Rimor Seal 5 coachbuilt motorhome

Berths: 6 Travel seats: 6 Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Gross weight: 3,500kg Payload: 673kg

Coachbuilt motorhomes with an overcab luton - a double bed that's built in above the cab - were once the mainstay of the industry, before low-profiles took more and more of the action and then drop-down beds put the knife in. But, while this breed might be out of fashion, it still has its followers – and its advantages.

Take this Rimor, for example. With always available double beds at each end – one in the overcab and one above the garage – it offers very convenient night-time arrangements for families, or groups of friends. And you can even convert the lounge into a third double bed, if need be. Importantly, the overcab can be occupied without any impact on the lounge (unlike a drop-down bed in a low-profile).

Then there’s the pullman-style dinette. Again, it’s a format that has fallen out of favour. It may not be the best arrangement for relaxing but here it comes with seatbelts on both the forward and rear-facing benches (lap straps only facing backwards) and there’s probably no better set-up for dining (or playing games) at the table.

With its huge garage, this Rimor probably suits outdoorsy, sporty types best, anyway. If you need a big on-board space to support your hobbies then this is your sort of ’van. Not only does the garage have two large exterior doors but there’s also interior access to the space. And what a BIG space it is, too, with 1.12m width at floor level and whopping headroom of 1.42m. Few rivals can match that.

The bed above is a big size as well and especially suitable for very tall campers. Its mattress measures 2.18m by 1.33m, although finding that it sits on a solid base is a sign that this is very much a budget-priced motorhome. Better is the fact that you can sit up in bed (with reading lights at the offside), while ventilation is well catered for with nearside and rear windows.

The luton berth may not have as much headroom but that’s not in short supply because of the curved roofline – and here the bed is even bigger, at 2.18m by 1.47m. 

The kitchen runs along the offside, to the rear of the habitation door, with the possibility of fitting an oven (included in the price quoted here) above the 81-litre fridge (forward of the doorway). There’s also a three-burner hob, large square sink with domestic-sized drain hole, a usable amount of worktop and two drawers, one for cutlery and utensils plus a huge one for pots and pans.

The bathroom looks anything but entry-level with its practical, angled downwards mirror and separate shower with designer-style black showerhead.

In fact, the washroom is one area in which Rimor has updated its Seal models – a range of five low-profiles and seven overcabs – for 2019. Also new are remote control dimmable lighting, seat fabrics, the table support and over-lounge Mini Heki rooflight. Spec also includes cruise control, twin airbags, Bluetooth and Fiat’s 130bhp engine.

There are more fashionable, more luxurious motorhomes around but this Italian ’van proves the continuing appeal of more traditional designs, especially when priced as keenly as this.

If you enjoyed this review, you can read loads more like it in What Motorhome magazine. You can get a digital version of this latest issue of What Motorhome magazine here.