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A WEINSBERG FOR
ALL SEASONS?
ROAD
TEST
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Weinsberg Meteor 620LS on
Fiat Ducato 2.8JTD Al-Ko
Having been invited to try out the Weinsberg
Meteor 620LS, I arrived at Hants & Dorset Outdoor
Leisure’s premises, near Portsmouth, to find an
Aladdin’s Cave of accessories in the shop. I had to
be dragged out of there screaming, and reminded
I was supposed to be testing the Meteor. Good job
too, I could have spent a fortune!
But then I caught sight of my test vehicle and
there was no holding me back. I think I could best
describe the Meteor as ‘Judge Dredd meets a
skateboarding sci-fi fan’, with a touch of stealth
bomber thrown in. This is a ‘van that looks as if
it could climb a mountain if you asked it, with
oxygen bottles tucked under its windscreen
wipers and three or four winches on demand.
Of course it will do nothing of the sort, but the
chunky grey plastic bumper and body protection
give the impression that - if asked - it could.
The Meteor has four berths, with an overcab
double bed, and two singles arranged in a Lshaped lounge-diner with side settee. Kitchen,
washroom and wardrobe are to the rear. All this,
and an Al-Ko chassis, which allows the creation
of a double floor. Suddenly, a whole new range of
possible uses for this vehicle becomes evident.
Yes, the Meteor is a fully winterised ‘van. Not
only can it stand winter holidays in cold regions
such as the Alps, it has storage space between
The front-end layout sees an L-shaped lounge/diner take full advantage of swivelled cab seats. The overcab bed is
raised on its gas struts giving greater headroom.
MOTORCARAVAN MOTORHOME MONTHLY
▼
Is this the motorcaravan that could take you from winter fun in
the Alps to summers by the Mediterranean? Di Johnson
discusses…
MAY 2005 I 179
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A centre kitchen with big fridge/freezer on the left gives way to a clever, convertible washroom-cum-dressing room at the rear.
the two floors to carry all your toys. Skis,
snowboards, boots, climbing kit and folding
bikes could all be accommodated.
OUTSIDE A METEOR
On the offside, behind the driver’s door, I
discovered a capacious double-decker storage
locker, whose lower floor had access from both
sides of the ‘van. The offside caravan door, which
is to the rear, has a long thin window with
concertina blind.
The rear end sports a ladder, which I found I
could just reach when I climbed up to have a look
at the roof bars. On the nearside rear lies the
toilet cassette compartment, and below this is
another access hatch to the vast storage area
under the floor.
The spare wheel is housed in this area under
a board, which I struggled to lift as it was near
the limit of my reach. Peter, my husband,
removed it with ease. He located a strap, which
enables the removal of the wheel from its
recessed position, by, at first, lifting, then sliding
it from its well. This required a lot of effort. The
whole operation can only be successful if the
strap has been carefully returned to the correct
position when the wheel is replaced. Don’t
forget, these are big wheels. A six-stone
weakling had better get on their mobile and call
for assistance if they get a puncture.
The leisure battery compartment is a lesson in
how things should be done. The single battery is
mounted on a slide-out tray, making inspection
and maintenance a doddle. The gas locker is
capable of housing two 11kg Continental-type
cylinders, should you so wish. Sharing this
compartment is the freshwater fill point. Our
Continental cousins are a suspicious bunch.
They believe that someone might want to
contaminate the water supply, so they put the fill
point in a compartment, safely locked away.
There are rear steadies for those who prefer
a more stable living environment. I found them
simple to use, as I only had to keep winding for
the steadies to both swing down and then lower
themselves to the ground.
This capacious double-decker storage locker lies to the rear of the driver’s door. The
lower level spans the whole width of the ‘van’s double floor cavity.
180 I MAY 2005
A BIG STEP UP
Getting into the ‘van, via a recessed step,
requires that you be long in the leg. We shortlegged Celts from the west country struggle with
these tall steps, and I think a 500mm (1ft 8in)
entrance step is asking a lot of the petite among
us. However, once you’ve made the climb, you
discover it’s worth the effort. Modern colours
with fashionable materials and thoughtful design
details lie within.
