Chausson SE 718 XLB, any good?

[WESTY66]

Been looking at this model on internet, as it would only be my second MoHo if I got it (first and current one being an Elddis Encore which is faultless, dry and well kitted out) Reasons for changing...Island bed, diesel heating, good insulation??? And good payload if I choose to uprate (up to 4400). I know there's a few with silly things going wrong (isn't there on all the makes??) but on the whole are they any good, Is Chausson as a make any good? I really am NOT desperate to get rid of Elddis, it's a really good bus and I would have to be 110% sure before I would swap it. TIA Ady

 

[andy63]

Have you had a look around one in the flesh...
Cosmetically they look great but imo the finish is a bit tacky...
Ive got a 620... great storage /garage area...
Bathroom /shower and toilet area is great but on the one you are looking at they split that into two seperate units so not sure thats relevant in your case..
Kitchen area isnt great but that isnt an issue for me..
If the telly sits up by the fridge like mine was its not much use for viewing by all from the seated are...
The diesel air heater is good and its a warm or easily warmed up van and well insulated due to construction materials.
I had to up my payload to 4 tonne...

Andy

 

[Blue Knight]

There's an 718XLB (MY17 model) for sale in a Durham dealer for circa £54,000.

It looks well equipped on paper but in reality the quality and finish is exactly how Andy explained it above.

Our local Chausson dealer has really struggled to clear his stock this year whereas last year it was a different matter and they flew off the shelves - this can be said for a few brands though.

It sounds terrible to say but if Ikea made furniture for hospitals then the end product would be similiar to that found in some of the Chaussons these days.

Good luck with the search

 

[BobtheBass]

Our two Chaussons , including a 718 were pretty good in most respects and we loved the built in gas barbeques. They were pretty bland to look at and the upholstery was really, really poor but on the Ford chassis were great to drive and never let us down. Everything worked as it should and Highbridge were good dealers.

 

[The Wino]

We like ours (flash 10 2014) the longer ones can be very tight on payload so good that you want to up it anyway. Ours was a budget van at the time the quality of fittings can be poor in some areas but the designs are good in use of space. Ours is on a Ford too drives really well

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[JimJams]

Been looking at this model on internet, as it would only be my second MoHo if I got it (first and current one being an Elddis Encore which is faultless, dry and well kitted out) Reasons for changing...Island bed, diesel heating, good insulation??? And good payload if I choose to uprate (up to 4400). I know there's a few with silly things going wrong (isn't there on all the makes??) but on the whole are they any good, Is Chausson as a make any good? I really am NOT desperate to get rid of Elddis, it's a really good bus and I would have to be 110% sure before I would swap it. TIA Ady

Ive got a 2017 718XLB in stock if you want any information and advise on it not a problem. I have also done a great video layout of in the inside to give you a better idea rather than just simple pictures..

Good luck with your search

James

 

[StephDeLux]

We rented a Chausson 530 last October and went in the Austrian Alps.

We did not sleep well for two main reasons: the mattress and the heating. The mattress was a bit less comfortable than a sheet of paper, to the point of creating pain in various parts of our bodies. We stayed at very moderate altitudes, around 1000m and the weather was spectacular, but nevertheless, heating was required during the night. That proved to be a huge problem because when starting, the diesel heater was making a very good impression of an Airbus taking off right beside the van. That lasted about 20 minutes. After that we were pretty well woken up to get a very good hearing of the tak-tak noise of the diesel pump, a bit like trains on rails. The bed is also too short for me and when that's the case, you end up with your feet in the badly designed curtains, ensuring you'll eventually tear them off, completing the comprehensive ruining of our nights. It usually took the whole morning to recover from the night.

One good lesson learned: insuring sound sleep is absolutely essential.

Once driving, the most annoying thing was the shower doors that would not stay closed, with no way provided to lock them in place. That is after I got pretty good at suppressing the various creakings with good doses of WD40.

The furnishing is very flimsy and not very practical.

All that for a van that is not particularly cheap once all the necessary options are added.

On a more positive note, insulation seems to be pretty good.

It was based on Ford Transit. While it is a very acceptable vehicle, I prefer the Ducato, if only for the way the rotating seats are so much better engineered on the Ducato.