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rongob

Concorde1

I am in the process of changing my motorhome and was looking at the concorde carver on iveco,i was at the dealers yesterday in fact. i would be grateful if you could give me some idea of the problems you are experiencing with both the vehicle and the dealers

Regards Ron...

silversurfa

If you are planing to tow a trailer on a vehicle over 7.5tonnes this puts you into another licence bracket , you will need to take a test for a Wagon and drag! Us oldies had It with our class one's. As its classed as a semi tralier.

Concorde1

Hi Ron
As I said to Ian I do not want to go too public yet in view of the legal action I am taking. However I am happy to provide you with more information off Forum and I have sent you a PM.
Regards

Valian

Thanks to those who have offered advice. It seems I have some more research to do!!!

pelicanpete

Hi Valian,

Sorry for jumping in a little late on this thread.

I would thoroughly recommend the Concorde Charisma on the Iveco Daily 65C18 chassis. I bought mine new last November and it has given me nothing but pleasure!

In my eleven months of ownership, my wife and I have used it for 6 months (3 x 2 month trips) to France, Spain and Portugal, the Scottish Highlands/Orkney and, most recently, Germany, Switzerland and the Italian lakes - 15,000 miles of very testing terrain! I, therefore, feel qualified to comment...

The Concorde is a first class product (should be for the price!) and I have had no problems with the habitation side whatsoever except that the fridge door was warped and quickly replaced under warranty by Dometic. Not a Concorde problem, per se.

I have been very pleased with the Iveco chassis c/w Agile gearbox. I had one spurious warning light occur in Portugal at ca. 1,000 miles but help arrived from the local dealership within 1 hour after I had phoned Iveco UK. It turned out to be a glitch caused by a loose connection and 14K miles later it has not re-occurred. It did, however, demonstrate the very impressive Iveco roadside assistance that one can expect.

During my last trip, whilst in Cologne I had the ECU re-mapped (rather than chipped) by TEC-Power GmbH. This was worth every penny of the 1,050 Euros as my vehicle's improved performance on the autobahns and in the Swiss mountains proved! If you decide to buy the Iveco base, I would definitely recommend re-mapping.

Prior to purchase, I test drove, back-to-back, the Charisma 841L on both the Iveco and the MAN chassis. Whilst the MAN is more rugged and truck-like, it was exactly this quality that didn't suit me. I found that it sounded quite noisy and "agricultural" in the cab (and hated the bouncy seat) compared with the (comparative) hush of the Iveco. I found that the MAN tended to "wander" over the road more, needing my constant input whereas the Iveco steered a straight line and felt more relaxing to drive. Once you've mastered the Agile gearbox, combined with the cruise-control it's a pleasure to drive.

I was told by the salesman that the MAN would last 2 million miles without the engine needing a major engine overhaul and that the Iveco may last only a million!! Even at 20K miles a year that would take 50 years to clock that up in the Iveco so that argument was, I felt, a tad academic in a motorhome scenario...

Good Luck and Cheers! Smile

Valian

Thanks for that Pelican Pete. We're in no rush - got a house to sell - so I'm looking into it all very carefully. 890M or 940M is model of choice at the moment. I'd just about decided that the MAN was one to go for..........but you make the Iveco sound ok. Perhaps I'll try both, if I get the chance! Just a bit worried that the Daily might be at the edge of its capability, I guess. I don't suppose they were designed with 7 tons of motorhome and a trailer and Smart car in mind.
Back to finishing the stable roof. If only the wind and rain would stop! (we live 1500ft up in the North Pennines).
Ian.

pelicanpete

Hello Ian,
Glad my comments might have put some 'balance' into your quest for a Concorde.

My only other thoughts are that 1) I doubt Concorde would stake their top-class reputation on building a motor home on a chassis that wasn't 'up to the job.' Hence, the Iveco Daily is (IMO & IME) well up to the task. I'd go for the 65C18 and uprated (6700 kg) chassis for the extra power and payload capacity rather than the 60C18... 2) I'd personally have misgivings about the extra length of the 890 body. The overhang at this length is too great and looks out of proportion IMO. Traversing uneven ground and getting on/off some ferries would be a 'tail-scraping' experience, even if raised with the air suspension!
3) The MAN chassis is taller, giving more overall height. If you stick to motorways and main routes, no problem. But I like going way off the beaten track and on my recent trip to Italy I would not have made it under some of the bridges with the equivalent MAN.

Having said this, I wouldn't kick the MAN out of bed (oops! that sounds wrong Embarassed

) Both are great pieces of kit. Good luck with your house sale and future purchase.

Valian

Hi. I wouldn't consider the smaller chassis. Lengthwise, the M model (island bed), which we prefer) only comes in 890 and 940 sizes. In some ways I share your concerns about length etc and we are thinking about that. We also like to go into areas less well served by motorways, main roads etc, it's about finding the right balance - we're going to live in it for at least 4-5 yrs, and hopefully longer.
I can recommend Sardinia for a trip.......it's a motorhomer's paradise if you go at the right time. Can give you more info if you want it.
The more time we spend planning this etc, the more frustrated we get with the housing market. 7 acres, stables, hot tub, fabulous scenery, river frontage, peace and quiet - you'd think someone out there would do the decent thing!!!!!!

Concorde1

Hi Pelicanpete
I am pleased to hear you are still enjoying your travels. I am also glad your experiences with the Concorde continue to be the opposite to mine. As you know most of my problems arise when towing. Are you towing yet or still solo.
I was interested to hear you had been to TEC. Someone else has recommended them to solve the Agile gearbox problem that I have. Do you know if they remapped both your gearbox ECU and engine ECU or just the engine.
Incidentally you mentioned the power/chassis capacity of the Daily 60C and 65C. I am not sure if you know but they both have the same engine, 3lt producing 177 HP. The 60 and 65 refer to the chassis capacity of 6 ton and 6.5 ton respectively which the latter can be upgraded to 6.7 ton.

Best wishes