The windowed door, with locking points top
and bottom, has a couple of storage bins built in,
while a sculptural, curved silver handle at the
entrance aids your progress as you enter. The
silver capping on the inside door handle kept
dropping off (a spot of glue perhaps?). The fitted
black concertina flyscreen looked to be the
business for keeping the dreaded mozzies at bay
on hot summer nights.
Either side of the doorway are two curved
metal panels; one raised, one recessed. They
don’t do anything, but they are stylish and I loved
them. The theme of metal finished panels is
Sensibly, the leisure battery is mounted on a pullout tray for easy access.
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Concertina cab blinds keep the cold at bay in the forward part of the ‘van.
of the living space. I had to stand on a seat
cushion to reach the bed to pull it down, but it
was well balanced and easy to achieve. The cab
windows are kitted out with convenient
concertina blinds. The rear-view mirror restricts
the windscreen blind from reaching the top of its
travel, but if you turn down both sun visors this
solves the problem. We found that the blinds
were quite effective at keeping draughts at bay.
We thought at first that deploying these blinds
was a fiddly job, but discovered that it became
the work of a couple of minutes after a night or
two’s practice.
NEGOTIATING THE COUNTRY LANES
LOUNGING
All this accommodation and storage has to be
paid for in size. However, to my amazement, I
discovered that the Weinsberg 620LS is less than
6.40m (21ft) long, and therefore capable of
surviving a trip down smaller scenic roads. And
whilst it rattled happily as we rolled along badly
surfaced country lanes, this was mostly down to
large cupboards with not enough in them.
Manoeuvring the Meteor with numerous threepoint turns, for the photographer, I was grateful
for the easy-to-use dash-mounted gearlever,
smooth positive power steering, and wellpositioned mirrors on extended arms. The cab
seating is supportive and comfortable and the
adjustable steering column is another boon, as it
accommodates drivers with differing dimensions.
Both cab seats can be swivelled and the
overcab bed lifts on gas struts, giving the cab a
nice un-claustrophobic feel, as it becomes part
If it were not for the table, this lounge would be to
die for. With the front seats swivelled, long
settees, and the forward-facing section of the
dinette, I think you could seat nine. You might
never want to, but wow, it’s nice to be able to.
Feet-up lounging for two, with still enough seating
left for four, is perhaps more important.
The seats are firm and rather too high from the
floor for my comfort, but since my feet usually
end up on the settees, this was of little matter to
me. Two cushions and two upholstered, movable
end stops on the side settee gave ample
opportunity for making oneself at home.
Underfloor storage can be accessed from
beneath the settees, though it is easier from the
exterior. A nice touch is a large hatch, in the floor
between the kitchen and the lounge, which
provides a good way to get at the middle area of
the underfloor storage.
Overhead lockers can be rather a stretch for shorter people.
MOTORCARAVAN MOTORHOME MONTHLY
Nine high-level aircraft-style lockers in the
lounge and kitchen give oodles of space for
storage. However, I had to stand on the seating to
reach the upper shelves. The forward-facing
dinette seat has two three-point seat belts. A
small part of the side settee, in front of the dinette,
has a fold-down flap and removable cushion to
accommodate the legs of the outside forwardfacing passenger. This operation is quick and
easy to achieve, thus providing safe and
comfortable travel for two rear seat passengers.
I have an aversion to big solid, Teutonic tables.
The one fitted here slides, swivels, and is
commendably stable, but it constantly got in my
way and I kept wishing the confounded thing
could be removed and stowed away. Now stop
ranting Di. I admit I did finally find a position where
the seats were accessible, and the table usable.
SITTING DOWN FOR A BIT OF SCRAN
The L-shaped diner can seat three and the
swivelled passenger seat is within easy reach of
the table, but the long settee opposite I found to
be a bit of a stretch for comfortable dining. Peter,
however, seemed to positively enjoy feeding at
this distance.
