It’s finally here! After a year in the making, our new Trouvaille Classique MWB campervans are ready to go.
We’re excited for you all to see these new ‘vans in person if you can, either at an upcoming show or by booking in for a viewing in our workshop. We are now offering test drives on Saturday's via appointments too.
The new MWB campervans are 5.4-metre series 9 Fiat Ducato – and with the 2024 registration numbers, which are all brand-new and very exciting!
How has the Series 9 Fiat improved?
These series 9 Fiat’s are much improved on the 8, with full electric steering it’s a much smoother drive. It’s much lighter. In fact, even when stationary you can spin the steering wheel with one finger!
There’s also LED headlights, colour-coded bumpers, 16-inch genuine Fiat alloys, electric folding mirrors, a reverse factory camera built-in, and keyless entry-and-go.
How safe is the Trouvaille Classique MWB campervan?
The Fiat Ducato series 9 that we’re using for our new Trouvaille Classique MWB vans are incredibly safe.
They have electronic stability control (ESC) safety systems with a crosswind assistant which activates in high winds to keep you from drifting.
Also included are numerous other new safety features including rollover prevention, hill holder (a great help during hill starts!), Load Adaptive Control, Blind Spot Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, and rain and light sensors for less-than-ideal weather!
On all these campervan models we have a passenger airbag for safety. These aren’t included on commercial vans – we specifically add these to be safe as campervans.
Watch the full tour from Richard on our YouTube channel:
So, let’s get inside and take a good look around the new ‘van…
As mentioned above, to get in the vehicle there is a keyless system. So, you don't need your key to get in or to start it. Instead, it's just a push-to-start button.
Another nice change is the electric handbrake. Previously, the handbrake was on the side of the seat. But now it’s a button next to the steering wheel.
From the driver’s seat
The steering wheel itself is much smaller, and there’s a leather steering wheel option.
Cruise control is now electronic on the steering wheel as well.
There’s also voice commands and radio controls on the wheel, too.
The dashboard above the steering wheel has a full digital cluster which is really nice and helpful. You can personalise the different screen centres, so you can add Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, along with your built-in SatNav.
In the centre is a lovely big 10-inch screen ( 5 inch is normally standard), where you can put your maps or whatever you like.
Under the screen, there are charging connecting points – Type C, a USB, and a 12-volt power as well which is very useful – all the family can connect and charge on the go!
And if that’s not enough there’s also a wireless charger which will charge as you're driving.
There are a few more subtle changes, such as the seats being slightly more comfortable.
And the air conditioning has also had an update with full climate control, so it’s not just manual.
We've kept the highly practical flyscreen as an optional extra, and we can fit those for you as well, as a whole host of optional extras.
The screens really make a difference on those evenings when there are midges, daddy longlegs, moths and everything in between wanting to come into your vehicle during the night.
Inside up front
Getting inside the back there’s a nice wide electric step, which can be made even wider should you need it.
We have beautiful Tuscany green colour seats and a completely new layout option (Option 2) which works really well.
In this layout, there are four seats with the two back passengers being much more upfront and close up behind the driver's seat making it more of a ‘travelling area’.
There’s some nice touches back here like the little side tables, drop-in pockets and USB chargers here too (along with main sockets).
There’s also the reading light which really comes into its' own when in bed.
On the double-glazed windows are our classic blinds, and then underneath that we've got the nice pleated blinds which are very easy at night time to set up and put down.
Above the seats, we've got some good storage.
Storage is key in all our vans and as always in all our vans, our cupboards open downwards.
This is just in case something's been rolling around, it gives you time to see before they fall out.
Underneath the seats, we've got some nice big pull-out drawers. We make use of every bit of storage we can.
The front bed set-up
So, the all-important question! How do the beds work? Well, they’re high quality RIB beds.
The front two chairs spin, so they can face fully inside away from the window.
And much like the bigger double RIB bed (if you’re familiar with this set-up), these two chairs work similarly as single beds.
You can sit up in bed or fully recline flat. There’s a reading light on the side and the sliding door has a light too, so both have reading light access.
As they’re sturdy RIB beds they can be used for sitting on too as they’ll take your weight.
So you can use it as a bench seat with people sitting side-by-side.
They can also be set up as a good sized double bed by sliding them across to join in the middle, as pictured above.
At the back
Moving further back into the van, we've got a nice big wardrobe. This can be shelved or it can be used as a hanging space.
