A'Van Ovation M3 Alcove

WE LIKED:
>> Good ceiling height above Luton bed
>> Additional shelves in overhead lockers as well as bedside
>> Decent size fridge and separate shower cubicle

NOT SO MUCH:
>> Flat cushions on the dinette seats
>> power supply fuses hard to access
>> Under table GPO not at floor level

Looks aren’t everything, but RV manufacturer A’van has certainly managed to make its C Class motorhomes look attractive.

That’s not something every manufacturer gets quite right, but the Ovation’s streamlined nose cone and taillight mounting/bumper bar moulding at the rear, along with the bubble style tinted windows, ensure the Melbourne company’s motorhomes usually score a second glance.

Built of a fibreglass composite structure, the Ovation M3 Alcove (Alcove being another name for the Luton peak), like the rest of the A’van fleet is based on a Fiat Ducato Multijet 160, powered by a 3.0-litre, 115kW/400Nm turbodiesel engine matched to Fiat’s six speed AMT gearbox.

While the Fiat is often praised for its motorhome-friendly cab, including specially cut-out roof and factory-fitted swivelling seats, the chassis also deserves praise. It’s designed to be wider than normal for light commercial use, to make the ride more stable.

STORAGE APLENTY

Another feature of the chassis is that it sits quite low, either resulting in a lower sitting motorhome or, as is the case here, a slightly raised floor level to allow for more external bin storage.

On the offside, behind the driver’s door, is a gas bin large enough for two 9kg gas cylinders while, on the opposite side, the front bin gives access to the underseat area and the Webasto heater located under the bin floor.

There’s a substantial load area under the bed in the rear, again with a false floor for even more storage space.

A point of interest is that the grey water tank has a larger capacity than the fresh water tank, New Zealand style.

Underneath the Prostor awning, the European style entry door with top half window doesn’t have a security screen; instead there’s a sideways retractable screen fitted to the door frame. 

Designed for four people, the layout includes rear bed and bathroom, mid-offside kitchen and a front lounge/dining area. The more streamlined M3 Ovation Lowline comes with exactly the same layout, sans a Luton bed.

STEP INSIDE

Given the nearly 7m (23ft) length, there are several trade-offs in order to accommodate other features. That’s not necessarily a negative comment, it really depends on what the user would be happy to live with.

The lounge/dining area is a good example of this. Both cab seats swivel around and the driver seat forms, after a fiddle, part of the dinette.

Complementing the table and seatbelt-fitted rear dinette seat is a small lounge behind the passenger seat. The end result is a variety of seating in a slightly compressed space, offering a choice of seats from which to view the TV, which is mounted on the panel behind the driver’s seat.

There’s a floor hatch under the dinette table that provides access to the battery, power supply and 12V fuses, but it’s a tad awkward to access.

Above the driver’s cab, the Luton bed measures 1.96m x 1.43m (6ft 5in x 4ft 8in) and comes with a ceiling height of 600mm (2ft), as well as a reading light on either side and a shelf above the overhead lockers on both sides.

With my knack for frequent head-bumping in confined spaces, it’s important that the Luton bed can be lifted forwards out of the way when not being used, giving much easier access to the cab.

ROOM TO COOK

The offside kitchen bench is designed in an L-shape to maximize space. Mounted in the benchtop are a three-burner cooktop; round stainless steel sink and separate round drainer.

Mounted directly under the sink is a separate grill/oven which many are going to love but does reduce the potential storage area to a single drawer and cupboard, along with two overhead lockers.

That leaves the area between the entry door and the bed for a 175 litre, three-way fridge with microwave oven above and a DVD player above that. Both the latter items can be hidden behind a roller shutter door when not in use; they also may present height issues for shorter persons.

It’s not a new idea but fitting a bed, bathroom and wardrobe into the rear area is something of a challenge, and enforces few design compromises.

Cutting off the corner of the 2m x 1.25m (6ft 6in x 4ft 1in) bed gives a bit more walkway room, but cuts off mattress area.

At the same time, most bathrooms in a motorhome this size would not have a separate shower cubicle – but this one does. Upper and lower cupboard space is also included in the bathroom, plus cassette toilet and wash basin.

The under-bed storage space is quite substantial, as well as having external access, and the adjoining wardrobe offers hanging space with a shelf above.

The lower area of the cabinet is partly taken by the power lead, and part of the under bed area is taken up by the woofer speaker that hooks into the motorhome sound system.

A little feature that’s often difficult to squeeze into this particular bed layout style is bedside shelves but here, the person with the chamfered side does get a couple of shelves that are built into the bathroom wall.

VERDICT

There are some obvious features in this Ovation motorhome, and there are some items that aren’t usual inclusions. Naturally, the roof-mounted air conditioner is a standard item, but the Webasto heater and LG sound system are bonuses, as are features like the overhead locker shelves and sub chassis storage areas.

This particular layout isn’t going to suit everyone but for a couple who might occasionally have the grandchildren along, or want a good-sized bed each, it’s going to be an appropriate fit.

A’VAN OVATION M3 ALCOVE

Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato Multijet 160 
Engine: 3.0-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel
Gearbox: 6 speed AMT 
Power/torque: 115.5k at 3600rpm / 400Nm at 1700-2500rpm 
Brakes: ABS disc 
Tare weight: 3170kg
GVM: 4000kg 
External length: 6.96m (22ft 10in) 
External width: 2.31m (7ft 7in) 
External height: 3.03m (9ft 11in)
Internal height: 1.96m (6ft 5in) 
Cooktop: Smev three burner/grill/oven 
Fridge: Dometic 175 litre 
Microwave: Sharp Carousel 
Gas: 2 x 9kg 
Lighting: 12V LED
Toilet: Thetford cassette
Shower: Separate cubicle 
Hot water: Truma 14 litre
Freshwater: 103 litre 
Greywater: 110 litre
Second stage compliance: Yes 
Price (on road, Qld): $124,990 
Supplied by: Queensland RV, Warana, Qld
More info: A’Van