My brother and his wife rented this Adria motorhome for their three week trip to Norway. Starting in the Netherlands, then to Germany, Denmark, Sweden and the last border crossing into Norway. No ferry boat ride, as they will cross the Øresund Bridge from Denmark to Sweden.
Their mobile house during this approximately 4,500 km (2,800 miles) trip is a 2013 Adria Matrix M680SL semi-integrated motorhome.
Adria Mobil is a company from Novo mesto, Slovenia, that produces travel trailers, campervans and motorhomes. Its history goes back to 1965.
The overall length is 7.37 m (24’2”) and the registered maximum GVM is 3,500 kg (7,716 lbs). That GVM is exactly the legal limit for a car driver’s license. For a heavier vehicle you need a commercial driver’s license.
This is a familiar face in the world of European campervans and motorhomes, the FWD Fiat Ducato. Or Ram ProMaster, if you wish. Fiat holds a very strong position in this branch, the company offers rolling chassis specifically built for recreational vehicles, and co-operates with all main European manufacturers of such vehicles.
Here’s the engine compartment with Fiat’s 2.3 liter 150 MultiJet diesel engine. A pure truck diesel, albeit a small one. Its specifications:
- Displacement 2,287 cc, inline-four DOHC 16v, Euro 5 emission standards
- Maximum power: 148 hp @ 3,600 rpm
- Maximum torque: 350 Nm (258 ft-lbs) @ 1,500 rpm
- Electronically controlled common rail injection, variable geometry turbocharger plus intercooler
- Oil cooled pistons
- Factory recommended service and routine maintenance every 48,000 km (30,000 miles)
Let’s have a look inside, starting in the cockpit. Evidently the transmission is a six speed manual.
Here’s the living room.
Then the kitchen. Home sweet home.
Next to the kitchen is the shower.
The toilet is on the opposite side.
All the way in the back, the master bedroom.
The view while standing in the living room.
It’s also equipped with a rear mounted bike rack and a big, roll-out awning.
A separate cargo compartment in the back, with doors on both sides.
And here’s the last one of the tour in and around the Adria motorhome with Fiat hardware. Happy and safe travelling !
That’s very nice, the interior design and materials are very Euro-chic (I like). The fact that it’s a 4-cylinder and a manual is going to blow some people’s minds on here. 🙂
So is it FWD or is the Fiat/Ducato available in multiple drive configurations like the Transit?
Thanks for sharing this, this is the kind of thing that just falls into your lap sometimes and we’d never see it otherwise.
There’s a Ducato 4×4 (by Dangel), there’s no RWD Ducato. The bigger Iveco Daily is RWD, there’s no Ram-equivalent of the Daily available in the US, as far as I know.
The older Transits were available with a choice of RWD or FWD, but since the introduction of the FWD mid-size Transit Custom in late 2012, the full-size Transit is RWD only. The Fiat Ducato sold in the U.S. as the Ram ProMaster is more properly competitive with the Transit Custom, not the full-size Transit; and as Johannes said, the RWD Iveco Daily not sold here would be a “more correct” competitor to the Transit.
So really, you’ve got four sizes of van:
B-segment (subcompact):
Ford Transit Courier
Fiat Fiorino/Citroën Nemo/Peugeot Bipper
C-segment (compact):
Ford Transit Connect
Fiat Doblò/Opel/Vauxhall Combo/Ram ProMaster City
Fiat Scudo/Citroën Jumpy
Nissan NV200/Chevy City Express
Mercedes-Benz Citan/Renault Kangoo
Citroën Berlingo
Mid-size:
Ford Transit Custom
Fiat Ducato/Citroën Jumper/Peugeot Boxer/Ram ProMaster
Renault Trafic/Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro/Nissan Primastar
Mercedes-Benz Vito
Full-size:
Ford Transit
Mercedes-Benz/Dodge/Freightliner Sprinter
Iveco Daily
Renault Master
Chevy Express
Nissan NV
That’s an impressive overview, DrZ, although there seems to be a Volkswagen-denial (Caddy, Transporter, Crafter)… 🙂
And look here, the “all new” Fiat Talento (=Trafic / Vivaro / NV300)
Anything I forgot can only be explained by trying and failing to navigate Wikipedia’s pages on all the models. None of these models are really familiar to me, plus pages for European model lineups are never as complete as American lineups, it seems. But I should have remembered at least one VW model!