It has got a removable hanging rail in there, so there’s lots of storage possibilities.
Underneath the wardrobe and the kitchen worktop, we've got (yep, you’ve guessed it!) even more storage.
This is part of the bed and underneath the cushions and under the seat there are lots of doors to access all the storage space you can possibly need.
In the kitchen
Coming into the kitchen, there’s a wide galley making it feel like a much bigger ‘van.
It may only be a 5.4-metre ‘van (not much bigger than our standard Trouvaille Classique at five metres), but we've used the space a little differently with the new Option 2 layout.
We've kept the 90-litre fridge which we always include in our campervans, but for this one, we’ve made it a bit slimmer, more vertical and higher, so it's much easier to access.
There's a good freezer compartment in there. And It's a very economical fridge, with a night mode, so it cuts down on power usage and doesn't drain your batteries.
There’s plenty of worktop space and this time we've gone for a nice big generous three-burner hob and a separate sink.
Underneath you can include an oven grill as an optional extra. Or you can just have a food cupboard under there or another big set of drawers.
Underneath the grill, there’s a drawer, which you would probably use mainly for your cutlery – we can put a divider in there for you.
We think drawers work much better because then you don’t have to scramble to the back of a cupboard! We've also got overhead lockers with lots of generous space in those.
And we want to emphasise these are really strong and securely mounted so you can really load them up safely.
Inside some cupboards, we've included a couple of bins for smaller waste items. With of course as much clever storage as you can possibly need.
For the kitchen tap, there is a pull-out shower hose. So you can literally have a shower out the back end of the van! You could quite easily do your hair in the sink. Or if you're just washing up, it makes things a lot easier with this hose.
Along with plenty of power sockets in the kitchen, there are a couple of different light switches, gas monitor and gas heating.
You can have a diesel heater if you prefer, but because we've got the big 25-litre underslung gas tank as always, we fit a Propex gas heater as standard which can be very economical. We have customers that don't fill up from one year to the next!
We've also still got the BBQ point outside next to the sliding door.
There’s a digital control panel that will give you lots of information too.
The toilet
One of the main differences in this van is the toilet! Instead of a portable loo, we've put in Thetford electric flush toilet. Tucked away cleverly behind a door (which you can use for privacy) you can use this full-size sit-down toilet with a swivel bowl.
Also inside that cupboard is a removable clothes rail, so you can move it in and out and use it for hanging space.
There’s a few clever storage solutions in this toilet area including a place to keep your loo roll dry and a drop-down shelf. You can put an awning bag, suitcase or anything else you fancy up there, strap it in and once the door’s locked, it’s nice and secure.
The door can fully extend out into the space to give you some more privacy too.
For the bathroom sink, you use the sink in the kitchen - rather than take up room with two sinks right next to each other!
There's not many Medium Wheel Based ‘vans out there with a pop top on, but it works really well! We've put a split roof bed in there which elevates the ceiling and gives lots of head height.
And then, at night time, when you drop the roof down, you just pull it down. It is on gas rams, so it comes down nice and easy.
Even when it’s ‘down’ and the kids (or adults!) are in bed, there is plenty of headroom in the kitchen area and you don't have to stoop down.
There’s a safety net on the pop-top bed to keep smaller kids safe. It is a scenic tent, so you can fully unzip it. So when you're in the roof bed, it can be behind the safety net enclosed. But when fully open it’s a nice fu scenic roof.
There’s also a ladder for easy access up to the bed.
Rear of the van
There’s some great space at the rear of the van, for example, when the pop top bed is in use you can sit out the back with your chairs and still access the full kitchen.
On the back wall is a handy storage space. You can strap your camping chairs up on here as an idea. We suggest bringing the items you really want to use on your holidays to us or letting us know what they are, and then we can tailor your van to suit your needs.
Also at the back is another awning light (along with the one on the sliding door) so you can sit at the rear in the evening in a fully lit area.
And when you decide to leave the ‘van, it's got a factory alarm and immobiliser, for added security. So you’ll know your precious ‘van is safe when you’re off having fun.
We hope you like our new layout and design. We’ll be bringing it along to all our shows for this year. Click here to find your nearest one.
Not able to get to a show but want to see the new MWB for yourself? Book in now for a viewing in our workshop. We’re now offering viewings on Saturdays too!
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