Huge panoramic windscreens. Big, cosseting cab seats that cocoon pilot and co-pilot while driving. Smooth lines. That’s the premise of an A-Class motorhome and, for many, it’s the pinnacle of motorhome manufacture and ownership.
For those new to the leisure vehicle lifestyle, we’ll answer the inevitable question: what is an A-class motorhome? Well, it’s probably better to use the terminology quoted across continental Europe: integrated.
An A-class motorhome is a coachbuilt motorhome, and more. There’s a base vehicle chassis upon which the living space is built upon. However, with an A-class, or integrated, motorhome, the engine housing and cab disappear into the overall body of the vehicle, making it seamless and as-one, rather than a clear definition between chassis-cab and living space attached. It makes for smooth lines on the outside, more coach-like in exterior design. In other words, integrated.
For most, an A-class motorhome is regarded as a luxury purchase, considered to provide the most comfort and internal space. However, there are entry-level luxury options. And not all appear infinitely long. We take our pick of the best A-Class vehicles, of all sizes.
1 Best 4-berth A-class motorhome
Adria Supersonic
Anticipate the spaciousness and comfort of your own private jet or yacht – on wheels – and you won’t be far from the mark. This is Adria’s new flagship model and the ultimate in luxury before reaching the realms of luxury liners.
The Slovenian manufacturer has brought the best of modern automotive, nautical and home interior design together to create an A-class motorhome that’s precision engineered, practical to use and elegant to live in.
You can expect high performance from the Mercedes-Benz base vehicle while, for practicality, you’ll find a single-level floor throughout, courtesy of the double-floor construction (with storage beneath and fully-winterised insulation), a central service box that’s accessible inside and out, and Bluetooth-control of key functions.
There are four layouts from which to select – two at 7.8m long and two at 8.9m – all with open-plan lounges and the option of either an L-shape or side-facing sofas in leather upholstery (with a vegan-leather option). All have a rear bedroom with choice of king-size island bed or longitudinal twin beds. An electrically operated drop-down overcab bed provides an additional two berths.
Naturally, there’s a host of options to personalise your dream vehicle. Note, you’ll need a driving licence that allows you to drive vehicles more than 3500kg maximum authorised weight.
2 Best 6-berth A-class motorhome
Rapido Distinction i190
Price from £132,000
This is a generous-sized floorplan for an A-class motorhome that’s 8m long. It will accommodate six people for sleeping, and seven for dining at the spacious front lounge (though only five belted seats when travelling).
The rear bedroom, with height-adjustable king-sized central island bed, is beautifully designed with curved internal walls that allows extra space around the foot of the bed. Shower and washroom with toilet are separated, on either side of the vehicle with the option to close off the rear of the motorhome from the kitchen and living area to create a full boudoir sleeping and dressing area. A drop-down overcab bed and the option to make a third double bed from the lounge area creates the other four berths.
The Fiat Al-Ko chassis allows for a double floor, with storage accessed inside and out, and Alde Arctic Comfort Plus heating. Unusually for a French-manufactured motorhome, the i190 includes an oven in the kitchen in addition to the hob, alongside a whopping 171-litre fridge.
More so, the i190 has been around for some years now, so you may be able to pick up a good pre-owned example.
3 Best entry-level A-class motorhome
Itineo CS660
Price from £72,000
Of course, a £72k price tag is not exactly a bargain-budget price. But in the realm of motorhomes, it does get you a brand-new A-Class at the lower end of A-Class pricing.
Itineo, a part of the French-owned Rapido group, is a brand that has always positioned itself at that lower end of the marketplace, and is particularly aimed at families. The interiors are youthful and fun, with child-friendly features that make parenting that little bit easier and, hence, family travel a lot more enjoyable.
From Itineo’s stable, we’ve selected the CS660 from the ‘Famili Compact’ series. At 6.61m long, it’s no bigger than the average family-sized overcab coachbuilt, so is easy to handle yet has the elegance and sleekness of an A-Class.
