The Cottingham crew’s contemporaneous marketing banner declared, “The Rio is Swift Group’s all-new, sporty, compact motorhome with a rear full-size opening tailgate.”
It was notable because instead of the usual marketing flannel, this was declarative, accurate, and if anything undersold what was and still is, the UK’s only volume coachbuilt with an opening ‘wall’.
These low-profile motorhomes certainly were compact, measuring only 6.5m in length and just 2.26m in width. Thanks to an uncluttered interior and that opening tailgate, they never felt claustrophobic. Both featured swivelling cab seats ahead of a centrally placed nearside kitchen and an offside washroom.
A triple-aspect lounge filled the rear. Rio 320’s lounge had longer (inward-facing) settees that converted into two single beds or a large all-over double bed. Rio 340’s lounge was shorter (double bed only) because a half-dinette featuring an additional two travel seats was placed just behind the driver.
The ubiquitous Fiat Ducato chassis-cab provided the underpinnings. A Multijet 2 turbocharged diesel engine with 128hp provided the oomph, with drive via a manual gearbox or ComfortMatic, which robotised the manual gearbox to provide an automatic gearshift and a ‘two-pedal’ drive. These delightful low-profile motorhomes were very much ‘a room with a view’.
See what I made of another model I recently inducted into the Practical Motorhome Hall of Fame, the Hymer Mobil 520 (1974-1983), a leisure vehicle which came with an opulent rear lounge.
Key information about the Swift Rio 320 and 340 (2014-2018)
- Rio 320 and 340 built in Cottingham, East Yorkshire by the Swift Group.
- 2.3-litre 130PS (128bhp) engine driving the front wheels.
- Overall length: 6.4m (21’ 0”).
- UK’s first volume coachbuilt with a full-size opening wall.
- Prices at launch: Rio 320, £44,400; Rio 340, £45,500
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