Niesmann-Bischoff Arto 77e - a beautiful motorhome [TEST CampRest]

During the past Christmas, we had the opportunity to test a very luxurious Niesmann + Bischoff motorhome, the Arto 77e model in the face2face layout. For almost 4 weeks, we traveled 9,000 km in this motorhome from Poland to Portugal. We traveled it as a family of four with two children aged 2 and 5. It was a great holiday in an amazing motorhome, which I wanted to ride for a long time ...

Amazing design of Niesmann Bischoff motorhomes

When you enter the stand of this brand during the fair in Dusseldorf, you immediately know that the team of designers are real experts because the stand itself stands out from the rest.

It's the same with motorhomes coming out of their pen.

The front of this motorhome is simply amazing. Racial-looking lights with chrome inserts, red elements that are eye-catching but without exaggeration. The huge rear wall with oval shapes, lacquered white gloss with a delicately exposed Niesmann + Bischoff logo is a real work of art for me.

AL-KO chassis

The motorhome was built on a Fiat Ducato chassis with a 2.3 HP engine coupled with an automatic 9-speed gearbox. It was the first time I had ever driven this new Fiat gearbox and I must admit that the engineers did their homework. The gears shift very smoothly. The automatic gear selects the gear to the prevailing situation. It is also possible to change gears manually, but during our test I did not need to change gears.

The engine power is sufficient for driving on flat highways. However, an insufficient range of power appeared in the mountainous areas of Spain. With this weight of a motorhome (4.5 tons), the engine power could be increased by 20 or 40KM. This would increase the driving comfort. At the same time, I would like to point out that the current power was sufficient and the trucks did not overtake us. More power would be useful if we wanted to go all the time at the same speed, regardless of the elevation.

The chassis has been adapted by AL-KO. The motorhome was very good. He held firmly in all corners on Portuguese side roads. I felt very confident behind the wheel.

The GVM of the tested motorhome is 4.5 tons. Personally, when buying, I would rather choose a little higher. Why? The camper is very well equipped, which significantly increased its curb weight. As a result, there is still little load capacity for personal belongings. I checked the weight of the motorhome on the scales in the coal purchase, when the car was not yet loaded. The weight indicator showed 4,100 kg with half a tank of fuel.

Road tolls in Europe with GVM over 3.5t

There is a general myth that driving a motorhome with a GVM over 3.5t is associated with high tolls. It all depends on the country. Going from Poland to Portugal, we were accompanied by a camper with an alcove (height 3.2 m, our height is 3 m) with a GVM up to 3.5 t, so we had a real comparison of this issue. It turns out our travel costs were almost the same!

In Poland, I was bound by ViaToll. On the section from Bielsko-Biała to the border in Jędrzychowice, I paid PLN 91. Driving a motorhome up to 3.5 tons, the cost of the same road is PLN 16.2. In Poland, I actually paid more, but that's the end of the higher cost of traveling with a motorhome above 3.5 tons.

In the other countries we traveled through, i.e. France, Spain, Portugal, the fees were exactly the same. In Germany, we both paid nothing because tolls in Germany only apply from 7.5t GVW.

What's more, in the Czech Republic I paid less for the highway! For vehicles over 3.5 tons, I had to buy a device from myto.cz. The fee for our motorhome was only 2 EUR on a section comparable to that in Poland (from Jędrzychowice to Bielsko)! Meanwhile, if a car below 3.5 tons were to travel this route, you should buy a minimum 10-day vignette worth about PLN 73

We would pay more in Austria, but we wrote about it before. If you want to read more about the costs of our monthly trip through Austria and Italy in a motorhome above 3.5 tons - see the article "Holidays in a motorhome" .

How much does the Niemsann + Bischoff Arto 77E motorhome smoke with a GVM of 4.5t?

During the entire test, we traveled in a camper over 9,000 km, mostly on atostways. We traveled on the austways with an average cruising speed of 110 km / h.

During the entire test, the motorhome burned an average of 13.5l / 100km, which I consider a very reasonable result for such a heavy and large KMPaer.

A cab in the Arto Niesmann + Bischoff motorhome

The dashboard in every motorhome built on a Fiat Ducato chassis looks the same - also in Niesmann.

The superstructure (extending the standard dashboard) is made of an interesting material, which is covered with a delicate rubber and is generally pleasant to the touch. I do not feel cheap plastic in it, which personally bothers me in the Fiat board.

