Trigano Tribute 550

NEW GENERATION TRIBUTE GOES LAKESIDE

Words and photos by John Page

Twelve months ago we tested the Tribute on yesterday’s Fiat Ducato. It performed very well on or off site and cost £27,499 ready to roll. New generation Fiat X2/50 based Tribute now appears in medium or long wheelbase versions at 5.41 and 5.99m body lengths. Our test vehicle this time was the shorter MWB type 550, smaller by 18cm than the vehicle it replaces and costing £28,995. New graphics do a fantastic job of blending to the dynamic slope of the cab and even the roof rails are all part of the design. For technical reasons the vehicle was delivered direct to our campsite so any driving was limited but having now put six of the X2/50s through their paces I’ve a reasonable idea of how they perform – quieter by far with an all round improvement of ride quality. Cruise control is standard as well as ABS, EBD, alloy wheels, Camping Car suspension and a six-speed gearbox. As a two-berth concept it has two seats for travel, a reasonably commodious lounge, fully spec’d washroom and galley, fridge, oven and the diesel fuelled space heater as standard.

Construction

The design and production of Tribute by Trigano has proved to be a shrewd move by one of Europe’s biggest players in the leisure industry. With highly professional design facilities on tap, the economies of large-scale production and UK marketing alongside Auto Trail, the sales result has been dramatic. And this in Britain, a country renowned for expertise and innovation in the Camper sector of the field. It just proves that if the you get the formula right, get the exterior design sorted and price it keenly enough then it can carve out a very sizable chunk of the market. All very well but does it measure up against our home-grown Campers painstakingly assembled in a non-mass produced environment and inevitably costing more? From the outside it would be difficult to fault a vehicle that looks this good, with the silver metallic paint job, alloy wheels, roof rails and ladder all as standard. You would have to buy your own Radio/CD player, and there’s just the one décor scheme of brown, beige and blue soft furnishings that works well to complement the chestnut brown woodwork. The body, floor and roof are insulated and the press studded removable carpets are a clever mix of mottled pale brown shades that virtually ignore the inevitable marks of use. Furniture construction is substantial with sliding mechanisms running smoothly to convert seats to the double bed. Less satisfactory was a cushion filling for the seats, which did not offer the firm resilience needed, especially at mealtimes. All four opening windows in the living section are double glazed with blinds and flyscreens.

The modest size of the Mid-Heki rooflight above the lounge is in my opinion preferable to the larger model and the smaller one over the kitchen works OK as a steam extractor.

On the (private) Road

New for the X2/50 chassis is the 2287cc, four cylinder motor producing 120bhp and 320Nm of torque at 2,000rpm. At 90mph it is capable (where legal) of a faster top speed than the motor powering the 2006 Tribute. Four wheel disc brakes replace the front discs and rear drums, Anti-roll bars front and rear are standard and the fuel tank capacity is up at 90-litres. So much for statistics, the real nitty gritty is the difference in feel, driver comfort and the uncanny low noise levels. What is really amazing is that such a stable reassuring ride is possible with rear leaf springs, considered old hat years ago, yet new technology transforms an idea used on horse drawn carts before the internal combustion engine saw the light of day.

Driving within narrow confines was restricted but enough to guage noise levels, steering response and manoeuvrability – all exceptional and more than a cut above the Fiat predecessor. New cab seat design by Fiat has achieved a smooth acting swivel motion for both seats, a pair of armrests apiece and totally positive adjustment mechanisms for height reach and body posture. All this is more than comparable to some of the expensive alternatives. Another important plus is that the positions of the sun visors relative to the seat height are effective for all but those of a very tall stature.

Driving mirrors placing and the field of view all round plus the clever under bonnet access must rank as best in the field by Camper standards. This Camper also, unlike some of its coachbuilt cousins, sensibly retains a spare wheel under the chassis. The lack of a passenger airbag is surprising given that the roof stowage, cruise control and silver metallic paint finish are regular inventory items. We liked: the seat contours for firm support in all the right places, the exceptional all round visibility and masses of cab stowage for maps and food on the hoof. Plain, obvious and effective controls for cab comfort in all weather conditions – but no air conditioning!

On Site, Surrounded by Nature

Where? On the Caravan Club’s superlative Troutbeck Head campsite location on the A5091. Looking North West the shape of Saddleback dominates the skyline, to the East the sharp pyramid of Great Mell Fell could well have been built by the ancient Egyptians or take the road south through Matterdale and Dacre and in 15 minutes you can be in Glenridding at the south end of Ullswater, the most beautiful lake of all.

We started our tenancy with a small niggle in the shape of a severely kinked pipe linking the filler point with the 80-litre fresh water tank. The remedy because we had no means of buying a new length of pipe, was to fill the tank through its inspection hatch. A reluctance of the fridge to operate on gas wasn’t a problem as it performed immaculately on mains electric power. To be fair the vehicle had not received the sort of final check that would normally occur before delivery to a supplying agent. All other technical bits including space and water heaters, lighting and the 12 volt control system worked as the maker intended. Two rather basic circular tungsten roof mounted lights were adequate for general illumination, with the light for the kitchen ideally placed directly above the worktop.

Island leg tables for mealtimes and to write on are admirable if fitted in the right place relative to the seating and when firm enough to eat from without spilling anything.  Ours was neither; too far away from the swivel chairs and with built in rocking leg of aluminium. A steel leg alternative would almost certainly cure the instability. Stowage for the table was against the washroom rear wall, accessible only by opening both rear doors. Easier by far would be to stow the table in the locker above the cab from where it could be retrieved without fuss. Worrying at night was the impossibility of opening the rear doors in an emergency because the kitchen unit base was built too close to the door release handle. Undoing the window catches and reaching down to the outside handle is possible but time consuming. On the plus side, with the scribbling and the snapping done for the day, the sun dappling the surrounding hills and our portable tuned to Classic FM, it was time to lean back and enjoy the genuine comfort from those two rather special armchairs.

