On a couple of family holidays, we never had to leave anything at home, apart from the proverbial kitchen sink. If you’ve ever had a two-year old in tow, you’ll know how much you have to pack for a week-long break. The Across took four of us to Cornwall, Devon and Herefordshire, and everyone on board commented on how impressed they were.
The only one who might have given it a minus point was my son Callum. His view out from his child seat in the rear was a wee bit limited because of the high waistline and shallow windows, but that’s first-world problems for you.
There are a couple of other small downsides, too. If you’re not running one as a company car, the Across can be expensive to buy, although I’ve seen a few new ones being advertised with a decent discount.
And while the stitched leather panels on the dashboard and most of the interior materials are of decent quality, some of the plastics lower down were a little hard. The trim on the inside of the boot panel also ended up getting scratched by my heavy work gear, leading me to think a carpeted panel would work better.
Using it in day-to-day life as a mobile office and camera car, I was impressed with the multiple rubberised cubbies and generous storage options spread around the Across’s interior to keep bottles of drink, snacks and sunglasses stowed away.
True, when I used it as a moving platform to take car-to-car shots from, the ride was firm. That might be down to the extra weight of the batteries, but it was never harsh, and it settled down at speed, helped by nicely weighted, accurate steering.
The Across also had that rare ability to deliver me wherever I needed to go feeling relaxed at the end of my journey. The only other thing I could have wanted was an actual piece of cake at the end of my trip to top it all off, but even without it, living with the Across was definitely a slice of the good life.