Things go fast in the world of vans. The Fiat Talento above replaced the Scudo. PSA, on the other hand, developed a completely new van in a joint-venture with Toyota. Below the new Peugeot Expert. The Citroën is called the Jumpy and the Toyota van is called the ProAce.
Now the previous ProAce generation was a clone of the “old” Scudo / Expert / Jumpy. The good old HiAce was withdrawn from the Euro-market years ago. It just couldn’t compete with the Euro-vans any longer.
Well, it gets down to splitting fine hairs, and I’m not so sure it’s that easy to categorize them in this way.
Yes, the Sprinter is clearly the big one of the three; it’s regular body (RB), the shortest available in the US, is as long in its interior load length (123″) as the Extended Body (EB) versions of the Transit (122″) and Promaster (126″) Note that the Promaster’s EB interior length is longer than the Transit’s.
Yes, the Transit’s Long Body (LB) is a bit longer than the Promaster’s (151″ to 140″). But I strongly suspect that the EB is the heart of the van market in the US, and the Promaster has the Transit beat there.
Here’s a good comparison of all three, in terms of body sizes: http://sportsmobile.com/promaster-van-info/
The Ford UK website indicates that the regular Transit (full-size) van is currently available as either FWD, RWD or AWD – (AWD from the 4th quarter of 2016).
The Chassis cab actually indicates FRONT wheel drive only.
I was asking Johannes about Transit over there in Europe, not here in N.A., I suspect you may have been addressing US availability in which case RWD only would be correct although I could see that changing with Sprinter now being available as AWD (and becoming popular around these parts in that config).
http://www.ford.co.uk/CommercialVehicles/transit-van/features
Transit’s all-new Ford EcoBlue 2.0 litre TDCi diesel engines are available with front, rear and all-wheel drive to give you the optimum package depending on your needs.
Front-wheel drive
• Lower load height, extra interior height in the load space and larger load cube
• Lower kerbweight for greater payload and fuel efficiency
Rear-wheel drive
• Superior traction when heavily laden
• Best suited for heavier duty applications and towing
All-wheel drive
• Driver-selectable AWD provides extra traction in difficult terrain conditions
• Under normal conditions drive is directed to the rear wheels. When engaged, the system automatically increases engine torque to the wheel(s) with the most grip.
• Available from Q4 2016
Love the names for these…
I can’t wait to get my hands on a Peugeot Bipper. (But I think I’ll shy away from a Citroen Jumpy.) 😉
In the UK the Jumpy and Jumper are called Dispatch and Relay, respectively. Presumably those names are considered too silly for white van man.
Jumper is just fine. As long as the late R.L. played it.
The thought of a van named Jumpy made my back hurt. 😉
Thanks for sharing your pics and write-up. That looks and sounds like a sweet RV.
funny, given his occasional tendency towards tattoos in languages (s)he neither speaks nor reads!!
once upon a time I read that CRD and TRD as diesel badges were changed for the UK as they ‘read’ as crud and turd, which the general rush to illiteracy has since obviated.
Back to the Fiat in the post, we shouldn’t really condone automotive boasting but the school I worked for had one of these, an lwb minibus and when empty, I’ve achieved wheelspin in 3rd gear uphill on a wet road. Great fun. I asked Honest John (great site) about the practicality of these as a secondhand buy and he said they’re principally designed to run all day for 18 months / 250,000km (ball park figures) and that after that who knows… certainly feel completely unbreakable and with immense torque
All Fords are called Transit something-or-other? So “Ford Transit” is sorta like “Oldsmobile Cutlass…(whatever)….” was back in the eighties. Hmm…
Very interesting, and it looks like a very nice place to spend time. A certain someone with an aging Chinook might get a wee bit envious. 🙂
As Jim Klein said, a diesel 4 in a motorhome is hugely unusual in the US, as is a motorhome with a stick shift. Getting the stick shift with big Mopar gas V8 here in the US would be too much to ask, I suppose.
