N KEEPING A LOW PROFILE - Out and About Live · KEEPING A LOW PROFILE ... very obvious roof/rear panel join does look a little dated when compared with the Pilote’s ... Pilote that

130 I FEBRUARY 2007 MOTORCARAVAN MOTORHOME MONTHLY FEBRUARY 2007 MOTORCARAVAN MOTORHOME MONTHLY FEBRUARY 2007 MOTORCARAVAN MOTORHOME MONTHLY130 I FEBRUARY 2007 MOTORCARAVAN MOTORHOME MONTHLY FEBRUARY 2007 MOTORCARAVAN MOTORHOME MONTHLY

KEEPING A LOW PROFILEAdria Izola S687 SP and Pilote Explorateur P685 FP

ON TEST:

ADRIA IZOLA S687 SP

In the cab, Adria’s plainer, untrimmed fascia looks better

than the Pilote’s and benefits from the same

Isri captain’s seats.

KEEPING A LOW PROFILEAdria Izola S687 SP and Pilote Explorateur P685 FP

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■ OVERALL WIDTH: 2.29m (7ft 6in)

■ OVERALL LENGTH: 6.87m (22ft 6.5in)

LAYOUT PLAN

Spacious touring for two or more is offered by Renault Master-based low profi les

with very different lounges

Words & pictures by Michael Le Caplain

▲

130-137 head-to-head.indd 1 1/5/07 4:55:33 PM

HEAD-TO-HEAD TEST

PILOTE EXPLORATEUR P685 FP

MOTORCARAVAN MOTORHOME MONTHLY FEBRUARY 2007 I 131

■ OVERALL WIDTH: 2.30m (7ft 6.5in)

■ OVERALL LENGTH: 6.89m (22ft 7in)

LAYOUT PLAN

Given all the hoo-haa that has surrounded the recent launches of brand new base vehicles such as the X250 Fiat Ducato,

new Mercedes Sprinter and revamped Ford Transit, it’s perhaps understandable that prospective buyers could overlook an established front-runner like the Renault Master in all the excitement.

The thing is, the Master has been so accomplished for so long that only now have rivals finally caught up with it, so it’s hardly surprising that few indeed are the motorhome manufacturers that don’t use it as the base vehicle for at least one of their ranges.

Each of our test models this month has Renault Master underpinnings, and each sports the provenly popular longitudinal fixed rear double bed, complete with adjacent washroom and separate shower. Up front too, each has an inward-facing offside settee, although where

Pilote cabin is all-but identical to that of the Adria, right down to the Isringhausen swivel seats, but the fake wood trim is a

matter of taste.


132 I FEBRUARY 2007 MOTORCARAVAN MOTORHOME MONTHLY

BELOW FROM THE TOP: Narrower walkway is more obvious from this angle, but lounging is improved by comfortable seats and ample lighting – both electric and natural.

Adria’s half-dinette impinges more into the central walkway than the Pilot’s twin settees, but accessing the travel seats is much easier.

The table extends to create this generous-sized diner. There are plastic glass holders beneath the infill, too.

ADRIA IZOLA S687 SP & PILOTE EXPLORATEUR P685 FPON TEST:

the Pilote mirrors this with another settee directly opposite, the Adria sports a thoroughly Continental half-dinette on the nearside wall. Each design has it merits and drawbacks, which we’ll be coming to later on.

Whatever the bouquets and brickbats involved, however, it’s clear that each motorhome is aimed at the sort of couple with disposable cash and disposable time in equal measure. Both can sleep up to four adults, of course, but in reality we’d lay good odds that neither lounge will regularly be called upon to transform into a bed: these are quality motorhomes designed for people who like space to relax and entertain.

As you might expect, each contender sports a wholly GRP-clad body, although the Adria’s very obvious roof/rear panel join does look a little dated when compared with the Pilote’s near-seamless towering rear panel. Only the separate lower panels containing the Pilote’s number plate recess and tail light pods gives the game away that this panel isn’t, in fact, one piece. It’s a very neat piece of design.

