Autocruise Tempo Forums

betsy

Perhaps I am the wrong person to get an unbiased review from regarding the Tempo. I went to the Nec last week to see and haggle a price on similar conversions but ended up placing an order for March delivery on the Tempo. It was street ahead of similar priced models and did not lag too far behind the more expensive ones. I found that the overall finish and attention to detail to be good and as such represented good value for money.

With new models you have to trust your own judgement as no reports, to by knowledge have been published, but I am eagerly awaiting March so we can fully check it out. There's a double-page spread on the Tempo in this month's Practical Motorhome but it really is a overview and does not look in depth at the van.

Has anyone else been tempted?

Colin and Liz D.

kevwright

thanks to you all.

joandfran · Last edited by joandfran on Sat Oct 27, 2007 4:09 pm; edited 2 times in total

We also saw the Autocruise Tempo at the NEC, and having looked at lots of other van conversions over the last year or two, we can say that this one definitely pushes most (if not quite all) the right buttons - in fact we've already ordered one. The clever use of space easily beats the competition, and although the quality of finish is not quite as good as some others - IH in particular - you do get a good deal for your money. And is it the only van with a sensible rubbish bin?!

As I understand it, the van at the NEC was a pre-production model, and they are still tweaking the details, but we identified several minor aspects that definitely could do with improving:

1.The kitchen worktop edge is horrid - very sharp and square edges which look dated, and are asking to get chipped and tatty. Same goes for the free-standing table. And like a previous poster, I don't understand why they didn't use a combined sink & draining board - there's room enough.

2.The TV cabinet is too small - I think most MH owners now are going for 15" LCD sets like the Avtex, and the cabinet won't accomodate that. Also, the TV sockets need to be inside, not outside the cabinet.

3.The woodgrain trim on the overhead lockers etc. is a bit naff and dated - the plain blue/grey trim Autocruise use on their coachbuilts is much nicer.

4.The fresh-water tank at 14.5 gallons is a rather small, but I don't know if there's room to accomodate a bigger tank.

5.The sliding door on the washroom is brilliant - the usual hinged door always causes so many problems in small motorhomes - but the finger-catch is a finger-trap!

6. Don't know about anyone else, but I find that reaching round behind me for toilet paper is a bit difficult! The loo-roll holder needs moving somewhere else more accessible to the average non-contortionist.

7. They need to put another downlighter in the corner by the TV, and we would also have preferred recessed downlighters to surface-mounted spotlights above the kitchen and in the bathroom, but that's a personal thing.

These are mostly fairly minor points, but we are really hoping Autocruise will take at least some of them on board before we take delivery of our van in April.

Jo

carol

Hi Jo and Fran - welcome by the way

Interesting comments, I haven't seen the motorhome in question, but I have a couple of thoughts..

You say you have ordered this vehicle, as according to another thread, perhaps earlier in this one, so have a lot of other people, such that delivery is not now until April.... but surely you have ordered the vehicle as seen...

If they change too much, do the manufacturers have to go back to the people who have ordered and say, our intention, after some more research after building this prototype (also bearing in mind it is Autocruise which has now been taken over by Swift) is to do this and this and this, and change this to that.... are you happy with that and still wish to continue with your order?

I just wonder what the situation is when ordering what is in effect a trial vehicle.

I recall reading people saying that the Trigano Tribute 650 they had seen and ordered, had had this or that, but when they got their's this or that was missing, and this had changed.

I may be in the same situation, having ordered a new vehicle which was a new launch in Dusseldorf, I don't know.... but I am curious

Perhaps Peter or Kath, or there was someone else I saw who is now on the Autocruise team could respond...

Carol

PS and a thank you as well from me, for both Kath and Peter for picking up the above thread, and hopefully solving it.

tco

The guy you want is Steve Trossel of Swift/Autocruise, he is monitoring this thread.

BTW we liked the Rythmn better than the Tempo, but are likely to end up with a LP coachbuilt (probably Autocruise). SWMBO says that van conversions are too small.

Tco

joandfran · Last edited by joandfran on Sat Oct 27, 2007 4:07 pm; edited 1 time in total

Good point Carol, but I should think (& hope) that Autocruise have explained to everyone who has ordered the van that there will be a bit of fine-tuning done before production really gets going - this was made clear to us at the NEC.

I would think anyway that no-one would object to small changes being made if they are an improvement. Can't imagine them doing anything to it which would be unacceptable to anyone who had already ordered one.

I'd be interested to hear what other potential buyers think of the suggestions I have made, and especially from Swift/Autocruise - I wrote to their design director Gordon Bentley a few days ago, but no reply as yet.

This is a great van, and it will surely be a big seller, but it does need a little attention to the details.

By the way, there's a glowing review of the Tempo in November's Motor Caravan magazine.

Jo

SwiftGroup

Steamdrivenandy

ingram