A premium-brand, luxury A-class that’s under 3,500kg
WHILST plenty of brochures list A-class models with a maximum gross weight of 3.5 tonnes, few have a genuinely usable payload – especially once you’ve added a few options and accessories (an automatic gearbox and awning even). Go for a chassis upgrade and younger drivers are precluded, as well as those seeking to avoid the rigmarole of medicals after age 70. So, we’re intrigued by this new model from Le Voyageur – not only is this an A-class, but one from a premium maker more usually associated with larger, heavy motorhomes.
It’s part of the Eterna range, which also includes vehicles up to 8.55m long on tag-axle chassis, replacing the Classic for 2024. And, like its bigger brothers, the 7m-long LV7.0GJF is built on a Fiat chassis-cowl with Al-Ko’s new STC frame, which allows a flat floor throughout the living area.
The new line-up also boasts a deeper double floor for additional storage, plus improved comfort and handling on the road due to a lower centre of gravity and reduced weight (so more payload). In the case of the LV7.0GJF, the claim is a best-in-class capacity, despite still having four travel seats. And customers can specify up to 123kg of optional extras, too.
Externally, the new Eterna is recognisably a Le Voyageur, with the new model taking on a closer resemblance to its Mercedes-based Héritage sister. Then, inside, there are new features such as a lightweight driver’s seat that’s said to improve comfort and a 150Ah lithium battery for greater autonomy.
The styling is handsome, in quite a conventional kind of way, but there are upmarket touches to be found, from the bus-style twin-lens mirrors to the rear garage. A nearside hatch provides servicing access to the Truma boiler, while on the offside another door opens to reveal all the habitation electrics. The garage includes not just an outside shower but a fresh water hose on its own reel. There are 12V and 230V sockets, too, and headroom is a generous 1.20m – plenty for bikes.
Inside, the LV7.0GJF’s floorplan holds no real surprises, but you’ll probably start to wonder if this really is a seven-metre ’van. The combination of a full-width A-class cab with panoramic windscreen and a very open-plan interior, featuring a clear line of sight from cab to rear wall down the offside, create the illusion of a larger motorhome.
At the rear, the bedroom isn’t segregated from the rest of the living area, although there is a privacy curtain to use at night, if required. And the beds don’t seem as lofty as some, leaving generous