MOTIVE POWERNot least among the Renault Master’s many accomplishments is its range of powerful and torquey engines, and here they’re represented in the Adria by the proven 2.5 dCi 120 version, which develops a healthy 115bhp, and in the Pilote by the more powerful-still (136bhp) 3.0-litre dCi 140 motor. That said, all 2007 Pilote Explorateur P685FPs will boast the even more potent, new dCi 150 engine which is, rather confusingly, 2.5-litres in capacity. Each, however, has a six-speed manual gearbox, ABS brakes and a driver’s airbag.

In terms of out-and-out specification, it’s the Pilote that sneaks ahead, by offering cab air-conditioning as standard, along with the same electric door mirrors and windows offered by the Adria. Each sports remote control central locking, too, although it’s the Pilote, once again, that goes a step further by locking and unlocking the caravan entrance door remotely as well as the cab doors. The Adria’s door, on the other hand, must be locked and unlocked separately, and while we’re on the subject, the hydraulic ram on our test model’s door had a nasty habit of jamming with the door wide open, so much so that attempting to close the door caused the ram to bend alarmingly in the middle.

Neither of our test models had a stereo, although each had factory-installed rear speakers, suggesting that the pre-wiring is there. The Adria in particular would suit one of those new CD/DVD player head units, as our test model had the folding bracket for a flat-screen TV installed in its overcab locker. The Pilote, meanwhile, makes do with a more traditional high-level TV station above the fridge/freezer.

ROAD MANNERSAn interesting comparison, this, as it shows just how far Renault’s new engines have come on of late. The Pilote is quite a bit heavier than the Adria, so the potency of its considerably bigger and more powerful 3.0-litre engine, while hardly blunted, means it doesn’t feel substantially quicker on the road than the rather less powerful Adria. Load it up to its 3500kg maximum weight limit (which is the same as that quoted for the Adria), and I suspect the difference would be even less noticeable.

This is not, however, to damn the Pilote with faint praise, for piloting (sorry) the Explorateur, even through the less than inspiring outskirts of Wednesbury in the Midlands, was a real

ADRIA IZOLA S687 SP I LIKED■ Lively engine

■ Isri cab seats

■ Lack of conversion noise

■ Extending dining table

■ Clever waste bin

■ Window in washroom

■ Underbed storage in one big dollop

I WOULD HAVE LIKED

■ Central-locking on caravan door

■ Full cooker■ A light in the shower compartment

■ More ceiling lights

I DISLIKED

■ The presence of a rear window

■ Caravan door stay jamming

130-137 head-to-head.indd 3 1/6/07 11:15:40 AM

BELOW FROM THE TOP: Up to six adults can socialise with room to spare in the

inviting-looking lounge.

Darker wood and fewer windows than the Adria make the Pilote feel classy, but a little dark inside.

Cleverly engineered table means four adults can sit comfortably around it at mealtimes.

HEAD-TO-HEAD TEST ADRIA IZOLA S687 SP & PILOTE EXPLORATEUR P685 FP


pleasure, the engine growl more aurally pleasing than annoyingly intrusive, and the six-speed gearbox, while slightly notchier in feel than that of the latest Fiat Ducato, is nevertheless machined in feel and precise in operation.

The Adria, meanwhile, surprised me by feeling every bit as lively as its bigger-engined counterpart and the steering, if anything, felt a bit sharper thanks, maybe, to the lighter engine up front. Ours coughed out rather a lot of blue smoke at start-up from cold, but given that it had precisely three miles on its odometer when I took delivery, I think I can give it the benefit of the doubt.

As for that bane of coachbuilt motorhomes, conversion noise, it was the Adria that impressed me the most. With the exception of an indeterminate – and, it must be said, intermittent – rattle from the driver’s door when tackling some rougher surfaces, the Adria’s conversion remained impressively silent. The Pilote was pretty good, too, although some of the more potholed Brummie roads I had to tackle when returning the motorhome to supplier Hayes Leisure did elicit the odd rattle. Not least when one of the upper kitchen lockers decided to jump out of its catch and see-saw in and out at every turn of the steering wheel.

