# New A Class from RS Motorhomes



## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

I feel very lucky to have been able to acquire the first A Class from RS in Barnsley. I know a few of you have followed my blog regarding the build and the van was on show at the NEC but I thought you might like to see a few pictures as I know we all love looking and poking around these vehicles.

We have had the vehicle away for the last two weekends on what i have called 'sea trials' before it goes back to have a few final accessories fitted. I am pleased to say the vehicle performed alot better than HMS astute!

We took it from Yorkshire to Somerset this weekend to have a Strikeback fitted by Vanbitz (who did a great job by the way - thanks NickJ). The van is lovely to drive and very well behaved on motorways and B roads giving about 18mpg this weekend I reckon. No rattles and everything worked perfectly. It's hard to appreciate what a difference slide outs make until you have them but I reckon we could have 8 people in for drinks and still get up and move around. The whole van feels like quality I have to say.

Anyway, some pictures (and if you want more detail then have a look at the blog where I will be putting more detail over time on this new vehicle)...


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

Couldn't get this picture to load with the 'boys toys'. This shows an Apple Mac Mini mounted atop an HDMI splitter which allows simultaneous or different feeds to each of the HD TVs in the Bedroom and Living area. In turn this sits on top of an HD Freesat receiver and Camos controller and if you look carefully you will see one of the new Apple TVs at the bottom right. The spare HD cable is for attaching to a laptop if required.

More remote controls than any man has the right to operate in one area


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## spartacus (Jul 10, 2008)

Congratulations!

Great looking motorhome, nice to see an A class being produced by someone in the UK. Quality looks exceptional, almost boat like in appearance and standard of finish.

What chassis is it on? 

How are you powering all those gadgets, Efoy??


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Brilliant ceejayt.
At last the European rigs are catching up to RVs with facilities and equipment. Looks very impressive and I'm sure the spec is pages long.

Jealous Ray.


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

Looks great CJ, I think we will be seeing a lot more from RS in the future :wink: 

peedee


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

spartacus said:


> Congratulations!
> Great looking motorhome, nice to see an A class being produced by someone in the UK. Quality looks exceptional, almost boat like in appearance and standard of finish.
> 
> What chassis is it on?
> ...


Thanks, we love it. They offer an option for a yacht style wood finish which we took - I think it looks terrific - my wife thinks she will spend alot of time wiping off finger marks from the grand children - we shall see 

Its on an Iveco 6.5 ton chassis - there is an onboard 2.5Kw genny but only neededto use that once this weekend for the inevitable hairdryer. Other than that, all the gadgets in the boys toys cupboard are covered off by a 1km winverter which is more than enough. Most of those items including the tellys only draw a few watts (the Apple TV in sleep mode pulls 2w I think).


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

raynipper said:


> Brilliant ceejayt.
> At last the European rigs are catching up to RVs with facilities and equipment. Looks very impressive and I'm sure the spec is pages long.
> 
> Jealous Ray.


Thanks

I will publish a full spec on my blog in a week or so as a couple of people have asked me to.

Chris


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## Sonesta (May 10, 2005)

Hi Ceejay,

We looked around your motorhome at the NEC and we thought it was absolutely fantastic! :thumbright:

I must say we are very impressed with RS Motorhomes and how this attention to detail, family run business, design and taylor make motorhomes for their customers individual preferences and needs and their new A Class, with the twin slide out options, is bound to be a winner with those customers looking for a luxury, quality build large A class vehicle.

If we hadn't bought our Burstner Elegance this year, I think we would have definitely have been very tempted to place an order for one
like yours and if ever we do change in the future, then RS Motorhomes will definitely be top of our list! 

Enjoy your fabulous new MH and I wish you and your wife many happy travels and adventures in her/him.


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## Jezport (Jun 19, 2008)

Its nice to see slideouts on a British van. Other than Frankia I have never seen slideouts on euro vans.