True that! I love these, and there are US ProMaster-based compact motorhomes that are quite similar, and they are selling well.
My concern is that the Chrysler 6 speed automatic is the same unit as used in their cars and minivans, and its reliability in the much heavier ProMaster van and motorhomes is very questionable.
Frankly, I wish that 6 speed manual was available here. There is a diesel option in the US for the ProMaster, but it’s pricey ($3500) and only comes with an automated-manual (“manumatic”) transmission. If it’s anything like the one in the Fiat 500L, I wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole.
On the other hand, a big Mopar V8 just begs for a TorqueFlite (and an overdrive) 🙂 Making a Mopar V8 work with FWD could be a bit tricky….
With the torque of a modern turbo diesel, it is amazing how small an engine can move so heavy and ponderous a vehicle. I also am surprised to see a manual, even in Europe. Seems like it might put a lot of strain on the clutch. Especially as a rental being driven by regular drivers.
I think the fact of being a manual is not a problem, since most europeans are very used to manual transmissions, and operate them accordingly. Regarding the small engine, I always think of (older) Ducatos as traffic obstacles, except in very flat areas. Larger engines mean higher taxes in many european countries, something you don’t wish if you use it only during vacation. And since you’re using it on vacation, you are not supposed to be in a hurry i guess… 😉
Absolutely no need to strain a clutch. Diesels have been powering big trucks for eternities; it’s all in the gearing, and this one has six, including an appropriately geared first.
And don’t forget, the max.weight of this rig is 7,700 lbs. That’s not really all that heavy.
It’s funny you should say that – the company I work for has dozens of Sprinter minicoaches which are slightly heavier than this camper. All but one are manuals, and recently I’ve been handed the auto – there was some concern over whether the drivers at our branch would know what to do with it (!) and some drivers at other branches have refused to drive it because they detest automatics. We do a lot of driving on windy and sometimes steep roads.
I also recall friends and family who were “caravanners” car shopping (in the mid 90s) and they avoided automatics as they thought only manuals were appropriate for towing. I’m not sure if that was to do with the driving experience or if they thought towing a caravan would fry an autobox. Autos were unusual enough that people didn’t trust them. (Luddites are numerous in Scotland)
I have to say, my last truck was a 26,000kg DAF with an auto box and it was horrendous. I wished it was a four over four manual every single day I drove it.
What a nice tidy package. I’m impressed with the presumed overall driveability of this unit as compared with most of the ponderous monstrosities we see here in the US. It just gives an impression of being so much more manageable than even a similarly sized American model. That cockpit seems almost car-like, and of course the manual gearbox is appealing on so many levels, particularly, I’d imagine, when traveling through mountainous areas or tightly winding roads.
The hottest segment of the US motorhome market are ones just about like this, built on Sprinter, Promaster, and Transit chassis. They were heavily inspired by the Euro motorhomes, with some adjustments for features that Americans prefer.
For instance, the raised rear bedroom with the huge storage area below is not common in the US versions, for one reason or another, although I like it quite a lot.
I’m surprised by that too. RVs should have more large lockable storage. Where else are you supposed to put some firewood, a wet tarp, a leaky cooler, or some muddy bicycles?
In a trailer, which is part of why US motor homes don’t have storage compartments. I think there is also a bias towards maximum interior space in the US, either real or perceived space. I see a lot of RVs in the US with either a cargo basket on a trailer hitch or an actual trailer for stuff and vehicles. while I get the impression the in Europe and the UK trailers and external cargo carriers are either illegal or require extra licensing and red tape so there is a greater need for internal stowage.
I have seen some travel trailers in the US that have a small side door and provision to fold a bed out of the way to form a bicycle compartment.
The interesting thing to me is how designs are converging as European vans and chassis are showing up in the US since there are now some Sprinter based class A motorhomes in the US.