From a visibility perspective, there’s little to choose between the two, although the Adria’s rear window does open up a degree of through-vision, albeit at the cost of bed comfort (more on which later). The Pilote does, however, have a bit of a minor flaw in that with the washroom door closed, the reflection the door mirror catches through the nearside bedroom window and can look for all the world like the view out of the rear window when you glimpse into the rear-view mirror – which would be a good trick, given that the Pilote doesn’t actually have a rear window. Still, I got used to it after a while.

Each motorhome comes fitted as standard with swivelling Isringhausen cab seats, and while they are a little higher than the standard chairs, there’s enough up/down and fore/aft adjustment to make all but the most vertically-challenged driver comfortable. One thing I did notice in both vehicles, however, was how low-set the seatbelt buckle retainers seemed, and how little slack remained in the belt once the buckle was ‘clunk-clicked’, even with the belt feeder at its lowest position. I admit I’m not quite as slim as I used to be, but being physically incapable of bending down to pick something off the cab floor with the belt fastened was pretty irksome.

Speaking of seatbelts, it’s worth pointing out that while it’s pretty obvious that the Adria has two proper rear travel seats, it may be less obvious, at first glance, that the Pilote does, too.

With a bit of cushion flipping and seat-base swivelling, you can unearth two reasonable forward-facing travel seats by sliding the offside forward-most seat base box back into the rear portion, folding up the wooden squab panel and re-adjusting the folding cushions to suit. The nearside example is a little different, as the presence of the battery box requires the forward-most seat base to be folded against the wall, rather than slid back. Given that the fresh water filler pipe is also hereabouts, this isn’t quite as comfy a travel seat as the other, not least as the seatbelts themselves appear from out of the roof lockers directly overhead, making them a bit of a tall order for smaller young children to fit without throttling themselves. A booster cushion would possibly be a good solution to this issue. Even so, providing forward-facing belted seats in a motorhome with a twin-sofa lounge is an impressive achievement.

I LIKED■ Modern, smooth coachwork■ Cab air-conditioning as standard■ Centrally-locked caravan door■ Rear seat belts in a twin-sofa lounge■ Superb, versatile table■ Full cooker■ Excellent shower

I WOULD HAVE LIKED■ Better catches on some lockers■ Flat screen TV locker■ Bigger waste bin

I DISLIKED■ Conversion noise■ Divided underbed storage space

PILOTE P685 FP



ABOVE FROM THE TOP: Adria’s kitchen lacks the Pilote’s fourth burner and oven, but retains proper spark ignition.

Adria’s washroom isn’t quite as big as the Pilote’s, but it’s considerably brighter, thanks to the presence of that window.

Adria’s rear window provides useful through-vision when driving, but makes sitting up in bed uncomfortable and awkward at best.

LOUNGE AND DINEIt’s in this particular aspect of design that the Pilote and the Adria differ most, and while each approaches the thorny issue of how to seat four around the dinner table in different ways, each has achieved a remarkable amount of success.

The Pilote gets off to a flying start by having twin inward-facing settees, which was always going to be an easier starting point than the Adria’s half-dinette, and matters get better still when you realise that the rather small-looking fixed table is actually one of those funky new ‘Swiss Army Knife-type’ tables that slides hither and thither (by a full seven inches fore/aft and a remarkable 1ft 5in side to side), collapses in on itself down to a matter of mere inches off the floor (for bed-making purposes) and extends magically via a crescent-shaped flap (that’s


almost the same size as the standard table-top), which emerges out from beneath the table before rising and clicking into position with impressive machine precision. The resultant dining table is more than big enough for occupants of both settees to reach their duck à l’orange without having to stretch, although through-passage from the cab area is obviously impossible as a result.

