Choosing a motorhome
I am so grateful to all you folk who have offered advice. My wife and I thought we had made a decision in favour of an Auto-Sleeper Stanton. However, we have just fond details of the Eldiss Accord 120 which has a layout we prefer with a small chest between the parallel sofas/bunks. I am not sure if it can be bought with an auto box but if it can be then it becomes a serious option for us. We love the thought of Mercedes engineering but it is a great deal more money than the Peugeot/Eldiss offering.
Are Eldiss motorhome owners happy with their vans?
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some brands which come on a Peugeot Boxer as std, can be ordered on a Ducato should the customer require the Comfortmatic option.
two things, it isn't a true auto, it's a 'robotised clutch operation' gearbox, so it will feel different to a torque converter box...
secondly, Elddis may not be able to give you this option...
AFAIK, the Nuevo is the Peugeot equivalent to the Stanton, but I doubt you'll get AS to build one on a Ducato as they want you to spend the cash on a Merc if you want an auto....
BTW, the 120 is a rear lounge model, not like the Stanton which is a front lounge model.
the Accordo 105 is the nearest in layout to the Stanton...
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I think Elddis only build on the Peugeot base.
I quite liked the Accordo range but if you look at the 105 (lovely layout) just check out the bed width and decide whether it is large enough? If you don't mind going a bit bigger have a look at the Bailey Advance 66-2 which has been considerably improved over the original model.
David
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We have the AS Broadway and I thought that we should have gone for the Mercedes version (Bourton) but I actually find the manual gearbox quite fun as I haven’t driven a manual for about 30 years. The Mercedes chassis is I am sure superior but there is a compromise in the size of the water tank and internal storage so make sure that whatever you buy you look carefully at the specification.
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further to my earlier post re: brands using the DUcato to accommodate the Comfortmatic system, Autotrai (Imala 615, Tracker EKS) and Swift (Bessacarr 512) make small side sofa layouts that are close to the Stanton in design and can have auto..
.good luck...
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Accordo's are all on a Peugeot chassis and only available as a manual. If you are serious about an Accordo, I would suggest looking at the Marquis Majestic range as they are based on an Accordo with a few extra goodies thrown in, one of which is an uprated engine.
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however, neither gives an auto transmission.....
we don't really know which of the features are 'desrable' or must haves'..
the Stanton has all boxes ticked but is mightily expensive...which Q has mentioned...
if auto is important, then another brand could do the job, but it won't be a torque converter system.
the swift/AT layouts are close to the Stanton (and, IMHO) well up the ladder from the Accordo...but several cruises cheaper than the AS.
horses for course...
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DD, would you have any feedback regarding the Comfortmatic 'box in your van?
obviously, Q will need to try one himself but user experience can also help
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We have the Fiat Conformatic box and I would say overall we are very pleased with it. We drive a VW with DSG box which is ultra smooth and not a real comparison, so would say the Fiat is lumpy from 1st to 2nd but the rest of the changes are pretty smooth and you hardly notice them. It pulls well (we have 150hp engine), reasonably economic considering its pulling 3850kg.
It changes down well when slowing so helps with braking and the hill start feature is good if you need it. You can utilise manual mode if yo like, have done it only a couple of times on steep hairpin bends.
Although I cannot compare it to a Merc I would say the Fiat is a staple white van designed for high mileage driving and overall are pretty reliable and I personally would not pay the premium for a Merc but would prefer to have the extra 2-3k in goodies on the van that will give more pleasure than an engine that will probably only do 6k miles a year.
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Thank you so much to you all. Those are all very helpful comments.
Interesting to read the comments from MichaelT with regard to Fiat Comfortmatic.
Our local dealer assured me that the Eldiss Accordo 120 cannot be supplied with the auto option which is an essential for us. As drivers who love auto we are puzzled by the prevalence of manual. I often remember that Rolls Royce and Bentley stopped offering manual gear boxes in, I think, 1948. I would have been four years old but had an early fascination with motors so the information lodged in my mind although I was so young.
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Qashqai
I don't reckon by any stretch of the imagination a Fiat semi automatic will be anything like a Rolls Royce
My last four cars have been autotmatic and I imagine any future cars will be the same. However my motorhome is on a Peugeot base so the only option is a manual box. I have to say I get on with it OK. It is fairly forgiving in the lower gears which makes it easier to drive at slower speeds. As you have discovered having a full automatic is expensive. Even the Fiat usually requires an engine upgrade so more cost. Perhaps it might be worth the cost of hiring a manual motorhome for a few days to get a feel for how it drives. If you like it not only will you save quite a bit of money you will also have a wider range of models to select from.
David
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the preference for manual ..... I wanna be in control ... gearboxes in general amuses me. What's wrong with selecting D & leaving the gearbox to do its own thing?
having said that, the automated manual box in my father in laws Citroen C4 Picasso (? .... Citroens version of a Zafira) was dire.
