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quotePutting the boot in!
Want an idea of how seriously an imported motorhome is taking the UK? Check the location of the habitation door. If like here, it’s on the UK nearside – along with the not inconsiderable costs associated with reconfiguring interiors to suit – you can guess you’re onto a good thing.
Better still when it’s a floorplan that’s much loved here in the UK.
Introduced for the 2019 season, Primero is a four-model motorhome line-up, all under 6m in length and with chassis ratings of 3,500kg. The UK-friendly layout as espoused by the 283 here, majors on a rear lounge with two settees astride a table that fixes to the back wall.
The extra trick the Primero 283 has up its sleeve is, those settees can be folded back to create a large storage area. There’s also a large hatch on the rear panel to allow easy loading of bulky stuff. And there’s a nearside hatch.
Plus, flipping over the four main settee cushions gives you a transverse double bed. At 2.10m x 1.25m it’s long, but a tad narrow.
In daytime mode, those red scatter cushions may be a simple touch, but they help lift an interior that could otherwise threaten to be the wrong side of mundane.
Despite the Primero billing as a lower-priced Benimar offering, the cab isn’t short of handy upgrades – air conditioning is standard, along with an opening sunroof, stereo system that includes DAB radio, steering wheel controls, cup holder central console and cruise control.
There’s even more of a “Benimar style” to the interior, with items like white gloss worktops, cream and brown upholstery and complementary dark wood furniture with cream/grey doors. Luxury fittings range from Truma’s Combi 4 heating and hot water gas/mains electricity system to LED lighting to a flatscreen TV bracket.
A half-dinette behind the driver ups the travel berths to four, also allowing a third (occasional) sleeping berth.
Like all Benimar motorhome kitchens, the specification is to UK expectations. Here, for example, is a three-ring gas hob, complemented by a combined oven and grill, admittedly set rather too low for complete convenience. A flip-up extension helps with the provision of worktop and an 80-litre fridge is squeezed in below the hob.
There’s a sink in stainless steel to match the hob, plus a good selection of lower door and upper locker storage.
The tambour door for washroom access also saves a lot of space. Fittings in here tend to be a little bit on the flimsy side, but you do get a separate shower area (where you’ll also find the fixed basin, next to to a swivel-bowl Thetford toilet.
And it’s good to have a window in here, for the extra ventilation it provides.
Verdict: Benimar blend of high spec’/low price… and a UK-friendly floorplan
Plus: Flexible rear lounge
Minus: Slightly cramped kitchen and washroom
In-a-nutshell: Great value and compact dimensions combined
There’s more information on the Primero series at the Benimar website. To find out more about our low-cost premiums visit the motorhome insurance discounts page.
Alternatives: Elddis Accordo 135, Swift Escape Compact C402
Benimar Primero 283 factfile
| Model | Benimar Primero 283 |
| Base vehicle | Fiat Ducato, 2.3-litre, 130bhp Euro VI |
| Dimensions | 5.99m L, 2.30m W, 2.89m H |
| Berths | Three |
| Travel seats | Four |
| Maximum weight | 3,500kg |
| Payload | 870kg |
| MPG estimate | 28-32 |
| RRP | from £45,995** |
| Safety & security | Central locking to cab doors, immobiliser, ABS, driver’s and passenger’s airbags, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguisher, ABS and ESP |
| Key options | 150bhp engine upgrade with automatic transmission (£2,100) |
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