All of which is extremely impressive, but over in the Adria, a closer look at its apparently dinky table reveals a join in the table top, and pulling on it reveals that the whole issue slides right out into the central walkway, the resultant gap being filled precisely by a removable infill that’s the same thickness as the table top itself, and clicks into place via a pair of male/female brass locks. So impressive is the resultant table that not only can one of the occupants of the inward-

PRICE ■ From: £37,900 OTR ■ As tested: £37,900 OTR

BASICS ■ Berths: 4 ■ Three-point belted seats: 4 (including driver) ■ Warranty: 3 years base vehicle and conversion ■ Badged as NCC EN1646 compliant: No ■ Construction: GRP-clad sandwich construction low-profile coachbuilt with ABS plastic skirts ■ Length: 6.87m (22ft 6.5in) ■ Width: 2.29m (7ft 6in) ■ Height: 2.69m (8ft 10in) ■ Wheelbase: 4.08m (13ft 4.5in) ■ Rear overhang: 1.92m (6ft 3.5in) ■ Maximum authorised weight: 3500kg ■ Payload: 585kg

THE VEHICLE ■ Chassis: Renault Master LWB platform cab ■ Engine: 2.5-litre common-rail turbo-diesel, producing 115bhp ■ Transmission: Six-speed manual gearbox, front-wheel drive ■ Brakes: Servo-assisted with ABS, discs all round ■ Suspension: Front: independent coil springs; Rear: leaf-sprung rigid axle ■ Features: Driver’s airbag, electric door mirrors (including heating element) and cab windows, infra-red remote-control central- locking, lockable glove compartment, twin door pockets including bottle storage, height adjustable front seatbelts

INSIDE ■ Layout: Swivelling cab seats ahead of offside inward-facing settee and nearside half-dinette, L-shaped centre kitchen, longitudinal permanent double bed in offside rear corner, washroom with separate shower in nearside rear corner ■ Insulation: Floor 30mm, walls 25mm, roof 25mm ■ Interior height: 1.98m (6ft 6in) (min 1.88 (6ft 2in))

KITCHEN ■ Sink: Circular stainless steel sink with monobloc mixer tap, lift-out chopping board/cover and loose-fit plastic drainer ■ Cooker: Cramer three-burner spark ignition hob with separate spark ignition Smev grill unit

HEAD-TO-HEAD DATA – ADRIA IZOLA S687 SP

■ Fridge: Thetford N150 SES fridge/freezer, capacity 149 litres

WASHROOM ■ Toilet: Thetford swivel-bowl electric-flush cassette ■ Basin: Vanity unit with monobloc mixer tap set into worktop ■ Shower: Separate compartment with tri- fold rigid door, dedicated riser with monobloc mixer tap

BEDSFixed rear double ■ Length: 1.98m (6ft 6in) ■ Width: 1.24m (4ft 1in) maxLounge double ■ Length: 2.08m (6ft 10in) ■ Width: 1.17m (3ft 10in)

EQUIPMENT ■ Fresh water tank: Inboard. 110 litres (24.2 gallons) ■ Waste water tank: Underslung, heated and insulated. 95 litres (20.9 gallons) ■ Water heater: Truma Combi EH. Gas/ electric operation ■ Space heater: Truma Combi EH. Gas/ electric operation with blown-air ■ Leisure battery: 85 amp hr ■ Gas: Capacity 2 x 7kg cylinders ■ Lighting: Ceiling-mounted halogen downlighters: two in bedroom, two in washroom, two in kitchen, four in lounge ■ Sockets: 230V: Four (one each on side of rear bed, on wall beneath wardrobe, by main entrance door)

OPTIONAL EXTRASFitted to test vehicle ■ Base: None ■ Conversion: NoneOther options ■ Base: Cab air-conditioning (£1100), passenger airbag (£400), cruise control (£400), alloy wheels (£750), front fog lights (£400), Quickshift6 auto transmission (£900), 3800kg chassis upgrade (£300) ■ Conversion: Loose lay carpets (£277), Blaupunkt Lucca satellite navigation (£477), Webasto diesel-fired heating (£977), 15-inch flat screen TV (£299), 15-inch flat screen TV plus DVD player (£499), DuPont Teflon fabric protection (£199), Paintseal exterior protection (£499), Tracker security system plus 12-month subscription (£499), Thatcham Cat 1 alarm (£599)



facing settee now reach his or her dinner, so can the occupant of the passenger seat, while anyone prepared to stretch a bit could feasibly – if rather uncomfortably – actually dine from the driver’s seat.

If you’re just lounging, though, you can leave the infill out and make use of the plastic glass holders lurking beneath instead. That, or you can push it back into position and free up through-passage along the central walkway. If you’re planning to remove it altogether, however, beware, as it’s mighty heavy.

