Coachman is a core player in the British caravan industry and has carved out a niche in the market for sharp design, high levels of comfort and really impressive built quality. 

The youngest member of the ‘Big Five’ club of UK caravan manufacturers (it was formed in 1986), the firm also goes its own way, in the sense that it’s not competing in an arms race to build ever-more units. 

Instead, Coachman has found a level of annual production with which it’s comfortable and – to paraphrase managing director Elliot Hibbs – is focused on spending more time getting the product right and improving it.

But the big news this summer for customers and followers of the Coachman brand has been the reintroduction of Laser as a standalone range, just one year after the brand’s twin-axle models were folded into a successfully revamped VIP line-up.

Also significant, though, is the introduction of another new model a couple of rungs below the Laser. 

The Pastiche 470 is a two-berth with an L-shaped front lounge, offside dinette and end washroom. 

The 470 may be new in one sense, but it’s actually a reboot of the 2016 Pastiche 470. This featured a full-width fixed bed across the front lounge, with an offside midships dinette for lounging and dining. For 2019 the Pastiche 470 also has an unusual lounge configuration: an L-shaped seating group where the 2016 version’s bed used to be.

Now, British caravanners love a front parallel lounge, but is it always the best execution of the main living space – especially in a compact two-berth? Could there be another game in town? Perhaps a different approach might tempt those buyers who are looking beyond the established norms, for something a little different.