Admittedly, when dining, the big solid table
does come into its own. This is a unit that can
take a knock or two in its stride. You won’t be
shouting at the children: ‘mind my coffee and
don’t knock the table’. If you want to sit down to
write or prepare some vegetables, the ability to
slide the table back and forth is neat - and its
shiny finish is easier to clean than some dull or
The forward-facing dinette seat has two three-point seat belts.
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Now this really is a big step up.
repeated throughout the interior, and even the
fridge and freezer doors are finished in metallic
sheeting with attractive raised squares.
The upholstery is soft tan/pink, oyster and
beige stripe, with oatmeal on the squabs, finished
off with dark grey piping. The floor is practical
granite-patterned vinyl with matching tabletop,
which sports a metal coloured edge - lovely! Net
curtains at the lounge windows, with decorpanels of paprika and pale cream material
hanging either side, look very tasteful. Lugano
pear-wood furniture warms up the ambience and
helps create a cosy, mellow and integrated space.
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The table can be swivelled and slid from side to side.
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Commodious shelving, that opens with the door, and two wire trays that slide into the
inaccessible corner of the L-shaped unit, provide masses of storage space in the
kitchen.
The washbasin in what I call the ‘dressing room’ allows separate use of the toilet.
raised patterned surfaces. Yes, all right, there are
times when I do like a big solid table.
A BAVARIAN KITCHEN
The curvy L-shaped kitchen will impress the
neighbours. Corian-style work surface, three
downlighters (just where you want them), and a
shaped-glass wall-protector, speak volumes
about its quality.
The cook is treated to good views of the
countryside from a big window behind the
Cramer three-burner hob. You’ll have to take
your matches though, as no electronic ignition is
provided. To the right of this is a circular stainless
steel sink. No draining area, though, so
remember to take a tray as well as the matches.
Between hob and sink is some usable worktop.
However, a bit more of this would be very much
appreciated.
Below the sink - and following its curvature - is
a large door, which swings out with spacious
shelving attached. This is really useful storage
space for the cook. However, they haven’t
finished yet. As the door is opened wide, two wire
basket drawers on runners pull out from, what
would be, the inaccessible space under the
corner of the L-shape. It’s absolutely brilliant to
have loads of space for large containers in the
kitchen, a virtue absent in many ‘vans.
Beneath the hob is a deep cutlery drawer.
Because it’s deep, the three gas isolating valves
for oven, hob and fridge located in here don’t
compromise the space. A Smev oven and grill lie
below this, and the next layer down provides a
home for kettle and saucepans. I have to admit
that the two overhead cupboards in the kitchen
are rather a stretch. One of them would have to
be reached with the aid of an upturned bucket or a husband. However, I’m being picky; there is
so much reachable storage space in this kitchen
that this is of little consequence.
Turn around and you will find a Dometic 142litre fridge/freezer, of which 25 litres belongs to the
freezer. The fridge has an interior light, and clear
controls allow you to choose between 230V, 12V
or gas operation. Storage underneath means that
the fridge is higher than squatting height. Also
worth a mention, the fridge has a small amount of
heating around its carcass to ensure that no
condensation occurs. It also features catches that
don’t ruin your manicured fingernails.
THE GERMAN BATHROOM
EXPERIENCE
The Corian-style worktop will impress, but I would have liked a draining area and more working surface.
182 I MAY 2005
As you enter the ‘van you might notice that you
are being angled to the right by the right-hand
wall of the wardrobe. Bit of a gimmick, I thought.
However, looking past the wardrobe to the back
of the ‘van, I could see a triangular corner
washbasin with cupboard below and a nice big
window in the rear wall. When I opened the door
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to the separate toilet and shower, I noticed that
the door could also be used to close off the
wardrobe/basin area from the rest of the ‘van. So
you can have a wash whilst your partner is in the
loo. You can also take a shower, with the door
closed in the outer position. When you’ve
finished showering you can step out into the
dressing room (as I think I’ll call it) and get some
clean clothes from the wardrobe, which is now
enclosed in this area. How neat is that?
The swivelling, electrically flushed toilet is too
high for my comfort but, because I could shut the
door in the outer position, I could then rest my
feet on the inside doorframe, and still be private.
