Bailey Olympus

[JohnI.Stephen]

Guys; I haven't logged on for almost 2 years as we were forced to sell our Bailey Oklahoma (long story). My wife and I are now seriously back in the market and spend a few hours today looking at the new Pegasus and Olympus caravans.

The Olympus 534 appears to be fantastic, but we've seen no reviews. Can anyone give me some experience of these new vans?

Thanks !

John

 

[xtrailman]

john

We have a 2004 bailey senator vermont, and are apart from some poor fitments that fail such as the dometic fridge, very happy with it.

Being in the market for a new caravan ourselves, we have looked at both the peg & oly.

I am impressed with the alutec construction, BUT not the new caravans interiors, they have actually gone backwards from vans of old, but if YOU are happy with the van, that's all that should matter?

We have struggled to find a van that improves on what we have, but have seen two so far, one the Eldiss Hurricane, the other a lunar clubman, the clubman has ALDE heating ATC, shock absorbers, i personally think the ATC, and shockers are a must have now with the state of our roads.

 

[RickStevens]

Hi

We had a look at the Olympus range at our local dealers last week.

I must admit I do quite like the new designs by Bailey, but the only thing that put me off the Olympus was the width.

We presently have a S6 Pageant Burgundy, and there is quite a lot of space between the bed and the side of the van, and its easy to walk normally to the bathroom, however I had to walk sideways and shuffle through to the bathroom in the Olympus.

I think I would be tempted by the extra width of the Pegasus if I were in the market for a new van.

Rick

 

[linda_5129225]

the dealers only got their demo models delivered in the last couple of weeks. we ordered ours before our dealer had actually got his in and we should get it in june, he said it would be one of the first, so thats why no reviews. we are getting the olympus 462. there is a review of one model only in the May issue of PC, but some of the comments like the one about the washroom do not apply to all the models as the layout is different. seen a few negative comments on forums but we liked it.

 

[BrianStAlbans]

Can you post a link Richard as I can't find the thread you mention.

Brian

 

[Parksy]

I've deleted the post that you referred to Brian because I couldn't find the thread either.

 

[Martin24]

Back in the winter we looked at the pegasus, decided to stick to coachman because of the poor fit and finish inside and the lower half of the back panel coming away in my hands.

Perhaps since then they have improved their build quality but have a good poke and a prod, wiggle doors and treat it on the forecourt as you would if you owned it

 

[Scotland_fan]

I looked at the Olypus 462 the other day and I was deeply disappointed. The immediate problem was the space - it's so cramped both in the living area and the washroom. I then spotted basic fundamental issues such as the lighting - in the living area the 12v Florescent lights are placed almost next to each other close to the entrance door with no lights whatsoever near the front. It isn't even fitted with 240v lights at the front either!

I can just image the number of complaints Baily will get with this when people spend the first night in it when it gets dark and there is no light where you need it most.

Why oh why did they place them so close together??? It still seems as though caravans have not moved on from a practical point of view!

With that said I have been looking at the Elddis Xplore 452 instead and although that doesn't have 240v lights at the front either, it does at least have the 12v ones in the right places!

It's even shorter and narrower than the Olympus 462 too but feels much much bigger and modern (and cheaper!) - very impressed.

 

[Royston]

Sounds like they are down grading to be the same spec as the last edition of the Ranger, When we discovered our battery was not being charged , and had to have the site recharge the battery for us, we were so glad that our van is fitted with 240 volt lights, without them we would have been in the dark.

So strange that Baleys are plugging their revolutionary design of build, and yet their interiors ,including lack of 240 lights

are becoming more basic.

 

[xtrailman]

I get the impression that bailey are selling the new construction, along with its 10 year guarantee, which is great, but when you are lounging in your caravan, all you are interested in are the surrounding and comfort, convenience etc.

Great steps have been taken over the years, we now have hot water heated by two fuels, fires the same, along with the fridge, we did have belts & braces for the lighting, but apparently bailey have decided we no longer need mains lights?

Along with sinks without a built in drainer, i sometimes wonder if the designers have actually ever spent time in a caravan?

Certainly if i moved from the surroundings of my 2004 senator, into the peg or oly equivalent, i would certainly feel short changed, just having to get the table out every time we had a drink or meal would be enough to convince me that i had made a BIG mistake, i suppose i could spend another

 

[Royston]

Had to visite our local dealers to purchase cleaning fluids , whilst their had a good look round the various Olympus models,

Cannot understand why they have omitted the 240 lights, see they have downgraded the kitchen sink, no glass cover but a cheap piece of plastic to cover the basin. No extractor fan.

Agree not many 12 volt lights on display, our series 5 Pageant has a total of 2 240 volt plus 17 spot 12 volts positioned in various parts of the van.

Wonder why the front lockers are so small, we carry a lot of light bulky items in ours.Why does the roof have to strong enough for a car to sit on,never ever had any leaks or cracks through the old roof consruction, from all the various reports its always the front and rear panels that suffer from this problem.

Guess I will give this creation a miss.