Slim chance

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Dealers everywhere are short of secondhand stock. The newcomers flooding into the market haven’t brought the normally expected trade-ins, while yet more newbies have snapped up what pre-owned vehicles there are on the forecourts. But still the demand is there for ‘affordable’ motorhomes.

Hence the arrival of more entrylevel motorhomes in many 2022-season ranges to plug the gap. Auto-Trail’s new Expedition coachbuilt got the MMM test treatment in the November 2021 issue. Now, here’s a rather different approach from French firm, Chausson. It, too, has an attention-grabbing sub-£50k price tag and, unlike its maker’s established models, it comes only in the most basic First Line trim level.

It’s not just the price that’s smaller than you might expect on this Gallic debutante. The S514 is a whisker under 6m long and only 2.10m wide – that’s a useful 25cm slimmer than a typical coachbuilt motorhome and only a fun size Mars bar broader than a Fiat Ducato van conversion.

The intention is clear, this Chausson isn’t just aimed at those on a limited budget, but also buyers considering a campervan. The two-model ‘S’ range even mirrors what you’d anticipate seeing in a continental van conversion line-up – this version with a transverse bed and a longer model