Car advice

[RogerL]

Its good to read of how manufacturers fare in other parts of the world, but please forgive us if we forget to recognise the international readership of the forum. PC started as a UK publication, and it still is located in the UK, and it does seem the majority of active readers and contributors are in the UK, so most of what gets discussed is from a UK perspective.

The lack of international borders means that internet forums are defined by their base language, rather than country of origin - even the base language is no real barrier given the availability of browser translation facilities.

Some websites deliberately make it difficult to access outside their home country, that's a choice for the publisher.

 

[Parksy]

The lack of international borders means that internet forums are defined by their base language, rather than country of origin - even the base language is no real barrier given the availability of browser translation facilities.

Some websites deliberately make it difficult to access outside their home country, that's a choice for the publisher.

This forum uses algorithms to filter material from outside the UK.
Posts from new forum members that originate from outside the UK and trigger the algorithm are often subject to moderator approval, and they are not published until we have checked and approved the profile of the member that submitted the material.

 

[Raywood]

I would go with Otherclive in that you should ignore the 1700 kg limit and stick to a lighter caravan, certainly something weighing less than the cars kerb weight. The 85% figure is a very old one but is recommended by both clubs and the caravan press although personally it is I think a bit outdated.
Personally I would go for the Karoq but you should check the spec and what you need is the best torque preferably at the lowest engine speed so check that. At the same time you have to live with the car on an everyday basis so provided they are very close on the above, the one you prefer as an everyday car might work better.

 

[danwarnermeanwell]

Thanks everyone for the really helpful advice! A complete novice to this so invaluable!

Sounds like I'll be looking for as light a caravan as I can! Any recommendations for a 4 berth coming in under 1300kg (or ideally a bit lighter!) fully loaded?

 

[trevormonty]

Thanks everyone for the really helpful advice! A complete novice to this so invaluable!

Sounds like I'll be looking for as light a caravan as I can! Any recommendations for a 4 berth coming in under 1300kg (or ideally a bit lighter!) fully loaded?

Bailey ranger 460 4 around 2007 -2010,
Something newer Swift basecamp 4, or Bailey discovery 4-4. Edlis Xplore 304 ( there are some 15yr old baileys with similar layout).
Most of these are 1100-1300kg.

 

[danwarnermeanwell]

Bailey ranger 460 4 around 2007 -2010,
Something newer Swift basecamp 4, or Bailey discovery 4-4. Edlis Xplore 304 ( there are some 15yr old baileys with similar layout).
Most of these are 1100-1300kg.

Big fan of the Bailey Ranger, great tip! Thanks!

 

[otherclive]

Thanks everyone for the really helpful advice! A complete novice to this so invaluable!

Sounds like I'll be looking for as light a caravan as I can! Any recommendations for a 4 berth coming in under 1300kg (or ideally a bit lighter!) fully loaded?

Sprite musketeer TD. Very roomy and flexible layout. But front bed would need making up. My wife would do that whilst I took the dogs for a wizz. Ours was a 2012 model with weight upgrade the MTPLM was 1300kg. I think the MTPLM before upgrade was about 35 kg less. Overall length 6.5m. We loved it and took our grand kids in it.

 

[Buckman]

Bailey ranger 460 4 around 2007 -2010,
Something newer Swift basecamp 4, or Bailey discovery 4-4. Edlis Xplore 304 ( there are some 15yr old baileys with similar layout).
Most of these are 1100-1300kg.

From what i have read on other forums, avoid the Basecamp and Xplore 304 models.

 

[trevormonty]

Was considering older 304 for next van. Whats are the issue with it.

 

[Sam Vimes]

I have a 2020 Xplore 304. If by issues you mean manufacturing problems then no more than you'll get with any other caravan.

If in terms of usage, well for just the two of us it works very well. We have a porch awning which is mostly used as storage space - good for hanging wet coats, boots etc, and storing foldup chairs and tables. We have an inner tent for it which I did sleep in on a camp bed when our grandson and daughter came away with us, but they have their own tent now.