You could, however, argue that the Adria’s over-cab TV station is preferable to the Pilote’s, which is positioned further back, over the fridge, although getting a bottle of wine out from the lounge is rather easier in the Pilote, as its drinks locker lives in one of the kitchen’s high-level slide-out pods, whereas the Adria’s lurks in one

of the kitchen’s lower slide-out lockers.

COOK’S QUARTERSOn the face of it, these two kitchens are pretty much even-stevens. Each conforms to the currently in vogue L-shape, each has a huge swimming pool-sized stainless steel round sink and lift-out plastic drainer. Each, too, has a gigantic fridge with a separate freezer unit, although the Pilote’s 150-litre example is an Automatic Energy Selection (AES) Dometic example, while the Adria’s 150-litre model (which also detects and selects its energy source automatically) comes from Thetford and sports a snazzy blue LCD-equipped control panel.

There’s little to choose between the two in terms of out-and-out storage space, too, although the Pilote’s trio of slide-out metal-sided cupboards, two-tier veggie rack, king-sized


WASHROOM ■ Toilet: Thetford swivel-bowl electric-flush cassette ■ Basin: Vanity unit with monobloc mixer tap set into worktop ■ Shower: Separate compartment with bi-fold rigid door and dedicated riser with monobloc mixer tap

BEDSFixed rear double ■ Length: 1.96m (6ft 5in) ■ Width: 1.29 (4ft 3in) maxLounge double ■ Length: 2.26m (7ft 5in) ■ Width: 1.09m (3ft 7in)

EQUIPMENT ■ Fresh water tank: Inboard. 120 litres (26.4 gallons) ■ Waste water tank: Underslung, heated and insulated, 95 litres (20.9 gallons) ■ Water heater: Truma Combi EH. Gas/ electric operation ■ Space heater: Truma Combi EH. gas/ electric operation with blown-air ■ Leisure battery: 95 amp hr ■ Gas: Capacity 2 x 13kg cylinders ■ Lighting: Ceiling-mounted halogen downlighters: two in lounge, six in kitchen, one over main entrance door, two over fridge-freezer, two in rear bedroom skylight surround, two in washroom. Adjustable reading lamps: two in bedroom, two in lounge. One strip light in separate shower cubicle ■ Sockets: 230V: two (at TV station, in kitchen) 12V: four (at TV station, in washroom, in kitchen, in cab)

OPTIONAL EXTRASFitted to test vehicle ■ Base: None ■ Conversion: NoneOther options ■ Base: 6-speed automatic gearbox (£1315), satellite navigation (£1790), cruise control (£300) ■ Conversion: Roof rack, ladder and crossbars (£780), additional 130 amp hr auxiliary battery (£315), Alde wet central heating (£1,720), reversing camera with colour screen (£640), Thatcham Cat 1 alarm (£550), Cobratrak tracking security system, including 12-month subscription (£600), leather interior (£1565)

HEAD-TO-HEAD DATA – PILOTE P685 FP

ABOVE FROM THE TOP: Excellent kitchen has an abundance of lockers and ample work surfaces, and offers a full cooker.

Pilote’s washroom feels somehow bigger than that of its rival, although you do miss the Adria’s window.

Pilote’s end bedroom is the better of the two contenders, thanks to a lack of a rear window and slightly better lighting.

PRICE ■ From: £49,990 ■ As tested: £49,990

BASICS ■ Berths: 4 ■ Three-point belted seats: 4 (including driver) ■ Warranty: 3 years base vehicle and conversion ■ Badged as NCC EN1646 compliant: No ■ Construction: GRP-clad sandwich construction low-profile coachbuilt with ABS plastic skirts ■ Length: 6.89m (22ft 7in) ■ Width: 2.30m (7ft 6.5in) ■ Height: 2.89m (9ft 6in) ■ Wheelbase: 4.08m (13ft 4.5in) ■ Rear overhang: 1.92m (6ft 3.5in) ■ Maximum authorised weight: 3500kg ■ Payload: 430kg

