Full review

Words: Val Chapman  Photography: Richard Chapman

The Adria Action 361 LT

Back in 2005, Adria unveiled a small caravan that was to become an icon. Its unique curvy body lines and bright blue decals ensured the Action was instantly a caravan to be noticed. It was light in weight and as compact as caravans come.

Seventeen long years later, the Adria Action is still in action, still with instant visual wow-factor, and still appealing to couples for whom activity and adventure go hand-in-hand with caravanning, and who want a caravan that sings out that message loud and clear.

While today’s Actions resemble those first models, in that the curvy lines that grabbed attention back in 2005 are still turning heads today, the curves are slightly different and the caravan has undergone generations of updates. But the smart, bright, neat principle remains the same.

So what does the 2022 Adria Action bring to the market? We went to Adria’s biggest retailer, Barnsdale Leisure, near Pontefract, to explore.

The exterior is now smarter and even more eye-catching than ever, thanks to bold, black styling – along the sides and at both the front and rear, wrapping around the corners and running along the skirting area.

And inside? The wrap-around seating area is nothing short of enormous considering the caravan is a mere 4m in body length. You can transform the lounge into a double bed that measures 2m square, or use the settees as single beds; each is 2m long.               

The kitchen

Kitchen equipment is just a two-burner hob and a combined oven/grill. No microwave. Yet kitchen storage space is impressive, in the form of three drawers plus a slim, two-shelf cabinet above the sink.

And the fridge? That’s on top of a cabinet just forward of the shower/toilet compartment.

Opposite, a multipurpose unit above the Truma heater provides two drawers. The top one contains a cutlery tray. There’s a small amount of surface space (56cm wide and 31cm deep), and, hiding behind a façade, three shelf spaces on each side. The façade is where the television bracket is mounted, together with the control for the heater. To the right of the façade are two USB sockets.                

The washroom

Before you open the door of the toilet/shower compartment you could be forgiven for thinking that this a cramped, tiny affair. But, think Tardis, and you might begin to get the idea that clever design has prevailed and that this is a genuinely usable showering and preening space – and it’s stacked with style and clever design. The most ingenious factor is the design of the washbasin. It lives hinged up above the toilet.

Before anyone leaps to the conclusion that this in any way resembles the flimsy tip-up basins that appeared in some caravans a very long time ago, and allowed some of the water to escape where it wasn’t supposed to go, as you raised it back against the wall, let us set the record straight. This is a substantially constructed, firmly hinged basin that lowers and raises positively.

The shower rose and hose is at the opposite side of the compartment, mounted on a brilliantly stylish panel of white and dark brown, with backlighting.

There’s a towel rail mounted in the roof. That’s ideal not just for towels but for hanging wet coats to dry. We think buyers would want a second one; ideal places to fix this would be on the door, or on the wall, by the washbasin.              

Lighting

Lighting shines down from three spotlights above the cabinet, providing sufficient illumination.

Our review Action resides inside Barnsdale Leisure’s showroom, where there’s no natural light, so this was a good test of the Action’s lighting. And we felt it was well sufficient, not just in the shower compartment. Kitchen lighting, again three bright spotlights, is set into the base of the small shelf that runs across the whole width of the kitchen.

We’ve seen many Actions in natural light, outdoor settings – indeed, back in 2015, we took an Action to Cornwall as part of a long-term test for Caravan magazine, and well remember praising the atrium effect of the enormous rooflight. Even though the front window is the smallest in any caravan, at just 30cm deep (although it’s 1.23m wide), the rooflight that’s an enormous 1.53m wide and 87cm deep, plus the side windows, ensure that Actions are bright environments.                

Storage

Considering the size of the caravan, there’s an impressive amount of storage capability, with lots of space under the settees plus two small, white doored, smart cabinets over the lounge.

There’s an exterior access hatch to the nearside under-seat space – and a bright light so that you can easily see, whether you are delving in from the outside or inside. The spare wheel lives in here, and so does the table.                  

The décor

There’s a stark, smart style appeal about the Action. Maybe that’s chiefly brought about by the plain, dark grey seating. High-quality voile panels, four to each side window, each have weights running through the hems to make sure they stay perfectly aligned and each section can be pulled back on its track for when you want to enjoy views from the windows. We love the neat, disguised positive catches on all cabinets and drawers, and the soft-close mechanism on the kitchen wall cabinet.

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