BROADWAY F B 2015

Hi,
we currently have an A S van conversion and having visited the A S stand at the N E C we are seriously considering buying a new broadway FB   ( French  Bed ) layout.
Would welcome any comments  / pointers  / advice (positive and negative ) from owners of this van or similar layouts.
we are a retired and active couple who travel abroad frequently with our van...sadly no pets or children with us to consider.
We have been generally  pleased with our van...I think there are always certain things that we (and you ) as owners could have improved on in the design stage.....but we do subscribe to the theory  that no van is 100 % perfect !.
Would also love site recommendations in Portugal...this march / april   (a c s i preferred.. ££££   savings )....quality sites with electric....public transport and not in the middle of nowhere.. we enjoy cycling...trails ( not wild ones !! ) are a benefit to us

Thanks in anticipation

Geoff and Sandi

Briefly as on awful WiFi..I strongly recommend you join the Portuguese Orbitur network of campsites. We joint when 60 and got a free discount card which gave us cheaper than ACSI rates and a much wider range of sites than ACSI in Portugal. Don't miss Lisbon a municipal site but excellent public transport from site and to station for fast and frequent trains to royal places at Sintra.

Also Coimbra and university library ( good site with buses outside ) and Caminha and lovely cycle path network through pines and dunes to small town.

Enjoy; its such a friendly country though roads are a little rough ( often cobbled).

Q

Cymro wrote:I'd be wary about the payload (277kg). Will that be adequate for your needs?

thanks for the flag...think 1/2 tonne ok   ( maybe slightly over with a few bottles on return...thanks again

277 kg is 1/4 tonne. One passenger is 60 kg? + essential Hab equipment (160kg?) doesn't leave a lot for toys. Can the chassis be up plated?

I have a Gloucester similar layout on the Merc chassis, 3880 kg rated so loads of payload to play with. I love the basic layout, but not the revised kitchen/wardrobe layout. Why does one need such a big fridge? The merc being a bit longer and wider, does not have such a severe cutback on the bed as appears with the Bourton, is that side your's or her's?

I have the 2013 model of the Broadway FB that was rated 3.5 tonnes and found the payload very limiting, as previously stated, however it was very easy to upgrade to 3.7 tonnes through Tech SV without the need to upgrade tyres, brakes, etc.

My recommendation would be to get the uprated version if possible - If not upgrading is easy for about £300.

I love the van, by the way.

thanks for payload info...how do I upgrade ?
I have a class 1 licence for artics so no problem
do I py more tolls  etc if van exceeds 3.5 tonnes or is it solely a licence issue ?
all help / comments welcome.
thanks Geoff

Dartford and Severn crossing will be the same, as a car. M6 toll, not sure,but you can reduce that if you are CC member. No knowledge of Continental tolls.

We have a 3.7t up- plated Broadway. In France and Spain we are charged at the same rate that we used to pay before we up- plated and on previous 3.5t vans.

In countries with vignettes etc then I assume it is up to us to be truthful and buy the appropriate vignette or GoBox for our mass.

We have never, in over 40 years, been checked but I would still prefer not to take the risk !

Q

Also your road fund licence will be a lot cheaper £165 I think.

John.

Greetings Geoff and Sandi - We purchased a Broadway FB in 2013 and thoroughly enjoyed it. As there are only the two of us the modest payload did not trouble us at all. As you say nothing is perfect.....
1. there are two suspended cushions above the FB 'head positions' that got in the way whenever the mattress was raised to access the under bed storage- easy to remove and keep for resale.
2. The oven door was hinged on the left but was manufactured with the option to hinge on the right which is far more sensible.
3. The fridge door opens against the end of the FB and contacts a protruding edge that could easily dent the door skin. A slit length of sponge pipe lagging did the trick and doesn't look awful.
4. The pretty blue mirror lights are really just decoration but the mirror fell off - no damage and glued back easily.
5. The loo hand-basin mixer tap is poorly placed and cannot be opened fully - a minor irritation.
6. The main table was stored under the FB - a really stupid idea that I believe has now been changed.
7. The exterior access to the under bed storage is not really large enough to allow access to the far corners.
8. The large fridge is a real luxury - we liked it.

We changed after 20 months but not because we were unhappy - a disability made night excursions disturbing for the sleeping party and we found ourselves using the very comfortable lounge double 'lengthways' - so we have changed to the Broadway EK LP TB.

Hope that this is helpful - if the layout suits you I wouldn't try to dissuade you.

Colin and Maggie.

Many thanks CoMo.... so helpful .....will ensure these mods are passed to factory prior to collection.
Would be good if RFL is £180 instead of £230.....all  helps.
Will let you know how we get on.
regards   Geoff and Sandi

Cymro wrote:What a helpful post, Co & Ma. It exemplifies the spirit and ethos of this Forum.

Cymro

Could not agree more.....as a relative newcomer to m homes ( 30 years caravans) and thinking that we know it all ! we have learned so much and received  very good advice on all aspects of M homing from the A S community....guess one day we will take the plunge and attend a rally !!

I have the Broadway EK model and find the extra room afforded by the absence of a fixed bed provides for more spacious living. Of course it's "each to their own" but the seating converts very easily, quickly and comfortably into a king size double or two generous singles. After much research into other makes we opted for AS for the quality we thought it would offer. However there are a few niggles; bathroom door hooks falling off, very slow draining kitchen sink ; tv ariel on roof not brilliant ; various rattles ; waste bin on habitation door fequently gets knocked off ; silicone sealant around the GRP body panels has dicoloured already. If these had not materialised this van could not be bettered anywhere but we still love it !!

Sunbeampizza wrote:I have the Broadway EK model and find the extra room afforded by the absence of a fixed bed provides for more spacious living.  Of course it's "each to their own" but the seating converts very easily, quickly and comfortably into a king size double or two generous singles. After much research into other makes we opted for AS for the quality we thought it would offer. However there are a few niggles; bathroom door hooks falling off, very slow draining kitchen sink ; tv ariel on roof not brilliant ; various rattles ; waste bin on habitation door fequently gets knocked off ; silicone sealant around the GRP body panels has dicoloured already. If these had not materialised this van could not be bettered anywhere but we still love it !!

My sink was the same took ages to empty because of back fall on waste pipe, I cut a section of pipe out after the sink outlet and fitted a piece of corrugated pipe with a bend in it  and jubilee clipped it to existing pipe, it now empties fine. got pipe of Ebay.
 
The door fittings also fell of my bathroom door too I pushed some small rawl  plugs into existing screw holes and put a dab of clear silicone on the back of the fittings and screwed them back had no trouble since.

I've since fitted inline trap to sink waste as we were getting terrible smells from sink when we were in Benidorm last Oct-Nov.

John.

Remember when upgrading to over 3500kg that you cut yourself off from lots of roads, particularly in continental Europe.  Also remember that speed limits are lower and this IS enforced in France.  Last year I got flashed by the top camera of a double decker speed camera as I descended a long hill on a main road.  I was complying with the speed limit for up to 3500kg (which I am).  I guess that they check your weight against the database and if I had been 3800kg then I would have got a ticket - As it was, I didn't.