It’s a bigger bed that makes the difference
IT might take a trained eye to spot, but Consort Motorhomes’ latest model takes the existing Kite layout and tweaks it to offer a larger bed (thanks to a bigger lounge). So, this is a new alternative model based on the MWB Fiat Ducato – a vehicle that is less widely converted than the long and extra-long vans but offers easier parking, being not much longer (at 5.41m) than long-wheelbase versions of smaller LCVs (like the VW T6.1 and Ford Transit Custom).
Except that the example you see here is based on the Fiat’s Sevel cousin, the Peugeot Boxer. To keep its factory busy – and customers content when Ducato deliveries have been, at best, sporadic – this Leeds-based converter has been sourcing late, used Peugeot vans to convert. These come from a single source, are less than two years old and have under 25,000 miles on the clock (sometimes much less), and all are white. They are still covered by the balance of Peugeot’s three-year warranty and come with Consort’s three-year cover on the conversion.
Of course, the Boxer only comes with a six-speed manual gearbox (no automatic option), but standard spec is not mean. It includes a 5in radio display with sat-nav and Bluetooth, airconditioning, reversing sensors, cruise control, an alarm and Category 2 immobiliser, and a driver’s airbag. Most important of all, though, choosing the pre-owned Pug over a factory-fresh Fiat will save you £13k.
Inside, it’s exactly the same conversion, irrespective of the base vehicle – and finished to Consort’s usual high standards. But, while the new Nova looks just like its sister models – same furniture, same rear lounge concept, even the same choice of U-shaped seating (as here) or a walk-through via the back doors – the company founder, Scot Naylor, has refined the design to maximise the lounging room in this smallest model.
There’s an almost Tardis-like effect, because by slightly reducing the length of the galley (not that you’d notice) and swapping the tip-up basin in the washroom for a (preferable) fixed corner unit, Scot has found around an extra 120mm of length to donate to the rear settees (compared with the Kite). That means an average-height adult can now sit comfortably with their feet up, back to the rear wall. And, crucially, when the lounge is converted into a transverse double bed, the mattress measurement increases to 1.84m by a generous 1.43m (wider than a standard domestic double).
This S2 version (with the more popular wraparound seating) also retains the board across the back, so you’re not sleeping against t
