Swift Kontiki - Completely Redesigned for 2019 & Dynamic Model On Iveco Chassis

Wombles

Wombles

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A few years now
Know that some of you are interested in the new Swift Kontiki range https://www.swiftgroup.co.uk/motorhomes/swift-kon-tiki & we managed to have a brief chat & tour with one of the Swift team designers at the recent NEC Show. We discussed some of the past problems that have haunted the reputation of the Kontiki but were assured that the new 2019 version has been completely redesigned from the chassis up & the shell is wood free "SMART" construction with a 10 year warranty.
From the outside they have the more aerodynamic shape of a low profile coachbuilt but much taller overall to accommodate the overcab space so more like an A class & the Kontiki Dynamic 675 version on the Iveco chassis is crossing over into RV terrority with self sufficiency features onboard to match.

[EXT]-Kon-tiki-Dynamic-675-Front-3Q-[SWIFT].jpg

As our main area of knowledge is about van conversions & mostly German ones at that it was hard for us to judge the interior but the models felt spacious & luxurious as would be expected for their size & price point. Lots of info. on their website about all that is new & certainly busy on the stand with people keen to view these.
 
Well it was only a matter of time before someone realised people want a 3.0 van if that is Iveco then it’s a good power plant.

Not sure about the Swift bit.:D

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Hope they sell better than their new Airstream caravans,:whistle: nice to see Brit van offered on an Iveco Chassis, Slide outs would be great for track days also, but I would always want a double floor configuration having got one.
Les
 
Finally! A uk mh that is a bit different! I wonder if an Aclass is in the pipeline?
 
brownhills (newark) have a dynamic in the showroom, personally i think the interior is awful..black leather upholstery looks home made
the boss of swift has obviously seen the other RS motorhomes at the track and thought he would have a go at it, apart from the towing capacity i was unimpressed
 
We had a look at the one in Brownhills. We were very underwhelmed and the price :eek::eek::eek:

Mrs QFour
 
Not a fan of single beds but I do like the look of this:
[INT]-Kon-tiki-Dynamic-675-Bedroom-[SWIFT].jpg
 
Jagtazman said:
Personally can think of much better MH's for that price.
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I couldn't comment as I haven't seen one yet.
I do know that there are plenty of £80-£120k new motorhomes that (in my mind) are completely different league to standard Kon-Tiki.
Struggling to see how Swift could justify such a huge uplift??
 
We saw and fell in love with the Kon Tiki 650 at the NEC. It is the standard Kon Tiki not the Dynamic. It ticks all of our boxes and we are still discussing whether to go for it. Can anyone suggest a similar motorhome that I should consider instead. Thanks
 
Doesn't look like you can sit up on the beds and cant obviously see any storage cupboards around the beds?

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dealornodeal said:
We saw and fell in love with the Kon Tiki 650 at the NEC. It is the standard Kon Tiki not the Dynamic. It ticks all of our boxes and we are still discussing whether to go for it. Can anyone suggest a similar motorhome that I should consider instead. Thanks
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We’ve had a Swift and it was nothing but trouble. Subsequently we have had a Pilote and now have a Laika. After the fiasco with the Swift, we decided to look at anything but British build.

When we chose the Swift, we were lured by the layout and the proper cooker and microwave. We’ve now found out what we really want in a motorhome. It took us three attempts! Everyone’s requirements are different but for us we’ve realised several things. We don’t need a big bathroom, you spend so little time in there the space is more valuable elsewhere. You really do need comfortable beds. We have a fixed double and a pull down double. We’ve tried an electric bed and if it gets stuck you’re stuffed. We don’t need a microwave, an extra cupboard is more useful. We don’t need a proper cooker. We have a hob with three gas burners and a small oven. We often cook and live outside anyway.

Our Laika is a very solid build. We’ve had it three years and nothing has fallen off yet, unlike the Swift. It has some lovely features, including two sinks in the galley, with removable covers that fix above the sinks and can be used as work space. The habitation door is made by Laika and is very solid, unlike the Swift (we had a lot of trouble with the door). On the door there is an excellent rubbish bin system, the one on the Swift kept falling off.

The boiler in the Swift was under the bed. It took ages for the bedroom to cool down, whilst it was still chilly in the lounge area.

The blinds in the Laika are robustly made whereas in the Swift they were flimsy.

We have a roomy garage in our Laika, where we can store our bikes and plenty of other stuff. The garage in the Swift was tiny and we needed a bike rack. We’ve decided a bike rack is not for us. The bikes get dirty, we tried a cover but it was a massive faff. We’ve also met a number of people who have had their bikes stolen off the back.

All in all, the European MHs do seem to have a far better build quality. I hope this helps.

Mrs QFour
 
Theonlysue said:
Doesn't look like you can sit up on the beds and cant obviously see any storage cupboards around the beds?
Click to expand...

The Kontiki Tag Axle version has a different layout and beds are lower so the garage is not very good. Ok for chairs but you would not get bikes in which is why it has fittings for a bike rack. The one we saw had trim panels hanging off in the overhead bed. The overhead bed is very heavy and it crashes down with some force if you start it going. You also need the ladder to get in so you have to have somewhere to store it. The door to the habitation area only opens to 90 degrees because of the door stay they use and you catch the lid of the rubbish bin on the way in. I would also check where the Aldi Boiler is located the Bolero we had it was under one of the beds. Fine if you like being slowly boiled alive. It also made the bedroom area very hot. One last thing is the SatNav the one I saw had a Fiat SatNav installed this is not a brilliant system and is nothing like the Tom Tom version. The one from our Laika is sitting on top of the wardrobe. Updates are only available when Fiat pay Tom Tom for them and POI's can only be put in one by one. Worth checking what type it has ours was a UConnect5.

One other point you should consider is the Dealer. Some are very good and others are very poor. Do your research with care. There are horror stories on here and in other places on the net about Motorhome Dealers. Your Contract is with the Dealer you purchased it from not Swift. So don't expect to be able to take it to any Swift Dealer and get it fixed they really don't want to know. They don't turn you away but their own customers who purchased MH's from them come FIRST then anyone who is PAYING for work to be done and then anything else they can fit in or not as the case maybe. If Swift authorise work and its not done to your satisfaction then you have to take it up with the Dealer. Swift will not pay for the work to be done again.

We live in Nottingham and purchased our Laika from Southdowns in Portsmouth. We have had a few niggles but all have been attended to in a very professional manor. The handover was great and they even helped swap the refillable gas tanks over which they didn't have to do. We make a trip of going down park outside overnight and then have a few days round the New Forest or visit friends.
 
It has the look of a caravan to it. I don't think it's worth the price.
 

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