A distinctive caravan in many different ways.
Full review
ON the offside, close to the front of the Astella, an exterior hatch, 30cm wide and 70cm deep, reaches 66cm into the caravan’s interior. It’s not just the size of this locker that makes it unique… it’s heated too!
A radiator, that’s part of the Astella’s Alde central heating system, is within this compartment. It’s great for drying boots etc, but Adria tells us it’s to avoid cold spots inside.
The Astella’s front lines set it apart from everything else, too. The front window is smaller and higher than those on other caravans. That’s because the Astella’s kitchen is at the front. At 8m long, it’s a surprise to find that the Astella has only one axle – UK-built caravans of this length have two.
The 1800kg Astella, though, sits on AL-KO’s Delta axle, which is slightly V-shaped (rather than straight), with semi-trailing suspension arms. It’s designed to minimise sway risk; the V-shape distributes the down-force on the wheels more evenly than a straight axle.
KITCHEN
The Astella gets an L-shaped kitchen which is 1.86m wide; there‘s surface space around the hob, fixed drainer and sink in this area. The surface then turns a corner, above the fridge, giving you a 63cm-deep area on which to work. A cabinet that’s the full height of the caravan gives you four shelf spaces.
Three drawers, each 13cm wide, run on the left side of the grill and oven. There’s a deep, wide drawer under the microwave in the centre of the kitchen, plus a top cupboard containing substantial racks for plates and mugs. And thirdly, lighting: strips of LED lights are mounted into the shelf that runs the full width of the kitchen and around its corner.
Three LED clusters are set into a wooden plinth that arches backwards over the whole kitchen area. Nine small lights nestle behind a plastic panel in the corner. We applaud the current trend for siting microwaves lower than we’ve seen in the past – but we think the Astella’s microwave position is a little too low.
Its base is only 50cm from the floor. And the floor space between the microwave and the dividing wall between the kitchen and the dining area is only 61cm.
That means you have only a small space in which to crouch down to lift dishes in and out. We think some will find this space too small.
LOUNGE
There's an L-shaped dining-lounge area (with an additional settee) in the centre and twin beds plus a washroom at the rear, the Astella is very different in layout from anything else we’ve seen from Adria or anywhere else.
It’s 2.48m wide, which allows greater corridor space and makes this large central lounge layout possible without risk of feeling in any way cramped.
SLEEPING
Everything about this caravan sets it apart from everything else and that includes the dining area double bed. It makes up by pulling a slatted base on a wooden frame out from under the offside settee.
When this area of the caravan is in night-time mode there’s still enough corridor space to walk to and from the kitchen. The freestanding table that sits amid the lounge seating is stored under the nearside single bed; four swivel clips hold it in place when you’re towing.
That’s fine – except that anything you place on top of the table would have to be moved out of the locker every time you get the table in or out. The three aspects of the kitchen that you’ll notice first are its enormous storage opportunities, its huge, glossy white surface and its feature lighting.
SHOWERING
There’s nothing confined about the space in the full-width rear shower room. And here you’ll find another unique and superb feature. It’s a washbasin that’s integrated into a mirrored cabinet.
The basin is solid, well-made, with a proper plug hole; far more robust and practical than tip-up basins of years ago, which emptied by tipping the basin towards the wall. But the Astella’s shower room does have a feature on which we’re much less keen.
The shower walls are not plastic; they’re wood-effect wall-board. There is, though, a heated panel here – part of the Alde system that’s one of the Astella’s principal features; this is the cheapest Alde-heated caravan on the British market.
STORAGE
The head-height locker count is high, at 13. The twin bed bases rise on sprung hinges to give easy access to the areas beneath. But the under-settee lockers have wooden lids with no self-supporting hinges, and no front access hatches. Good storage – but some is difficult to access, hence the mark.
TOWING
The road characteristics were more straightforward and more stable than we had expected, given its length on one axle; all British-made caravans of this length and weight have two axles, so we had to judge this one against those, as that’s how buyers will judge them, too.
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Big, robust gas bottle door on substantial hinges, exterior heated locker, sleek rounded shape, grey colour – and roof rails – the Astella is a distinctive caravan in many different ways.