Symbol - Review at one month.

I've had my Symbol auto for about a month now, so time for an initial review.
First, I really like the van, and have enjoyed both driving and camping in it.  It has the 140 engine which has more than enough grunt for everyday use, but is not a racer.  Mind you, that's not what campers are for.  The new auto gearbox is a dream.

Essentially it's a posh small bedsitter on wheels.  Now I'm getting used to life on the road in this very compact van conversion I've found that there's a fair bit of stowage - especially since I discovered the compartment below the wardrobe.  The bed sets up really quickly now that I have the knack, and the compartment above the cab can take two double duvets, one thick on thin and a couple of pillows.
The small washroom is OK - no problems with using the shower, plenty of headroom even for this tallish chap - but it could be an issue for a stouter person.
I'm planning on taking it back to the dealer for a little habitation warranty work.  The overall build quality is good, but there are some really slapdash bits of assembly.  Some of the holes in the pleats of the windscreen blinds are not threaded over the retaining bars, and the seatbelt pretensioner cable was badly routed so that it uncoupled when the passenger seat was rotated.  I could fix the latter but not the former.  Also disappointed that the reversing camera has been badly set up so it does not show the rear "bumper".

Overall the design is good, but I am disappointed that the cooker extractor fan is a simple recirculator.  Just churns the gas combustion products around ...  By losing a little shelf space it would be really easy to move the microwave just a tad to the right and have enough space for the ducting for a proper extractor.  The rear suspension airtop system's top up inlets are badly placed on the side of the passenger seatwithin the doo, so they are very difficult to top up - but planning to improve this by fitting right-angled valve extensions.  Also, the under sofa space could be more use for storage if it were compartmentalised a little so that the space not taken up by battery, water heater, charger and water switch could more easily be used for stowage.  The design and layout under the sofa could really stand some improvement.

Some really good points are the lighting, windows, rooflights, onboard gas tank and the really excellent onboard wifi system.  (If you have this on your van there's a wonderful no-contract sim deal from Giffgaff, which gives 80 GB for £20.)  The heating, water heating, automatic three-way fridge and water tank auto-fill system are all up to the mark, and the built-in tracking system is effective and easy to use with either a PC or smartphone.  The hob and oven of the cooker are fine, but the grill is not up to much.

COVID-19 has kept She Who Makes life wonderful at the other side of the world, so I've been travelling alone, and the van has been easy to get around and use.  Aforementioned she is a compact ladyperson of the Japanese persuasion, and I anticipate that the van would equally well accommodate us both.  Not sure how it might work for two fuller-sized UK persons, though. 

Overall verdict so far: Really like the van, easy to drive and lots of fun, but with a few design tweaks and a little more care in assembly it could be so much better

Glad you are enjoying the van and a very nice review,I enjoyed reading it

Nice review and pleased you are enjoying your new van. That pretty much sums up my own thoughts after owning mine for nearly 2 years.
Obviously, it’s a very compact van and won’t suit some but for us it’s been fantastic. I haven’t regretted the purchase for one moment.

Hope you are soon able to reunite with your other half.

We've got a couple of boxes of stuff that we took out of our Symbol, things like the second table, wine and crockery racks, all the plastic bits under the front seats, armrests and a multitude of bed bits. It’s our third van after a small coach built and a VW hi-top and we are very pleased with it, exactly what we need. It won’t be to everyone’s taste and yes, even though ours was bought as a one year old it still needed some work to correct some build problems. I just wish we could get out in it!

Kyanpinguka,

I also found the lack of kitchen extraction a problem in our Kemerton, particularly when cooking in wet weather and adding yet more moisture to the van interior.  The combination of wet clothing and cooking steam during a wet and windy tour of Orkney was the catalyst to make a change.  

I investigated replacing the Dometic recirculating unit with an extraction hood vented to the outside but the ducting was too much of challenge.  Instead I took the decision to replace the overhead roof-vent (a 400x400mm Remis) with a vent incorporating a fan.  I researched the various fan options and chose the Maxxfan Delux vent that can be operated even during heavy rain.  If your galley area has a similarly sized roof-vent then it would be worth consideration, but you may want to wait until your warranty has expired before making such a modification.

I wrote up the change I made in the thread linked below.  We've used it in all seasons and it's made a big improvement, with cooking steam vented to the outside.

Tim

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We still like ours after 3 years with it too.

All MH's are a compromise in some way, so you just have to find the one that suits you best.  We went from a VW T25 camper to a Nuevo and then found the Symbol to be the ideal one for us.

Also feel the same about the 'extractor' unit, as you say it just re-circulates, although I think if you have a carbon filter in it, it can be useful for absorbing smells and grease etc. so not entirely useless.

Thank you for your informative review. I enjoyed reading it & the comments made.

Very pleased over all with our Symbol Plus, although several minor points escaped the PDI if there was one. The major problem was on using the van to go north immediately on pick up we had no gas supply and also the control panel malfunctioned. The gas crash valve under the vehicle had operated resulting in no supply until Preston Marquis corrected it together with the control panel - full marks to them. Otherwise the pump remains on whilst the taps are shut off so that will have to be corrected. Another trip to Chieveley !  This is a brilliantly designed van with a quality build but The PDI was woefully inadequate.  The rattles and vibrations are gradually being traced. The central chrome plungers of the door catches are a culprit and a few sticky buffers would not go amiss on the doors. All will be dealt with eventually and hopefully we will have years of happy ownership.