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2000 Benimar Europe 6000 ST, 6 berth, rear U shape lounge and dinette
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The van has just had a major service at the local Fiat main dealer (Simonstone) and a new MOT (May 2011). I will also be taxing the van so there will be a years tax to May 2011. I will also have all the gas appliances serviced at our local motorhome service centre and get a "Gas Safety Certificate".
We have owned and loved our motorhome since it was 1 year old. The motorhome is a Benimar Europe 6000 ST, which sleeps comfortably and has seating with seat belts for six to travel in comfort. It has right hand drive and the door is on the left, perfect for the UK. The chassis is the full 3500kg version with air suspension and original tow bar. The base vehicle is a Fiat Ducato 2.8 tdi, which has plenty of power and easy to get serviced. The Ducato cab is very comfortable and has air-conditioning. The Radio is connected to all the speakers and has a remote control so is perfect for use in the campsite as well as on the road. The alarm is a top of the range unit with bike loop and internal ‘devils wail’. Both the bike loop and the ‘devils wail’ can be easily deactivate when not needed. We have travelled 38k miles and always used Fiat to do the mechanical servicing.
Externally there is access to the gas container compartment which can house two propane cylinder, and conversion to butane is I think fairly straight forward, if you prefer. The side door has an electric step for easy access and the switch for the ‘hall light’ is easy to reach from outside making the access on a dark night simple and safe. There is an external gas barbecue connection point so that you do not need to carry extra gas bottles as well. Just down from the door is an external shower with hot and cold water. There is a full four bike rack on the back complete with alarm loop to protect you bikes using the main vehicle alarm. On the rear there is also an extendible ladder for access to the roof, which provides additional storage, and access for cleaning etc. On the roof there is a large and effective solar panel which keeps the battery topped up whenever there is enough sun. Down the drivers side there is external access to the Thetford Cassette toilet for emptying, flue for the gas boiler, filler for the 125 litre fresh water tank. The outlet for the 100 litre grey water tank is just below the fresh water filler, as is opened electronically from inside once you are parked over a suitable drain. Externally the body work is white glass fibre with very thick insulation.
Internally the layout has a large U shaped seating area at the rear which converts to a double bed. Under the rear seating area is a very large storage compartment which can be accessed by lifting the seats or via it’s own side door. Opposite the door is a four seat dinette table which converts into a single bed very easily, and has side extensions to create a full double when needed. There is a double bed above the cab which can be left open all the time, or it can be slide away to improve access in and out of the front seats. There is a spacious full height wardrobe opposite the dinette seating, with automatic lighting, and copious cupboards at eye level. We’ve never been able to fill up all the storage!
The kitchen is well organised, with a three burner hob, which doubles up as a draining board when washing up (complete with proper drainage). The sink has hot and cold running water via a mixer tap and has a neat fitted chopping board under the glass cover. We have installed a water filter tap between the sink and the hob to provide plenty of filtered water. Under the hob is a Electrolux fridge which will run off gas, mains, or the vehicle battery (when the engine is running). The hot water is supplied by a Truma boiler that runs on gas and mains electricity. There is also a full mains operated microwave, which can be run from battery power using the fully fitted power inverter.
The bathroom is opposite the kitchen and between the dinette and rear seating. It has a very effective chemical toilet that has a Thetford cassette tank that is removable from outside. There is also a sink with running hot and cold water via a mixer tap which is on an extendable hose so that it the room can be used as a full shower, complete with all round curtain. Below the sink and above the toilet is yet more storage.
Around the interior there are an array of halogen mini spots discretely hidden to provide excellent reading light. Also there are three low energy lights mounted centrally on the roof to provide light when conserving battery power. There is also a roof mounted evaporative cooler which keeps you cool without the need to run the engine, as you would with a full air-conditioning unit. In addition there are three fan assisted ventilators, one over the cab, one over the rear seating and a third in the toilet. These provide excellent air flow and are often all that is required. Finally there is a large Heki roof light, which provides plenty of light and fresh air. All windows are double glazed and have fly screens and silvered heat shields.
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