Practical Motor Home - Live-in Test report September 2007

murvi morello £
Main pic Testers Ben and Sarah
enjoy a glass of wine under the
Morello’s awning Below Our
reader team members give this
super ’van a thorough inspection
LIVE-IN
test
s
This month’s live-in tester
row
Far
Ben Davies and Sarah
photography by phil russell
Murvi Morello
Two bites
of a cherry
The Murvi Morello’s size
£ and ease of use make it
a versatile ’van for young and old
our testers
BEN DAVIES
AND SARAH Farrow
Sarah spent many a childhood
summer in the family caravan
visiting most of the British Isles
in the process. Her family have
since converted to motorhomes
in the form of a VW Bilbos
Lezan and Sarah and her
boyfriend, Ben, have taken to
the switch with gusto.
“We love the freedom a ’van
offers. It’s so easy to take the
’van away for the weekend.
We simply pack our bags, put
our bikes on the rack and we’re
off. It’s the perfect mini-break.”
126 September 2007
T
wo-berth high-tops are
a good compromise
between size and
comfort. What they
lack in floorspace they
make up for in manoeuvrability
and ease of use as they will fit
into most parking bays, and at
kerbsides. Also, having more
slender bodies than
coachbuilts, they can tackle
narrow streets or country lanes
that you might not otherwise
brave in a larger ’van.
For many owners, they
become an everyday vehicle
rather than just a holiday
home – that is why they are
often the ’van of choice for
younger couples, without
children, who often use them
as a means to an end (as a
base for outdoor activities, for
instance). But they also appeal
to older couples who may
have decided that their
coachbuilt has become too big
to handle comfortably, and
that it is time to downsize to
something more manageable.
There are some drawbacks
to van conversions, though,
whether real or perceived.
One is price, and this comes
down to construction methods.
Because van conversions retain
the original manufacturer’s
steel bodywork, few people
can work on the internal
fixtures and fittings at any one
time. Another is lack of living
space. And then there’s the
issue of winterisation: unlike
coachbuilt manufacturers who
can inject as much Styrofoam
as they like between plywood
panels, van converters need to
pack enough insulation into
a narrow space to prevent the
steel body leeching heat from
the vehicle’s interior.
Murvi has been building
the Morello for more than 22
years, and has long been
regarded as the high-top
camper’s standard bearer.
It has won countless awards
for design and innovation and
we have reviewed it in this
magazine, in its latest
www.practicalmotorhome.com
incarnation, more than once
over the years. This time, our
young testers also canvassed
the opinions and picked the
wise brains of more than half
a dozen of our reader team, to
arrive at a verdict on the ’van
from both categories (young
and old) of potential buyer.
We asked them to consider
whether it did its job and if it
justifies its price tag.
Design
★★★★★
Less is more in the case of
Murvi. Keeping the maker’s
original long-wheelbase steel
high-top Ducato guarantees
the best strength and rigidity.
www.practicalmotorhome.com
The graphics are understated,
and there are no exterior frills
other than the optional metallic
paintwork (sported by our test
’van). Murvi stands for ‘multiuse recreational vehicle’ and
the Morello’s looks complement
this – it is not a ‘gin palace’ ’van.
The exterior services are all
sensibly positioned, and the
Morello is fitted with a
Gaslow system so there is no
need to lug heavy gas
cylinders in and out thanks to
the external filling point.
In keeping with our green
theme this month, our Morello
was fitted with a solar panel
that trickle charges the two
leisure batteries and the
engine battery. Another
optional extra, the Fiamma
awning, sits neatly above the
sliding door.
The 55-litre waste tank is
underslung, with an easily
accessible drain valve just
forward of the rear axle. The
73-litre fresh tank is on-board,
next to the fridge and oven at
the rear. Both tanks have
colour-coded taps.
Opening the nearside rear
door allows easy access to the
neatly arranged electrical
wiring and gas pipework
which supply the kitchen
appliances. You can also enter
the Morello from the offside
rear door, via the washroom.
Murvi builds its ’vans to order,
so speccing it up with goodies
can eat into the standard 400kg
payload (extras on our test
’van added up to 59kg).
The Morello is essentially
a two-berth, but for everyday
use it’s a people carrier, too:
our model had one three-point
inertia-reel restraint and two
lap seatbelts fitted to the
moveable seat.
