The cleverly designed washroom is just one of this ’van’s many plus points, says Peter Baber
’van review
Benimar only slightly refreshed its Mileo range for the 2024 season, but as the brand, sold exclusively through the Marquis Leisure network, remains one of the most popular on UK roads, we revisited the island-bed 294. We saw it at Marquis’s Preston branch.
The striking Benimar looks are still there, with the mostly black cab and black decals trailing down the side, contrasting with a bright stripe.
This is a standard Ducato cab, with central drinks holders and handbrake to the right of the driver’s seat, leaving the aisle clear for anyone wanting to walk back and down one step into the front lounge, where a forward-facing bench holds two travel seats.
The cushions on both seats and the side settee look a bit slab-like, but the seats are comfortable, in a smart black, white and blue colour combination.
The chunky table has a swing-out extension, so it can be reached from any of the seats. With USBs and a 12V socket close to the swivelled driver’s seat, this table could easily double up as a desk for a digital nomad.
The TV sockets and bracket are by the door. A set placed there could be seen by anyone in the cab seats.
That entrance has the fridge on one side, right next to the door, and the side of the settee on the other, so the gangway can feel a bit narrow.
But that aside, the daylight flooding through the skylight, LEDs under the drop-down bed and well-placed lights in the cab make this a bright place.
The L-shaped kitchen has plenty of workspace, even without the fold-out extension by the sink. But the step up to the washroom behind it makes the floor area limited. The area is well lit, however, from the window and by lights in the extractor fan above the three-burner dual-fuel hob, which is itself above a separate oven and grill.
There is a towel rail on the far side of the sink, although it’s partly obscured if you use the extension flap. On the other side of the aisle is a 145-litre fridge, with a microwave above.
The washroom is very flexible, with a sliding door shutting it off from the front, and two more doors either side of the is
