Interior Design Bailey vs Swift

[trickydicky]

Last week we went to the Lawns show in Hull,as we're in the market for a new van.We went with an unbiased open mind to compare the various models on show.
I found the interior of the Baileys to be dull,boring,boxey and old fashioned whereas the Swifts seemed to be fresh,contemporary and much more appealing.They had what I call the WOW factor when I stepped into the vans.
For example the Bailey Unicorn had a drinks cabinet,and recessed cabinet work on the overhead lockers,which is reminiscent of a 1990 Swift Corniche.I cant understand why they have this up to date alu tech construction on the outside,and the inside looks as though its come from the Beamish museum.
As the saying goes "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" so probably everone will have different opinions on this.but this is what I think.
Cheers Richard

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Have to agree about the Pegasus and Olympus
For me they lacked the "wow" factor but modern tastes tend towards the minimalistic so maybe its me
The Unicorn I thought looked great inside and answered many of the criticisms of the other 2 but for me the outside with its small front locker and no offside awning rail had some big drawbacks

The new Swifts in pic seem to have the WOW factor and now that they have adopted the Bailey profile of the flat roof and no downward slope to the front they have more head room and roof locker space than of old
The front locker and awning rail both tick my boxes as does the low position of the front road lights but the oft posted outside/awning light would be awkward for Fiamma/Omnistor canopy users
Sadly the weights seem to be on the high side

 

[Zafiral]

Up to the 2010 Swifts then the lockers were too small for the junk we have on holiday (we do not travel light). I have not seen the new ones so can't comment on them. I don't like the fact that some swifts store the table in the bathroom. Worst of all on the Caravan Channel review one of the new ones had the table stored under a bed!!!! To me this is form over function. So in essence Swifts may look better inside, but Baileys are more practical.
When you consider that the Pegasus has std tracker, atc & tv, they arebetter value.

 

[otherclive]

We looked at the new Pegasus and Olympus ranges and were distinctly unimpressed with the interiors. So when the unicorn came out I must admit to liking the interior design which was more akin to the old Senator range. Howevr I notice in the November PC that the Unicorn Seville 2 berth comes in at a MTLPM of 1433kg with a User Payload of only 129kg. Our Bailey S5 Bordeaux has a Payload of 250kg within a MTPLM of 1400kg (Max weight upgrade). A quick calc tells me that a mover, two bottles and battery would come in at around 80kgs so the Seville would then only have 49kgs for the remainder of your holiday items. On this basis the Seville might be attractive to those used to travelling Ryanair, its certainly not good for extended touring!

 

[Zafiral]

We looked at the new Pegasus and Olympus ranges and were distinctly unimpressed with the interiors. So when the unicorn came out I must admit to liking the interior design which was more akin to the old Senator range. Howevr I notice in the November PC that the Unicorn Seville 2 berth comes in at a MTLPM of 1433kg with a User Payload of only 129kg. Our Bailey S5 Bordeaux has a Payload of 250kg within a MTPLM of 1400kg (Max weight upgrade). A quick calc tells me that a mover, two bottles and battery would come in at around 80kgs so the Seville would then only have 49kgs for the remainder of your holiday items. On this basis the Seville might be attractive to those used to travelling Ryanair, its certainly not good for extended touring!

I was shocked when I read that too, but Bailey have changed the way that MIROs are measured and they now include gas bottles, battery etc. So the payload is now just your belongings.

 

[xtrailman]

The way miro is now measured has recently changed. Why i can't imagine, what was wrong with how it was?
We actually like the unicorn valencia in the light furnishing, as i dislike the alko wheel carrier, the spare wheel could live under the bed, access from the outside locker is possible.
Compared to the lunar clubman se, we prefer it. Having not yet seen the new swifts i can't comment, but as j watson, the weights are too excessive for my 1720kg xtrail, the valancia at 1565kg is heavier than i would like, i had in mind a 1500kg limit.
I really dislike the sink tap on the unicorn, far too big and without exception all have been loose at the base, try moving the spout while watching the base, in addition in all cases the rear road lights will rotate, not all, but on ever caravan i had viewed around six so far, some will turn.
Then we have the diy seal on the top off the back bumper, attracts dirt and already looks ten years old?

