Verdict
The VIP 460 offers a good level of comfort and an adequate spec for two people to have a fine time on tour. It does feel a little on the pricey side for what it contains, although there’s no complaint about the general finish and the washroom is great.
Pros
Dressing area in washroom
Workspace in the kitchen
Cons
The table is stored in the end washroom
The big news with Coachman this season was twin-axle Lasers reverting to their own brand.
But where does that leave the continuing VIP models? Do they still offer the luxury and comfort you’d expect from Coachman’s top-notch range for those who don’t want the expense and extra weight of a twin-axle? The VIP 460, an extended two-berth, is a good case in point.
The size of the offside kitchen is one of the many bonuses in an extended two-berth such as the 460
Pitching & Setting-up
VIPs this season come with new smarter 3D decals, which look fetching alongside the alloy wheels. As this is an upmarket caravan, an AKS 3004 stabiliser and ATC trailer control system come as standard. Unlike some other supposedly upmarket vans, all four corner steadies are heavy-duty – which is good for added reassurance when you are setting down on an unlevel pitch.
In common with all VIPs for the past couple of seasons, the 460 comes with double gas bottle lockers on the front, with doors that open smoothly and stay open on struts. So loading and turning on gas bottles is easy, even if you might not get quite as much storage here as you might have done with one single locker.
You do get an awning light and an offside services light, so plugging in after a late arrival shouldn’t be a problem – the hook-up connection is included in the wet locker on the offside.
You also get external access to the nearside underseat area, which is completely clear, so removing outdoor furniture should also be easy.
And as a final point of reassurance, the external barbecue point is fitted with a sliding cover – so you don’t need to worry about that cover flapping about on the road and perhaps being torn off.
Living
Even with the reduced bulkhead on newer VIPs, the front sill is still big enough for a standard lamp, with a cable (which could easily be hidden) to the socket next to the switch in the offside. There are two more switches in the nearside corner.
That should add a little extra light at night to what is already a very elegant and comfortable lounge, which invites you to sit back and enjoy music from the corner speakers, or watch the TV on the sideboard halfway down on the nearside. This comes with the necessary TV sockets.
During the day you’re unlikely to need the lighting, because this lounge is flooded with natural light via three big windows and an unusually large sunroof right across the caravan’s front panel.
A pull-out flap on the front chest is handy for quick snacks, or possibly more – the one minus point in this lounge is the fact that the foldaway table is stored all the way back in a cupboard in the rear washroom.
Kitchen
The size of the offside kitchen is one of the many bonuses in an extended two-berth such as the 460. You get plenty of workspace, with two mains sockets to hand, a large rectangular sink and a four-burner dual-fuel hob.
The two drawers under the sink and next to the separate oven and grill are large enough to look as though they wouldn’t be out of place in a domestic kitchen. The three lockers above are also sizeable, so storing dry food and kitchenware should not be a problem here.
Even if it is, you will probably have more space in the sideboard opposite – one of the longest we have seen in any two-berth such as this. The work surface on here incorporates two more mains sockets (and two USBs), so you should have one free even if you are housing a TV here, while there are four open shelves up above, next to the microwave.
The whole area is nicely lit up with a striplight above the kitchen worktop and ambient lighting behind the lockers.
Washroom
This area is very much the 460’s selling point. Walk in and you immediately see the extra space for dressing that has been made available. There is a domestic-style toilet and, behind that, a large, well-lit mirror opens out to reveal a shelved double cupboard. The basin is only medium-sized, but does have an elegant tap.
The shower cubicle on the nearside has a single plain door, but it doesn’t seem to get in the way. There is a wardrobe next to this and the table storage, but on the other side is a much larger wardrobe with a hanging area and two drawers – more than ample for the clothes of two people.
Beds
This extended two-berth doesn’t include a fixed bed, but the settees are so long that it could be a simple operation of lifting away the backrests and bolsters to create two comfy single beds. That way, the earlier riser can easily get up in the morning and put their bed back to seat mode for a quiet cuppa.
Alternatively, making up the double is easy, too – pull out the bed frames and you create an enormous sleeping area across the van. There is still room to hide the backrests underneath.
Storage
As mentioned above, storage in both washroom and kitchen is ample; but it isn’t bad elsewhere, either. The nearside underseat area, which is also externally accessible, is completely clear, while the offside area only has the Alde heater to contend with. Both are also easily accessible on the inside, thanks to slats that stay up when lifted – although we might have expected internal access flaps at this price, too. There is a small locker under the nearside settee by the door.
The overhead lockers in the lounge are a good size. And, as with those in the kitchen, we particularly like the way all locker doors have been designed to stay down neatly without the need for any holding clasp. You never have to struggle to open a locker door.
Technical Specifications
Berth | 2 |
MiRO | 1300 kg |
Payload | 125 kg |
MTPLM | 1425 kg |
Shipping Length | 6.38 m |
Width | 2.31 m |