One design element which
has proved to be the Murvi’s
selling point over the years
is its cleverly flexible seat
and lounge formation. The
long seat is moveable and can
be fixed to form an L-shaped
lounge against the driver’s
September 2007 127
murvi morello £
Main pic Testers Ben and Sarah
enjoy a glass of wine under the
Morello’s awning Below Our
reader team members give this
super ’van a thorough inspection
LIVE-IN
test
s
This month’s live-in tester
row
Far
Ben Davies and Sarah
photography by phil russell
Murvi Morello
Two bites
of a cherry
The Murvi Morello’s size
£ and ease of use make it
a versatile ’van for young and old
our testers
BEN DAVIES
AND SARAH Farrow
Sarah spent many a childhood
summer in the family caravan
visiting most of the British Isles
in the process. Her family have
since converted to motorhomes
in the form of a VW Bilbos
Lezan and Sarah and her
boyfriend, Ben, have taken to
the switch with gusto.
“We love the freedom a ’van
offers. It’s so easy to take the
’van away for the weekend.
We simply pack our bags, put
our bikes on the rack and we’re
off. It’s the perfect mini-break.”
126 September 2007
T
wo-berth high-tops are
a good compromise
between size and
comfort. What they
lack in floorspace they
make up for in manoeuvrability
and ease of use as they will fit
into most parking bays, and at
kerbsides. Also, having more
slender bodies than
coachbuilts, they can tackle
narrow streets or country lanes
that you might not otherwise
brave in a larger ’van.
For many owners, they
become an everyday vehicle
rather than just a holiday
home – that is why they are
often the ’van of choice for
younger couples, without
children, who often use them
as a means to an end (as a
base for outdoor activities, for
instance). But they also appeal
to older couples who may
have decided that their
coachbuilt has become too big
to handle comfortably, and
that it is time to downsize to
something more manageable.
There are some drawbacks
to van conversions, though,
whether real or perceived.
One is price, and this comes
down to construction methods.
Because van conversions retain
the original manufacturer’s
steel bodywork, few people
can work on the internal
fixtures and fittings at any one
time. Another is lack of living
space. And then there’s the
issue of winterisation: unlike
coachbuilt manufacturers who
can inject as much Styrofoam
as they like between plywood
panels, van converters need to
pack enough insulation into
a narrow space to prevent the
steel body leeching heat from
the vehicle’s interior.
Murvi has been building
the Morello for more than 22
years, and has long been
regarded as the high-top
camper’s standard bearer.
It has won countless awards
for design and innovation and
we have reviewed it in this
magazine, in its latest
www.practicalmotorhome.com
incarnation, more than once
over the years. This time, our
young testers also canvassed
the opinions and picked the
wise brains of more than half
a dozen of our reader team, to
arrive at a verdict on the ’van
from both categories (young
and old) of potential buyer.
We asked them to consider
whether it did its job and if it
justifies its price tag.
Design
★★★★★
Less is more in the case of
Murvi. Keeping the maker’s
original long-wheelbase steel
high-top Ducato guarantees
the best strength and rigidity.
www.practicalmotorhome.com
The graphics are understated,
and there are no exterior frills
other than the optional metallic
paintwork (sported by our test
’van). Murvi stands for ‘multiuse recreational vehicle’ and
the Morello’s looks complement
this – it is not a ‘gin palace’ ’van.
The exterior services are all
sensibly positioned, and the
Morello is fitted with a
Gaslow system so there is no
need to lug heavy gas
cylinders in and out thanks to
the external filling point.
In keeping with our green
theme this month, our Morello
was fitted with a solar panel
that trickle charges the two
leisure batteries and the
engine battery. Another
optional extra, the Fiamma
awning, sits neatly above the
sliding door.
The 55-litre waste tank is
underslung, with an easily
accessible drain valve just
forward of the rear axle. The
73-litre fresh tank is on-board,
next to the fridge and oven at
the rear. Both tanks have
colour-coded taps.
Opening the nearside rear
door allows easy access to the
neatly arranged electrical
wiring and gas pipework
which supply the kitchen
appliances. You can also enter
the Morello from the offside
rear door, via the washroom.
Murvi builds its ’vans to order,
so speccing it up with goodies
can eat into the standard 400kg
payload (extras on our test
’van added up to 59kg).
