Auto Trail Excel 600B

GAELIC INSPIRATION FOR A CLASSY BRIT-BUILT PROFILE

Words and photos by John Page

What’s happening out at Immingham – where the legions of rounded bodied Auto-Trail Motorhomes find a sleek upstart of a sibling Profile Motorhome in their midst brandishing its high performance and low drag shape. And punchy metallic blue paintwork indeed! There’s more – airbags for spouse and driver, quiet diesel fuelled ultra reliable heating for space and water and all of this in a Motorhome less than six metres long, as well as slotting inside the £36,000 mark. Somewhat akin to what the spoilt Formula One circus felt when Lewis Hamilton arrived on the scene and like him it’s highly probable that Excel will ruffle some feathers. The Page team are extremely fortunate to be the first testers to give this 600B, fixed bed version the full rigorous Live-in test routine. One of four in the Excel range the 600B featured here can seat two for travelling, sleep four and could be ordered with two extra fully belted forward facing passenger seats. North Norfolk is usually parky but bright in late October and so by courtesy of the Caravan Club we head for the terraced Incleboro site and a view over the tumbling white horses of the North Sea.

Construction

Taking full advantage of the dedicated Fiat Motorhome chassis with its wide chassis, special suspension and integral Motorhome seats, the living section complete with furniture and appliances is assembled independently before being hoisted onto and bolted to the chassis – a method that greatly simplifies the installation of the various plumbing, wiring and gas fitting services.

The body shell is of scratch resistant GRP and the fully laminated walls, floor and roof are each of 40mm thickness. Altogether it is a structure of considerable rigidity free of extraneous noises off in motion. Dense foam is the insulation with a substantial vinyl skin beneath the floor to protect against road debris. Cab privacy and insulation is neatly taken care of with the ingenious pleated blinds for the windscreen and both cab doors. Without hassle they slide into place and clip simply back in the housings in the morning. At 620kg the payload is a sensible proportion of the maximum 3,300kg all up weight and it’s worth recording that weight distribution has been particularly well planned. It is though a good plan with a new vehicle to make your own check on a weighbridge of the total weight with all your personal gear for a holiday on board. Loading a vehicle above the manufacturer’s designed weight is not only illegal it’s also potentially dangerous.

ON THE ROAD

Motive power is from the 100bhp version of Fiat’s 2.2-litre multijet turbo diesel engine driving the front wheels via five-speed transmission. Cruise control, ABS braking, remote locking and electric windows for the cab doors are part of the regular inventory, although there is the 130bhp motor with six-speed gearbox as an option. Splash out for automatic transmission and you gain an even more powerful 160bhp motor as part of that package. Candidly, our 100bhp motor version was easily able to supply all the punch we needed plus a creditable 27mpg over mostly A and B roads.

No question this remarkably shaped Excel body scored well for a low noise level and, given time for the engine to settle down, will help to achieve a genuinely economical mpg figure of perhaps 30+ miles to each gallon.

In and around town the medium wheelbase chassis with its neat 12.46m turning circle and compact 5.99m of overall vehicle length made for a pleasantly manoeuvreable machine able to park almost any place without hassle. Praise for cab seats to where Fiat have got it sorted – so if you are tall as I am and inclined to sit as upright as possible, the height, rake and distance adjustments plus the extending steering column should put you just right where the sun visor is most effective and completely at ease with torso close against the backrest.

LIVING STYLE

Ingenuity and a chunk of commonsense have put together a lounge that will comfortably seat five people and at a pinch enjoy a meal together. Add the fixed bed, super kitchen and separate shower and ponder on this in just 5.99m of vehicle length.

How do they do that? First make full use of the cab in the lounge dimension, condense the galley and thin down the washroom. The pale shade fabrics suggest spaciousness with plenty of daylight all round from seven moderate size windows and a couple of fair sized rooflights. Six banks of LED lights plus a sprinkling of spotlights supply an adequate soft illumination throughout, yet stay cool to the touch and economise on battery power. A strikingly realistic chestnut wood grain effect makes for a warm interesting backdrop all round including the locker fronts. Wood grain effect vinyl flooring for the hall and the galley is sensible, then step up to the lounge for a touch of luxury and the removable carpet. Prosaic in the description but comfortable to live with in practice.

Safety features include a 1kg powder fire extinguisher behind the passenger seat and a smoke alarm on the ceiling close to the door. Under the bonnet but seldom mentioned is a cut off for the fuel pipe to the engine, triggered by serious impact with another vehicle or tampering with the motor. Control and monitor panels that are at once obvious and effective are a personal favourite just like this one that is alongside the Webasto diesel fuelled space/water heater controls. That heater is a small wonder of accuracy and effectiveness. Adjustable to accurately maintain your temperature setting, acceptably quiet, economic and, most of all independent of the LPG supply and any worry about running out of same in dire weather. When it is time to eat the folding table slides easily from its locker and sets down nicely between the bench seats. Simple and steady, this type is probably one of the best ever invented for meals in Motorhomes.