The front, huge glass is covered with a special roller blind, which resembles anti-burglary roller blinds used in homes. This roller blind, apart from the shading function, works perfectly as a thermal block, which was noticeable on frosty mornings and evenings. After lifting the blind, the cold air accumulated between the blind and the glass was forced inside the motorhome.

I also used the roller blind many times as a sun block during the afternoon trips to the sun. Without taking your back from the driver's seat, it was enough to press just one button and the blind went down to the right level.

In the same place there is another roller blind - this time a linen one, but it can be pulled out from the bottom. It can only be raised up to ¾ of the glass height, which still allows sunlight to enter inside, but gives some privacy when staying at the campsite and passers-by do not look inside us.

The driver and passenger seats come from the reputable company Aguti and have many possibilities of adjusting the height and inclination of the seat. However, the backrests sometimes felt too hard. Although it was possible that it was the result of driving a really long distance, i.e. 9,000 km.

The motorhome was generally very comfortable and really quiet. All the furniture and most of all the elements of the cab were assembled so well that sometimes it felt as if you were driving a rigid tin van rather than an integrated motorhome. It is in such matters that the high quality of Niesmann + Bischoff motorhomes is visible and audible.

However, I believe that the manufacturer should refine the guides for the side blinds, which creak very slightly (it is so imperceptible that Kasia did not hear it until I told her). By driving into a larger hole, the internal element can hit the metal cover, which can scare the driver quite a bit.

The motorhome was additionally equipped with a Dynavin multimedia station. Good quality sound came out from the factory-installed speakers while listening to music or watching movies. I noticed that there is still a lot of space for additional speakers, so you can make a motorhome a good multimedia room.

Next to the driver's seat, in addition to the shutter control button, there is also a button for retracting the entrance step, heating and controlling mirrors or turning on the cab's lighting. I would definitely add a button for blocking drawers in the kitchen, which when they are not locked and we start the engine, they trigger a very loud alarm. You then have to get up, go to the kitchen and press the button that will automatically lock the drawers.

Motorhome without driver's door

The specimen we were driving did not have a door. It was quite annoying at first, because when I wanted to jump out of the camper quickly - I had to get up and walk to the only front door in the living area and open the stairs, which just takes time. However, you can get used to it.

The undoubted advantage of this solution is increased safety in the event of an accident. According to the manufacturer, integrated motorhomes without doors receive better results in crash tests than motorhomes with doors. In addition, we are sure that over time such doors will not unseal or start knocking. Besides, having a door, we are not able to route the ALDE radiator, which was used in this model, along the entire wall.

The residential part of the Niesmann Arto motorhome

The layout of the living area in the tested motorhome is really comfortable. All thanks to the Face-2-Face chip that is gaining more and more popularity.

This arrangement is distinguished by the location of the couch around the table. Usually, in integrated motorhomes, the sofa is arranged in the shape of the letter L. In the face 2 face configuration, one sofa is located along the right wall and the other along the left wall. After folding the sofas at a stop in the motorhome, a huge rest space is created and up to 6 people can sit comfortably at the table.

Okay, but where are the passengers in Arto face-2-face?

And here the magic happens. The sofas are transformed into independent seats for passengers. From the couch on the right, you can easily unfold the seat with belts and the Iso-Fix system. The armchair is made by the top company Aguti, hence the high quality of workmanship. The mattress from the couch must be moved to the rear bed while driving.

On the left side, you only need to detach 1 part of the seat to make room for the passenger's legs. However, if we travel with a child, as it was in our case, we only put a child seat. Maks was very comfortable with his legs stretched out over the entire couch.

The table itself has a lot of adjustment possibilities. If we do not want to use it, we can move it strongly against the wall and thus we will have a lot of space to move around in the residential part.

In the residential part you will find 3 230V sockets that are always at hand. The manufacturer has located them in good places. Unfortunately, he forgot about USB sockets - in the entire living area we will find only one, in the kitchen ...

The lighting inside the motorhome is fantastic and you can illuminate the entire interior well. Creating the right atmosphere with warm ambient lighting is also not a problem.

Colors of the interior of Niesmann Bischoff motorhomes

The tested specimen was in quite bright and warm colors. The seats of the armchairs were black, which I consider a very practical solution, especially when traveling with young children.

The backrests in the form of cushions were upholstered in the form of a light brown check. Not everyone likes the traditional checkered design in Niesmann. We felt very comfortable in this interior.

