Mystery van? Forums

geraldandannie · Moderator

Hi, Maura

Sorry, I should have got back to you before. I think that 'my' price is "ex-works", and 'yours' is an On The Road price, as you stated. I suspect that's the difference.

Johnny - if you do go (which would be fantastic), make sure you mention MHF, and the interest their van is creating. You never know when <cough> discounts <cough> might be forthcoming. Of course, as initiator of this thread, under MHF rules I get the most discount, if there is one going Wink

Gerald

mauramac

geraldandannie · Moderator

AdriaTwin

My wife & I also spent a LOT of time investigating panel van conversions, but because we had specific requirements, we eliminated may of the well known brands. We needed a fixed rear bed with easy access which eliminated Timberland and IH (although the IH has a fixed rear bed the access hatch is too small) and both were (IMNSHO) far too expensive, which is why we bought theAdria Twin. It was about £8,000 to £10,000 cheaper that either of those makes, was better buit than the Devon and the Trigano (which also does not have a fixed rear bed). Our Twin with optionla Red metallic paint, passenger airbag, cruise control (essential) and Air-Con came out at £33,000. The ony other option (in hindsight) we should have specified was the 2.8JTD not the standard 2.3JTD engine as teh extra 200Kg payload would have been useful for our diving equipment.

I was quite unamused when Practical Motorhome reviewed the Adria Twin last year against the Trigano Tribute and two others and completely got their facts whong (even using a 2005 model against the 2006 of all three others in thh test).

Lastly, Adria have increased trheir dealer network in the UK and the best dealer we have found is Premier Motorhomes near Chichester, West Sussex (www.premiermotorhomesltd.co.uk

Tony

AdriaTwin

Apologies for the spelling mistakes in my previous posting.

Below is a copy of the letter I sent (via email, fax and post) for inclusion within Practical Motorhomes and for which I never received a reply or even an acknowledgement!

We will not be renewing our subscription to PM. (if you read their letters pages they will not include any readers letters with anything that contradicts them or disagrees with the magasine, except when they spend three times the column inches making a highly aggressive reply).

Dear Sir / Madam,

We received our eagerly awaited September copy of Practical Motorhome in the post and were pleased to note the article testing the four High-Tops, including (we thought) our own Adria Van Twin; however, as soon as we started reading the article we became increasingly unhappy with the review.

The first thing we noted was the incorrect name on the main page, with the ‘van described as the Twin M, which it clearly is not. The Twin M is the Adria unit based on the Renault Master (hence M for Master) not the Fiat Ducato based Twin, and, in the UK, the Twin M is not available with a fixed rear bed.

Secondly, whereas all the other three vans all appear to be the current models, the Adria tested was obviously last years model, even displaying an 05 number plate and externally with different decals. There are also some other significant differences between the 05 and 06 versions. All 06 models include the following standard equipment:

1. Electric step.
2. Split worktop above hob and sink
3. Smev grill with spark ignition fitted under hob (exactly the same unit as fitted to the Trigano)
4. Twin Heike roof lights
5. Smoke detector/alarm
6. Five year warranty (the only van in the test with this as standard).

There were also several inaccuracies; including the statement that the Twin has diesel fired blown-air heating, a la Trigano, whereas the Adria is in fact fitted with a Truma Combi hot water / blown air LPG / 240v unit.

Although you mention the ease of use and comfort of the Adria’s fixed rear bed, you failed to state that it has a proper sprung mattress and slatted base, you also omitted to include the large area of storage underneath, an very important feature for many owners, especially for my wife and I as we require this space for all of our Scuba diving equipment.

Another detail missed from your review is that, as with the Trigano, the table in the Adria can also be used outside; attached to a rail fitted to the rear panel of the cupboard containing the grill.

We also were stunned to read that you awarded the Trigano five stars for their ‘flexible’ bed layouts, even though you stated that the Trigano has the “least comfortable sleeping arrangements but paradoxically the most choice”. As, in common with, I suspect, the majority of Motorhome owners, we use our van as a way to relax and remove ourselves from the pressures of daily life, and sleeping and resting are a significant part of the relaxation process. One has to pose the question: How many uncomfortable positions would we want to sleep in? The obvious answer is NONE. This seems to defeat the entire purpose of owning a Motorhome.

We also noted that the reviewer stated that because of the rear bed, the Adria had limited living area, but your reviewer did not seem to feel this was an issue with the Trigano, even though with the Trigano’s bed made up the sliding door was all but obstructed and the bed completely fills the entire living space, which, in our opinion, is an even greater limitation, as if either Linda or I wish to lie down the other can still occupy the lounge area.

My wife and I spent the entire last year investigating a huge range of motorhomes, and included several models into our shortlist from other manufacturers, including the Trigano and many top UK and European conversions. In addition to build quality we also looked for several specific factors including:

a. Hot water / heated blown air heating.
b. Combined electric cassette toilet and shower
c. Space for two LPG cylinders
d. An open feel, with a large amount of opening windows, roof lights and doors.
e. Fully winterised with full insulation for all year round use.
f. Blinds and flyscreens on all windows (no curtains)
g. Fixed Bed with easily accessible storage underneath.

The comfortable fixed bed seemed to be the deciding factor as we did not want the hassle of making up a bed each night and having to move around all the Scuba equipment in the living area before doing so, as was the case with our previous Transit conversion. A fixed bed also offered us the right amount of storage underneath for our Scuba gear. This immediately eliminated several models, including the Trigano.
We have limited off-street parking and also preferred the full access to the rear under-bed storage via the standard double rear van doors, the light and feeling of openness afforded by a large sliding side door, and the ease of driving, especially in town centres, a panel van conversion was chosen rather than a small coachbuilt or low profile.
We eliminated many of the UK motorhome conversions, as we could not justify the 40% difference in cost, some were over £41,000. This was followed by a comparison of the overall build quality of each unit, taking into account the cost; this left us with the sole choice of the Adria. Our choice was confirmed by the standard Adria five year warranty; therefore The Winner is: The 2006 Adria Twin!
Since we bought our Adria Twin in May, with some factory options including Cruise Control, ABS brakes, passenger airbag and metallic paint, we have covered almost 3,500 miles including trips to the Lake District and Ireland. These trips have confirmed that we made the right choice.
Obviously no motorhome is perfect, and there are a few details we have found that we will resolve, such as:
• Installing a second 65Ah leisure battery as the one fitted seems a little too limiting for sites with no hook-up.
• Reducing the height of the two front seats so they are the same height as fitted to a standard Fiat Ducato van, with the use of Tek Seating’s products.
• Replacing the Blaupunkt CD/Radio/GPS with a CD/MP3/USB/radio and separate Tom-Tom Navigator unit (on a PDA)
• Fitting a LPG/knockout gas alarm
• Fitting adjustable air assistance for the rear suspension (mainly due to the weight of the Scuba diving equipment)
With the sole exception of the size of the leisure battery, I would envisage that the above modifications would have been needed on any panel van conversion we had chosen.

N.B. Can you please correct the description in your Buyers Guide describing the ‘Van-Twin’ as a ‘Van-Win’.

Sincere Regards,

Anthony and Linda Howard
Proud owners of a Metallic Red Adria Twin.