Verdict
Sprite caravans have always represented good value, but in their latest guise, they appear to be nigh on unbeatable – so much so, they seem almost to rival their Swift Challenger cousins.
This Swift Sprite Quattro EB has twin-axle appeal, plus a great bedroom and washroom, and a front lounge that isn’t quite as luxurious, but is still more than you would expect for a van that costs south of £20,000 on the road.
Pros
You get a fantastic spec and great looks for an entry-level van
The rear bedroom feels spacious
Cons
The front sofas could do with being longer
It’s a tribute to the reputation that Sprite carries within the caravanning fraternity that when parent company Swift Group rationalised its brands this season, the Sprite name remained (but Sterling didn’t make it).
Sprite was given a new lease of life, with a fresh exterior look and a seriously desirable spec list.
Those changes helped the 2018 Swift Sprite Major 6 take our Tourer of the Year Award.
The designers at Swift have also been busy on the new twin-axle Quattro EB, with a central washroom and an end transverse island bed.
And to see other Swift caravans for sale, click here.
There’s nothing about this van that suggests it’s a budget buy
Pitching & Setting-up
Sprite caravans have always had a curvaceous front section.
It used to look a bit more bubbly than rivals, in keeping with the Sprite’s cheap and cheerful image.
After all these years under the Swift wing, that slightly more circular front has been retained, but there’s nothing about this van that suggests it’s a budget buy.
You get three windows at the front, not just one, as part of a dark glazed panel – together with the sunroof on our test model that’s a £365 optional extra.
Then there’s the external access to the locker at the back and the classily understated decals.
Best of all, there are proper handles to the door – that’s something you don’t even see on supposedly luxurious caravans.
Living
The décor inside this season’s new Sprites introduces bold hexagonal patterning on the curtains and glinting white locker doors that contrast strongly with the Aralie Sen woodwork.
The two settees in the Swift Sprite Quattro EB are perfectly fine for the four people who could be living in the van, but may be a squeeze for any more.
There’s no draught-excluding bolster by the door, but this is an entry-level tourer.
The rooflight allows in an adequate amount of light, but it’s so much better with the sunroof.
For night-time lighting, you only get two small LED lights in the centre of the van and a spotlight in each of the four corners (these are non-directional). There is also dimmable ambient lighting throughout the lounge.
There are two mains sockets above the central chest, flanking two blank sockets.
A heating vent at the bottom in the nearside corner should keep you cosy, while another vent by the door will welcome you home.
Also by the door is a cabinet with TV sockets, so you could put a TV here, where most of the van’s occupants could see it.
This cabinet has a locker above it and a thin shelf for ornaments, while within the cabinet itself, you will find an open shelf for maps and keys, and a cupboard with two more shelves – although the lower one is partly taken up with the wheel arch.
The foldaway table is stored in a narrow slot behind this cabinet. It’s a bit of a chore to get out, because the door to the washroom slants slightly across this area.
Kitchen
Moving into the Swift Sprite Quattro EB’s kitchen, the elegant curved panel above the worktop has switches and one socket above it.
The worktop itself is greatly extended by the pull-out flap on the side, although this does eat into the available seating in the front lounge – you (or a smaller helper) could also use the top of the cabinet if there’s no TV there.
Immediately beneath the worktop is a 100-litre Dometic fridge, while at the other end of the kitchen unit sits a three-burner hob above a grill and oven.
The hob is nicely illuminated by two little spotlights, as is the rest of the worktop, although that curved shelf casts a shadow.
The overhead lockers are a good size and come with a mug and crockery rack.
Washroom
The slanted design of the central washroom door and the large wardrobe you come across as soon as you open it might seem unconventional, but such a configuration does make great use of the available space.
You get a suitable dressing area, while the wardrobe is large – particularly when you consider there isn’t one in the bedroom.
That wardrobe has two shelves to the side and one at the bottom, where you even get a heating vent.
The circular shower looks a little like something Scotty might beam you up in, but is well lit, even if it has no rooflight.
There is a towel ring immediately outside the shower and the shelf high up above that would be good for non-essentials.
The small basin in the middle of the Sprite’s washroom has two LED lights above it, a domestic-style tap, a mugholder and a cupboard underneath.
The Thetford C260 toilet with electric flush is on the offside and sits in front of an opaque window.
Beds
You don’t get the twin cupboards one usually expects to find flanking an island bed, but not having them creates a feeling of increased space, especially given the white doors fitted to the overhead lockers.
That said, the Swift Sprite Quattro EB still provides you with large bedside tables to place items on, though, above a drawer and a cupboard.
The small dressing unit in the corner is well kitted out, with two cupboards, a good mirror, two more spotlights and sockets.
Best of all, a heating vent has been installed around the inner side of the bed to heat the far side.
The transverse island bed itself, however, is only modestly sized at 1.85m x 1.33m.
When it comes to sleeping in the front lounge, you really have to make-up the double, as the sofas only give you 1.59m x 0.72m single beds.
But when you pull out the slats – an easy job – you create a double that is 2.02m long and 1.59m wide.
Storage
The huge area under the island bed can easily be accessed from inside and out.
Up front, the two underseat areas have access flaps inside – the nearside one is mostly clear, while the offside space is partly taken up with the Swift Command system.
There are two drawers in the front chest, while all of the overhead lockers are large in this 2018-season Swift caravan.
Technical Specifications
| Berth | 4 |
| MiRO | 1419 kg |
| Payload | 205 kg |
| MTPLM | 1624 kg |
| Shipping Length | 7.98 m |
| Width | 2.25 m |