I must point out here that when it comes to choosing the interior colors and materials, Niesmann + Bischoff gives us a huge field to show off. In total, we can make over 500 individual configurations, so you will certainly be able to design a motorhome perfectly to your tastes.

Additional equipment - energy independence and air conditioning in the floor

The tested unit was very well equipped with various devices that affect the comfort and independence while traveling in a motorhome.

Let's start with 2 TVs - one was placed at the rear, in the bedroom. It could be mounted a bit differently, because when we wanted to connect some external USB or HDMI drives, we encountered difficulties with access to the sockets. I would suggest connecting small extension cords permanently to lead the sockets to an easily accessible place.

The second TV is at the entrance to the motorhome and it is not a small screen that we usually find in motorhomes, but a large 42 ”TV. When driving, it is positioned vertically, while while watching it, it rotates horizontally. The TV is of course connected to a DVD, an automatic satellite dish on the roof and good-quality speakers that give a cinema-like sound quality.

The motorhome is additionally equipped with three gel batteries with a total capacity of 360ah, which are powered by four roof solar panels with a total power of 640W when parked!

In addition, a 3000W VOLT converter has been installed, providing a continuous voltage of 230V to each socket inside the motorhome.

The above connection gave us energy independence, which allowed us to not connect the motorhome to electricity at the campsite even once during our nearly 30-day trip. I must point out here that we did not save electricity and the motorhome was charged with laptops, tablets, cameras and a drone non-stop. These are devices with relatively low power demand. In the kitchen, on the other hand, the pressure coffee maker was turned on at least 6 times a day, we made toasts, turned on a powerful 1300W waffle iron several times and used a hair dryer every day.

The electric motorhome test passed to 6!

The tested Arto 77E was equipped with a Truma Saphir Comfort RC air conditioner, which was installed in a double floor. Thanks to this, no roof window was covered. Another advantage of this solution is the possibility of distributing cold or warm air through channels hidden in the wall.

The air conditioner is also powered by an inverter. Therefore, we can also cool the living area while driving, which is of great importance when traveling in the summer.

Hydraulic supports are a sensational addition, thanks to which the entire 4.5t motorhome can be leveled and stiffened with one button in less than a minute. This is something that simply cannot be missing in a motorhome of this class.

However, I noticed 2 disadvantages of this solution - first of all, the remote control to control the supports should be at the driver's seat, not at the exit door. My suggestion is that the supports can only be steered when the engine is running. Currently, you have to run between the ignition switch and the front door. It can definitely be done because the remote control works wirelessly.

The second downside is that the rear supports are located too low. Please bear this in mind when backing up to the curb or when going off the curb.

The motorhome, of course, has a hatch for 2 standard 11 kg gas cylinders, but in order not to have problems with the replacement of cylinders in different countries in Europe, a permanent LPG tank was installed under the chassis, which contained nearly 40l of gas. This solution allowed us to constantly refuel the gas at each LPG station and the cylinders that we had as reserve did not have to be used for heating.

Kitchen in Niesmann Arto 77E

I would like to write that the kitchen in Niemsana Arto 77e is spacious. The worktop is deep, but there could be a bit more in a motorhome of this class of worktop. How could this be done? Surely, a good solution would be the possibility of enlarging the table top with a round cover from the sink. I have come across such solutions in other motorhomes.

Coming back to the lid is another thing I didn't like about the kitchen. The lid, after uncovering the sink, has no dedicated place where it can be safely put away (maybe apart from the drawer, thus covering access to, for example, cutlery). If we put it vertically on the table top, and the motorhome is not level, it will roll all the time.

The table top is made of a material that resembles marble and gives the impression of being really solid. It is easy to keep clean. However, it was difficult to keep the glass surface of the gas stove clean ...

The very area of cabinets and drawers is very large and we have easily accommodated all the food and utensils in them.

In the kitchen you will also find a large refrigerator from Dometic, which runs on 230V, 12V and gas, and what's cool about it - we can open it on the left or right side. There is a separate freezer and gas oven above the refrigerator.

Bathroom in the Niesmann Arto 77e motorhome

The bathroom, or the whole bathing room, as you can call it, consists of a really large, round shower cubicle located on the left wall of the motorhome. On the right side you will find a ceramic toilet, a sink and cabinets.

Unfortunately, the number of cabinets was not enough for our whole family, but we can say that Kasia often lacks space for cosmetics, so it is possible that someone else will not have a problem with it. Right next to the bathroom there were steps to the bed, where you could easily accommodate additional things that did not fit in the bathroom.