SLEEPING

Yes, I’m a convert to fixed beds, for their lack of fuss at the end of the day and for the most useful space underneath them as well as superior sleep inducing qualities. In this case too, in spite of the heater pump directly beneath one’s pillow, the low hum wasn’t a problem. It really is extraordinary how a double bed measuring just 6.0’ long by 3’7” wide can be so comfortable in a Motorhome. Maybe it’s to do with all that walking and fresh air. I suspect it also has to do with leaving the stress and the computer at home, switching off the mobile and keeping things simple. Enough already – nothing’s perfect because although the lighting was fine there was just nowhere to plonk the watch etc or the book before you drifted off. Cold minus 2oC nights followed those bright days we were enjoying – no hassle though with the heater fine-tuned for just a trickle of warmth until the morning.

Without forward facing belted seats 600B won’t be carrying passengers but there may well be times when the second double bed is used, perhaps for visitors on site or as extra sleeping accommodation at any other time. Simple to arrange, the nearside bench seat extends in length to match the opposite one and both seat bases slide to the middle to support the re-arranged cushions. It is ingenious and practical. There is unobstructed access to the washroom from both bed positions. Should you prefer to have a fixed rear transverse bed the slightly longer 640G fits the bill with a garage under for cycles or perhaps a scooter.

KITCHEN

Not expansive of measurement and with a distinct paucity of rack in which to store bottles of noble vintage – nevertheless this galley does make intelligent use of the space available. As proven by my expert Chefess who among a varied diet produced a superb baked haddock from the oven garnished with broccoli and cauliflower and a rice dish of Mexican flavour. Using either hob or sink top separately meant that with either glass top closed there was enough worktop space to left to prep a decent breakfast, lunch or dinner. Matches to ignite seemed a trifle outdated but the grill and oven had spark ignition. Three roof lockers plus good space under the oven for pots and pans and 77-litres of fridge capacity was sufficient to stash away all our food and the tackle for our five day stay at West Runton. Lighting was placed just so, a roof light successfully dealt with the vapours and the mains socket was equally accessible for the galley and the lounge.

WASHROOM

Compact indeed especially with Thetford’s new bigger toilet bowl.  Its cassette is also bigger but the vivid orange wheels are a big improvement when emptying it. The spread of LED lighting here is first class and the single roof locker reasonably capacious. One has to beware the step between washroom and shower cubicle and the sink in said cubicle is miniscule by any standards. A shiny floor for the shower cubicle is to be addressed by the addition of a clever non-slip mat and good points scored for the adjustment in use of the dual action shower/wash basin faucet. 85-litres of fresh water on tap means not having to top it up too often.

STOWAGE

With the exception perhaps of the washroom and the narrow wardrobe, the overall and the particular storage provision is better than ample. The space under the bed is large enough to take all manner of bulky and outdoor gear even though the heater is also installed there. Space under the bench seats is accessible by drop down flaps and the bigger compartment on the offside also has an exterior flap. Some form of waste container would be helpful or at least a bracket for a disposable bag. Ten roof lockers were mostly used for folded clothes and the Fiat cab is well known for the extent of its various handy pockets and lockers.

SUMMARY

An attractive package that feels bigger inside than you might expect. Snug, easy on the eye inside and out, with good taste applied to the furniture and fittings. Smooth acting, virtually foolproof cassette windows a joy to use and the sliding cab blinds ditto. Priority by the designers for the space in which we spend most of our waking hours has resulted in a lounge that feels bigger than many within vehicles at least 50% larger. You need to try it to believe it but it’s all about open plan plus clever lighting and surface colours.

On the road it is a small gem – brisk and agile without any appreciable lean on the corners, together with respectably low noise and vibration values. The new Auto-Trail shape has a lot to do with all this. The various qualities including those so well shaped cab seats, combined to leave the pilot without any aches or fatigue after four hours at the wheel in mostly medium density traffic flows.

TECHNICAL DATA

Vehicle specification: Auto-Trail Excel 600B, two-berth Profile Motorhome

Price of vehicle tested:  £35.999 on the road

Vehicle kindly loaned for testing by: Auto-Trail VR Ltd, Trigano House, Genesis way, Europarc, Grimsby, DN37 9TU/ Tel: 01472 571000

CONVERSION

Overall length: 5.99m

Overall width: 2.32m mirrors folded

Overall height: 2.79m

MPTLM: 3300 kgs

Payload: 620 kgs

Construction: Laminated construction with GRP exterior and Styrofoam insulation

Fresh water capacity: 85-litres

Waste water capacity: 55-litres

Gas storage capacity: 2 x 7kg cylinders

Auxiliary battery: 110 Ah

Refrigerator: Dometic 77-litre fridge/freezer

Water heater and space heater: Webasto diesel fuelled 5.5kw Dualtop combi heater

Lighting:  Six banks of LED lighting plus spotlights five LED spotlights

Upholstery: Monaco upholstery with dress curtains

Other equipment fitted: Driver and passenger airbags

BASE VEHICLE

Type: Fiat medium wheelbase Motorhome chassis cab

Power unit: 2.2-litre 100bhp multijet turbo diesel

Maximum power: 100bhp @ 2900 rpm

Maximum torque: 250Nm @ 1500rpm

Transmission: Five-speed manual to front wheels

Steering: Power assisted rack and pinion

Braking: Servo assisted system to disc brakes with ABS

PERFORMANCE

Fuel consumption: 27mpg

Maximum speed: 85mph estimated

Comfortable cruising speed: 60-65mph