You may laugh, but this sort of detail is important
to us height-disadvantaged folk.
With the boiler situated under the wardrobe,
this tends to be the warmest place. Nevertheless,
blown-air heating outlets in both shower/ toilet
compartment and dressing room will guarantee
your comfort. There are a further nine outlets
throughout the ‘van.
HAPPY NIGHTS?
In the interests of comprehensive testing, we tried
out both the overcab and the two downstairs
single beds. Firstly, we tried the overcab bed, or
alcove bed (as the Germans describe it).
The table has to be swivelled to the side before
the access ladder (which had comfortable, solid,
angled treads) can be used. Half the bed base is
raised on gas struts to give plenty of daytime
overhead space above the cab, so the first job for
me was to stand on a settee and reach up to pull
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There’s lots of space in the overcab bed, but the
mattress is firm.
MOTORCARAVAN MOTORHOME MONTHLY
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The long settee on the offside only needs pulling out a
few inches to make it into a single bed.
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the bed down. It is well balanced, so little effort
was required. After chucking a couple of sleeping
bags up, we settled down for the night. It was
decidedly ‘parky’ so the two opening windows
and overhead ventilator were not required. I
noticed that the alcove had two heating outlets,
with a control for opening and closing them. Now
that is a useful innovation. I found that I couldn’t sit
upright to read (not enough headroom) and the
mattress is firm, but there is plenty of room up
there. This is a proper double bed, not one
intended for use only by children. Putting the bed
away in the morning was simple. A little shove and
the struts took it up and away, into the ceiling, with
the ladder on the top of the sleeping bags.
When it was time to try the downstairs sleeping
accommodation, it was not a case of tossing a coin.
Peter, being over six feet tall, got the long settee on
the offside, which only needed to be lifted and pulled
out a few inches to create a good single berth. I was
left with the short settee, which is part of the Lshaped diner. I removed the backrests and it was
ready. It was not quite long enough for me, but this
was not a problem. What was more awkward was
the table (I know, back on my favourite subject).
I couldn’t get away from it. No matter which
way I swivelled it, I was still slightly restricted in
my movements by its edge. I didn’t bang into it,
but it disturbed my sleep knowing it was there. I
think this bed is more suited to a youngster. Peter
had no complaints other than the firmness of the
overcab bed. A memory foam overlay would
easily solve the problem.
Jeremy Symonds (of Hants & Dorset Outdoor
Leisure) explained that, in future, this model will
be fitted with a telescopic-legged table, which will
184 I MAY 2005
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lower to help form the base of a double bed in this
area. This sounds like a much more sensible
arrangement.
LET THERE BE MUSIC AND LIGHTING
HAS WEINSBERG HIT THE SPOT?
This is a motorhome that is surely going to make
a lot of people happy. It’s a modern, convenient
IN BRIEF
■ Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato with Al-Ko chassis
■ Engine type: 2.8-litre JTD common-rail
turbocharged and intercooled diesel: 94kW
(127bhp) @3600 rpm
■ Gearbox and drive: Five-speed manual
gearbox, fascia-mounted gearlever, frontwheel drive
■ Make and model: Weinsberg Meteor 620LS
■ Body type and construction: Aluminium-clad
sandwich coachbuilt with Styrofoam
insulation
■ Conversion NCC badged as EN1646
compliant: No
■ Electrical equipment: Mains hook-up,
consumer unit and battery charger, control
panel, 95 amp hr leisure battery
■ Lighting: Halogen downlighters: four in
lounge, one in drinks cabinet, two in kitchen,
one in toilet. Circular domed ceiling lights in
dressing room and lounge. Fluorescent strip
light in overcab bed area. Awning light. Rope
mood lights above top lockers and in doorway
■ Cooking facilities: Cramer 3-burner hob,
manual ignition. Smev oven and grill, manual
ignition
■ Refrigerator: Dometic RM7601L three-way
fridge/freezer, capacity 142 litres
■ Water heater: Truma Combi C6002 gas-only
operation
■ Space heater: Truma Combi C6002 gas-only
Winter campers will be well served by the water tank being protected from frost between the two floors.
and well thought out ‘van. And keenly priced
considering its superior quality. Weinsberg has
recognised the particular requirements of the
British market by providing the essential oven
and grill - although removable carpet isn’t fitted.
