Verdict
The revised-for-2018 Elddis Affinity 574 should certainly interest anyone in the market for a fixed-twin-single-beds caravan.
Moving the washroom to the middle of the van could win over new converts who tour with occasional guests or family members and need an accessible washroom.
Other revisions keep this range of Elddis caravans sharp.
There are plenty of design evolutions here to tempt anyone looking to upgrade an existing Affinity – or buy into the range for the first time in the coming season.
Pros
The central washroom can be accessed from both ends of the van
Cons
The lounge seats are only long enough for children to use as single beds, which means the lounge is taken up as sleeping space in the evening if grandkids are your occasional guests
The upper mid-market Elddis Affinity range shot straight out of the blocks to win our coveted Tourer of the Year awards in 2013, where we lauded its pleasant living space and decent specification for the money.
Buyers got a well-crafted interior, plus home comforts like Alde heating for those who enjoy three- or four-season touring.
Affinity goes forward into the 2018 season with four models – two of which are changed, including the 574, on test here.
The 574 sees the biggest updates: the end washroom in last year’s version has been moved to the middle of the van, in a nod to popular floorplan fashions currently appealing to buyers.
And to see other Elddis caravans for sale, click here.
Distributing the 151kg user payload throughout the Elddis Affinity 574 won’t be difficult
Pitching & Setting-up
The Elddis Affinity 574 is built on an Al-Ko chassis with a buttonless handbrake and standard corner steadies.
The sidewall and roof sandwich panels are assembled using SoLiD construction, which means they’re glued and not screwed together. New graphics adorn the sidewalls, which are one-piece and faced with GRP.
The front and rear panels are moulded from ABS, and a smart new gas locker lid, finished in grey with locks on either side, is set into the new ABS front panel.
This also features new grabhandles, which are integrated into the top lip of the locker. It’s a smart, well-engineered execution.
Mains hook-up connections are on the offside, forward of the 10-spoke alloy wheel, while the water drain points are just behind the axle.
Entrance to the tourer is via a two-piece caravan door with half-length window – the control panel is just on the left as you climb aboard.
Living
One of the first visual takeaways from the 2018 Elddis Affinity 574’s front lounge is that there’s a veritable feast of off-white tones on offer.
The ‘Figaro in Dove’ soft furnishings, work surfaces and skylight surrounds all major on this tone, and a white band to the bottom of the overhead lockers serves to accentuate this effect.
With seven windows, natural light streams in, with corner spotlights and ambient lighting on call to liven up wet Tuesday afternoons.
The centre chest’s surface has a smart white finish, as does the folding leaf table that stows at the end of the kitchen worktop.
Pleated cassette blinds and quality curtains reinforce this Elddis caravan’s comfort credentials, while the lounge seating benefits from upholstered bolsters to keep their occupants tucked in.
Kitchen
Cream-faced overhead lockers provide a visual cue that one has entered a different ‘room’ in the caravan.
Four task lights and a window illuminate proceedings in the galley’s work area, which is equipped with a dual-fuel cooker/combination oven and grill unit, plus a microwave oven and rectangular stainless-steel sink with chrome-effect mixer tap.
A pair of 230V sockets lies to the left of the tap, looking down towards a handy tip-up flap for plating up and serving meals into the front lounge.
A 90-litre dual-fuel fridge sits under the half-length midships wardrobe on the nearside, and is hinged on the left-hand side for ease of use.
Washroom
Few caravanners would dispute that an end washroom offers something close to the holy grail when it comes to comfort, convenience and refinement.
But a pair of twin single beds butting on to an end washroom means that any occasional guests will have to make their way past the rear bedroom en route to using the facilities in the small hours.
A midships washroom spread widthways solves this conundrum, as it’s accessible from both ends of the van. Plus, there’s still plenty of space for a separate shower and toilet.
Talking of each discrete area, the shower compartment is fully lined with a step created by the wheel arch, and the space around the toilet has a smart vanity area including a fashionable salad bowl sink, a half-length mirror, a swivelling cassette toilet and a towel-drying radiator powered by the Alde central heating.
Beds
The fixed rear single beds in the Elddis Affinity 574 are just over six feet in length, so will be suitable for a wide range of users. They are 0.69m wide.
New for 2018 is the Argentum anti-bacterial mattress, which has an Ozio core (Ozio is a bedding system which is up to 30% lighter than typical bedding).
In the lounge, the seating comes together on a pull-out ladder of slats to form a double that measures 1.99 by 1.13m.
Storage
Distributing the 151kg user payload throughout the Elddis Affinity 574 won’t be difficult, as there’s a wide range of places to put it all.
The seat and bed boxes will be the first ports of call, two of which can be accessed via hatches on the sidewalls of the van.
In addition, there are 12 overhead lockers to use for lighter items, plus a midships half-length wardrobe. Further drawer and cupboard space is available in the kitchen.
In a move that will delight owners of well-kept fingernails, handles are preferred to positive catches for the overhead lockers.
Technical Specifications
| Berth | 4 |
| MiRO | 1299 kg |
| Payload | 151 kg |
| MTPLM | 1500 kg |
| Shipping Length | 7.2 m |
| Width | 2.26 m |