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AFAIK, most converters will order the Ducato 130/150/180 engines with Comfortmatic....the new entry level 115 can't be ordered with it.
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Are you talking brand new, re autos? If you have knee problems etc an auto is much better, would you be able to find a secondhand auto like we did? Still a bit more money but it's been excellent.
Our friends recently had an Elddis M/H, previously had an A/S, there is a difference in build quality although the Elddis design was attractive.
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Thanks again for further suggestions. We have ruled out the Bessacar 512 as a double bed at 4' 3" is too much of a squeeze even for little ones like us. Bailey don't offer auto so rule themselves out. We really like the look of the Auto-Trail Tracker EKS. I think I had missed it in my research on the grounds of length but, on looking closer, we think we prefer it to the Auto-Sleeper. It is longer but then it offers larger sofas/bed and plenty of storage. The only missing factors are built in gas tank (we use very little gas) and an external locker which is hardly an essential. The similar Swift models don't seem to have as much storage and fewer features. When mentioning storage we are well aware of weight limitations and have long lists of items we will NOT be taking now that we are switching from caravan to motorhome.
The next stage is to drive a Fiat so we will be getting in touch with our local dealer.
We have missed our window of opportunity this year so now we are looking forward to 2019.
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Qashqui
Both my knees are in pretty bad shape but I seem to manage OK. When I drive the motorhome. I strap my kness up to give extra support. I would probably have to do that regardless of whether I was driving an auto or manual. Obviously you know your body better than me but just wanted to share how I get on.
David
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Having had both the Merc auto, a Fiat manual and a Peugeot I can honestly say that really there is no real benefit of one over the other, just a slightly different driving style. Although I loved the Merc auto I equally loved the others for different reasons. Would I have another Merc auto? Probably not at that extra cost, I'd rather look at habitation quality and design!
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Agreed MM. It's essential to give auto transmissions a thorough test drive. Last autumn I bought a one year old Citroen C4 and the automated manual gearbox was really dire. May complaints about the gearbox but the most annoying was that there was just a 'D' and 'R' button and it took a bit longer than 2 seconds to change gear. When pulling into a gap on a busy roundabout it would change from 1st to second at about 12mph (taking 2 seconds to do so) and causing the traffic to brake and close up behind me as the car slowed down. 2 seconds is a long time when slowing down with no drive. The garage said the immortal words: "They all do that, Sir". I hated it so much and only kept it 9 weeks then changed it for a VW with the sublime DSG transmission.
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I agree with all the comments of MichaelT above; I have a Fiat 250 with auto box on a 4,250t van and have done 15,000 miles in two years with no issues. I have driven auto Volvo cars for 35 years and would never go back to manual. I am not sure where the term "semi-auto" came from, it is not a semi-auto.
The Fiat, Peugeot and Citroen vans/chassis are all built in the Fiat factory in Italy under a consortium arrangement, but when Fiat developed the Comformatic box they decided not to let the other two brands use it. But Ford do an auto box which is said to be reliable and well tested. Chausson do Fords.
I do believe that there is a lot of ignorance when it come to auto cars and especially auto motorhomes, including at the dealerships. I know because I have first hand knowledge of this being a long-term auto driver.
With regards to German quality, here we go again, I know two people with new merc MHs, one a Hymer and they have had lots of problems with the Merc engine. I think one was connected to the emissions control on Euro 5/6.
Like someone else said, horses for courses, See if Swift do an auto rental model to try out, if your dealer will not provide one.
BillC
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Thanks to Kontikiboy. I had a look at an Auto-Sleeper Nuevo in the showroom at Brent Knoll last week. Apart form the fact that I think it a little too small' for us I liked the look of it. It was, unsurprisingly, a manual model but I thought the Peugeot cab layout looked quite good with user friendly controls etc. For some bizarre reason Auto-Sleeper have an arrangement with Peugeot/Fiat whereby the factory will fit the auto option to the Peugeot used for Auto-Sleeper models. I do not know why they will not do this for Bailey, Swift et al.
I have no idea as to whether or not there are any differences in the Fiat or Peugeot base other than the badge on the front.
One marginal benefit of the Peugeot over the Mercedes Sprinter offering is that the former is six inches shorter. The new Sprinter may be shorter than the current one but I have no knowledge of the measurements as yet.
I would like to see an Auto-Sleeper Broadway EK TB LP as it offers extra length over the Nuevo and would probably suit us better.
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For some bizarre reason Auto-Sleeper have an arrangement with Peugeot/Fiat whereby the factory will fit the auto option to the Peugeot used for Auto-Sleeper models.
I don't think that is quite correct and it's not what they say on their website......You have to pay extra to get the Comfortmatic box
I have no idea as to whether or not there are any differences in the Fiat or Peugeot base other than the badge on the front.
The Peugeot & the Fiat have different engines......
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Sorry - edit timed out...You have to pay extra to get a Fiat engine with the "Comfortmatic" box
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