2012 Chausson Flash 02

The Chausson Flash 02 (motorhomesdirect.co.uk)

Now when people mention things like caravans and motorhomes, many people will take a sharp intake of breath, but for one August weekend, we (the other half and I) decided to see what it was all about and hired a motorhome for our trip to Shelsley Walsh hill climb in Worcestershire.

We hired a 2012 Chausson Flash 02 from Unbeatable Hire for five days and collected it on the Thursday prior to going away on the Friday. The Chausson Flash 02 it labeled as a 2/3 berth motorhome, but I’m going to review it as a 2 berth, as quite frankly it’s rather a pain in the arse to set up the extra single berth (more on that later).

The Flash 02 is built on the latest Ford Transit base and from the outside is a rather splendid looking thing, with all the access to the important equipment like the chemical toilet cassette, fresh water tank, under bed storage and so on you would expect. Talking of the under bed storage, this can be accessed from the rear of the motorhome or by lifting up the double bed itself from the inside. The fresh water tank has an 80 ltr capacity giving enough water for up to 8 showers (yes there’s on of those too!)

Layout of the Flash 02 (chaussonmotorhomes.co.uk)

The first thing to get used to is the sheer size and weight of the thing, if you’ve never driven anything bigger than a Ford Focus, then it takes a few miles to get used to, but after a while you get used to the width of the Flash 02 and you start to relax and enjoy the experience. I must have stalled the engine 4 or 5 times on the way home, getting used to the clutch bite point and how many revs it needed to pull away. The length too, means that I had to get the other half to guide me back when I reversed up to the archway leading into the car park, especially as ours had a bike rack attached to the rear (enough for up to 4 bikes). But all-in-all, once you know where you are on the road in relation to hedges, walls and white lines, you’ll find the Flash 02 a pretty comfy ride.

Our Flash 02 had the 2.2liter 130hp engine and had plenty of guts to pull it along with seemingly little effort and once on long stretches of road with no roundabouts to negotiate, I was able to set the Cruise Control and relax a little more and with it’s 6-speed gearbox, the Flash 02 ambles along quite happily at 55mph, whilst showing a respectable 1500rpm in top gear. Whilst the Flash 02 is labelled as a 2/3 berth motorhome, it can actually carry 3 passengers and the driver while on the move, due to the 2 seat belts at the bench seat where the table is placed.

Table and swivel seats in the Flash 02 (campingcar-77.com)

Now, on to that “3rd” berth (and I’ll keep this brief). I mentioned earlier that it’s a bit of a pain to set up the extra single bed. The reason is you have to faff about lowering the table and moving cushions (whilst extracting them from the seatbelts) to dismantle the bench seat. This all means that for a third person staying more than one night, they would be better off sleeping in a tent, especially an adult. That said, there is plenty of room for four people to sit around the table as the divers and front passengers seat swivel round and there’s also an extension with swivels out on the table.

Showerroom in the Flash 02

Right, what about storage, you ask? Well as I mentioned earlier, there’s a huge space under the double bed which is accessed from the rear of the motorhome or by lifting up the bed, there are plenty of head height cupboards around the living area above the table and the double bed, plus a floor standing cupboard and sink unit next to the fridge and a tall wardrobe plus some shelves for clothing next the the shower-room. All the  storage cupboards, draws, doors and fridge in the living area are lockable whilst on the move to stop any falling crockery or beer cans.

The fridge itself is a generous size, not much smaller then the larder fridge you might have in your kitchen at home. It includes a small freezer compartment and runs from the LPG gas bottle during your stay, or from the leisure battery (when the engine is running, or via 240 volt if you have a mains hook-up available on-site). There’s also a 3-ring gas hob and a head height grill (both also running from the LPG bottle). There is a heating and air conditioning control placed on the side of the double bed which runs from the diesel heater and there’s also plenty of lighting (all individually switchable) around the living area.

Ample storage and comfy double bed in the Flash 02.

As mentioned there is a 240v mains hook-up if you have that available. There is one socket for this in the living area, “cleverly” placed on the side of the sink unit (round of applause for the boffin that thought that was a good idea!)

Now, on to the shower room. Though a little cramped (for those of us with the fuller, taller stature, the shower room accommodates a swivel-pan chemical toilet, shower and wash basin. The shower lacks a little height (I’m 5ft 11 and was crouching under the shower head) but this only restricted by the roof height, but is powerful enough to freshen up after a day’s marshaling or on the beach. As mentioned, the 80 liter fresh water tank is enough for up to 8 showers. The water takes around 20 minutes to get hot enough (using the heating control down the side of the double bed) using the diesel heater, which is also used for the air conditioning in the ‘caravan’ area. The toilet cassette, made by Thetford, is easy to empty and is accessed from a small door on the side of the motorhome and the waste water is disposed of by pulling the 2 t-bars under the motorhome. You can do this then just drive away leaving a trail of just dirty water with no fear or causing harm to anyone or anything.

There are plenty of windows in the living area of the Flash 02, most of which have four lever catches. All the windows appeared to be of the single glazed plastic type, although I am informed that they are more likely to be doubles glazed, but all are fitted with fly-screens and black-out screens. The fly-screens were very useful over the weekend, especially during the evening when those lovely mozzies and gnats come put to play and bite everyone.

Bike rack and rear access to under-bed storage area on the Flash 02. Also easy access to LPG gas bottle storage (campervan-photos.com)

All-in-all, The Flash 02 is quite generously specced and despite the extra single bed which is next to useless and a couple of small design faults, for a couple taking a long weekend away in the country or by the sea, it’s a great vehicle, with comfortable fixtures and fittings, plenty of room for eating and a very good level of home comforts.

Wardrobe of the Flash 02

Now as I said at the top of the article, we hired our Chausson Flash 02 so it came with a few accessories, like mains hook-up cable, water tank filling hose and leveling ramps and an instruction manual put together by Unbeatable Hire. Hire cost was around £470 for 5 days, plus £12 a day insurance waver (instead of the normal £1200 – from which they will deduct any cost for damage and return the balance). This means that any damage to the vehicle comes out of your pocket, so it’s up to you which you choose. You can choose this option when doing the online booking.

We wouldn’t hesitate to hire the Flash 02 again, although it seems an expensive way to go on holiday, but it’s far more comfortable than a tent. Of course if you’re looking to buy a motorhome, the Flash 02 comes in at under £40,000 (that’s if you can find one). We’ve looked around the interweb and the Flash 04 (a 3/4 berth Chausson motorhome can be picked up for around £41,000).

Useful links.

www.chausson-motorhomes.com  – Chausson Motorhomes website.
www.unbeatablehire.com – Unbeatable Hire website.