THE VEHICLE ■ Chassis: Renault Master LWB platform cab ■ Engine: 3.0-litre common-rail turbo-diesel, producing 136bhp ■ Transmission: Six-speed manual gearbox, front-wheel drive ■ Brakes: Servo-assisted with ABS, discs all round ■ Suspension: Front: independent coil springs; Rear: leaf-sprung rigid axle ■ Features: Driver’s airbag, electric door mirrors (including heating element) and cab windows, infra-red remote-control central- locking (including caravan door), lockable glove compartment, twin door pockets including bottle storage, height adjustable front seatbelts, cab air-conditioning, wood-effect dashboard trim

INSIDE ■ Layout: Swivelling cab seats ahead of twin inward-facing settees, centre L-shaped kitchen, longitudinal permanent double bed in nearside rear corner, washroom with separate shower in offside rear corner, ■ Insulation: Floor 25mm, walls 25mm, roof 25mm ■ Interior height: 1.98m (6ft 6in) max

KITCHEN ■ Sink: Circular stainless steel sink with monobloc mixer tap, lift-out chopping board/cover and loose-fit plastic drainer ■ Cooker: Smev spark ignition slot-in cooker with four-burner hob, grill and oven ■ Fridge: Dometic RM 7655L AES fridge/ freezer, capacity 150 litres



ABOVE: Adria’s second bed is easier to make up than the Pilote’s and has a proper headboard.

LEFT: Truma boiler takes up much of the Adria’s under-bed void, but it’s still bigger and more usefully shaped than the Pilote’s.


cutlery tray and high-level slide-out pods (one of which constantly slipped its mooring and slid in and out continually when on the move) aren’t exactly to be sneezed at, but then neither are the Adria’s generous low lockers, large cutlery drawer and good-sized high-level lockers.

In the end, though, the Adria has poor response to the Pilote’s standard-fit Smev spark-ignition unitary cooker, complete with four gas hob burners, a separate grill and a good-sized oven, although its grill and three-burner Cramer hob both benefit from spark ignition.

Where the Adria does claw back some ground, though, is in its flush-fit waste bin. The Pilote has one, too, but it’s a lot smaller, and doesn’t have the terrific party trick of being accessible from outside via its own locker door – you could even fit a bigger bin in there if you wanted to – and this means you no longer have to put up with the usual whiffy bin bags littering the kitchen area.

BATHING SPACEYou can opt for either one of these two motorhomes safe in the knowledge that, should you wish it, you can be completely self-sufficient, even on a basic CL in the Cairngorms, as each sports a washroom that extends to a proper separate shower cubicle.

The Pilote’s shower is the better of two, overall, in that its shower tray gets two diametrically-opposed drains (handy for swift drainage, post-ablutions, when your pitch-up the night before turns out to have not been entirely dead level) together with a dedicated strip light. The Adria, on the other hand, gets just the one tray drain and no light at all, although its washroom is brighter overall, thanks to the provision of a window, something the Pilote lacks.

The washrooms themselves are hard to separate, although the Pilote’s rich warm woodwork, excellent lighting and clever use of mirrors conspire to make it feel just that little bit bigger than the Adria’s (despite this latter’s window). Neither is particularly easy to physically get into, as both the beds get in the way of the washroom door, but once you’re in there, you should find a decent amount of room around each electric-flushing, swivel toilet, and good-sized washbasin. Storage in each is pretty good, too, with both featuring mirror-fronted high-level vanity units and a low locker beneath the washbasin. The Pilote has slightly more in the way of countertops, though.

BED TIMEIn bald dimensions, the Adria just about matches the Pilote blow-for-blow with its 6ft 6in by 4ft 1in (3ft 1in at its narrowest point) rear bed and 6ft 10in by 3ft 10in front double comparing favourably with the Pilote’s beds which measure 6ft 5in by 4ft 3in (3ft 4in at its narrowest point) and 7ft 5in by 3ft 7in respectively. Where the Adria does falter, though, is with that rear window. Yes, it admits lots more light and yes, it affords through-vision for the driver, but sitting up in bed to read or slurp your first coffee of the day is all-but impossible as a result.

