Verdict
This frankly luxurious caravan is designed to keep its owners in the style they’re accustomed to. It’s superbly comfortable and well designed. If you have deep pockets and a powerful tow car (or possibly a seasonal pitch) this is for you. Overall, we’d give it 8/10.
Pros
A very special caravan
Luxurious
The island bed is very comfortable
Enormous fridge/freezer
Alde heating
Cons
MTPLM of 1900kg is too much for most tugs
There’s no tracker
The island bed uses a lot of space
Expensive
When buying eight metres of luxury caravan you expect to pay a premium. If you’re thinking about shelling out for a Caravel you’ll certainly do that. Aside from the cost (more than £22,000 at launch) you also pay a weight penalty, with an MTPLM of 1900kg. But buyers of this van, who are largely experienced caravanners, will not be put off by the big numbers, provided the van delivers unrivalled space, comfort and practicality.
The décor in the Caravel leaves you in no doubt that this is a high-ticket caravan
Pitching & Setting-up
Despite its flush-fit tinted privacy windows and 40th anniversary livery, the exterior is functional and simple. It has a roomy front locker with two gas struts and heavy-duty steadies with plastic feet for grass pitches.
Living
Stepping inside, you enter cosy yet upmarket surroundings. The dark-wood cabinets, leather upholstery (a rather pricey option) and granite-effect worktop all work well together. The décor in the Caravel leaves you in no doubt that this is a high-ticket caravan. The layout is similarly functional, with a familiar dinette in the lounge and an offside kitchen.
The Alde wet central-heating system is an addition that makes this van rather special. The heating, controlled from a digital panel by the entrance door, is easy to use and accurately maintains a set temperature. It has many advanced functions – you can even set the heating to come on at a suitable time, much as you would at home.
Kitchen
The best bit about the kitchen is unquestionably the enormous 175-litre fridge/freezer, which is set above a cupboard so you don’t need to stoop to use it.
Washroom
The washroom arrangement is unusual, with an offside separate shower and ceramic toilet and basin on the nearside. The shower cubicle is nice and big, and you’ll enjoy strong water pressure from the Whale water pump. Moreover, with a 40-litre on-board water tank, there’s plenty of hot water on tap.
The toilet area works less well. You’ll feel cramped when using the toilet or brushing your teeth, but the laundry bin is handy and the radiator will keep it toasty on chilly mornings.
Beds
The stand-out feature of this van is the island bed. Designed to solve the problem of fixed-bed sleepers having to clamber over each other for night-time loo trips, these beds polarise opinion. In theory they work well, with plenty of room for both people and two separate wardrobes.
This one even has a fantastically comfy memory foam mattress. There’s plenty of room underneath the mattress for storing bulky items, too. But there’s no denying that the island bed takes up a lot of space. With the bedding in place, it is a squeeze getting around the foot of the bed.
Storage
Storage is great, with shelves over both windows and a clever cabinet hidden behind the offside mirror.
Technical Specifications
| Berth | 4 |
| MiRO | 1618 kg |
| Payload | 282 kg |
| MTPLM | 1900 kg |
| Shipping Length | 7.96 m |
| Width | 2.29 m |
