Snapshot - Knaus' new Deseo

WHAT are you likely to get when you buy a new van for under £7,000?

If it’s a Knaus Deseo, the answer is: quite a lot. For a start it’s a true four-berth, comprising two full size fixed bunks across the rear end and two seats at the front which make up into a large double bed. And when it comes to equipment it has a small but useful Dometic fridge and an electrically operated Thetford cassette toilet. But let’s start at the beginning.

From the exterior, the Deseo looks like a brick. Its one concession to curves of any kind are the 90-degree top corners of the sides. The other two things which strike you immediately are the fact that, because it’s made in Germany, the door is on the offside, and even more obvious - there are no windows on the nearside. The front, back and roof are smooth panels, whereas the sides are pebbledash. As far as colours are concerned, the main colour is white, offset by drab grey surrounds and the word Deseo in futuristic graphics on each side. Also worth mentioning is that a rail has been fitted to each wheel arch cover to which the table can be clipped if you want use the table in the awning, or eat alfresco.

The van is built on a galvanised BPW chassis and has a long A-frame which makes for extremely stable towing, but which does nothing for the looks of the van, since there’s no fairing nor any place to stow the 12N and 12S plugs. The gas locker at the front is an add-on with little room for anything other than two 7kg cylinders and a couple of chocks. What is seriously lacking however, is a spare wheel and carrier.

The final aspect that we would criticise about the van externally is the fact that the single waste outlet is sited right next to the door step. Not only is this just about the worst place for waste water to be discharged, it also makes it difficult to remove the full container when an awning is being used.

When you go into the van, the two permanent bunks are immediately on your left. Although they are full size in that they span the full width of the van, their maximum loading is only 60kg (9.5 stone). The lower bunk is hinged so that when it is folded against the wall, bikes etc can be put into the van through the access door adjacent to the entry door. Facing the door on the nearside is the toilet compartment. Knaus has saved more money here by not fitting an access door for the cassette waste tank in the outside wall; instead it’s in the interior wall adjacent to the door to the compartment. The result is that you have to carry the cassette out through the ‘van.

Specification
Price	£6,895
Berths	4
MRO	833kg
MTPLM	1000kg
Width	2.18m
Length	5.88m
Height	2.53m

To the right of the entrance is the centre kitchen unit which is equipped with a two-burner hob, plus the small Dometic fridge. Although it has two tiny ice trays, there is in fact, no freezer compartment. Nor does the Deseo have a hot water heater; water to the single tap at the sink coming from an inboard 15-litre container housed in the kitchen unit. Although we found the container needed filling at least twice a day, we do feel it will come into its own if caravanning during the winter since it should mean that the possibility of the water freezing is virtually eliminated. And whilst on the subject of winter caravanning, we must mention that the Deseo has a Truma S3002P space heater which is more than powerful enough to keep the ‘van warm however cold it is outside.

Above the kitchen unit is one long roof locker with plenty of space for crockery etc. There’s also plenty more storage space in the base of the unit and in the floor unit opposite. Above the front seats on each side are further roof lockers which, instead of conventional wooden fronts, have zipped fabric ones. We were very taken by these and found them excellent for storing clothes, although we wouldn’t be so happy putting heavier items in them in case of problems when towing. Across the front of the van is a full width, deep, open-fronted roof locker which again has plenty of storage space. And there’s a smaller open-fronted roof locker in the toilet compartment.

Apart from the Thetford cassette toilet, we were disappointed in the toilet compartment because it has no washbasin nor any provision for washing and shaving. There’s just one very narrow shelf on the front wall which is just about wide enough for a soap dish, aerosol spray and similar items. And if you put a basin on the top of the toilet seat, it’s so low you have to bend almost double to be able to wash. So we were left with no alternative but to wash and shave at the kitchen sink.

Although the Deseo has three 12V lights, the 12V DC supply does not come from a leisure battery. Instead, the van has mains supply equipment which incorporates a transformer to reduce the 230 AC to 12V DC. Thus the only time the 12V lights and toilet can operate on a battery is when the 12S circuit is connected to the tow vehicle and the engine is running. At all other times you need to be on a site which has mains hook-ups.

We felt there was a problem too with one of the two 230V sockets which had been mounted on the working top of the floor cupboard next to the toilet. Instead of fitting the socket with the opening for the earth facing away from you, it has been mounted facing towards you. The socket is so close to the vertical surface behind it that there is almost no room for the cable. Turning the socket through 180 degrees would solve the problem at a stroke. The socket in the kitchen is mounted in a similar fashion but is further away from the wall so the problem doesn’t arise.

The front and the two windows in the offside have flyscreens and blinds plus unlined curtains and net curtains, whilst the two small windows in the rear panel - one for each bunk - have the same except for net curtains. The lack of a window behind the seat on the nearside didn’t seem to affect the amount of light in the van, but the lack of one in the toilet compartment definitely did! Even with the light on, it’s dark and gloomy. The situation isn’t helped either due to there being no rooflight - only a small ventilator in the ceiling.

Making up the bed at night is very easy. You have the option of using the table with the leg folded to fill in between the two seats, or if the table is being used in the awning for example, Knaus has stored bed boards behind the backrests. Although the seat cushions and back rests aren’t all that thick we have to report that we found the beds extremely comfortable.

The verdict

Bearing in mind the price of £6,895, we think the Knaus Deseo represents very good value for money. It’s a true four-berth van - even though two of the occupants need to weigh less than 10 stone! We think the van will appeal to two types of caravanner in particular: the young family just starting out who want a well-made van which can be upgraded as and when finances allow - a hot water system should be fairly easy to fit; and the caravanner who wants a van that he can use as a base for his other pastimes and pursuits.
True, there are a number of areas where we have criticised the Deseo, but nevertheless the overall build quality, layout and most of its facilities impressed us.

Contact

HANTS & DORSET LEISURE 92 London Road, Widley, Waterlooville, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO7 5AE Tel: 023 9237 4821 Website: www.hdleisure.com

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