Bailey Pegasus Grande GT75 Messina

Three wardrobes, an under-bed storage area that spans the whole width of the caravan, and lounge seating long enough to make single beds.

When the Messina first appeared, it grabbed attention with a unique lounge layout. Bailey called it a G-shape. It was a cross between an L-shape and parallel seating – and involved a two-person dining area as part of the lounge, on the nearside. We loved it. But then we are always attracted to the new and the different. It seems, though, that others were not so lured by this layout – and Bailey changed the layout to a conventional parallel lounge in 2024.

The initial unique layout, though, served to focus attention on the Messina – and its Bologna range-sibling that shared the inventive lounge layout – leading to these models now being among Bailey’s top sellers. Both price and weight of these models is modest; contributing factors, undoubtedly, to their popularity.

Although the unique G-shape attention-grabber lounge has gone, both of these twin-axle four-berths still have a unique feature; one that is far less obvious than seating configuration. It’s the locker system that stretches the whole width of the caravan. In the Messina, it’s at the rear, under the bed. It has access hatches at both the near and offside. That means you can store lengthy items (such as the boring necessity of a long-handled caravan wash brush). And the width of the hatches enables you to easily put in an outdoor table and folding chairs, as well as lots of other stuff. You can, of course, access the vast under-bed storage area from within the caravan, by lifting the bed base – but the twin exterior hatches make taking stuff in and out so much easier.

The Messina’s excellent storage story continues – and takes it, in our opinion, well above the aforementioned Bologna. For the Messina has three wardrobes. That’s two in the bedroom, plus one alongside the shower; that’s on the nearside forward of the bedroom (with the toilet/washbasin compartment opposite). This extra wardrobe puts the Messina in a class of its own. However you want to organise your clothes, it offers brilliant versatility; it can be the place for everyone’s coats, perhaps, because it’s nearest to the door – or the clothes that you wear most often, so that you can step out of the shower and get dressed without going into the bedroom. 

The third wardrobe significantly enhances the Messina’s credentials as a four-berth; those sleeping in the lounge can put their clothes in this wardrobe so that they don’t have to invade the bedroom. It has three shelves below the hanging space; a good space for t-shirts and shoes, too. We love it!

We also love the bedroom; secluded at the rear, separated from the shower room by a sliding door, and with two dressing tables. One has a mirror, and both have cabinets and mains sockets.

Bedside cabinets win our praise for their capaciousness; 38cm deep and 38cm wide, below the wardrobes. And these units incorporate surfaces measuring 38cm by 41cm; that’s far larger than most bedside ledges. Two lockers above the bed are generous in size, each is 30cm deep, 62cm wide and 43cm tall, with a 30cm-wide shelf between the two.

The plushly upholstered and padded bedhead adds to the general luxury appeal of the Messina; although Pegasus isn’t at the top of the Bailey spec ladder, it does enjoy a good measure of cosiness throughout. And space, everywhere, is a keynote of this model’s appeal. When you close the sliding door that divides the bedroom from the shower area, and the hinged door that segments the wash area from the kitchen, the ablutions zone is nicely spacious. The toilet/washbasin compartment, alone, measures 84cm wide and 1.32m deep. That’s plenty of space for dressing. The Belfast-style washbasin sits on a good-sized unit, with a double-doored cabinet and surface space on each side of the basin. There’s also a shelf between here and the toilet (created by the presence of the wheelarch) plus a shelf running under the mirror. Plenty of space to get organised.

So, too, in the kitchen, with two lower cabinets that are 34cm and 35cm wide, plus a cutlery drawer that gives you 30cm of interior width. Below the oven and also below the Thetford 137-litre fridge (with 15-litre freezer compartment) are small lockers, and the cabinet beside the microwave is capacious, at 70cm wide and divided into three shelf spaces.

With the hob top down, the surface space is 1.24m long; that’s fine, but cooking enthusiasts may want more space – and it can be had. Bailey’s Prima Leisure online shop sells a worktop extension, at £109.99; it gives you 41cm by 37cm of extra space. We know from experience that this is a valuable asset to kitchen organisation; we bought one for our own 2024 Bologna.

Two mains sockets are close to the kitchen surface; perfect if you want to use a coffee machine (as we do) and equally well placed for a toaster or electric kettle.

More connectivity is alongside the door, forward of the fridge. This time it’s for your television, plus there is a wireless charging pad complete with USB port – and this media station is where the Messina’s portable Sonos speaker lives, in a recess, when it’s being charged. There’s a cabinet beneath; just large enough for shoes as you step inside from the doorway. And little things count; the Messina (like all Pegasus models) has a dustpan and brush concealed within the bin that is mounted to the door.

So to the Messina’s (arguably) most important ‘room’  – the lounge (after all, it’s where you spend most of your time when you’re not enjoying the great outdoors). The settees, at 1.91m long, offer enough length to be used as single beds, making this model a credible four-berth family caravan. The eight-foot width creates a lovely spacious feel. The bolster-style armrests ensure cosy comfort, and each is edged in suede-effect fabric. 

For mealtimes for two, the pull-out table provides 58cm by 39cm of space, and the windowsill gives you another 72cm by 51cm of space. When four are dining, you need to delve under the bed to get out the free-standing table. Tables under beds are never the most convenient, but be reassured that getting this one out and putting it back is less arduous than many, even though it’s larger than most, at 92cm by 80cm, taking advantage of the full-fat 2.45m width of the Messina.

There’s a lot to like about the Messina – and, with an MTPLM that is only a smidgeon over 1,700kg, it is a good match for a wide range of towcars.

At £32,499 the Messina is well priced to fend off most of its competition. Its third wardrobe gives it a head start, as does the spacious aspect of its shower and washbasin area. And the brilliantly designed under-bed storage area stretches the entire width of the caravan, with two exterior hatches, is an asset that, alone, will endear this model to many.