By William Coleman
As this year comes to a close, we wanted to get one final motorhome review done before Father Christmas pays us a visit (we hope; we’re sure we’re on the nice list!). The Elddis Autoquest 196 seems like the perfect van to review for this time of year, as it’s a van for all the family.
The motorhome has slowly been catching up to the caravan in terms of popularity over the past three or so years and it seems that if the current trend continues, the sales of motorhomes could rival that of caravans.
Elddis motorhomes are always a pleasure to use and with vehicles like this being brought to market it’s easy to see why motorhomes are becoming a top seller.
The Autoquest 196 is a low-line model with a sic-berth capacity and features six seatbelts, which is something of a rarity for motorhomes of this size. Usually, there are just four seatbelts, which can make the extra two beds a bit redundant so it’s good to see that Elddis has added more belts so larger families can all go away together.
Exterior
Like most of the Elddis motorhome catalogue, the 196’s exterior decals and stylings are by the numbers and not too flashy. It seems the changes to the exterior of Elddis vehicles are more caravan based than its motorhome-orientated.
There has, however, been a change to some of the exterior lighting with the addition of a new large LED awning light. Despite being a low power light, it is extremely bright, but not overpowering like some LEDs can be.
As standard you get the bike rack bars pre-fitted, which will save you some money when shopping for a rack and a lot of hassle when fitting one. We prefer factory fitted racks over adding third party ones due to the amount of human error we’ve seen over the years.
Interior
Once you step aboard this motorhome you can instantly see that Elddis has engineered it toward families. The first thing you notice is the four belted passenger seats that sit on the driver’s side, directly behind the driver’s captain seat. The two bench seats are opposite one another with a table separating them. We can see long trips getting a bit tiresome when all four passengers are sat directly opposite one another, but this is the trade-off you have to make when you want six seatbelts inside a motorhome.
The 196 has a huge selling point when it comes to the space inside the van. By day there is not a bed to be seen, which would make you question where all the beds are. How Elddis has utilised this space is perfect and you get two totally different vans for day and nighttime living. The innovation aboard this mobile home shows that the manufacturers are listening to its consumers. Motorhomes have come a very long way in the past decade.
This motorhome is very well lit using a combination of LED lighting and lots of large windows that provide great amounts of natural light to flow throughout the entirety of the living spaces.
Day and night living
If you liked Transformers when you were young or if the kids love them, you’ll want to see this motorhome in action. The 196 totally transforms from a spacious living area by day to a large bed filled mobile home come nighttime.
During the day there is plenty of space throughout the van for the entire family and each section feels well spaced apart. If you are in the rear lounge you can relax with your feet up while the kids make the most of the three bench seats and table towards the front.
It feels like Elddis missed a trick by not adding two rear doors to this Autoquest model, but it does not take anything away from its day-to-day use. We just feel that it would have made a good addition to an already impressive motorhome.
Six of the four beds need to be made up, which is really not that much hassle as they all use pull out slats. Beds five and six are perhaps the most concealed, and coolest, of the lot. The 196 features an electronic drop-down double bed that sits over the front bench seats.
Driving
Motorhomes of this size tend to carry quite a bit of weight, and the 196 is no exception. With an MTPLM of 3500kgs, you need a fairly strong engine to ensure you have a pleasurable drive.
The Autoquest is a very smooth drive, even on tricker terrain, and has a Peugeot Boxer 2.2 140 bhp HDi turbo diesel engine. The six-speed gearbox and Euro 6.2 engine provide fantastic fuel economy, even with all that extra weight.
It was surprising to see that the cab had not changed much to reflect more modern needs. A lot of 2020 and 2021 motorhomes feature better stereos and media options, such as GPS, LED touch screens and Apple CarPlay features. Although this is not the be-all and end-all it’s still nice to have, especially with a price tag that doesn’t give much change from £50,000. At this cost, you’d expect more from the entertainment side of the van.
Verdict
As more families turn to staycation holidays we foresee vans like the Autoquest 196 becoming extremely popular. The six belts and six beds make this motorhome an absolute winner.
The cab could do with some more modern updates and a bit of a facelift and we’d love to see more doors added for ease of access, as well as making loading and unloading easier.
Being able to take away the kids and their friends all at once without compromising on living space is exactly what the industry has strived to achieve for years, The Autoquest 196 is proof that we are finally there.
