2015 Autocruise Alto
Goes for sleeping comfort with this unusual French bed campervan.
I’ve had two coachbuilts and five van conversions over the years. On site the coachbuilt wins hands down for space, insulation and storage but, on the road, these motorhomes tend to creak or rattle. I find that the bodywork is not as robust as the panel van or as suited to longer drives.
A panel van conversion is easier to handle on narrower roads it is faster and more economical on wide ones it is rigid, being built of steel by robots and it is pleasant to drive.
The big sliding door and the rear barn doors also make panel van conversions more airy than any coachbuilt motorhome.
When I visited a dealer, Brownhills, at Newark to look at Autocruise panel vans (now badged Swift) I was set on the Rhythm (now the Swift Select 122), the 5.99m long rear lounge conversion.
But, while I was there I looked at and tried the Alto’s fixed bed with its Duvalay mattress and wooden slats and I was sold.
When you’re getting on in years a good sleep becomes more important, as is being free from the chore of bedmaking. In addition, I found that, unlike transverse beds, the French bed in this campervan is at a sensible height. A tailor made Duvalay fitted sheet and duvet set is available in various colours. The bed may be slightly on the narrow side for two, depending on girth but, for one, it is the lap of luxury. In fact, I find that the mattress is more comfortable than my bed at home.
Underneath the bed, which is raised by two sturdy gas struts, there is great storage. I can fit a folding bike in here as well as a spare wheel, which is not supplied as standard.
The Autocruise Alto is built on the 6.36m Fiat Ducato panel van. The fixed French bed is in the rear (offside) forming a bedroom in its own right with a large mirror and two small shelved wardrobes opposite.
A twin belted travel seat is up front behind the driver and a washroom with shower and Thetford cassette behind these seats. On the nearside of the ’van is a gas locker for two 6kg propane cylinders.
Within the galley there’s a twoburner cooker, a Smev grill (which I have never used), a sink with a rather slow drainer, a microwave and a large wardrobe above a Dometic three way fridge. Removable carpets from front to back are pop fastened to the floor, unlike in the current ’vans.
DRIVING TUNES
The 16 valve twin cam, turbocharged diesel gives adequate power (130bhp) and quiet cruising, although it is noisy when revved. The six speed gearbox is easy to use and has well chosen ratios. The clutch is progressive and there is no trace of the reversing judder, which affected earlier versions.
The factory fitted reversing sensors are invaluable and impervious to rain, road filth and sun, unlike back up cameras. The brakes are excellent. It has no traction control, which I have found in a previous Ducato makes a big difference on slippery ground. Cab air conditioning and cruise control are standard Fiat fit and I consider both to be essential. This model also came with the 16in Fiat alloys with Continental Camping tyres.
The steering is precise and light when manoeuvring, but the wheel is plastic, which spoils the driving experience a little.
There is, thankfully, no tyre pressure monitoring system. This allows the tyre pressures to be adjusted to the actual weight distribution rather than at 80psi.
The dashboard of the Ducato is pretty poor. The instruments are small and difficult to read. I had Brownhills fix the panel lights to stay on continuously, as flagged up by MMM, but it doesn’t really address the visibility issue. I fitted an Aguri dash cam, which allows me to use it as a speedometer instead of the actual Fiat one.
The ’van is fitted with what is ridiculously called a techno silver dash kit. This comprises four covers for the air vents in silver, which reflect four silver triangles onto the windscreen. What styling genius thought of that?
There is a lot of wind noise at speed, but road roar is not as bad as in many cars.
The furniture is very solid, with the exception of the drawers, and built to a higher standard than my previous Globecar. However, there are still some rattles on rough roads from the microwave area, which I have not been able to trace.
The Fiat radio produces the usual banging and wailing cacophony, but reception is good. There is no CD so I cannot play music, although there is a socket for an MP3 player or other digital music device.
The major fault with the Fiat Ducato is that it has a rudimentary leaf spring arrangement at the rear with limited suspension travel so that potholes and broken road surfaces are poorly dealt with.
It would be nice if Fiat could use a rear suspension system that is similar to the Doblo for its future motorhome bases.