The supposedly 4 birth design is marketing blurb at its best. Certainly three adults could sleep in there and the bunk bed would support a very small child. But the overall space is too small to spend any length of time in it - this is where the awning comes in handy again. The 'dining area' is very useful for the two of us and at a push we can get 3 adults + grandson around it by using a small stool as an extra seat.

The kitchen area is compact and not a lot of spare work surface but the table in the awning comes in useful again. Three gas burners are ok but like most they're a little close together - but that depends on what your using to cook with. Sink - well its a sink. There's a little folding extension to the work surface that gives a little more space and is useful. Two 230v sockets nearby.

The 'lounge' end has a fold down shelf supposedly for a TV or whatever. It has a 6kg weight limit. A 230v socket plus 12v socket and TV antenna outlet are nearby. We don't have a TV but just use the shelf for the kettle, teapot and cups.

Overhead lockers are good for storage but there's not much under seat space. The L shape 'lounge' we find is good but there's no room under those seats for storage other than a small draw and cupboard for slippers or similar. The 'dining end' has two underseat storage spaces. We can get one mattress topper in one and pillows in the other. The other mattress topper sits on a seat when traveling but on site, once the bed goes away they're stored in the awning.

We took the mattress for the fold down bunk bed out as well as the fold up sides and we use that space to store the duvet. That works for us very well. It just folds up out of the way. The main bed is fairly easy to put up but suffered from the same problems as we've had in others vehicles. The end supports are too far apart and the first time I knelt on it it made some ominous sounds as if it was going to break. I added some strengthening at the ends and also made a middle support leg.

There's a single bed at the 'dining area' end.

The bathroom is small to say the least but once you get used to it, its ok. We can shower in it and I'm about 98kg and 185cm tall. Takes some practise. The shower water tended to leak out the door despite the curtain but some foam insulation tape cured this - mostly.

It tows extremely well - we have a Qashqai 1.5dCi and at times I forget its there and have to watch the speed.

If you have any other question just ask away.

 

[Raywood]

The magazine runs an annual customer survey where readers evaluate their caravans. Eldiss who build the Xplore are generally bottom for customer satisfaction and the list of problems people have with them is considerable. That is not to say other makes are perfect, but they are a better bet to me. Older models of any make should have had any problems sorted by the owners but beware the ones that have been traded in because of problems.
All the makers turn out some problem models, so if you are a novice I would get either use a reputable dealer, or if buying privately get a caravan engineer to check it out for you and never pay anything until you have seen it. . In all cases make sure it has a recent clear damp check.
In many ways buying a caravan is like buying a car. Do your homework and check it out thoroughly.

 

[trevormonty]

Thanks Sam for the review. Did wonder about under seat storage as reviewers never show you what is under seats. We've a old bailey 2berth with limited kitchen workspace, something next van needs to impove on. Wet room is fine as we will typically use site shower. Did try shower once, did job but bit of hassle, especially getting curtain dry before storing. Thank goods for ducted heat in bathroom, a must on next van.

 

[Hutch]

From what i have read on other forums, avoid the Basecamp and Xplore 304 models.

What is the problems? A bit more information would be good.

 

[Buckman]

What is the problems? A bit more information would be good.

Why not Google? Everyone else does when doing research.

 

[Dustydog]

Are Elddis caravans still worse than rest? I only know of bad views including the small Elddis once owned by Mel. However Edwin Hymer Europe ,who now own Elddis and parent company The Explorer group ,have an excellent reputation for building long lived unbreakable caravans and motor homes. They of course were in turn acquired by Thor Industries USA. Thor are the largest RV manufacturer.
Surely with the technical expertise and financial investment Hymer and Thor should be making sure the output from the Elddis factory is the best??

 

[Sam Vimes]

Thanks Sam for the review. Did wonder about under seat storage as reviewers never show you what is under seats. We've a old bailey 2berth with limited kitchen workspace, something next van needs to impove on. Wet room is fine as we will typically use site shower. Did try shower once, did job but bit of hassle, especially getting curtain dry before storing. Thank goods for ducted heat in bathroom, a must on next van.