The Morello is essentially
a two-berth, but for everyday
use it’s a people carrier, too:
our model had one three-point
inertia-reel restraint and two
lap seatbelts fitted to the
moveable seat.
One design element which
has proved to be the Murvi’s
selling point over the years
is its cleverly flexible seat
and lounge formation. The
long seat is moveable and can
be fixed to form an L-shaped
lounge against the driver’s
September 2007 127
murvi morello £
1
side wall. It can also be rotated
90º to form a forward-facing
passenger seat bench, or for
dining – you can even remove
it, for load carrying. The rear
fixed seat can also be taken
out if you disconnect the
heater duct underneath and
remove the ratchet bolt which
fixes it to the floor.
1 The Morello is a comfortable
and easy ’van to drive 2 Our test
model came with the optional
silver paintwork 3 The Morello’s
Gaslow system 4 All external
filling points are handily located
on the nearside
3
4
2
Driving
★★★★★
Our test ’van was powered by
Fiat’s 120 MultiJet engine and
Ben was impressed with the
lively performance it delivered:
“It had plenty of punch so
I felt confident overtaking on
the motorway coming back
from collecting the ’van at
Ivybridge,” said Ben. “It took
most motorway inclines in its
stride and I only had to change
between fifth and sixth gears.”
When Ben took the ’van
back to his home in West
London he found that the
Morello handled city life well,
too. “It was just about as easy
to park as a car,” he said,
“which was good news for me
because where I live, parking
is at a premium.”
Both front seats are fully
height- and tilt-adjustable and
have (inner) arm rests. They
also sport adjustable lumbar
supports and, as a neat touch,
www.practicalmotorhome.com
Murvi adds a fabric panel to
the cab doors which matches
the upholstery throughout.
It’s a small touch but obviously
a lot of care has gone into
making it feel a part of the ’van
as a whole, distancing it from
its commercial vehicle origins.
Murvi
Other touches include carpeted
seat base boxes. There’s even
a little safe underneath the
passenger cab seat.
“I was impressed with how
quiet it was to drive,” said
Ben. “The engine must be well
insulated because it didn’t
Every Murvi vehicle is hand built at a small factory in Ivybridge,
Devon, and the company prides itself on the innovation and high
quality of its ’vans. Murvi has won many awards since it first
started making van conversions back in the early 1980s and a key
reason for its success may well be due to the personalised nature
of the production process. Each ‘van is built to the individual
customer’s requirements, thereby ensuring that every vehicle is
perfectly suited to its owner’s needs.
make much noise at all, and
there wasn’t a squeak or a
rattle from behind us for the
entire journey. I guess the
carpeted locker doors had
something to do with that.”
Ben and Sarah were glad of
the cab air-conditioning, too, as
their drive up from Devon was
busy and unseasonably hot.
Lounging and dining
★★★★✩
The lounge is formed with the
seating in an L-shape. The
moveable seat backs up
against the driver’s side wall,
tight to the fixed corner seat.
It can be locked in place by
lifting the corner cushion
September 2007 129
murvi morello £
1
and screwing a T-handled bolt
into a captive nut in the
moveable seat. If it’s just two
or three people dining, then
this is as good a place as any
at which to sit and eat: an
L-shaped table leg fits through
brackets on the front corner of
the moveable seat and through
the brackets on the underside
of the table top.
There is a choice of two
table tops to suit the number
of diners (table top storage
space is in the wardrobe).
Making space for a further
two diners is quick and easy
once you’ve had a bit of
practice. Unlock the moveable
seat by releasing the T-handled
bolt, turn it 90º to face
forward, and then lock it into
place. The cab seats swivel to
form two extra seats and the
table is erected as before.
It’s not perfect, though. For
a start, the four (or five) diners
will have to compromise their
comfort a fair bit. Those in the
two cab seats will find
themselves reaching down to
the table (and may struggle to
get their legs under it), while
those in the moveable seat may
find the table at chest height.
“It’s not perfect, but it works
and you do get used it,” said
Sarah. “I particularly like the
foot-support flap on the cab
www.practicalmotorhome.com
2
1 Even in its standard L-shape the
Morello’s lounge makes a comfy
dining area 2 The lounge seat is
easy to move and… 3 …once
converted, there’s room for three
rear passengers 4 Both cab seats
swivel to face the lounge seat and
create a dining area for four
3
passenger seat [see panel, p134]:
if it hadn’t been there, my feet
would have been dangling!”