LIVING THE MUSIC
Whilst the Rhythm and Swift 122, as it is now called, have 93 litre underslung water tanks, the Alto and the Swift 164 have a meagre 59 litre tank and an even smaller 41 litre waste tank. The current ’vans have tank heaters but mine doesn’t, although I found the plumbing works fine, even at 7°C.
When wild camping I carry an extra two 25 litre containers in the cab in front of the passenger seat. There is a 12 volt socket next to the water tank filler, which is used for a submersible pump to empty the plastic containers.
I never use any of this tank water for drinking or cooking for this I use water stored in a Sainsbury’s five litre spring water container, which is kept in the storage area under the bed.
The washroom is compact but well made with a fixed sink and a very useable shower and a sturdy shower tray. However, I do find that the Thetford loo is just a bit too high so I use a footrest when enthroned and leave the door open!
Meanwhile, the galley has a twoburner Smev hob, which is adequate and comes with a dark glass cover. So does the adjacent sink, although I did manage to crack this cover with a very hot cup of coffee.
I use a genuine Primus stove top toaster kept from my cycle camping days instead of the grill, which is a waste of space, in my view.
Four plastic boxes are used for storage in the overcab and cutlery is kept in a plastic box in one of the cupboards. The table is of a good weight and fixes to the wall of the lounge, so it is very stable compared with the single column pedestal type.
The battery that was supplied when new was a miserable 80Ah Yuasa one. I replaced it with a 92Ah Banner, which required a mod to the battery compartment, and I haven’t run it flat, yet.
There is an excellent directional TV aerial and booster system. I bought a 24in Samsung Freeview HD TV (£150), which fits on a shelf under the bed when not in use and on the travelling seats when set up. I do not like TV brackets. It provides superb picture quality when Freeview HD is available. A simple inverter allows its use off grid.
All windows are double glazed Polyplastic and all open, unlike AutoSleeper Peugeot ’vans, but they do scratch and warp. Remis cab blinds are fitted to the cab windows and these have worked well and proved trouble free.
I fitted Climair rain deflectors to the cab side windows, which I recommend. There is a useful Thule awning providing shade on hot days and a large Thule electric step, which retracts on start up.
An alarm sounds if you forget to remove the 240 volt cable.
The lounge area at the front benefits from supportive foam and the cab seats swivel. The lighting was poor, however, and I fitted a triple LED ceiling light and another LED, which made a huge difference.
However, because the Truma gas and electric boiler is under the bed at the back, the heat output up front is insufficient in winter.
The ’van was supplied with fixed Truma vents, which meant that the bedroom and washroom were roasting but the lounge cool. I had all the fixed vents replaced with butterfly vents, which made a big difference in use. On site in winter I use a convector heater and a small oil filled radiator to keep toasty.
FAULTS
The Autocruise Swift build has been trouble free, unlike its foreign made components. The Dometic fridge ‘door open’ alarm has indulged in beeping for no reason.
I understand that moisture is getting into the contacts and shorting them out. I have also had the fridge door burst open when I have driven around corners on several occasions.
One of the Truma 240V heating elements burned out as it did in my Globecar but this was replaced under warranty.
Six months later the Truma unit failed to work on 240V again. This was traced to the main fuse, which is buried inside the unit. It is not covered by Truma’s warranty and cost £92 to replace, but no explanation could be given of why it had failed.
As mentioned, the Dutch made Polyplastic windows do tend to scratch easily and also warp. One was replaced under warranty and another three will be.
I understand why Auto Sleepers use the Peugeot window van with glass windows, although only two of them open in this case.
Swift has been good on the warranty front and Brownhills service has been excellent.
The Fiat Ducato and its 2.3 litre 130bhp engine, which returns around 32 to 34mpg, has been trouble free.
FOR THE FINALE
This is a very well designed and constructed campervan with quality furniture and seating and an extremely comfortable bed. I feel it represents good value being less expensive than a Volkswagen minivan with a tent on its roof. It drives splendidly, has proved reliable and will last well Furthermore, it is built in Britain by a British owned company and I congratulate the Swift workers who built it for making such a high quality product.