Give me the Pilote’s windowless rear, complete with luxurious padded headboard, any day. The Adria misses out on the Pilote’s twin knick-knack trays, too, although you can just about squeeze a couple of paperback books into the padded holsters on the washroom wall. Each gets his and hers lighting, too, although the Pilote’s trendy bendy lights allow you to focus the light more accurately than the Adria’s fixed items allow.

ADRIA IZOLA S687 SP

130-137 head-to-head.indd 7 1/6/07 11:15:11 AM

ABOVE: The front double bed is of a good size, but

it’s trickier to assemble than

the Adria’s.

RIGHT: Pilote’s garage sports

a cold-only exterior shower and a powerful

light but its storage space is more bitty than

its rival.


VEHICLES LOANED FOR EVALUATION BY:

■ Adria Izola 687SP: Adria UK, Hall Street, Long Melford, Suffolk CO10 9JP

(tel: 08707 740007; web site: www.adria-mobil.com).

■ Pilote Explorateur P685FP: Pilote UK, PO Box 38, Wednesbury, West Midlands WS10 8UL

(tel: 0121-526 3433; web site: www.pilote.co.uk).

STORE ROOMNo doubt about it: the Adria’s under-bed void is somewhat bigger than that of the Pilote, despite having the Truma boiler sited therein. In terms of actual cubic capacity, I’m sure there’s not much to choose between the two, as part of the Pilote’s void stretches across the full width of the motorhome, and the floor level drops by a good five inches where the door aperture is cut into the wall, but it’s bitty and disjointed space, where the Adria’s available space is provided in one big dollop. The Pilote’s cold water, external shower, grippy metal floor and powerful light impress, but for sheer storage space, the Adria’s is the better of the two.

I’ve already touched on how closely-matched these two motorhomes’ galleys are, and it’s much the same story with their respective roof locker count, although the Adria adds to its additional storage by the fridge/freezer by providing four open stowage lockers just inside the doorway. Each has a shoe locker sunk into the floor, too, although the Pilote’s is by far the bigger of the two.

LIFE SUPPORTIf you’re fond of your tap juice, then the Pilote’s 120-litre inboard fresh water tank will undoubtedly impress you more than the Adria’s slightly less capacious 110-litre affair, and while each model’s waste water tank maxes out at 95 litres, each also enjoys the added benefit of insulation and heating to prevent freezing.

Space and water heating in each comes courtesy of Truma’s ubiquitous Combi EH (mains and gas operation for both water and space heating), and each has a system of blown-air heating to keep the conversion warm when on the move. The controls for the Adria’s on-road system live sensibly beneath the half-dinette, but the Pilote’s are squirrelled away inexplicably beneath the driver’s left knee.

Lighting is reasonable in each, although I felt the lack of dome ceiling lights made the Adria’s bedroom feel a bit dark after nightfall, whereas the pair of halogen downlighters sunk into the wooden skylight surround in the Pilote’s bedroom made a world of difference.

The Adria’s lounge is extremely well-lit, though, even if its total complement of 10 lights throughout the motorhome can’t come close to matching the Pilote’s astonishing tally of 20 lights. It’s much the same story in terms of power socket provision, too: the Pilote has five 12V sockets dotted throughout its interior plus a 230V socket in the TV station and another in the kitchen, whereas the Adria can muster just three 230V sockets in total.

CONCLUSIONGiven the substantial price difference between these two motorhomes (as near as makes no difference to £11,000), this has turned out to be a remarkably close-fought contest. Each looks good, has an impressive lounge-cum-diner, a spacious washroom, accommodating bed and terrific base vehicle. They even match each other in many ways from a build quality perspective, although the Pilote’s cabinetry overall is probably superior.

In the end, I suppose it comes down to whether or not you could live with a motorhome equipped with a half-dinette. Personally speaking, I most definitely could, and reckon its lounge is just about the better of the two. Okay, so it’s not as luxurious as the Pilote, but with £11,000 you’ve saved tucked into your back pocket, you could always raid Adria’s mouth-watering options list...


PILOTE P685 FP


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N KEEPING A LOW PROFILE - Out and About Live · KEEPING A LOW PROFILE ... very obvious roof/rear panel join does look a little dated when compared with the Pilote’s ... Pilote that