When carrying passengers,
the moveable seat should be
facing forward, but make sure
it’s locked into position with
the two ratchet bolts under the
Where we stayed
4
seat cushion. To do this, lift
the front edge of the seat base
cushion and prop it open with
the stay. Then, it’s just a
question of pushing and
pulling, by fractions, to
position the seat so that the
bolts sit directly over the two
Our test of the Morello took place at the weekend mini-rally we
enjoyed with our reader test team, on Paul and Caroline Mills’
fabulous farm near Banbury. Their house backs onto a huge field
with spectacular views across the Oxfordshire countryside. Sitting
outside the ’van, under the shade of the Fiamma awning, with a glass
of rosé wine in hand, we felt as if we had been transported to the
heart of rural France. Without hook-up facilities it was a proper
wild-camping test and we made full use of our on-board services.
stainless steel rings in the floor.
Then, wind both ratchet
handles until the seat is secure.
There’s a three-point inertia
seatbelt, for the right-hand
passenger, and two laprestraint belts. When not in
use, all the belts pack away
into the bed box.
Although our testers found
the whole operation tricky at
first, they soon got to grips
with it. “It only took two or
three goes to get the hang of
the moveable seat,” said Ben.
“After that it was the work of
minutes to change the layout.”
The onboard electrical
system is managed by a
complicated-looking VB03
September 2007 131
£ murvi morello
1
2
3
control panel, just above the
fixed rear seat, on the front face
of the wardrobe. You can use it
to select which one, or both, of
the two leisure batteries you
use to power your internal
appliances – it’s amazing the
level of control available from
the push of a button or two.
Also from here, you can
switch individual lights on
and off and alter their
brightness, you can control the
heating and hot water power
source, select the overall
temperature and check the
water tank levels. Not only
that but there are buttons for
‘cab demist’ and ‘engine preheat’ for quick getaways on
cold mornings. Add the stereo
on/off control, and more, and
it’s all quite mind boggling.
“Most of the panel is self
explanatory because the little
icons are pretty intuitive but
some of the buttons did beat
me,” confessed Ben.
If you select the diesel-fired
heating option, the Eberspächer
hydronic heating system kicks
into action. The heater sits
beneath the vehicle’s floor, on
the driver’s side, and provides
thermostatically controlled
blown-air heating through the
rear outlets and the heater
outlets on the cab dashboard.
It also heats the water as you
132 September 2007
1 All systems and electrics can
be controlled from here 2 The
optional LCD TV 3 This rear
door is also useful as a serving
hatch for al fresco meals 4 The
kitchen is very well planned
drive, so you’ll arrive on site
with a full tank of hot water.
As for the LCD TV in our
test model, Ben improvised
with the seating arrangement:
“It just wasn’t comfortable for
both of us, watching from the
seat in its L-shaped layout,
and the cab seats felt too far
away. In the end, I turned the
moveable seat right around to
face it – perfect.”
If you like to read in the
evening, the dimmable
(non-fluorescent) lights, two
reading lights over the cab
seats, and three well-placed
plug sockets throughout the
’van, should meet all your
mains needs.
4
Kitchen
★★★★★
While many current van
conversion layouts force
the designers to save space
in the kitchen area, the
Morello has more space and
facilities than are available in
some coachbuilts.
There’s a huge worktop
with a marble-look surface
along the passenger-side
kitchen unit, and a Dometic
fridge sits beneath a Smev
four-burner gas hob, with an
oven and grill between them.
Three strip lights run the
length of the kitchen unit,
so the lighting is brilliant,
and an Omnivent fan
overhead takes away all the
cooking smells.
“I really like the fact that
once you’ve prepared a meal
on a summer’s day you can
hand it out through the back
door, to family and friends
sitting at tables outside.
It’s like a neat little serving
hatch,” said Sarah.
The vegetable basket and
plate rack can be stored in the
sink while on the move.
Explore the plentiful lockers
and cupboards and you’ll find
a teak chopping board beneath
the drainer, and a moulded
cutlery tray fixed to the
underside of a shelf so you
can store items around it
www.practicalmotorhome.com
murvi morello £
Likes
LIVE-IN
test
We invited our reader team to
express their likes and dislikes.
