Earlier this year, I reviewed a Roller Team T Line 740 imported by the RV Super Centre. This time I was at the RV Super Centre to review a 2015 model Roller Team Discovery that had just arrived from the UK.
The Discovery is a four-berth motorhome built on Fiat cab/chassis with the 2.3 litre motor driving the front wheels through Fiat’s six-speed AMT auto gearbox.
The internal layout has the dinette opposite the entry with the cab to the left. Above the dinette is a dropdown bed. To the right, the kitchen and then the ablutions department with the double bed in the rear corner, driver’s side. It is an efficient layout that provides comfortable sleeping and dining for four people in what is – at 6.99 metres – a relatively short motorhome.
Entertainment space is restricted to the dinette, as the cab seats do not rotate to create a forward lounge area. However, by way of compensation the dinette seats are comfortably plump and a pleasure to sit upon.
Following current fashion trends, the cabinetry surfaces are timber grained laminate, a mixture of milk and dark chocolate in colour with a gloss ivory finish on the cabinet doors – all against a backdrop of white walls and ceilings. Having internal height of 1990mm gives the Discovery spacious feeling of freedom. It also allows room for the dropdown bed to be stowed away when not in use while allowing sufficient headroom below for regular activities.
Lowering and raising the bed is simple. First turn on the control panel key then raise/ lower the bed by pressing the appropriate up/down button. There are aluminium guides at each corner of the bed that hold it firmly in place and the bed is raised/lowered using seat belt style straps. It’s a robust affair that allows a total occupant weight of 250kg.
There is sufficient room overhead to allow the bed to remain ‘made-up’ in the raised position. The access ladder attaches at the kitchen end but if you are nimble you can climb in and out from the cab seats. At 1920mm long by 1400mm wide it is 80mm wider that the French bed at the back.
As kitchens go, the one in the Discovery is a workstation rather than a gourmet chef’s hideaway. The essentials are there but they are small in size: three LPG hobs combined with a sink unit; a Smeg combined grill/oven; a 90-litre fridge with a removable internal freezer compartment. There is free bench space above the refrigerator for food preparation so good organisation is needed at mealtime.
Roomy and functional, the Roller Team Discovery’s bathroom ticks all the boxes without going overboard. First item in on the right is the hand basin with mirror above and cupboards below. The shower moulding includes an overhead hatch and the walls have shelves moulded in with loads of room for shampoo bottles, all held in place with substantial upstands. The folding shower door is spring loaded and ‘pops’ into place and then ‘pops’ back into the folded position.
Last but not least: the bedroom. Tucked into its cozy corner the bed has a foam mattress over sprung slats that can be raised up to access the garage storage area underneath. This is not a gas strut-assisted lift but there is a prop to hold the mattress in place while you get what you are looking for. Above are two adjustable reading lights but no side shelves for your cup of tea. The four overhead lockers have vertical dividers rather than mid-shelves.
I can see the merit in the idea, but I’m used to mid-shelves and think they might be better. I liked the padded bedhead and the fact there was no window at the head of the bed. The side window is sufficient for adequate light and ventilation. In the vehicle reviewed there was no privacy screen or curtain rigged and that won’t suit everyone. Fortunately, it is not difficult to rectify this situation.
At the time of writing, the Roller Team Discovery as reviewed retails for $114,990.
Pros
- Dropdown bed
- Functional bathroom
- Crisp appearance
Cons
- Inadequate number of power points both 240volt and 12volt
- No privacy screen for the rear bed
