlessly powerful.

Suspension is softer than a Fiat’s, but the Wiltshire did not wallow or pitch unduly.

Obviously, a 4.3-metre wheelbase means you must watch the kerb when cornering, and it doesn’t have the tightest turning circle. Overall, though, performance was pleasing.

EXTRAS

The Wiltshire provides plenty of goodies, from dimmable lights to outside barbeque, mains and shower points.

We tried the awning – it covers a huge area, but is rather unwieldy.

Insulated, 90-litre water tanks are underslung – fresh water is filled only by using the fiddly Whale system.

The Wiltshire carries two 7kg gas bottles (unlike Auto-Sleeper Peugeot coachbuilts, which have refillable 25-litre tanks).

User-friendly Sargent and Truma control panels are inside the habitation door (which has central locking, window, blind and rubbish bin) and there’s air-conditioning not only in the cab, but in the habitation area too – a standard Wiltshire feature.

A solar panel (part of the Premium Pack) supports the 105Ah leisure battery. There are 230V sockets in each settee base, in the kitchen, in the French bed base, and alongside the dressing table, plus multiple aerial and 12V sockets, plus USB ports in lounge and bedroom.

Truma’s gas/electric Combi 4E provides water and space heating, with blown-air vents in washroom, bedroom and kitchen/lounge.

An extended version of this motorhome review first appeared in the October 2012 issue of MMM

 

A classy motorhome from the UK’s oldest established manufacturer, the Wiltshire is capable of competing with its rivals