The thing that still perplexes me is why the small Japanese cabover trucks like the Isuzu NPR have never been used as RVs. The only US example I can think of are the Mitsubishi Fuso based Earth Cruiser expedition campers.
Cabover trucks have a tilt cab. Which means you can’t build an integrated or semi-integrated motorhome. You can only place a simple box behind the cab, in which case you end up with a box truck. With windows.
@Johannes Dutch, I think it’s a matter of creative design, I have seen some motor homes built on MAN medium duty cabover chassis which seem to have a pass through to the body and either a berth or stowage above the cab. It’s not easy, but it is doable with a short day cab.
Licensing rules are different depending on which country you are in, but in the UK, if you had your licence before 1997 you can tow 3500kg, after 1997, 750kg.
The main reason not to have a trailer is it’s a pain in the arse, especially when you’re trying to find somewhere to park – it may already be an epic manouevre just because you’re in a “small to Americans” campervan. The whole point of it for some people is to avoid towing what we call a caravan. I have to take an LWB Sprinter into car parks for ruined castles, waterfalls etc, and I used to be a truck driver so it’s not like I’m unused to driving large vehicles, but a trailer would make it impossible in many cases.
Having said all that, you do see people towing a Smart car or Fiat Seicento behind things like this, or slightly larger.
A very nice vehicle, definitely. With enough power and torque for the kind of use it’s supposed to be put through. No zooming down German Autobahns here, they are clogged most of the time anyway :-). Given that Norway is mostly made of (beautiful) mountain roads, having a manual makes a lot of sense. So does taking the Öresund bridge instead of one of these outrageously expensive ferries from the European mainland to Scandinavia (last time I took the ferry from Puttgarden (Germany) to Rödby (Denmark) the ticket set me back almost 100 euros for a single trip, after a six-hour wait. And that was for a standard car, not a truck or a motorhome. Never again). All in all it sounds like a great trip!
As stated above, the big issue in the US would be the stick shift since most Americans are phobic when it comes to the clutch.
Also, I would imagine the A/C demands in North American would be much greater than Europe. Think Florida in July.
Overall, I’m impressed. I also like the idea of renting versus owning. Looking forward to stories of the trip.
Take Plenty of Pictures!!! 😉
In the last several years, Germans seem to insist on having air conditioning system in their vehicles than ever before. In Munich, I have yet to ride one public bus without air conditioning system in the last five years. More and more stores, restaurants, and office buildings already have air conditioning system.
When my mum asked me to help her search for a small and newer car to replace her late husband’s Mercedes-Benz E280, she wanted air conditioning along with other convenience options like a typical American. I didn’t think I would ever find small cars such as Volkswagen Up! and Polo with both air conditioning and automatic gearbox.
Boy, was I wrong! I found so many of them with both options. Narrowing down to a few choices was hard. Luckily, she wanted red one so that narrowed down the choices considerably. She ended up buying a five-door Polo with electric windows, power locks, air conditioning, automatic gearbox, etc. Very ‘American’ I must add.
Driver’s compartment looks familiar. I drive a Dodge Promaster delivery van at work. It has the 6 cyl. auto. which has more than enough get up and go. I’ve seen a Promaster camper van down the street from my house.
As I said in an earlier comment, the FWD Promaster chassis has intrinsic advantages in packaging for a motorhome,as it allows a lower floor and more room underneath for various tanks, etc. But I have reservations about the 6 speed transaxle in the US version, as used with the 3.6 L gasoline V6. This transaxle was not designed for serious loads, and there are growing numbers of failures. Whether it’s statistically meaningful is perhaps still a question, but there’s no doubt that FCA’s quality control is relatively poor these days, and some folks are very unhappy about how these failures are affecting them and how FCA is handling them.
Obviously, one only reads the bad experiences at the forums for these vehicles. But there’s no doubt in my mind that the Transit’s well proven V6/automatic drivetrain is a well-proven one.
It’s not just external companies, Fiat itself also offers a factory-built motorhome :
Interesting video, but no, this is just a motor-home specific chassis Fiat builds, not the rest of it. No truck/car manufacturer wants to get into that business of building the actual living portion, as it’s just way too specialized.
