Can anyone beat this….

Some of you may recall we traded in our beloved Broadway EL Duo in the new year and picked up our new van an AutoTrail V-Line 2020 as MrsCC fancied downsizing to a 5.99m van as thought it’d be easier to get around in and park etc. I had reservations from the very start and was mega uncomfortable moving away from Auto-Sleepers. Saying good bye to our Broadway was a wrench and upset me quite badly. 

The AutoTrail is a lovely modern looking van but it’s not in the same league as Auto-Sleeper, It has a diabolical minimal amount of storage and this was the biggest downside for me, three of the overhead lockers are equivalent to just one of Auto-Sleepers in what you can get in them, the washroom was virtually unusable with a trough for a sink that holds less than 2” of water and a shower you practically can’t make use of, anyway after just 4 months and losing an absolute fortune we have traded it in and will be collecting our new Broadway EB tomorrow. 

The annoying thing is in the short time of owning the AutoTrail I had many upgrades carried out like Victron solar controller, B2B charger, Lithium battery, Van Bitz Battery master, BFG Trail Terrain tyres and lots more, most of which I’ve managed to recover although I had to replace the lithium with an AGM battery to keep the dealer happy.

Anyway we are now owners of our fourth Auto-Sleeper, the moral of this story is to stick with what you know. I knew the change was a bad move but got caught up in the moment, the new Auto-Sleeper is not perfect, those fabrics that AS use are never easy on the eye, but it’s all plush, comfortable and good quality, and anyone who’s familiar with the EB layout, will know we also now have a ton of storage. 

CC.

Nice one CC

As a precautions and know probably teaching egg sucking, I'd take it here...https://www.cbcmetals.co.uk/
in North Walsham and get it weighed. They are super helpful and won't charge, I always give them a bottle of wine!

Then you may wish to reduce your ton of storage!!!

Hi Ian we actually travel very lightly compared to most people we see, just hook up cable, ramps, couple of chairs, awning tie down straps, toiletries, clothes and a bit of food in the fridge and cupboard, so have no worries about being close to or over the weight, was just trying to make the point how little storage the current AutoTrail van has got, how people actually manage comfortably in them is beyond me, been there, done that… and all that stuff.

I have had 2 autotrails.Different models to you, but no problems.

However I found it expensive changing makes!!

Micky

CC wrote:Some of you may recall we traded in our beloved Broadway EL Duo in the new year and picked up our new van an AutoTrail V-Line 2020 as MrsCC fancied downsizing to a 5.99m van as thought it’d be easier to get around in and park etc. I had reservations from the very start and was mega uncomfortable moving away from Auto-Sleepers. Saying good bye to our Broadway was a wrench and upset me quite badly. 

The AutoTrail is a lovely modern looking van but it’s not in the same league as Auto-Sleeper, It has a diabolical minimal amount of storage and this was the biggest downside for me, three of the overhead lockers are equivalent to just one of Auto-Sleepers in what you can get in them, the washroom was virtually unusable with a trough for a sink that holds less than 2” of water and a shower you practically can’t make use of, anyway after just 4 months and losing an absolute fortune we have traded it in and will be collecting our new Broadway EB tomorrow. 

The annoying thing is in the short time of owning the AutoTrail I had many upgrades carried out like Victron solar controller, B2B charger, Lithium battery, Van Bitz Battery master, BFG Trail Terrain tyres and lots more, most of which I’ve managed to recover although I had to replace the lithium with an AGM battery to keep the dealer happy.

Anyway we are now owners of our fourth Auto-Sleeper, the moral of this story is to stick with what you know. I knew the change was a bad move but got caught up in the moment, the new Auto-Sleeper is not perfect, those fabrics that AS use are never easy on the eye, but it’s all plush, comfortable and good quality, and anyone who’s familiar with the EB layout, will know we also now have a ton of storage. 

CC.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I think I am about to have paid £10,000 for owning my Bourton for a year. That's even more expensive than owning an electric car!