As ever, they didn’t hold back!
murvi
morello
£42,066
(as tested)
Base Fiat Ducato Berths Two Engine 2.3-litre turbo-diesel
Torque 236 lb/ft @ 2000rpm Power 120bhp @ 3600rpm
Fuel 90 litres MTPLM 3300kg Payload 400kg
Gas One x 11kg Gaslow refillable cylinder, plus one x 6kg propane
Fresh Water 73 litres Waste water 55 litres Battery Two x 110Ah
Overhang
1.00m
“I like the down lighters over
the passenger door. They’re
a lot neater and more stylish
than the big, circular halogens,
or strip lights that you get in
many coachbuilt ’vans. I also
really like the deep cupboards.”
Don Guy
Width 2.05m
s “With the side and rear
doors opened up, you really
have an ‘open to the elements’
feel, and I like that a lot. Also,
the L-shaped lounge really
makes the most of this.”
Barry Skinner
disLikes
s “Outside showers are a bit
gimmicky to my mind. They
use up a lot of water and
promote a wasteful mentality.”
Ruth Bass
s “The galley kitchen feels
a bit narrow for my liking.”
Sylvia Guy
s “I would have preferred the
option of a freestanding table.
It’s really handy to use outside,
for picnics and suchlike.”
Anne Henry
134 September 2007
1.93 x
1.40m
Overall length 6.00m
1
2
3
– a simple but brilliant idea
that maximises every square
inch of space. Other little
touches, such as a kitchen roll
holder and a moulded
crockery rack, add that extra
homely feel.
“The flap for resting your feet
on when the passenger seat is
swivelled is great for someone
like me who has short legs.”
Carol Longton
Height 2.54m
Wheelbase
4.04m
1 There’s limited space in the
functional washroom. The rear
door provides handy alternative
access 2 The lounge seats make
into a comfortable double bed
3 The storage lockers above the
lounge seats 4 The wardrobe has
removable shelves 5 One of the
cab seats hides a lock-up box
Washroom
★★★★✩
The washroom door opens
inwards, which is handy if
someone gets caught short
while the cook is preparing a
meal in the kitchen. But you
can also use the back door to
enter the washroom. It’s all
moulded plastic throughout,
with a washbasin, mixer taps
and a shower outlet.
“I really like the fact that you
can open the back door and
use the shower on dirty shoes
or sandy feet,” said Sarah.
There’s one eye-level toiletry
locker and another, below the
basin, for storage. A rooflight
floods the area with light, and a
shower curtain pulls around to
minimise spray. The Thetford
swivel toilet completes the
fittings here.
Sleeping
★★★★✩
The Seitz S4 windows are
double glazed with integral
blinds and flyscreens, and the
cab windows have insulated
4
3
silver screens for warmth and
night-time privacy. The Heki 3
rooflight also has an integral
blind and flyscreen.
The rock-and-roll double
bed is a breeze to make up
from the L-shaped lounge
layout. First, release the
T-handled bolt beneath the
rear seat cushion, then pull the
seat away from the side of the
vehicle. Hold the top of the
moveable seat backrest with
one hand and, with the other,
lift the front of the seat, then
pull it forwards. The seat and
backrest flatten, and together
with the rear seat make up the
double bed. Then, just push
the flattened bed back against
the wall and refasten it to the
fixed corner seat.
Sarah said: “Having watched
Ben huff and puff while
moving the seat around for
passengers and visitors,
I decided to make the bed for
him. It took no strength, so
anyone of any age could do it.”
Storage
★★★★✩
We have mentioned that you
can remove the lounge seating
altogether to maximise storage
space, and the lockup box
under the passenger-side cab
seat. Apart from that, there is
an ample amount of storage
space in the kitchen but the
www.practicalmotorhome.com
area beneath the seat bunks
is also ideal for bedding and
smaller bags. The large
wardrobe comes with
removable shelves to make
a very flexible arrangement.
Verdict
★★★★★
So, did the Murvi Morello do
enough to convince our young
testers that it would be worth
splashing out the kind of
money that could otherwise
buy a decently sized and
equipped coachbuilt?
“I felt much more at home
in the Morello’s slimmer body
than I have in much wider
coachbuilts,” said Ben.
www.practicalmotorhome.com
5
Over the years, the Morello’s
sleek, aerodynamic shape is
going to deliver better fuel
economy than a big overcab.
