I love seeing the innovation in the industry whether that be here or overseas. Recently, Bürstner GmbH & Co KG showcased a new prototype in their Lyseo Gallery. The reason it makes the news here is that there is a second floor that expands using an on-board compressor such that you can actually use the area for an office or bedroom.
Essentially the second-story roof raises and lowers by the on-board compressor filling air chambers which raises the roof. The company says the process takes about 90 seconds and the system maintains the pressure. This gives 43 inches of headroom in the upper deck, which is accessible via a set of fixed stairs.
The model is based on the company’s Lyseo TD 680. It uses the Fiat Ducato platform, which we get here in the States as the Ram Promaster. The company’s goal was to offer good upstairs usability but also good fuel economy.
With the Lyseo Gallery, Bürstner GmbH & Co KG presents an absolute innovation. This unique motorhome, initially manufactured as a press launch vehicle prototype that could also be serial produced, features an elevating over-cab area that lifts up vertically when parked with the aid of a compressor. This creates a second floor living space and unique living comfort.
The inflatable compartment, which has a waffle style surface, uses the air between inner and outer layers to provide insulation to the top when it’s up. In addition to the bed, there is a small desk as well. Europeans are also finding themselves working from RVs just as we Americans are. So, you could say this is not only a camper but also the corner office.
What’s inside the Lyseo Gallery prototype
While some details are not complete on the prototype, inside there’s a galley opposite the entry. Just beyond that is a dinette where people can sit on all three sides with one of those occupying the driver’s seat when it’s rotated 180° to face the rear.
Based on the floor plan for the Lyseo TD 680, a bathroom occupies the rear of the vehicle with the sole sleeping space being that over the cab.
The interior colors aren’t like anything we get in the U.S. with sort of an orange-bronze color. I can imagine it’s pretty polarizing.
The most interesting thing about the second-story office in the Lyseo Gallery prototype is that you sort of dangle your legs off the bed to utilize it. I supposed if you don’t like what the cook is preparing in the kitchen you can fling a shoe off at them from upstairs without missing a beat.
Heck, if it lands in the frying pan you might say you’re having “soul food” for dinner. I’m sure you want to shoe me out of here for that pun, and the one that followed.
This concept may not fly in the U.S.
This is an interesting concept on a Class C-style chassis. I’m not sure this would really fly in the United States, where soft-sided campers are only for the least expensive RVs. But it’s certainly an interesting concept.
The second floor in this is nowhere near as elaborate as the Maxus Life Home V90 Villa and there’s no elevator as that model has. But this seems closer to reality than that model.
If it’s an office you’re looking for and you happen to reside in the U.S., you might also look at the Airstream Flying Cloud 30FB Office, with the acknowledgement that that’s a travel trailer rather than a small Class C motorhome.
Watching RV manufacturers across the globe quickly step up to the changing realities of RV tastes is interesting to me. While I think this is a neat concept, I’m not so sure the idea of dangling my feet down while sitting on the bed is how I’d want to write these articles. But I could use the dining table and I wouldn’t mind having a manual transmission diesel-powered Class C that got decent fuel economy.
These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.
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I enjoy looking at RV’s from around the world. They often have ingenious and innovative ways that make some of our stuff reek of a fear of change. On the other hand, I’m all about favoring made in USA. Remember when cars and trucks came from places like Detroit and Dearborn?
Yup and they were putting out garbage until some foreign manufacturers start selling quality cars and force Detroit to change their ways. Hopefully Elkhart gets the message soon.