The 4-berth offers rear bunk beds and a drop-down overcab double, complete with a rigid night-time divider so parents can put little ones to bed and not feel you’re keeping them up – or vice versa if you’re out and about with teenagers!
The upholstery is seriously classy for a motorhome at this level, with diamond-stitched black faux leather and contrasting citrus piping as an option, or standard grey and black stitched fabrics.
4 Best luxury A-class motorhome
Hymer B-Class Masterline I 780
Price from £132,670
Hymer can be regarded as the master of A-Class motorhome manufacture; it’s got more than 60 years’ experience at designing and manufacturing them at least, and some of its models can be considered classics of their time. Little wonder then than Hymer’s flagship model has ‘Master’ in its name.
Forget that it’s called a B-Class; it’s not an inferior product. That’s just Hymer’s own model name. The Masterline sits on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis with all the performance and reliability that brings. It has all the class of a flagship Hymer, with striking external design and, at the front, an ultra-panoramic wraparound windscreen for that all-important view.
Inside, sumptuous comfort in the lounge area and bedroom where, with the I 780 layout, there are twin longitudinal beds with cold-foam mattresses (in addition to the drop-down overcab double) over a double-sided garage storage area. There’s the finest insulation to keep you and your belongings cool in summer and toasty warm in winter – efficiently – with the heated double floor accessible inside and out.
And, with the Hymer Connect app, you’ve access to vehicle information, so you can control living area components wherever you are from your smart phone. No need to leave the heating on before you head out for a long winter walk; simply switch it on from your ‘phone five minutes before you return.
5 Best lightweight A-class motorhome
Carthago c-compactline 143LE Super-Lightweight
Price £108,580
Arguably Hymer’s biggest rival for premium A-class motorhome manufacture, Carthago has a reputation for producing beautiful leisure vehicles. But, rather than its biggest (and heaviest) models, we’re showcasing Carthago’s expertise in creating super lightweight motorhomes under 3500kg and under 7m in length, meaning they’re accessible to drivers with any licence.
You’ve still got all the functionality of bigger and more expensive A-Class vehicles, such as an insulated double floor with heated storage compartment, rear garage for the storage of bulky items, air conditioning and a beautifully designed and practical internal layout.
Based upon a Fiat Ducato Al-Ko low-frame chassis, the 143LE is the longest of the three c-compactline layouts, at 6.95m. It provides 5 sleeping berths, including twin beds at the rear and an overcab double. It’s possible to use the door of the combined shower and washroom to close off the rear bedroom from the living area.
One thing to consider, however, is that at 3500kg, if you order a host of optional extras to the running order weight, you may find yourself with a very limited payload for your kit.
6 Best end lounge in an A-class motorhome
Mobilvetta K-Yacht 80
Price from £106,995
Not for nothing is ‘Yacht’ in the name of Mobilvetta’s flagship model range. These sleek and gloss-white A-Class motorhomes from the Italian manufacturer use the yacht industry as its basis for design.
In addition to the wraparound windscreen is an overhead panoramic, opening skydome rooflight – perfect for lying in the overcab double bed and enjoying a view of the stars. Inside, there’s all the cossetted luxury you’d expect with soft padded seating, 100% LED mood lighting and soft-touch fabrics on the walls and roof.
Our pick of the layouts is the new K-Yacht Tekno Line 80, which, in addition to the dinette with belted travelling seats up front, has an L-shaped rear lounge with sideboard and table. This can be made into an additional double bed. But we think this motorhome is best used as a two-berth, utilising the drop-down overcab bed and leaving the lounge in situ after a nightcap or ready for a cosy morning coffee.
7 Best island bed in an A-class motorhome
Dethleffs Globetrotter XL I 7850-2 DBM
Price from £133,000
Dethleffs’ Globetrotter has been an icon for years, a tried and tested model that gets better as modern technology allows. It is a beast of a vehicle – at 8.6m long, you need to have planned where you’re parking up in advance. But that length also means copious amounts of internal space for very comfortable family living.