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Magic*

Looks Fantatsic, followed your post for a while and that looks like one very well built beast.

But to be up-front, only one reason might stop me buying it. The base chassis.

Happy motoring. Hope you enjoy it.

TM


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

I haven't seen any adverts or pics yet but they are supposed to be building a new model, The Eclipse, on Merc chassis. Not with slide outs though.

There was a small para in one of the magazines stating there was a choice of 23 or 25 ft lengths

peedee


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

Jezport said:


> Its nice to see slideouts on a British van. Other than Frankia I have never seen slideouts on euro vans.


I know, the Frankia Variospace. I so nearly bought one at Dusseldorf in 2009 and even went back out to the dealer I met in Germany to finalise the details for the order. I am so pleased I didn't commit as I had previously looked at RS but they didn't have an A class at the time so had discounted them. Just before I flew to Germany they rang me out of the blue to tell me they were going to do an A Class and was I interested?

The spec on my RS and the build quality are way above what was on offer wit the Frankia although I would have to admit the Frankia had some great features and innovative ideas. One of the things I liked about the Variospace was that it had a sofa with Lazy Boy extending foot rests (which we have at home) and when I mentioned this to RS they said there and then that they would incorporate that for me and that is what we now have in our lounge slide out - a sofa with kick up foot rests.

Not sure Frankia sell many of the Variospace models - they didn't have one on their stand at the NEC. I cannot understand why more manufacturers don't include slide outs and make a big noise about it because I am sure there must be a market for it.

Chris


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

peedee said:


> I haven't seen any adverts or pics yet but they are supposed to be building a new model, The Eclipse, on Merc chassis. Not with slide outs though.
> 
> There was a small para in one of the magazines stating there was a choice of 23 or 25 ft lengths
> 
> peedee


Is that the low profile? I believe they are but no idea where they are up to with that. Worth a visit to the factory if you are interested I would say.

Chris


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## Fatalhud (Mar 3, 2006)

Hi Chris

I Have dreamed of an RS Motor Home for the last few years. 
but I have never been a fan of A class vans, as I have always thought they look dog ugly and poorly done
This one is drop dead gorgeous
The designers at RS have got the front spot on
The photo,s of the build on your blog are great, and the finished job looks crackin

Enjoy your new toy, while I go and sulk in the corner   

Alan H


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

ceejayt said:


> Is that the low profile? I believe they are but no idea where they are up to with that. Worth a visit to the factory if you are interested I would say.
> 
> Chris


Yes it is a low profile, hoping to see more about it before Christmas. Did they not have any info about it at the recent NEC show?

peedee


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

peedee said:


> ceejayt said:
> 
> 
> > Is that the low profile? I believe they are but no idea where they are up to with that. Worth a visit to the factory if you are interested I would say.
> ...


Hmmmmm... sorry wasn't focused on much else at the NEC but I am pretty sure on my last visit to the factory there was something going on with a different chassis and I also think there was some pricing/layout information but I might be mistaken. Give Alison a ring on 01709 891110 - if anyone can tell you she can 

Chris


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

This thread will probably disappear quite soon down the list but I just wanted to say what a great bunch of people the members on MHF clearly are. I know I am very lucky to be able to get this vehicle and all the comments above have been enthusiastic and generous in their nature so thanks to all who posted and viewed.

Chris


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## viator (May 1, 2007)

peedee said:


> I haven't seen any adverts or pics yet but they are supposed to be building a new model, The Eclipse, on Merc chassis. Not with slide outs though.
> 
> There was a small para in one of the magazines stating there was a choice of 23 or 25 ft lengths
> 
> peedee


I had the RS brochures sent to me from my son-in-law who visited the NEC and there is indeed an Eclipse on a Merc Sprinter chassis, also an Equinox which is a Merc Sprinter LWB van conversion.
viator


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Have to admit that it is the best looking A class that I have seen. will have a second look at your blog later.

cabby


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

cabby said:


> Have to admit that it is the best looking A class that I have seen. will have a second look at your blog later.
> 
> cabby


Thanks, I think so too - can't wait for the weekends - so much to do and far too little time to do it in


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## DSL2 (Mar 6, 2008)

Super, glad your loving your new beastie & was worth the wait!


