Caravans and cars need star quality to feature on our front covers, and the outfit on the front of our new May issue certainly fits the bill. First there’s the mighty new Swift Conqueror 560 – a centre-washroom, island-bed caravan that seems to offer dizzy heights of luxury. You can read our full live-in test in the new issue. The Conqueror is pictured with the affordable and capable Kia Sorento KX-2 auto – again, don’t miss our full tow car test in the latest issue.
You’ll also find our experts’ verdict on the surprisingly light Coachman Laser 650 – an island-bed four-berth costing more than £26k. You can also read our test of the five-berth Lunar Lexon 580 family van, costing almost £20k, and the four-berth fixed-bed Bailey Pegasus Modena, costing a tad over £17k. Don’t miss our experts’ verdicts on these exciting new caravans.
Buying used caravans
If new caravan prices are making your eyes water, don’t worry, we also test used micro-tourers for less than £8000 and bring you our expert’s guide to what to look for when you view a used 2007 Compass Rambler for sale. Don’t forget you can browse through a wide range of new and used caravans for sale on our website.
Heating special: a night in a freezer
Meanwhile Group Editor Alastair Clements has taken part in his most extreme caravan test yet. He accepted a challenge to spend a whole night in a cold chamber, to find out if a Bailey Pegasus really can protect you when temperatures plummet to -15°C! As a result, he’s now a bit of an expert on the ways in which new technology makes our caravans warmer. Read his heating special article to find out how he got on.
Calling all tow car buyers!
Tow Car Editor David Motton tests the new Škoda Superb 2.0 TDI 150PS SE Business, which has a kerbweight of 1485kg. Read his full report to find out how he checked its towing abilities and performance in wet conditions.
As we’ve mentioned, our expert also tests the tow car on our front cover, the Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi KX-2 auto, an MPV with plenty of space inside and a kerbweight of 1953kg.
Then Russ Smith, our used tow car expert, brings us his 2007-2013 Citroen Grand C4 Picasso review. This MPV is a seven-seater and should make a great tow car, but be sure to read his review to find out which models are the best, and a few trouble spots to check during your test drive.
Finally, we test 11 folding camping tables to find out which is the best for caravan holidays.
Win an awning!
This month we have three great new competitions for you. There’s a chance to win a new Vango Kalari 520 inflatable awning, worth £1000! This is a fantastic opportunity for you to obtain a brand new awning that’s easy to put up and offers plenty of extra living space to make caravan holidays better than ever. Will you be joining the inflatable awning revolution? Enter this prize draw to be in with a chance.
We also have 15 pairs of tickets to the Great British Food Festivals in May. Enter our free prize draw for a chance to go to one of the festivals, which are held in Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire from 30 April-2 May and Harewood House in Yorkshire from 28-30 May.
The third competition will appeal to all Lego fans. You’ll soon be able to build your own Bailey caravan if you win our competition, since we have 10 limited edition Lego Bailey Pegasus caravans to give away.
Go online to enter all three new Practical Caravan competitions before midnight on 20 April 2016 – good luck!
Your great escapes
You’ll find a warm welcome when you take caravan holidays in Holland, as Nigel and Kay Hutson discover. Enjoy his great escape to the land of fascinating culture, clogs and cheese.
From cheese to our very enjoyable cider-sipping Somerset tour. Bryony Symes explores the farms, tries the best local cakes and tipples and relaxes on a scenic pitch in an orchard.
What could be more quintessentially English than a weekend in the Cotswolds? We join Nigel Donnelly and partner Jen in a Bailey Unicorn in Burford. It’s the perfect base for a quiet and relaxing tour of the picturesque villages nestling in the Cotswold hills and valleys.
Fancy exploring somewhere different this summer? Don’t miss our great new series on the UK’s top counties for touring, featuring fantastic campsites and attractions. This month we visit Sussex, in South East England.
Caravan restoration and more
Back in 1971, the UK’s best-selling caravan was the iconic Sprite Alpine. Andy Jenkinson meets a couple who are living the dream in that very van – after a little restoration.
We also share our pick of your letters, holiday photos and tips. And our DIY caravan mechanic Nigel Hutson rolls up his sleeves and cleans a Carver 4000A caravan water heater and replaces the controls.
Don’t miss our May issue of Practical Caravan magazine – you’ll find it in the shops now!
You could win a Vango Kalari 520 inflatable awning, worth £1000!