True, but wouldn’t it be great if VW came back with the Westfalia? Of course, given VW’s very expensive diesel legal issues these days, a Westfalia is likely one of the last things on management’s mind.
Mercedes makes a very nice OEM pop-top Metris for the Euro market (don’t know what it’s called, though)..
VW and Westfalia don’t co-operate anymore. The Transporter campervan is called the California. Below the current T6-gen.
VW never built the Westfalias; they were converted by Westfalia! 🙂
I’d buy a VW Westfalia if it came with a TDI Diesel engine.
SUPER COOL AMPHIBIOUS RV Woelcke Autark T5 Crosser Off Road 4×4 Campervan Motor Home – In New Jersey!
https://youtu.be/HBDPRYjGZi4
Had one of these babies for two weeks touring Iceland this summer, except it came with a bed above the van cab. Also 2.3L 6-speed manual. Lots of climbing, steep gradients up to 16%. The manual made it effortless. I was blown away by the fuel economy, never exceeding 10 L/100km (23mpg) on my the 2800 km trip. Being from Canada where big V8’s used to rule the day in the motor home industry, I too was wondering how well such a tiny engine would manage so much bulk, but it was doing just fine.
Nice. I’ve just read several (real life) reviews of Ducato based motorhomes with the 2.3 liter diesel. Average fuel consumption around 20 to 23 mpg, so just like yours did.
The diesel engine may be “tiny”, but 148 hp / 258 ft-lbs plus the 6-speed manual is enough / adequate for a 3,000 to 3,500 kg vehicle. Anywhere, anytime.
The 2.3 liter and 3.0 liter (in the US ProMaster) are built by FPT Industrial. They also develop and build the engines for the Iveco trucks and buses and the Case-New Holland farm- and construction machinery. FPT stands for Fiat Powertrain Technologies.
Note that the 3.0 liter is also a 4-cylinder, clearly not the same engine as the VM Motori 3.0 V6 as used in the Ram pickup and Jeep GC.
In Maine at least, a standard driver’s license is good for a 26,000 pound truck as long as it’s sans air brakes. The U-Hauls can probably handle more weight. The sticker says 26,000 so anyone can rent one. If you want an idea how that works in practice, go to YouTube and look at some videos of the 11’8″ bridge.
I think I get the idea. Of someone who has only driven a Ford Fiesta (or whatever) and then steps in a 26,000 lbs truck just like that.
Same for most of the U.S., maybe all. It isn’t until you get to Class 7 that you need a Class B CDL.
I like Euro motorhomes, the design and materials are excellent. We had a Ford Transit ‘Rimor Katamarano’ (pictured below) while gallivanting around the UK in 2013. It was FWD, had the 2.2L turbo-diesel Duratorq engine and 6-speed manual transmission and cruise control. It was quick and fuel efficient – over 3,112km it averaged 12L/100km which is 23.5mpg (UK) or 19.6mpg (US). Easily the most fuel-efficient house I’ve driven! New and used Euro-built (right hand drive) motorhomes are increasing rapidly in popularity here in New Zealand – they’re dearer than the locally-built alternatives, but the style, design and materials are superior. I’d buy one in a jiffy if I could!
Below a picture of the current Fiat Ducato and Ford Transit. More than 2/3th of all European RVs is Fiat based, quite an achievement, given the top tier competitors.
I just checked the Dutch Ford website. The most powerful engine in the Transit is the 155 hp 2.2 liter TDCi. A gasoline engine is not available.
As an avid camper and owner of three trailers (two vintage), I love these things. RV camping in Europe for a couple of weeks is on my bucket list for sure.
I had plans to camp on the weekend during my last business trip to Rome last fall. I had the campground picked out and my company was OK with the lodging change. Then I came down with the flu in the middle of the trip, so I just stayed put in my cushy hotel. I never thought I’d be disappointed staying in a nice hotel.
Sweet looking motorhome. I’ve never heard of Adria, nor have I seen one on the road.