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## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

I've had a look at the photos in your blog gallery - very nice!
Hope you have many happy trips in him/her.


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

Thought you might like an update on how we are getting on since taking delivery.

We have had our first trip away over Christmas and New Year: London-Paris-Chamonix-Milan-Venice-Innsbruck-Karlsruhe-Dusseldorf-Rotterdam-Hull. All in all just over 3000 miles so a proper road test for the new vehicle including a time in Austria with temperatures down to -17degrees C. Stayed on one or two sites, some Stellplatz and some aires.

Ideally I would have liked a chance for a short break in the UK to iron out any issues before embarking on such an adventure but time and holiday pressures just didn't allow it. We left on 18th December and returned on 9th January.

We had some minor habitation issues, a light switch that failed and a bulb that gave up the ghost inexplicably but otherwise really happy with almost everything about the vehicle. The base vehicle is an IVECO Daily and one morning while we were away it decided to tell me my brakes had failed when I started the engine which is a bit scary. When I switched the engine off and on again it decided they were okay! I decided this must be down to the cold weather - who knows?

Three biggest items that made the biggest difference to us when away:

Number one has to be the slide-outs - which was why we opted for the vehicle in the first place. How did we ever live without them? So much room and one person didn't have to sit down when another person stood up. The space was just great.

Number two probably the on-board generator in combination with the inverter, no hook up was just no problem. All the electronics, coffee machine, hair-dryer etc etc all just worked. Switching the genny on didn't impact items like my computer which were running off the inverter which I was concerned might happen so they seem to have the wiring side neatly sorted out.

Number three would be the quantity of fresh water in the tanks - about 500 litres - we went a week off-sites without bothering to fill up not worrying about how many showers etc.

Downsides? Having a twin slide out is great if you like space in the bedroom (which we do) but does limit the garage space available underneath. We thought this might be a problem but the storage under the bed which has a gas lift for easy opening did solve this for us. Some people I am sure would want more space and would probably opt not to have the second slide out and go for the big garage - as always, each decision is a compromise and personal choice. We would still go with two slide outs if we were making the decision again. A towbar is fitted as standard and we figure we could always tow a trailer if we really needed additional space but our Brompton Bikes, BBQ etc all fitted ok so not too worried.

We had also opted for left hand drive as we spend alot of time on the continent. I say 'we', my wife would prefer RHD and I persuaded her. Now, having driven the vehicle I don' think I would be so bothered as the mirrors give really good visibility.

I will update my blog over the next week or so with some notes on the performance of some specific bits of kit we put in the vehicle such as the CaptiFi Long range wireless aerial, the Apple TV and FTA satellite receiver plus a few photos from the trip.

C


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## KKJ (Oct 18, 2010)

Looks a nice van, not too big as an American RV but the sort of van that I would like to try next. Can you give some dimensions please, particularly the internal height as I am 1.93 m tall and currently have an Adria Vision because all the other vans are too short and I am fed up of hitting my head.


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## ambegayo (Jan 7, 2007)

*RS Motorhome*

I am interested where you stayed in each of your stops to get to the heart of the cities (London, Paris etc?) Nearest we get to London is Chertsey, although I know Crystal Palace is probably nearer public transport. And Paris??!!


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Congratulations, that sounds a lovely van. I am looking forward to seeing your photographs when I have a good internet connection, Alan.


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

KKJ said:


> Looks a nice van, not too big as an American RV but the sort of van that I would like to try next. Can you give some dimensions please, particularly the internal height as I am 1.93 m tall and currently have an Adria Vision because all the other vans are too short and I am fed up of hitting my head.