 

[weejock]

What Bailey has a styling department

Getting past the outside look of those Baileys has been so much of a problem for me that I have no way of knowing what the inside looks like. Having seen a few of them on site now that whole front panel as well as the add on caps and skirt that they obviously forgot about to being with just look so messy. I know it is a case of function taking priority but even JCB can make a tractor have a certain aesthetic appeal.

I just hope that the new more upright front on the Swift's latest offerings does not mean it will adopt the same awkward look but somehow I do not think it will as surely any designer with a modicum of flair can make something more appealing than a Bailey.

 

[parker1158]

As has already been said its each to their own but in the Spring we went out to buy a new Bailey and came home with a Swift

 

[Royston]

Just come back from a trip up to yorkshire, noticed a couple of peagus vans , from a distance they look like prison vans with their small windows, and on both vans the offside side panels because they have no awning rail, the whole side had black streaks running down the side , looks like a lot of cleaning required.

 

[Robtel]

We looked at the new Pegasus and Olympus ranges and were distinctly unimpressed with the interiors. So when the unicorn came out I must admit to liking the interior design which was more akin to the old Senator range. Howevr I notice in the November PC that the Unicorn Seville 2 berth comes in at a MTLPM of 1433kg with a User Payload of only 129kg. Our Bailey S5 Bordeaux has a Payload of 250kg within a MTPLM of 1400kg (Max weight upgrade). A quick calc tells me that a mover, two bottles and battery would come in at around 80kgs so the Seville would then only have 49kgs for the remainder of your holiday items. On this basis the Seville might be attractive to those used to travelling Ryanair, its certainly not good for extended touring!

I was shocked when I read that too, but Bailey have changed the way that MIROs are measured and they now include gas bottles, battery etc. So the payload is now just your belongings.

Apparently the battery is not included but an allowance for gas bottle is, how many or what size I don't know. I posted on this under technical with a few replies for anyone interested:
http://www.practicalcaravan.com/forum/technical/new-method-calculating-weight

 

[Zafiral]

Sorry for the incorrect information.

 

[Robtel]

Just to follow up on Bailey's new way of calculating payload. I emailed their customer services and asked for some clarification. I have pasted their reply below which might be of interest to someone:

I can confirm that there is a 61kg allowance on the Unicorn models
20.7kg for the Fresh Water System (90% full)
2kg Toilet flush system
30kg Gas Allowance
7.6kg Water Heating System (90% full)
1kg Essential Fluids

 

[colinw1]

Am i getting the wrong end of the stick here....
Bailey's new way of calculating payload = 90% capacity in a water tank, full toilet flush tank and a 90% full hot water tank.

All this while it's on tow (and this is the gray area for me) as we are talking payloads here - I see that as being what goes in the van while it's being towed.
Why would anyone tow with full (or nearly full) water tanks... it just doesnt make sense. it's just dead weight and cuts down on anything else that can go into the van.

 

[otherclive]

2kg for the toilet flush is not a full tank which normally holds 15 litres (15kg), so I supect the 2kg refers to the normal 2 litres of Thetford/water mix that you put into the cassette. However is 30kg of gas a reasonable figure we take propane and the calorlites weigh in at 10kg each, enough for a season including 4 weeks abroad.

I think the new method of weights and payload is absolutely bizarre as how can a new owner calculate their useful payloadif Bailey don't disclose what makes up their own estimates of weights that may or may not be carried at the discretion of the owner. It will make buying new or second hand vans quite difficult in the future as one may not be comparing like with like between manufacturers and ranges too. What genius thought up the new system?