Weinsberg Caraloft 650 MFH

Price from: £40,186 (LHD) Berths: 3 Travel seats: 4 Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Camper chassis Length: 6.98m Gross weight: 3,500kg

The 2008 recession’s rather long arms reached even into the motorhome industry. As a result, some continental brands left the UK as sales of new ’vans plummeted.

One of those retreating marques was Knaus, but the consequences were far more serious for the German firm as it also went into administration. As it was part of the same business, sister brand, Weinsberg, also went pop.

However, it wasn’t long before Knaus and Weinsberg – now refinanced – rose again, and soon the former brand was back in the UK, via Lowdhams of Nottingham.

The CaraLoft 650 MFH is part of a seven-model range that offers all sorts of fixed beds, including the drop-down variety. Indeed, a drop-down bed (above the lounges) is a £1,248 option on all models except one (550 MH), where it’s the main bed in a very compact (5.99m) low-profile.

Simple stuff here, as our live-in lovely sports one of the most popular motorhome layouts ever: a Euro lounge stands ahead of an L-shaped kitchen, fixed French bed and washroom in the rear. Outside it’s unremarkable, with simple alloy-clad coachwork adorned with minimal plastic mouldings.?Those black wheels look a bit odd, though.

Much has been written about Europe’s most popular motorhome base vehicle, and if you’re new to this game you’ll be pleased to discover that it’s pretty good. Easy to drive, and with good performance from the UK-standard 130-horsepower engine, the Ducato is a well sorted vehicle that’s a pleasure to pilot.?

As this motorhome tugs the tape to just under seven metres, there’s enough space inside to fit a decent-sized lounge. Cab seats swivel easily to face a generous table, flanked by an equally generous sofa. Said pew is also fitted with a backrest that’s taller than many – the result, a comfy seat for two.

The most noticeable thing about the kitchen is its cupboards. There’s four of them and they’re huge. If a large selection of breakfast cereals is your bag you’ll have no problem storing them in here. All good then? Well, not quite. Cupboards are cheaper to build than drawers and this kitchen has but one slide-out. It’s ok – plenty of room for cutlery and a few utensils – but I’d like to see more.

If you decide to buy a CaraLoft 650 MFH it’ll be because it has a French bed – a longitudinal double in the rear – and you’ll probably want the large locker beneath. These two items go hand-in-hand and here more so as this bed is set rather higher than many. It’s around 800mm (32in) to the mattress top, so it’s a hop, rather than a flop, into bed. Even so, it’s not much of a chore to get there and the benefit is a very large locker beneath.

There are shelves above the cab and the wardrobe is big. There’s also a big storage space under the side sofa.
Heating and hot water is by Truma’s Combi, and here it runs only on gas. The gas/mains version is available, though, and a wise buy. There are only three mains sockets but no 12V outlets nor a USB socket. A good-sized water tank is mounted cosily inboard and water is sent to the outlets by a submersible pump that delivered more of a trickle than a torrent.

This is an abridged version of the full review which you can read in the January edition of MMM magazine.

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There’s nothing flashy about this CaraLoft; it’s simply a well-made German low-profile with a classic layout. It seems well priced too, but lacks some essential bits of kit that will increase the price. The main reason to buy? The much-bigger-than-most under-bed storage space.