Mooveo P6
PRICE-BUSTING, ECONOMY-LEADING PROFILE FROM THE LOIRE ATLANTIC
Words and photos by John Page
No bigger than it need be, tough as old boots and costing less than you thought for such a well made snazzy looking compact made for two. Sure, it can transport four people and at a pinch sleep a third mortal but basically our P6 is an attractive carriage to keep a pair of Campers very happy no matter where or when they point the wheels. However if you really must take the children, then they won’t need any encouragement to declare their independence by sleeping outside in the tent or under the awning that you have been clever enough to add.Motorhomesltd.com of Hull prepared the machine for us when the original target vehicle was behind schedule by the manufacturers. Hearty thanks to them for their indomitable optimism.
So what is or rather who are Mooveo?
The parent company are Pilote of La Limouziniere a bit south of the wonderful city of Nantes on the river Loire. They have been making Motorhomes for ages and Mooveo is about buying Pilote know-how for less. Consequently, P6 does not have sat nav, nor central locking, air con or TV. But don’t fret because all the tackle for connecting the goggle box is in situ. And the price benefit will be sufficient to buy a Jet Ski or something equally dangerous.
Construction Configured for two but with a third berth that can be made up using the table, P6 has a fixed bed aligned along the nearside, a washroom adjacent, kitchen approximately in the middle and lounge/diner incorporating the cab area. In all likelihood probably one if not the most popular of all the Motorhome types currently being sold throughout Europe. A true Profile shape it has the body flowing smoothly away from the windscreen for minimal resistance to the airflow and a reduction of noise, while minimalist graphics and an all white body colour make plain the leisure vehicle identity of this small gem of a Motorhome. The body shell proper is of GRP with skirts of aluminium – and Styrofoam as distinct from polystyrene for the insulation of the walls, roof and floor. A low entry integral step obviates the need for anything external and the habitation door is a robust piece of work with a key that also opens all the various external lockers. A second key for the ignition and cab door keeps everything simple in the key department. Furniture construction and operation is a useful guide to overall quality and our P6 proved the point with a table, the washroom door and various lockers of some substance. A certain lack of resilience in the cushions of the double bench seat was virtually our only serious criticism.
Mobile with Mooveo
The competitive price has been partly achieved by excluding items such as a passenger airbag, remote locking, a sixth gear ratio and cab air con. None of which detract from the good road holding, the firm ride, relatively low noise and agile turning circle. Just a few years ago the missing items might have been considered a trifle degenerate. Real positives with this redoubtable Fiat machine include the highly efficient Multijet turbo diesel motor, superb steering, anti-roll bars front and rear and disc brakes with ABS for all wheels. We don’t take these for granted! No wonder Fiat is Numero Uno Motorhome chassis supplier in Europe. Bearing in mind the low drag frontal shape of this vehicle, the relatively low weight – and a proviso of driving with panache, one might well achieve a favourable fuel consumption figure of around the 34mpg mark.
At Ease
Whether eating or slouching the cab armchairs were always the favourites – adjustable every which way, with armrests, and backrest well back for the occasional snooze. They are also placed just so for a view of the goggle box when fitted to the neat adjustable supporting arm on the partition wall. Five seats in total cater for friends as well and the table extension means they could stay for a bite to eat. Interesting décor had red and white cushions for seats to the rear of the table and brown for the cab seat fabrics. Magnifique, because the cab seats are all part of the Fiat chassis package whereas the red ones are part of the conversion. Obviously, flamboyance was not part of the design brief for the P6 so you won’t find tiers of lighting in a drinks cabinet or concealed strip lights to smooch by but the mix of tungsten fittings and halogen spotlights is better than ample in the lounge and elsewhere. Ventilation from a series of robust fully adjustable roof lights and the double glazed windows was also fine when the thermometer briefly touched 19oC. Blinds and flyscreens for each window were of the separate easy sliding types that simply refuse to foul up. Given the violent changes of temperature during our late May adventure when the strong wind and low temperature achieved chill conditions our Combi heater was switched on for a while at position three on the control, sufficient to keep us comfortable with the absolute minimum of noise from the blown air fan.
