Kemerton XL vs Kemerton

There will have been several threads on here in the past where I rather smugly said how our 2015 Kemerton benefited from being sub-6m in length, and how its straightforward 12V system with independent solar charging and simple user-interface avoided all the challenges of newer tech. I might even have mentioned that we'd most probably stick with it for the long haul as it met all our requirements.  However, ...

We recently had the chance of changing up to a 2020 Kemerton XL on the Ducato with its 9-speed auto box and have just got back from a couple of 2-night shake-down trips. First impressions are very good, the auto box makes for a smooth, effortless drive and the extra length isn't a problem given the same wheelbase as the 6m van. The layout is familiar to us but the differences in the two vans are quite striking.

The most noticeable difference, particularly given the current cold weather, is how quickly this van heats up. The 2015 Kemerton had a 2kW Whale heater, whereas this XL has a 6kW Whale underfloor-mounted system. The rear washroom is warm, in contrast to the Kemerton's, and the previous owner of the XL had an extra outlet installed at the front of the lounge to address what had been a cold spot. We've therefore been toasty warm this weekend at the Devizes C&CC site.

Another obvious difference is the design of the side sliding windows. Like many others, in our 2015 van we had to deal with water ingress through the side windows if the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. Our XL has side opening windows of a very different design, with drainage channels and seals that look to be far superior.  We've yet to see how they perform in foul weather but we did test them this weekend with a watering can (!) and didn't get any water inboard.  

While on the subject of windows we've noticed how the tint on this van's windows is noticeably darker than on our previous panel vans having the athermic glass. It doesn't bother us but it could be a bigger issue if this was an owner's first experience of an AS window van.  We've already carried out the first mod; AS have stuck a decorative triangle of vinyl to the rear quarter windows of their 2020+ vans, which we took an instant dislike to, so peeled them off. Any further mods to the van will have to wait until the warranty has expired!

In terms of operating the habitation systems, as we anticipated the biggest difference is the EC700 power system. We're slowly getting to grips with it but not surprisingly it's already thrown up a couple of issues which I'll post separately on. The learning curve for this system is a lot steeper than it was for the trusty and intuitive EC155 in our previous Kemerton so the body of knowledge on here will be a considerable help. 

I'll post separately on a few other specific issues we've encountered so they don't get lost in this first-impressions readout.

Tim