Our First Visit: Concorde Reisemobile Factory in Aschbach
- Xoxowos
- Aug 12, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 31, 2019
When we decided to purchase our first motorhome, we started researching the best brands in Europe. Three brands came up: Concorde, Morelo and Niesmann+Bischoff.
Our first visit was to the Concorde Reisemobile factory in Aschbach/Germany...
When I arrived, all workers were on lunch break, so I took the opportunity to check out cars on display. The showroom was surprizingly empty with only 3 Concorde models on display (Credo, Charisma, Cruiser). After checking out these vehicles, I could tell that all of them looked quite impressive and well built, although a little neglected, probably due to the rush of the Dusseldorf show preparations.
I had an appointment with a sales representative who showed up at 13:00 sharp. He asked how he could be of assistance. I mentioned I wanted to check out the Charisma 850 model. He immediately fetched the keys and we went together to the car, a Charisma 850L Centurion Style. He opened the door and left the keys with me asking me to take my time and not feel under pressure.
I took my time to examine the car and my first impressions were positive. The car looked well built with cosy interiors. It was also relatively well equipped. Interiors design was not as impressive as shown in their catalogues but still, I had a positive impression overall.
One thing that I found quite odd was the discharge procedures of the black and grey water tanks. One has to open compartment 1 to reach the discharge valve of the black water tank, then open compartment 2 and remove the cover of another sub-compartment to reach the discharge valve of the grey water tank, then the garage door and pull out 2 hoses to fill the fresh water tank and/or flush the sewage tanks.
In contrast, Morelo is grouping all sewage and fresh water systems in a single compartment, which I find way more user friendly.
After a while, we sat down with the salesman to discuss details. He was not speaking English well and apologized for it on many occasions. However, he went well beyond the extra mile trying to explain himself. From experience I know that Germans could be quite conservative and sometimes even hardheaded so as not to accept English as the international business language. This particular salesman was very kind and friendly and worked hard to make himself clear. I helped him out with a few words as well, at the end of the day we were able to communicate.
We went over the options list line by line and he explained each item as much as he could. When I mentioned that we wanted to have a few extra items that were not on their options list (like upgraded lithium battery system, washer/dryer, dishwasher, appleTV, air conditioning in bedroom, bike rack etc…), he was generally welcoming although the tone of the conversation started to change. I noticed that they were somewhat reluctant to go outside their options list. At that point I felt that even the simplest installations like the appleTV or an extra lithium battery or a specific brand for dishwasher would become an issue whereas for instance their competitor Morelo have included some of these items in their price/options list for 2019. Delivery time was within our expectation (February 2019) though.
++ PROS ++
Friendly, English speaking salesman
Well built, technologically advanced (relatively) vehicles
Good amount of options and layouts to choose from
Reasonable delivery times
-- CONS --
Very limited customization possibilities beyond their options list
Very limited interior color and material choices
Dispersed technical systems
No offerings (tea, coffee, water etc)
No factory tour
The Verdict: Having thought over, I decided to keep Concorde on hold and check out other brands to see how they compare and react to our specific customization requests.
A few pictures taken during my visit to Concorde factory in Aschbach:
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