Sleeping
Early fixed bed Motorhomes were not universally popular due in part to the awkward bed making involved and the narrow gutted washrooms alongside. Time and opinions change and those who’ve experienced the fixed bed style are unlikely to revert. Designers have risen to the challenge so that this Compact P6 boasts not only a 4’6” (1.38m wide double bed) but also an exceedingly clever washroom. Sprung slats form the bed base on which the mattress has the sort of progressively resilient quality to guarantee a good night’s slumber. The technology of foam mattresses has come a long way during the past two decades and the base slats are the answer to keeping the mattress properly aired at all times. Twin spots for bookworms but no small shelves or similar for the assorted cash and keys etc we carry in our pockets. Waking during the night, the blue light indicator on the fridge is adequate for orientation without shocking the senses with one of the ceiling lights. A long but narrow third occasional bed uses the lowered table and two of the dining seats as its base to create a base some .85 m at its widest and 2.10m long. The user has the privilege of preparing it.
Kitchen
It is in this area that practical experience or the lack of it shows in the layout for the implements, the appliances and the raw materials – food in all its forms. This galley within a compact dimension is pretty dam good, if you’ll excuse the parlance. The Thetford 97-litre fridge/freezer is good and innovative in several ways. The door shuts and opens smoothly, the crystal clear display window on what is happening and clever practical use of space make it a treat to use. The two in one drawer for loads of cutlery and tackle is smooth and capacious and although the oven is only just above floor level, it functioned impeccably. There’s no sink drainer – shame but the size of the sink is sensible and its faucet excellent. Quirky that mainland Europe is wary of spark ignition but hey we wouldn’t want to forget how to use a box of matches. Three hob burners in two sizes performed well enough for several vegetarian and carnivore meals. There was, remarkably, sufficient space for all the food and machinery needed over a four-day period with three good meals each day.
Washroom
Considering the small overall size of P6 this washroom is a diamond among compact Profile vehicles with fixed beds. Why? Because imaginative design has achieved a really practical example of how it ought to be. So, with only the minor criticism of limited space surrounding the washbasin, all else is about comfort in use and a big bonus to Dometic for the easy to operate ceramic bowl toilet and the design of its cassette. Washroom locker space – so often parlous – is entirely ample and the shower cubicle is a practical rectangle with a simple folding translucent door that stows firmly. Lighting and ventilation are also A1.
Stowage
The shot of the basement stowage illustrates the so useful capacity of it. Add to that a series of deep roof lockers in the lounge and bedroom and the specifics of dedicated stowage in the kitchen and washroom. But there’s more when you look around; loads of space over the cab for photographic tackle and other items you want to keep hidden. Lockers above and below the single seat just inside the door and not forgetting the many and various places in the cab, under the dash, in the doors and at glove box level.
Summary
There’s always a special magic about a vehicle that can combine all the essentials to camp all year round with a size modest enough to go where bigger vehicles are unlikely to tread. A tight turning circle is another plus and when you come to the engine the 100bhp motor with its 250Nm of torque for this compact machine should be better than ample. For payload 710kg is really generous and vastly superior to a number of considerably bigger sized Motorhomes. Four days gave us plenty of time to really know P6 and our abiding memory of the machine will be that it performed with style and without flamboyance. On the value for money scale the price of £35,995 from MotorHomesLtd.com undercuts the £38,185 list price handsomely.
TECHNICAL DATA
Vehicle specification: Mooveo three-berth
Profile Motorhome
Price of vehicle tested: £35,995
Vehicle kindly loaned for testing by: MotorHomesLtd.com. Clough Road, Hull, HU6 7QN. Tel: 01482 448157
CONVERSION
Overall length: 5.99m
Overall width: 2.30m
Overall height: 2.75m
MPTLM: 3500kg
Payload: 710kg
Construction: GRP exterior with aluminium skirts and Styrofoam insulation
Fresh water capacity: 130-litresWaste water capacity: 95-litrres
Gas storage capacity: two x 13kg
Auxiliary battery: 105Ah
Refrigerator: Thetford 97-litre fridge/freezerSpace and water heating: Truma Combi 4,000w
Lighting: mix of tungsten and halogen spotlighting
Upholstery: Brown and red scheme
BASE VEHICLE
Type: Fiat Ducato 380 chassis cab
Power unit: 2198cc four-cylinder turbo diesel
Maximum power: 100bhp@ 2900rpm
Maximum torque: 250Nm @ 1500-2700rpm
Transmission: five-speed to front wheels
Steering: power assisted rack and pinion
Braking: servo assisted system to disc brakes with ABS
PERFORMANCE
Fuel consumption: 28mpg estimated
Maximum speed: 80mph estimated
Comfortable cruising speed: 65-70 mph
