Laika Kosmo Emblema - Full LIVE IN Review

[@hywel3143]

Hi, Andrew. In response to your request in the video: having driven the new 2021 ZF auto box on the Fiat for 9 months and 850 miles I can confirm that it is excellent. I was unaware that any gear changes were happening with gradual accelerating or deceleration. ZF also make the auto transmission for BMWs and are generally considered to be the best available - no perceptible delay in "kick down" when accelerating, and no delay in power delivery from a standing start. I've not driven a manual Fiat, but then I've not owned a manual car since 2004, and I would never return to manual transmission.

[@andrewjditton]

That's great to know - thanks for the info!

[@jimmyconnolly3461]

Andrew, you’re the best reviewer, by far. Loved this. You go into such detail. All of which allows us to to come to our own conclusion. Unbiased and always respectful. I’d loved to have seen Douglas face when you arrived home.😉😂❤️

[@andrewjditton]

Aww many thanks Jimmy! I have to be open and honest otherwise I'd never be able to sleep at night.

[@robertricherby5947]

Thankyou Andrew for yet another great long term review. Loved also the scenic tour of Tuscany. I have the new 9 speed auto fitted to my Bürstner TD 690G. It was a special showroom event day deal costing only £700. I would never have paid £3000 for this option. Also, if the base model is only fitted with 120bhp engine, I believe that you also have the added cost of upgrading engine to 140bhp. The dealers will tell you that this is the same gearbox as fitted to BMW’s. A few years ago I added this option to a 5 Series BMW and it only cost me £1200! Having said all that, I have to say that the auto box is a great bit of kit. Seamless changing of gears, and always finding the right gear for all conditions. Motorway cruising is also enhanced, as auto changing of gears does not knock out the cruise control. Hill descents can be a little noisy, as the auto box will hold a low gear which increases engine revs. There is an eco and sport mode which affects gear changes but I tend to just use normal mode. Now I’ve owned an auto, not sure if I’d want to go back to manual even with the high cost. One further thing I would say, my motorhome is 3500kgs max weight, and the 140bhp engine sometimes feels a little underpowered with auto box. If the van was any heavier, I would want to compare performance against 160bhp.

[@andrewjditton]

Cheers Robert, that's really useful thank you. The Emblema comes with the 140 engine as standard, which was nothing better than OK with the manual box as you suggest. All the best.

[@carolynhaywood7701]

I have a Fiat automatic 2020 and I love it, it makes driving so easy and stress free. Great review Andrew. Thanks. Dougal was definitely smiling when he saw you.😀

[@Alextodd007]

Hello Carolyn

[@andrewjditton]

Good to know, thanks Carolyn!

[@HereWeTow]

Nice to see some sunshine, very detailed review and I still love the European motorhomes. Looking forward to your next project.. Karina

[@andrewjditton]

Thanks! 👍

[@lindakirk698]

A good full review. Love the size of washroom/shower. Niggles/negative points are all worth considering. Take care x

[@Alextodd007]

Hello Linda

[@lindaelizabethcole3675]

First saw these Laika Motorhomes way back years ago in Rosses, Point near Sligo , West Coast of Ireland , thought it was stunning then , magnificent piece of kit , stood out big style and Southern Ireand is well known for its many different types of luxury motorhomes , more so than in the North !! Enjoyed your video Andrew , happy travels , hugs

[@anneshirley1748]

Love the live-in reviews! They were the first vlogs of yours I watched! Beautiful motorhome, I would love one! Only one breakage/failure?! Very good considering! Talking of Tuscany, my niece was in Pisa yesterday for an interview for another job at an international English school so if it all works our, she'll be moving to Tuscany!! The school she teaches at now is Italian students! Fantastic reason to go visit even though where she is at the moment, is lovely too!! Thank you for this wonderful series, it was so enjoyable, I loved it!! Bet you couldn't wait to see Dougal?! 3 years tomorrow that we lost Chica, bless her! Hugs xxx 😘🐕🥰

[@andrewjditton]

That's exciting about your niece Anne. Can't believe that's been three years already since your sad loss :( xx

[@challengeministriesswazila2287]

I feel so bad - I tend to watch KZbin on an old tv and can’t comment - and I s as m recovering from major foot surgery- bit just to say I loved your Tuscan Adventures and this review- you put such a lot of effort into them and I really respect your opinions and observations - almost to the point of I wouldn’t buy anything without seeing if you had reviewed it- stay true to your own USP- experience and thanks.

