Pilote atlas a696g

IFyou think you know this French maker’s slightly conservative style, think again. The Atlas is all-new this season and it’s a brave new world. For a start, it’s based on the Transit – Pilote’s first Ford in many, many years – and it’s a slim-bodied vehicle (2.20m wide). With its Magnetic Grey cab, black alloys and Trail grille (there’s no missing the Ford branding here), there’s something of the SUV to the styling of this motorhome – Pilote calls it an ‘adventure look’.

It may not be a 4x4 but the Transit cab comes with four-season tyres and you’ll not be short of performance, thanks to the 170hp motor as standard. Ford’s six-speed automatic gearbox is also fitted as standard, along with automatic lights and wipers, tyre pressure monitoring, a reversing camera, ESP, hill holder, lane assist, heated windscreen and automatic parking brake. There’s a Pioneer 9in touchscreen, too, complete with sat-nav, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and speakers in the living area as well as the cab. This might be a more compact Pilote but it actually sits above the Fiat-based Pacific low-profiles in the range hierarchy.

The habitation area uses Pilote’s Isotek construction with flush-fitting windows, a hail-resistant roof, dual-seal hatches, polyester underbody protection and aluminium side skirts. An awning is fitted as standard, along with two 100W solar panels and there’s an opening Skydome sunroof built into the rather angular overcab moulding that’s part of this model’s distinctive style. The red and grey geometric graphics are unusual, too.

Inside, this is the longer of two Atlas models, with a front lounge featuring twin face-to-face sofas and a rear transverse fixed bed over a garage (with 1.20m headroom and internal access). A hot and cold shower fitting and a 230V socket are provided in the rear hold and that’s not the only external storage as a slide-out skirt drawer is provided for smaller sundry items. The heated and insulated 90-litre waste tank is underslung, while the fresh H0 (130 litres of it) is inboard for all-season touring. Space heating is provided by a Truma Combi 4 as standard but this can be upgraded to the 6kW version with electric element.

Just as much as the Atlas has its own contemporary appearance on the outside, so the interior has an appealingly up-to-date look. It’s spacious and comfortable, too, with a plain grey fabric and Roman blinds. The fold-in-half table increases the feeling of space