Essential Guide to 2020 caravans - Compass caravans

Compass Capiro 520 caravan

New to the Compass Capiro range is a classic two-berth, end shower room layout – but with a very impressive twist. The 520 has an exceptionally large shower room and enormous wardrobe accommodation. And it’s of an unusual layout, with the shower positioned in the offside corner, the toilet beside it and the basin in the centre at of the rear.

A suite of wardrobes occupies the whole wall on the nearside. One wardrobe has a double hanging space, with one rail above another. The table is stored in this sector. The central cabinet contains jacket-length hanging space plus three deep drawers. The third sector has five open shelf spaces.

There’s a heated towel warmer, part of the Alde system which heats all models in the Capiro range.

Capiro is the mid-range in the Compass portfolio; Casita sits below it, with seven models all heated by the new Whale system, and Camino sits above it. Like Capiro, the four Caminos have Alde heating.

Compass is made in County Durham by the Erwin Hymer Group which also makes Elddis. Many Compass models are mirrored in the Elddis ranges; the Compass Capiro 520’s Elddis cousin is the Affinity 520, with the same spec. The differentiation is in styling of the woodwork and fabrics.

The 520’s notable features include a long, slender skylight stretching the whole length of the lounge. The kitchen sink is large, steel and rectangular, with a cover which sits flush with the surrounding surface.

All of the five side lockers have tilt-action catches set behind the handles; a new feature for 2020. The top kitchen lockers have a subtle herringbone pattern finish.

A long mirror by the door is bordered by a white panel of the same herringbone pattern as the finish on the top kitchen lockers.

Kitchen storage consists of two drawers and a cupboard beneath and, opposite, a dresser with a large double-doored cabinet and two drawers. There’s also a locker above the microwave.

Fabrics are close-weave pale grey teamed with pale grey curtains and cushions with a white pattern. The seating fabric is treated to resist stains; the treatment system is called ActivCare. Capiros have external barbecue points; a change for 2020 is that the covers to these slide open vertically, close to the caravan side.

Features also include lights for the gas bottle compartments and reinforced step sections on the drawbar, so that you can stand on it to clean the windows and the front of the caravan.

Capiros also have the Alde Load Monitor system, which enables the Alde heating to be set to the maximum electrical capacity of your caravan site pitch, to prevent you from exceeding it and tripping out the supply.

The Al-Ko hitch-head stabiliser is standard Capiro equipment, too, as is Al-Ko’s ATC (Active Trailer Control) system which enhances stability by electronic automatic application of the caravan brakes when the system detects the first signs of a snaking movement.

SPECIFICATION

Price from: £22,794 including £595 delivery
Layout: End shower room
Berths: 2
MIRO: 1219kg
MTPLM: 1345kg

Compass Casita 454 caravan

In a market dominated by caravans with separate showers it’s surprising to find a newcomer with a shared shower-toilet compartment. There is, though, a very good reason for this departure from trend, for the new Compass Casita achieves a lot in a compact body length – and a compromise had to be made somewhere, of course.

The 454 is a caravan for couples. It has, in a compact body length, a luxuriously cosy rear bedroom with a transverse island bed and two triangular dressing tables. Wardrobes of equal size are on each side of the bed, with four drawers beneath.

The bedroom is undoubtedly this caravan’s USP. All this has been achieved in a short body by combining the shower, washbasin and toilet area into one room, on the offside opposite the kitchen.

There’s no compromise in the lounge area, though; the seating configuration is L-shaped, so there’s plenty of seating and floor space. The lounge has a television wall on the nearside, with connections in the corner.

SPECIFICATION

Price from: £20,194 including £595 delivery
Layout: L-shaped lounge, island bed
Berths: 2
MIRO: 1182kg
MTPLM: 1310kg

Compass Casita 868 caravan

The Compass Casita 868 is a two new eight-foot-wide six-berth caravan introduced for 2020 by the Erwin Hymer Group in Britain. The layout is a first from a British manufacturer, with a rear bedroom containing both a double bed and two bunks.

A solid sliding door divides the bedroom from the shower cubicle and the toilet compartment which, together with the corridor between them, span the width of the caravan in the centre. The shower is on the nearside. The toilet and washbasin are in a separate compartment on the offside. The hinged door forward of this compartment closes across the caravan to separate the entire bedroom and washing area from the kitchen and lounge.

The double bed and bunks bedroom layout is one which has only been made possible by the extra width of the caravan. The lounge is long enough to make two 1.8m single beds or can be converted to a double bed measuring 2.10m x 1.4m.

Casita fabrics are pale fawns with near-white cushions that have a white mauve and green sprig pattern - all in ActivCare.

SPECIFICATION

Price from: £24,594 including £595 delivery
Layout: Fixed bed, bunk pods
Berths: 6
MIRO: 1532kg
MTPLM: 1711kg

Highlights of Compass’ 2020 caravans

• Innovative layouts to suit all tastes and all sizes of families – and couples
• Better storage options for those who spend longer periods of time away and want the comforts of home
• Wider body width to give maximum room to enjoy while touring
• Fully bonded SoLiD Construction
• Elegant upholstery options using quality fabrics allow caravanners to choose a look to suit them
• New Whale CompleteHeat on Compass Castia models
• Extra security features to keep both caravan and owner safe

This content featured in The Essential Guide to 2020 Caravans, brought to you by the publishers of Caravan magazine. To buy a digital edition of the guide with the November issue of Caravan, click here.