The five-berth offers a king-size double bed in a very attractive bedroom at the rear. The bed is on a plinth with a large storage void beneath for bulky items. Shower and washroom are separate, on either side of the vehicle, with a door that closes off the living area. When closed, the boudoir takes up almost half of the vehicle; it’s luxuriously spacious.
Likewise, the kitchen spreads across the width of the motorhome, while at the front is an L-shaped lounge sofa that seats four (with two belted travelling seats), extended by the swivelling cab seats. On the offside is a useful chest of drawers. In fact, there is storage availability everywhere.
8 Best A-class motorhome under 6 metres (and best value for money)
Roller-team Pegaso 590
Price £79,845
Many A-Class motorhomes sell themselves on their luxurious spaciousness, often requiring a long vehicle. Italian manufacturer Roller-Team has created a superb-designed A-Class that provides ample space for four people in a vehicle that’s under six metres – by a millimetre!
Based upon a Fiat Ducato chassis, at the front is a lounge that takes up half of the vehicle, with an L-shaped settee and side settee focussed around a central, pedestal dining table. The two cab seats swivel, allowing six to dine comfortably.
The kitchen spans the width of the motorhome, with an L-shaped prep and cooking area on the offside (including an oven) and fridge/freezer the height of the motorhome on the nearside. Meanwhile, the shower and washroom utilise the full width of the vehicle at the rear.
There’s a drop-down double bed above the living area, which can also be made up at night into a double bed, though we feel this vehicle is best used as a two-berth. The dark wood-effect panelling against gloss white locker doors make this a stylish motorhome.
9 Best A-class motorhome over 8m
Bürstner Elegance I 910G
Price from £152,195
At the other end of the spectrum from the sub-6m Roller Team Pegaso 590 is Burstner’s Elegance, its flagship model, and a premium A-Class motorhome that, at nine metres long, has plenty of space for extended adventures.
Attention to detail is everywhere, whether it’s the wardrobe that lights up automatically on opening, the thoughtful storage solutions, the coffee machine or the award-winning, automatic iNDUS toilet system, exclusive to the Bürstner Elegance. And, as you would expect, the quality of the materials and finishing is exemplary.
At the rear is a central island double bed (opt for the I 910G for twin singles) while there’s a drop-down overcab bed to make this a four-berth. When we wrote in our introduction about many regarding A-Class motorhomes as the pinnacle of motorhome ownership, this is it.
10 Best British-made A-class motorhome
Auto-Trail Grande Frontier GF-70
Price £98,972
The eagle-eyed will have noticed that all the A-class motorhomes selected so far are from continental manufacturers – Slovenia, France, Germany, and Italy. Well, there is only one A-Class brand manufactured in the UK, and that’s the Grande Frontier, built in Grimsby by renowned motorhome makers, Auto-Trail.
The company relaunched the Grande-Frontier back in 2020 – Touring Magazine covered the relaunch. There are three models from which to select, and we think the GF-70 takes the top gong of the trio. It’s a two berth – two belted seats in the cab and a drop-down overcab double bed – with the option to invite guests (grandchildren?) to stay should you make up the very spacious twin-settee living area into an additional double bed.
Also within the sub-7m motorhome is an L-shaped kitchen with separate oven and grill, a four-burner hob (3 gas, 1 electric) plus a fully-fitted microwave and pan store. This full complement of kitchen kit is rare in any A-Class motorhome, catering for the UK wishlist.
Bringing up the rear is a spacious full-width washroom with one of the most generous-sized showers in any A-Class. While continental brands may have the monopoly on A-Class motorhome manufacture, the Auto-Trail’s Grande Frontier GF-70 is one to consider seriously when you’re looking for your dream vehicle. If you’re driving licence allows, you might wish to opt for the free Gross Vehicle Weight upgrade (from 3500kg