You mention the warm air ducting. This is something else I changed around. The 304 has an underslung heater which when running at full bore is noisy but once you master the controls and the required temperature/fan speed its ok. The real issue was that the heater is at the front end and the bathroom at the back end. Admittedly not that far in this small van.

There's a inlet and outlet vent at the front of the van and you can get very warm at that end. At the 'dining room' end there's another outlet, which given the size of the van seems a waste of time. However the designers or builders run the ducting in such a way that this second vent gets more warm air than the one in the bathroom which is at the end of the run. I quickly altered the duct work to make the bathroom get more warm air than the 'dining room' end.

I think over winter I may re-visit this because the 'dining room' vent comes out the side and not where your feet are when sitting at the table. Either I'll blank it off or re-postion it.

 

[Raywood]

Are Elddis caravans still worse than rest? I only know of bad views including the small Elddis once owned by Mel. However Edwin Hymer Europe ,who now own Elddis and parent company The Explorer group ,have an excellent reputation for building long lived unbreakable caravans and motor homes. They of course were in turn acquired by Thor Industries USA. Thor are the largest RV manufacturer.
Surely with the technical expertise and financial investment Hymer and Thor should be making sure the output from the Elddis factory is the best??

Not sure if it was on here but Thor got a massive hammering for the quality and after sales service recently on a Motorhome from America. It is also suggested that they took a very hard look at the Hymer European range and took out bits where they thought they were over engineered. While I would like to think they would have improved the Eldiss range, I am afraid from what I have seen it has not.

 

[Dustydog]

Thanks Ray, that explains everything 👍

 

[trevormonty]

You mention the warm air ducting. This is something else I changed around. The 304 has an underslung heater which when running at full bore is noisy but once you master the controls and the required temperature/fan speed its ok. The real issue was that the heater is at the front end and the bathroom at the back end. Admittedly not that far in this small van.

There's a inlet and outlet vent at the front of the van and you can get very warm at that end. At the 'dining room' end there's another outlet, which given the size of the van seems a waste of time. However the designers or builders run the ducting in such a way that this second vent gets more warm air than the one in the bathroom which is at the end of the run. I quickly altered the duct work to make the bathroom get more warm air than the 'dining room' end.

I think over winter I may re-visit this because the 'dining room' vent comes out the side and not where your feet are when sitting at the table. Either I'll blank it off or re-postion it.

The outlets on my van can be controlled individually, have butterfly valve to block airflow. Blocking main one tends to push more air to bathroom. In my van bathroom is 500mm from heater not 3-4m run on 304.

I watched Andrew Ditton review of his and looks like no speed control on 12v blower fan. When heater kicks in fan is full blast, which isn't great in middle of night. There are aftermarket ones from electronic hobby shops that can be easily retrofitted.

 

[Sam Vimes]

I'm not aware of the review you mention but my heater has fan speed control. Three electric power levels and gas to choose from.

So between the fan speed and power setting there's sort of temperature control.

The heater/blower is under the front bed but there's a night setting which we've used occasionally and it keeps the noise down to a level where we don't notice it.

Of the three outlets two have the valves and I would think you'd need to have one without to prevent completely blocking the airflow and causing an overheat situation.

Edit.... Thinking about the heater it may be that what I thought was the fan speed control is more of a temperature control but the fan speed does seem to vary with temperature. If you turn up the control fully it will blast out air but then cuts down the speed as the temperature is reached. For sure the night setting on low power is quiet enough for us.

 

[stephenshaw1958]

I have a skoda Yeti 2L 4X4, and its brilliant, you hardly know the van is on there> over 50mpg, 30+mpg towing a 1200kg van. think it will tow up to 2000kg on the specs but 1300kg will give 85% of the curb weight with a max 80kg nose weight.. Its sad they stopped making them without a replacement in 2017.

 

[Beachball]

I have a skoda Yeti 2L 4X4, and its brilliant, you hardly know the van is on there> over 50mpg, 30+mpg towing a 1200kg van. think it will tow up to 2000kg on the specs but 1300kg will give 85% of the curb weight with a max 80kg nose weight.. Its sad they stopped making them without a replacement in 2017.

I use to own one but mine was only a 1.4 but i found it great for towing our caravan