[@andrewjditton]

Aww, thanks very much!

[@ncplantdoctor]

Quite a thorough review, which I enjoyed. Your admission that you forgot to bring a tape measure was more than nullified by the obligatory ‘Haloo’ in the washroom. Also, a shout out to Sophia who, unlike Dougal, does smile.

[@andrewjditton]

Many thanks!

[@roberth.j.burema6845]

What a nice review. Thank You Andrew.

[@andrewjditton]

My pleasure!

[@lindahiggins9295]

Great review it’s a great one for entry level . Really enjoyed following you both on your journey through Tuscany. Stay safe and say hi to Dougal x

[@Alextodd007]

Hello Linda

[@grahamcleverley7356]

Entry level. What planet are you on.

[@IngramCars]

A very fine motorhome. Love the interior finish, and details. Great review Andrew!

[@andrewjditton]

Thank you kindly Simon!

[@royale4318]

A very, very nice motorhome; however the separation from washroom to rear bed area is ... odd, to be kind - that would be a dealbreaker for many people, I would think. I can't imagine it would be much of a modification to put a floor-to-ceiling pleated screen in that aperture; hopefully by now Laika will have taken this and your other observations on board and addressed these simple issues. If it was mine, as it's only myself and my wife, I'd probably ignore, or even remove, the drop-down bed, and instead specify the infill section for the rear bed. This would make for a fantastically spacious and practical space for two to go travelling.

[@Erin-Thor]

I couldn’t agree with you more! ❤️ Simple is better, I’ve had several trips and vacations ruined by either poor design or component failures. This looks like quality, very well made!

[@peterhobbs7609]

Certainly looks a lovely motorhome and well built

[@christinegibbins6105]

Many thanks Andrew, so interesting to have such a full review. Hope you had a good trip back home to Dougal. Take care.

[@startaylor123]

Another fantastic review 👌

[@andrewjditton]

Thank you!

[@berniebne8243]

A quality motorhome. Reversing sensors are life savers. We have a car with a reversing camera & no sensors, it's a pain in comparison to the other car which has both. Our fridge has painters tape over the lights. I can't find the fridge on / display off setting, if it exists. Our caravan has the same exterior door latch, but it's possibly fitted more towards the latch edge / none hinge side of the door & it works, less leverage? Yours is a press vehicle, maybe it has been abused? Easily fixable but the privacy issue with the toilet and the split levels they would be a problem. Another great detailed review from you Andrew.

[@andrewjditton]

Cheers Bernie! It only had just over 100km on the clock when I had it, so I'm not giving this one the excuse of previous use! All the best.

[@andrewjditton]

If you have driven a RECENT (post-2020) Fiat Ducato with AUTOMATIC transmission I'd be super-grateful if you could let us know how you get on with it - so would anyone else considering a Ducato-based motorhome :)

[@karlejnarch]

Although not a Ducato, I have one of the smaller "sisters", a Citroën Dispatch 2.0 BHdi 180bhp EAT6 automatic. It drives like a dream, and the gear change is very smooth, hardly noticeable. And it tows my 1900kg Adria Alpina 573UP no bother. PS: We've had a Ducato 2001 adapted minibus with 2.8 JTdi 130bhp engine and automatic gearbox for almost ten years with only minor issues. It too drove smoothly and towed our 1700kg caravan just fine. But it may be a different engine and gearbox nowadays. PPS: Excellent review as always 👌

[@HereWeTow]

We had the 2021 auto with 160hp and really liked the drive, especially in a commercial vehicle. At 2000 miles we did have a DPF sensor fault so it had to go back to Fiat for an hour.