The loadspace makes for a
more versatile ’van, while the
long wheelbase and short rear
overhang make it a potential
towing vehicle, too.
The Morello’s build quality,
from its carpeted lounge area
to the fit, finish and durability
of its furniture, is faultless.
Ben concludes: “For us, the
Morello would also make a
usable everyday ’van so we
could do away with our car.
That’s not something we could
say about a coachbuilt so it
–
gets the nod from us.” ●
2
5
1d
4
Base vehicle
Front-wheel drive. Six-speed gearbox. Power steering.
Electric windows and mirrors. ABS. PAS. Remote
central locking. Adjustable lumbar support for both
cab seats. Deadlocks. Thatcham Category 1 accredited
remotely-operated security alarm with panic button,
ultrasonic detector and engine immobiliser.
Construction
Steel-bodied panel van with Fiat factory-fitted
high-top roof. Fully insulated roof, walls and floor.
Acrylic Seitz S4 windows.
Interior
Carpeted floor, walls and ceiling. Heki 3 rooflight.
Seitz cassette blinds and flyscreens.
Equipment
60-litre fridge. Eberspächer diesel-powered combined
space- and water-heater. SMEV combined grill/oven
and four-burner hob. Omnivent 12V ventilator fan.
Thetford C200 swivel-bowl cassette.
Options
Fitted: metallic paintwork (£382); cab air-con
(£934) 10kg; Fiamma F45i 3.5M retractable awning
(£582) 25kg; LG 15” LCD colour TV (£588) 8kg;
Blaupunkt DVD/CD and radio (£353); Status 530 TV
aerial (£229) 6kg; 85W Solar panel (£588) 10kg.
Note: with optional extras fitted, you can subtract
a further 59kg from the payload, which makes this
test model’s payload 341kg.
Contact
MURVI Motorcaravans
Tel 01752 892200 Web www.murvi.co.uk
Compare it with
● IH Campers Oregon R LWB ........................................................£41,995
● Timberland Endeavour X1X...........................................................£37,895
Key to icons and acronyms used above p88
September 2007 135
murvi morello £
Likes
LIVE-IN
test
We invited our reader team to
express their likes and dislikes.
As ever, they didn’t hold back!
murvi
morello
£42,066
(as tested)
Base Fiat Ducato Berths Two Engine 2.3-litre turbo-diesel
Torque 236 lb/ft @ 2000rpm Power 120bhp @ 3600rpm
Fuel 90 litres MTPLM 3300kg Payload 400kg
Gas One x 11kg Gaslow refillable cylinder, plus one x 6kg propane
Fresh Water 73 litres Waste water 55 litres Battery Two x 110Ah
Overhang
1.00m
“I like the down lighters over
the passenger door. They’re
a lot neater and more stylish
than the big, circular halogens,
or strip lights that you get in
many coachbuilt ’vans. I also
really like the deep cupboards.”
Don Guy
Width 2.05m
s “With the side and rear
doors opened up, you really
have an ‘open to the elements’
feel, and I like that a lot. Also,
the L-shaped lounge really
makes the most of this.”
Barry Skinner
disLikes
s “Outside showers are a bit
gimmicky to my mind. They
use up a lot of water and
promote a wasteful mentality.”
Ruth Bass
s “The galley kitchen feels
a bit narrow for my liking.”
Sylvia Guy
s “I would have preferred the
option of a freestanding table.
It’s really handy to use outside,
for picnics and suchlike.”
Anne Henry
134 September 2007
1.93 x
1.40m
Overall length 6.00m
1
2
3
– a simple but brilliant idea
that maximises every square
inch of space. Other little
touches, such as a kitchen roll
holder and a moulded
crockery rack, add that extra
homely feel.
“The flap for resting your feet
on when the passenger seat is
swivelled is great for someone
like me who has short legs.”
Carol Longton
Height 2.54m
Wheelbase
4.04m
1 There’s limited space in the
functional washroom. The rear
door provides handy alternative
access 2 The lounge seats make
into a comfortable double bed
3 The storage lockers above the
lounge seats 4 The wardrobe has
removable shelves 5 One of the
cab seats hides a lock-up box
Washroom
★★★★✩
The washroom door opens
inwards, which is handy if
someone gets caught short
while the cook is preparing a
meal in the kitchen. But you
can also use the back door to
enter the washroom. It’s all
moulded plastic throughout,
with a washbasin, mixer taps
and a shower outlet.
