Verdict
There’s a 16% price difference between the GT70 Brindisi and the Pegasus Grande Brindisi, but this isn’t just a wider version of last year’s van. Spec bumps for the GT70 are now standard, and the extra space makes the super-size Brindisi a compelling proposition.
Pros
Spacious lounge and bedroom
Clever storage
Cons
You need to be happy with towing an 8ft-wide van
Full marks to Bailey for boldly reworking its mid-market range, something acknowledged by our Tourer of the Year 2019 judges when they bestowed Best Seasonal Tourer on the twin-axle Messina. But what about the single-axle models?
We’re going to take a look at the Brindisi, an island-bed end-washroom four-berth with an MTPLM of 1490kg, and one of three floorplans carried over from last season.
Bailey decided to welcome the line-up back to ‘standard’ status by making the whole range eight feet wide. In doing so, it joins other members of the Big Five in meeting a growing demand for more spacious tourers that might spend most of their time on a seasonal pitch, rather than being towed from site to site.
But the ‘Grande’ doesn’t just address the girth of this line-up. Some elements of the enhanced Pegasus GT70 spec have been retained.
Chief among these is Al-Ko’s ATC anti-snaking system, which is standard fit – and really ought to be fitted to a caravan of this size – and a solar panel.
The Pegasus Grande Brindisi retains the same shipping length as the GT70 version, so let’s see what Bailey has done with the extra width available.
Used by two or six people, the G-shaped front living quarters are super flexible
Pitching & Setting-up
With that MTPLM of 1490kg, you’re looking at the likes of a medium-sized SUV to tow the Brindisi. And, at not far short of 7.5m long, the Brindisi is hefty; so we’d imagine most buyers would opt for a motor mover.
Mains hook-up connections are made on the nearside, with water on the offside.
As has become a staple on Bailey caravans, there’s no front gas locker – the bottles are stored in a compartment situated ahead of the offside axle.
Controls for essential services are just inside the entrance door on the right – although don’t look here for the Truma Combi 4 controls, which are on the left-hand end of the kitchen unit.
Living
Along with the increased width, the Brindisi’s other unique selling point has to be its G-shaped lounge. Although L-shaped lounges do crop up in contemporary British-built tourers – think Buccaneer’s Barracuda – Bailey’s G-lounge is something a bit different. Here, the ‘L’ shape is extended to have three sides, with a single seat at its end making the ‘G’. You can use the seat to face the lounge, or the front of the van.
If choosing the latter, the occasional table on a rail under the nearside window will provide a mini-dinette for two. Larger parties can be catered for by adding the folding-leaf table that stows under the island bed. So whether being used by two or by six, the Pegasus Grande’s G-shaped font living quarters are super flexible. However, this does mean buyers will forgo the traditional centre chest.
The Brindisi’s lounge is fitted with ‘Eucalyptus’ cabinetwork and ‘Kempton’ soft furnishings.
All six of the large Pegasus models retain the large vertical front window, so it’s no surprise that, with four other windows and a rooflight, this space benefits from lots of natural light.
In a supporting role you’ll find over-locker ambient lighting and four directional spotlights. These have up to four USB sockets.
Kitchen
There are similarities to the Unicorn in the Brindisi’s offside kitchen. Chief of these is the wooden flap above the cooker, with a dual-fuel hob over the oven and grill.
To the left is the square metal sink, as seen in the Unicorn, atop a wide drawer with a positive catch. Underneath that is a large cupboard with barn doors. Bailey has fitted a pair of mains sockets on the left of the kitchen unit.
Across the gangway is a dual-fuel fridge with separate freezer compartment and, above the dresser, a microwave.
Washroom
If the Brindisi is sleeping four, the end might not be the ideal washroom location, as any traffic towards the rear of the van could disturb those in the island bed.
For use by a couple, though, this won’t be a problem and the washroom exploits the full width of the van. There’s lots of space between the rear corner shower cubicle and the cassette toilet at the opposite end, enhanced by a wide mirror over the vanity unit.
A heating vent makes this space ideal for dressing if some privacy is required, and Bailey has included a pair of hooks for bathrobes or towels.
Beds
In recent years, island beds have supplanted French beds in the popularity stakes, so fans of this feature will feel at home in the Brindisi’s bedroom. At 6ft 3in by 4ft 7in, the bed should meet the needs of most couples, and it’s flanked by two wardrobes with a handy shelf below each.
There are two LED spotlights under the lockers, a rooflight and window at the foot of the bed, and a small dresser to the left of the window.
A concertina partition slides across to separate this bedroom from the front lounge, where the make-up double exploits the van’s 8ft width to measure a very respectable 7ft 3in by 3ft 11in.
Storage
With 155kg to play with, the Brindisi’s payload is in the right bracket for couples. There are four overhead lockers in the lounge and kitchen, plus two in the bedroom, as well as two front corner cubbyholes, and the two wardrobes and two cupboards in the bedroom. The island bed also offers a large storage cavity.
But there’s more. All four models with G-lounges get the benefit of a ‘through boot’. This is a storage space running across the full width of the front of the caravan, which can be loaded via hatches on either side.
Technical Specifications
Berth | 4 |
MiRO | 1335 kg |
Payload | 155 kg |
MTPLM | 1490 kg |
Shipping Length | 7.38 m |
Width | 2.45 m |