[@petertitterton6836]

Hi Andrew, thanks for all your videos. We recently rented an automatic Swift Edge 476 from Swiftgo. It drove well and smoothly and was controllable even when getting onto levelling ramps! Decided not to change to a motorhome but have now ordered a 4 year old Mercedes Marco Polo campervan to tow our caravan instead!

[@stevekimberley4892]

Loved the whole tour. Maybe it's somewhere we'll try in the Weinsberg CaraCompact 600MEG Edition Pepper (great van, mouthful of a name 😉) next year. It's almost entirely your fault we bought it BTW 😀. x

[@prosurvival2031]

Awesome video 👍🏻👍🏻

[@andrewjditton]

Thank you 👍

[@susanbinks8868]

Hi Andrew excellent review for this Motorhome, the interior is lovely, the washroom & shower size is excellent. Definite must in this area is a longer privacy curtain though & for safety, to avoid potential injury attention to differing floor level e.g edging metal strip to match floor outside the washroom area needed. Also a more adequate fixing to secure the Motorhome Door when it is open too! Thoroughly enjoyed all the videos of your travel through Italy!! thanks for sharing take care, Lots of Love to Dougal back Home & to You 💜💜💖💖XXXX

[@andrewjditton]

Thanks Susan! Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, it's nice to be home :)

[@yaminthegrey]

Hari OM Fabulous rundown, Andrew... beats me, though, given that Fiat Panel e-Vans are rating high, why they are not making e-motorhomes... sigh... YAM xx

[@maggiesanders294]

Why do they always have big garages when you are only allowed a certain weight?

[@andrewjditton]

This is something I've brought up in the past Maggie. On it's own it's no big deal, but once you start adding passengers or heavy options then it is. The chassis upgrade IS an option, it's down to the dealer to make sure the buyer makes the correct buying decisions. Thanks for watching.

[@GaetanHobby]

Thank you Andrew for this very good review 👍 Don t get too exited with the shower...😉 Big kisses from France 😘🇨🇵

[@TheMotorhomeMiles]

Thanks Andrew this has been really interesting as we are considering a couple of Laika models currently. Regarding the Automatic Fiat we had a 2020 Swift Kontiki sport 599 Grand Prix from Lowdhams Nottingham with the 9 speed automatic box and it was very good and smooth definitely on par with the Ford auto box of the same year the only downside was the cruise control which seemed not very precise and antiquated hopefully the new steering wheel mounted controls have solved that. Stay Safe 😜👍 Bev & Jez

[@andrewjditton]

That's good to know, thanks Beb & Jez!

[@TheMotorhomeMiles]

Your welcome @@andrewjditton 😂 we will use that, Beb 😂

[@momarsden3053]

👏😊..... Brilliant MrD 👍

[@andrewjditton]

Cheers Mo!

[@pedrofreitas1663]

Very good. 👍

[@PoshcatsCamping]

Thanks Andrew, we really like the Laika brand. Not sure if this model does it for us but there are some very attractive options in their range of vehicles that we have been very tempted by. Take care and safe travels. 🚐 Trev n Sue

[@andrewjditton]

Cheers T&S! Hope all good with you.

[@philipevans1027]

I've watched u for a while , honest opinion I've enough money to afford a merc based van is the fiat equal in reliability to the merc ?

[@andrewjditton]

Hi Philip, as I only get these vans for a few weeks at a time I'm really not qualified to advise on reliability - sorry! I guess there is no other way than braving the forums/owner social media pages and trying to come up with a clear conclusion. Having driven both, the Merc is naturally the better drive and more 'integrated'. As mentioned in the review, Fiat seem to be resting on their laurels when it comes to tech. Good luck in your choice!

[@yayasdt2738]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@flyinghedgehog3833]

Has a drop down bed...ah well can't win em all!

[@charlevoix418]

..."telegraph pole": so...british!

[@pjr7754]

You've got a girlfriend!

[@andrewjditton]

No, a photographer! ;)