We got the chance to do something a bit different with this one. James, Emma, and the kids (Imagin and Jackson, who were absolutely brilliant, by the way) currently own our old Swift Kon-Tiki 874, and they have been busy making it their own since we sold it. Meanwhile, we have been settling into the Dethleffs XL Family. So we thought: why not park them side by side and see how they compare?
The 874: Four Years On
The first thing that struck me was how much James and Emma have moved the electrics forward. We had 960 amp hours of lithium in there when we sold it. They have gone in with three 460Ah batteries, a new inverter, and swapped the two 375W solar panels for 500W units. I genuinely should have fitted the 500s in the first place, but as James pointed out, solar technology has simply moved on so much in four years. They have also wired the air con directly to the inverter, so it does not trip the system when Emma puts the kettle on. That was one of our frustrations too: you would fire up the air fryer and everything would trip. Good call, sorting that.
They have added a gas flow fill point (something we are now stealing the idea for), upgraded the boiler to a continuous hot water flow system, fitted a Gen 2 air con unit with more BTUs and better battery efficiency, and popped an AEX antenna on the roof as a Starlink backup. The awning is a metre bigger than stock, properly lit, with an awning room for colder evenings. Honestly, seeing it all done like that, they have taken the van to exactly the next level it needed to go.
The 874 is still one of the best-looking motorhomes out there, low profile, with gorgeous graphics, and I have no arguments there. The bathroom is still a bit of a squeeze (not a prime pooping position, as the saying goes, and James confirmed he leaves the door open for the same reasons I did), but the interior is cracking: a sociable front lounge, plenty of storage, and at the right age with the right sized kids, it absolutely works. Imagin told us she prefers the forward-facing travel seats to the old Aguti arrangement, because she and Jackson stop arguing. She is not wrong. My lot used to do exactly the same thing.
The Dethleffs: What We’ve Gained
The XL Family is a different beast altogether. The lounge is bigger, the over-cab bed suits George perfectly, and we now have three proper double beds without having to make anything up. The rear fixed bed is genuinely one of the best things about this van: it is like a little cocoon back there, cosy without feeling cramped. Lyndsay has sorted out the storage, so I now have a wardrobe I can use without crawling across the mattress, and there is now a brew shelf back there (a proper glass shelf on slat-wall brackets), because we had nowhere to rest a cup of tea. All sorted.
The garage is enormous. James walked around in it when he arrived, looking like he was exploring a spare room, which is more or less accurate. The bathroom is a proper separate shower room with a dry-off area in the middle, the air con actually blows through even with the door shut, and the wardrobes are full height. Compared to the 874, it is a different class of space for two adults, plus the occasional visit from boys who are now all over six foot with size 13 feet.
Things we are still working on: a compressor fridge (the three-way has to go), more USB and mains sockets fitted properly so there are no cables dangling, an external LPG fill point, and we are having a good think about the Truma air con after James made a very convincing case for the Gen 2. He got me there. I will admit that.
The Honest Verdict
The 874 was absolutely right for us when the boys were young and smaller. James and Emma are at exactly that stage now, and they have taken a great van and made it even better. For a family of four with young kids, it is still a winner.
The Dethleffs suits where we are now: mostly the three of us, with space and comfort prioritised over having two separate lounges. It is a different chapter and a different van, but both are great, each simply suited to a different season of life.
This whole comparison is really one version of a bigger question we get asked constantly: what type of van actually suits your family in the first place. We go into that properly, coachbuilt against campervan, in our guide to motorhome vs campervan.
Watch the full video to see both vans properly, and if you have done similar upgrades to your own motorhome, let us know in the comments what you have changed, and what you wish you had done sooner.
Watch the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISLs6GKsxT4