9m long, 3.4m high including satellite dome and I think 2.7m wide (cant remember if this includes or excludes the mirrors- can check for you).

I am 6' 3" which by my calculation is 1 inch shorter than you. You will have no problem with the length of the bed or headroom in the living area. In the bedroom area I think the headroom is about 6' 2" so I bend my head a little but don't notice it is a problem.

Big bonus is you CAN get under the shower head without stooping and have a proper shower!

Hope that helps 

Chris


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

*Re: RS Motorhome*



ambegayo said:


> I am interested where you stayed in each of your stops to get to the heart of the cities (London, Paris etc?) Nearest we get to London is Chertsey, although I know Crystal Palace is probably nearer public transport. And Paris??!!


London - Crystal Palace Caravan Club site - number 3 bus or a train into town.

Paris - Camping Bois de Boulogne - short bus ride to Porte Maillot and subway into town - all in all 30 minutes. They also run a shuttle bus when it is busier. Cost - min imal - French public transport cheap as chips.

Milan - Camping Milano - which is on the outskirts of town - there is a bus but for 25 euros they will run you into the City anywhere you want to go (and for a further 25 euros pick yu up and bring you back).

Venice - Camping Al Bateo - it is the other side of the canal so be aware you will add 60km of driving - beautifullly maintained small site with all the facilities. 400m walk and either a water taxi or the standard water bus - 30 minutes into town - runs every 30 minutes 24 hours a day and costs about 10 euros return,

innsbruck - Kranebitterhof - on the edge of town - buses fairly regularly into town - expensive site at 30 euros per night but includes unlimited internet access with fast speed and superb toilet block.

Dusseldorf - stellplatz on the Rhein right by the old town - short walk to the bars and restaurants - no facilities, great location 10 euros a night.

Hope that helps - have posted a couple of campsite reviews and on my to do list to add all the sites this week now I am home. If you need any contact details just PM me.

Chris


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## Gazzer (May 1, 2005)

ceejayt said:


> Thought you might like an update on how we are getting on since taking delivery.
> 
> Number two probably the on-board generator in combination with the inverter, no hook up was just no problem. All the electronics, coffee machine, hair-dryer etc etc all just worked. Switching the genny on didn't impact items like my computer which were running off the inverter which I was concerned might happen so they seem to have the wiring side neatly sorted out.
> 
> ...


What genny did you opt to have fitted? What was the consumption like when carrying that much fresh water?


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*RS*

What a lovely motorhome and thank you also for the city information.

A couple of months ago, there were several RS vehicles parked at Rudding Park, Harrogate, on trade plates, so I presume a press launch etc.

Russell


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

Gazzer said:


> What genny did you opt to have fitted? What was the consumption like when carrying that much fresh water?


They fit a Telair unit as standard - I did opt to have it gas powered rather than petrol as I figured having to get gas, diesel and petrol was all too much! I think it cost me £100 for the upgrade to gas which seemed reasonable. The van has a fixed refillable gas tank so all very easy.

There is a small control panel in the van and simple slide switch and the genny starts about 5 or 6 seconds later.

Chris


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## T4ndy (Mar 22, 2007)

Will you be at the NEC show in February?

Missed the Autumn show , but really appreciated the photo's you posted.

You sound like you are having great fun with your new toy. 

Your posting reminds me that we just need to save a bit harder if we want an motorhome as nice as this one


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

Certainly sounds as though it would make a great fulltiming motorhome!

If you are going to the show watch out for their new model, the Eclipse. Dunno if they will have one ready for display but they should have info on it.

peedee


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

T4ndy said:


> Will you be at the NEC show in February?


No sure yet - possibly but would only be able to make the weekend. Will let you know. I don't know whether RS are exhibiting or not.

Chris


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

Just FYI...

Spoke to them today about something else - RS won't be at the NEC in Feb, they are doing all the country shows and the October show.


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