The door was opened a bit strangely, thanks to which we separated the bathroom from the living area because there was quite a gap at the hinges. While it is not a problem for a family, you may feel awkward if you want to use the bathroom during an evening with friends.

We also missed an ALDE radiator, on which you can hang towels or other things that need to be dried. It is definitely available in an additional option at Niesmann's, which I sincerely recommend, especially if you want to ride in winter.

We could not complain about the lack of water because the motorhome as standard was equipped with a 200l clean water tank and 150l of gray water.

Rear and front bedrooms

The motorhome is equipped with two beds. One lowered at the front, which can comfortably sleep two adults. The frame is very solid and the bed does not swing and does not make noise. There is a skylight above the bed and an LED reading lamp. The manufacturer, however, forgot about the USB socket near the bed. Therefore, it is not possible to charge the phone while sleeping, if we want to have the phone at hand.

At the back there is a bed in our favorite arrangement, i.e. two beds on the sides with an internal connector.

This solution gives a huge and safe space, especially when traveling with small children. Under the beds there is a place for spacious wardrobes, where we can hang the wardrobe on hangers. Above the bed around the motorhome there are spacious lockers for the rest of personal belongings. All of them are closed with a great Push-To-Open system.

The mattresses in both beds were very comfortable, and the frame was equipped with the Froli system, which additionally increases the comfort of sleep.

In the rear part there are 2 USB charging sockets and cool, atmospheric lighting with LED reading lamps.

Huge garage in a motorhome over 3.5 tons

At the back of the motorhome, there is a huge garage, in which we can fit 2 large bikes, 1 bicycle for a 5-year-old, 2-person Thule Cab2 children's trailer, camping chairs and table, and four 60-liter ROBUSTO storage boxes.

The garage can be accessed through the large door that opens up on the right side of the motorhome or the smaller door that opens to the side on the left side. The smaller door allowed me to quickly access the boxes in which I kept smaller things, such as water or food supplies.

In the garage you will also find an outdoor shower with hot water, as well as airline strips, thanks to which we can easily secure the transported items. The garage has internal LED lighting.

Due to the fact that we transported the bikes in the garage, they did not get damaged as when transporting the standard one on the trunk, which would also cover a very nice rear wall in Niesmanno. Speaking of the rear wall, I must add that this is where the rear view camera is installed. However, this is not the standard top-mounted rear view camera. Niesmann + Bischoff hides the camera under its logo, which opens as soon as we engage reverse gear. In this way, the camera lens is always clean and the image is perfectly clear.

Storage compartments in the floor and service hatch

There are a lot of compartments in the motorhome, thanks to which all things can be easily stored and sorted.

My favorite was the one in the double floor which we accessed from the living area. By lifting the floor cover, we got to four boxes that were placed on two rails. Thanks to this, we could easily get to the appropriate box in a very long luggage compartment under the floor.

In addition, an interesting solution was the outer drawer on the left side of the motorhome for dirty items, water hoses or extension cords.

Niesmann + Bischoff has placed the service hatch with access to all valves on the left side of the motorhome. It is closed with a tight door, thanks to which all valves are always clean, but the door lacked actuators, without which the door had to be held up with one hand.

Easy access to drain clean water as well as cold and hot water from the entire installation in the motorhome is invaluable - in this way we can quickly prepare the motorhome for a winter stop with the heating turned off.

Video from the Niesmann + Bischoff Arto 77E motorhome test

Summary of the Niesmann Bischoff Arto 77E motorhome test

Niesmann + Bischoff is another of the few motorhomes that is on my dream list. The build quality is very good. Amazing design means that when sitting in front of this motorhome, you don't want to stop looking at it. This was confirmed by the many "thumbs up" that city passersby and other drivers had raised.

I liked:

• the quality of the building and the silence while driving
• F2F chip
• spacious garage
• amazing exterior design
• heating ALDE
• energy independence
• driving stability

I would like it more if:

• the chassis was from Mercedes
• the kitchen countertop was a little bigger
• the hydraulic supports were suspended a bit higher
• DMC was raised to 5t
• there was a button in the cab to close the kitchen drawers
• in the place of the owner, my name was on the registration certificate

Where to buy Niesmann + Bischoff campers?

If you want to see the Niesmann + Bischoff campers, be sure to visit the M-Camp company from Dzierżoniów, which is the exclusive distributor of this brand in Poland.

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