Sleeping

According to the brochure it is possible to organise two single beds when the cab seats are reversed to give support for the feet. It could work using sleeping bags provided you weren’t worried about the uneven difference between the lounge cushions and the cab seat squabs.  Preferable by far is the conversion of the lounge seats into a double bed set across the width of the body. Getting it together is something of a fiddle that gets easier every time you set about it.  All that’s needed is to slide both seat base extensions into place and use the backrest cushions to fill the gaps. At a smidgen less than six feet (1800mm) long and a generous four feet, ten inches (1480mm) wide it proved to be extraordinarily comfortable. Locking all doors with the remote key battened the hatches and the only disturbance we had all night long was the song of a Skylark hours before it was time for breakfast. Space to stow the sleeping gear is severely limited with barely room for a couple of pillows under the single seat and the only practical place for the duvet is to stuff it into the bottom of the wardrobe.

Blinds to the windows and roof vents are there not only for privacy but also to reduce heat loss at night. In the cab where the heat loss is greatest, pleated blinds to the door windows and the windscreen pull into place smoothly and secure magnetically. Had we needed the diesel powered blown air space heater it could have provided steady warmth through the night running economically from the vehicle fuel tank.

The Galley Aparatus

Splendid for elbow room and floor space in which to magic up the meals. Workspace however even taking the fold down flap into consideration is restricted, primarily because both sink and the hob unit have no covering tops. Three hob burners and the mini-grill are fine as the tools to prepare a good variety of meals excepting roasts, and to wash up afterwards the sink is large enough for dinner plates. Actually, to cut down on internal water use we tend to walk to the nearest washroom block; that way our eighty litres of fresh water is more than sufficient for our stay. No problem to tuck away all the food and tackle we need for a week in a variety of different shaped cupboards and lockers, although a simple cutlery drawer would have been appreciated.  Comfortably at eye-level above the wardrobe, the 55-litres of fridge space was just about ample as long as the drinks were stowed elsewhere. Three mains electric sockets including one close to the TV mounting, one at back of the couch and another really useful one above the worktop coped with all the power needs. Overall, Tribute’s galley needs just the addition of those missing worktops to qualify as a class winner.

Washroom

Considering the relatively compact size of 550 Tribute the washroom is well planned and complete with equipment that does the job. A swivel bowl rather than a fixed toilet makes sense, the hand basin is a useful size and the combination of roof lockers with a generous cupboard beneath the sink was better than ample. Excellent lighting and a waist to ceiling mirror, plus the extending flap to the entrance door are each completely practical. That entrance door with its extending flap partitions off a section of the galley to serve as a towelling and changing room. Raising the towel rail on the wall behind the toilet by 30cm would help to keep it out of harms way – otherwise, hassle free zone is a fair description.

Stowage

Yes; you’ve got to be tidy in this Camper as the stowage capacity for sleeping tackle, personal and outdoor gear is not exactly generous. That said, once you own the vehicle as distinct from spending just a few days in it as we did, natural ingenuity will find answers and modifications for improving the situation. As it was, the cab floor was our section for photography, walking and bird watching gear, which is fine on site but not recommended in the wild.

Summary

The 2006 Tribute was longer than this 550 and shorter than the 650. So, there is now the choice of whether to stay compact or a bit less so. The extra 58cm of the bigger one may not seem a lot but it does make quite a difference. Both are undeniably competitive in their class and value for money in terms of the generous specification that merits careful appraisal. We are sold on the appearance inside and out and looking forward to a go at the 650 as soon as possible. Be certain, ride quality, noise level and visibility are in a different class than last year’s Fiat Ducato so be sure to ask for a test drive of Tribute 2007 after checking out the lifestyle interior.

Technical Data

Vehicle specification: Trigano Tribute 550, two-berth Camper

Price of vehicle tested: £28,995 on the road

Vehicle kindly loaned for testing by: Tribute Motorhomes, Trigano House, Genesis Way, Europarc, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN37 9TU. Tel: 01472 571075

Conversion

Overall length: 5.41m

Overall width: 2.06m

Overall height: 2.68m

MTPLM: 3300kg

Payload: 580kg

Construction: all steel high top bodied vehicle. Insulated and fitted with acrylic D/G windows.

Fresh water capacity: 80-litres

Waste water capacity: 80-litres

Gas storage: 1 x 7kg and 1 x 3.5kg cylinders

Auxiliary battery: 85 ah

Refrigerator: Dometic 12v/240v/gas, 60-litre fridge/freezer

Water heating: Truma 10-litre gas water heater

Space Heating: Webasto 2kw diesel powered blown air system

Lighting: mix of tungsten and spotlighting

Upholstery: abstract pattern fabric in brown, beige and blue

Other equipment fitted: cruise control, alloy wheels, all vehicle silver metallic paintwork, roof rails and access ladder, ABS braking and EBD

Base Vehicle

Type: Medium wheelbase Ducato 33 light van

Power unit: 2287cc, four cylinder 120 Multijet turbo diesel

Maximum power: 120bhp @ 3600rpm

Maximum torque: 320 Nm @ 2000rpm

Transmission: six-speed manual to front wheels

Steering: power assisted rack and pinion

Braking system: front and rear discs, dual circuit system with ABS and electric brake force distributor

Performance

Fuel consumption: estimated 30mpg

Maximum speed: 90mph + Fiat figures

Comfortable cruising speed: 60-65mph JP advised