“I really like the fact that you
can open the back door and
use the shower on dirty shoes
or sandy feet,” said Sarah.
There’s one eye-level toiletry
locker and another, below the
basin, for storage. A rooflight
floods the area with light, and a
shower curtain pulls around to
minimise spray. The Thetford
swivel toilet completes the
fittings here.
Sleeping
★★★★✩
The Seitz S4 windows are
double glazed with integral
blinds and flyscreens, and the
cab windows have insulated
4
3
silver screens for warmth and
night-time privacy. The Heki 3
rooflight also has an integral
blind and flyscreen.
The rock-and-roll double
bed is a breeze to make up
from the L-shaped lounge
layout. First, release the
T-handled bolt beneath the
rear seat cushion, then pull the
seat away from the side of the
vehicle. Hold the top of the
moveable seat backrest with
one hand and, with the other,
lift the front of the seat, then
pull it forwards. The seat and
backrest flatten, and together
with the rear seat make up the
double bed. Then, just push
the flattened bed back against
the wall and refasten it to the
fixed corner seat.
Sarah said: “Having watched
Ben huff and puff while
moving the seat around for
passengers and visitors,
I decided to make the bed for
him. It took no strength, so
anyone of any age could do it.”
Storage
★★★★✩
We have mentioned that you
can remove the lounge seating
altogether to maximise storage
space, and the lockup box
under the passenger-side cab
seat. Apart from that, there is
an ample amount of storage
space in the kitchen but the
www.practicalmotorhome.com
area beneath the seat bunks
is also ideal for bedding and
smaller bags. The large
wardrobe comes with
removable shelves to make
a very flexible arrangement.
Verdict
★★★★★
So, did the Murvi Morello do
enough to convince our young
testers that it would be worth
splashing out the kind of
money that could otherwise
buy a decently sized and
equipped coachbuilt?
“I felt much more at home
in the Morello’s slimmer body
than I have in much wider
coachbuilts,” said Ben.
www.practicalmotorhome.com
5
Over the years, the Morello’s
sleek, aerodynamic shape is
going to deliver better fuel
economy than a big overcab.
The loadspace makes for a
more versatile ’van, while the
long wheelbase and short rear
overhang make it a potential
towing vehicle, too.
The Morello’s build quality,
from its carpeted lounge area
to the fit, finish and durability
of its furniture, is faultless.
Ben concludes: “For us, the
Morello would also make a
usable everyday ’van so we
could do away with our car.
That’s not something we could
say about a coachbuilt so it
–
gets the nod from us.” ●
2
5
1d
4
Base vehicle
Front-wheel drive. Six-speed gearbox. Power steering.
Electric windows and mirrors. ABS. PAS. Remote
central locking. Adjustable lumbar support for both
cab seats. Deadlocks. Thatcham Category 1 accredited
remotely-operated security alarm with panic button,
ultrasonic detector and engine immobiliser.
Construction
Steel-bodied panel van with Fiat factory-fitted
high-top roof. Fully insulated roof, walls and floor.
Acrylic Seitz S4 windows.
Interior
Carpeted floor, walls and ceiling. Heki 3 rooflight.
Seitz cassette blinds and flyscreens.
Equipment
60-litre fridge. Eberspächer diesel-powered combined
space- and water-heater. SMEV combined grill/oven
and four-burner hob. Omnivent 12V ventilator fan.
Thetford C200 swivel-bowl cassette.
Options
Fitted: metallic paintwork (£382); cab air-con
(£934) 10kg; Fiamma F45i 3.5M retractable awning
(£582) 25kg; LG 15” LCD colour TV (£588) 8kg;
Blaupunkt DVD/CD and radio (£353); Status 530 TV
aerial (£229) 6kg; 85W Solar panel (£588) 10kg.
Note: with optional extras fitted, you can subtract
a further 59kg from the payload, which makes this
test model’s payload 341kg.
Contact
MURVI Motorcaravans
Tel 01752 892200 Web www.murvi.co.uk
Compare it with
● IH Campers Oregon R LWB ........................................................£41,995
● Timberland Endeavour X1X...........................................................£37,895
Key to icons and acronyms used above p88
September 2007 135