The fully winterised Meteor 620LS, with its AlKo chassis and double floor, has plenty of storage
and insulation, and will appeal to the many people
thinking about taking their ‘vans on skiing
holidays. And, for that matter, any activity that
requires plenty of kit to be carried. Families will
welcome the spacious seating, while the
innovative
washroom-cum-dressing
room
demonstrates Weinsberg’s design flair and
attention to detail. Yes, I think this will be a popular
addition to the British motorcaravan market.
operation blown air, supplying 9 outlets
■ Fresh water tank: 106 litres, inboard (23.3
gallons)
■ Waste water tank: 100 litres, inboard (22
gallons)
■ Gas locker capacity: 2 x 11kg cylinders
■ Rear restraints: Two forward-facing seats with
three-point inertia-reel seatbelts
■ Additional features: Central locking, electric
windows and mirrors, cab air-conditioning,
Remistar electrically-operated skylight, Corianstyle one-piece worktop, concertina flyscreen
to caravan door, slide-out tray housing leisure
battery, rear steadies, gas strut-assisted lifting
overcab bed base, separate radio switch in
lounge and additional speakers, external and
internal access to underfloor storage
1.60m (6ft 10.5in x 5ft 3in), lounge single
1.94m x 600mm (6ft 4.5in x 1ft 11.5in), dinette
single 1.67m x 600mm (5ft 5.5in x 1ft 11.5in)
■ Max authorised weight: 3850kg
■ Load capacity: 725kg
DIMENSIONS
(*data supplied by manufacturer)
■ Overall length: *6.33m (20ft 9in)
■ Overall width: *2.30m (7ft 7in) excluding mirrors
■ Overall height: *3.09m (10ft 2in)
■ Internal height: *2.07m (6ft 9.5in)
■ Bed dimensions: Overcab double 2.10m x
PRICE (all prices include VAT)
■ Basic model: £44,395 (on the road)
■ As tested: £45,445 (see options below)
■ Warranty: Base vehicle 2 years, conversion 2
years, water ingress 6 years
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
(*fitted to test vehicle)
■ Base vehicle options: *Cab air-conditioning
(£1050)
■ Caravan options: Cycle carrier for 2 bikes
(£315), 3 bikes (£335), 4 bikes (£355),
motorcycle rack (£1150)
Vehicle kindly supplied for evaluation by:
Hants & Dorset Outdoor Leisure, 92 London
Road, Widley, Waterlooville, Portsmouth PO7
5AE (tel: 023-9237 4921;
e-mail: hdleisure@aol.com;
web site: www.hdleisure.com)
Overall width 2.30m (7ft 7in)*
The Meteor is comprehensively lit. A myriad of
downlighters, recessed into lovely silver panels
under the overhead lockers, is just the start.
Next, at either end of the ‘van, are a couple of
large disc-shaped ceiling fittings for extra light
when you’re busy. And, wait for it, there’s a
concealed rope-light which wends its way along
the tops of the cupboards, and is even hidden
behind a decorative panel at the entrance, to set
the mood for... now, calm down, Pete.
A nice touch is a radio on/off control in the
lounge and two extra speakers neatly set into the
silver decorative panel under the overhead
lockers. Three 12V and four 230V sockets are
dotted around in useful places.
A Remistar electrically operated rooflight over
the lounge area brightens the space - but ‘himself’,
with his extra height, had to push the control to
open it, as it was well out of reach for me. The
leisure battery charger, the 12V fuse box, and a
12V isolating key (it disables all of your 12V system
to prevent accidental flattening of batteries during
lay-up periods) are all located under the forwardfacing dinette seat. Some thoughtful German has
made life easier for us motorcaravanners by
putting a hinge on the side of its lift-up lid, thus
making access to all this kit a breeze.
MOTORCARAVAN MOTORHOME MONTHLY
Overall length 6.33m (20ft 9in)*
MAY 2005 I 185