Full review

Words: Val Chapman Photography: Richard Chapman

The Bailey Unicorn Vigo single-axle caravan

It’s now 12 years since Bailey launched its Unicorn range. Unicorn was an instant hit when it was unveiled and went on to become Bailey’s bestselling range. Now in its fifth generation of design and spec updates, the range that carries the name of a mysterious, mythical one-horned beast continues to lure buyers with its mixture of design flair and high level of luxury. Since its unveiling last summer, this latest Unicorn has established itself as Bailey’s supreme seller.

Latest Unicorns don’t merely get a fabrics and graphics makeover, although those are the elements that will catch your eye initially. The updates and changes introduce sprung upholstery; the bed is wider: the high-arching front window is larger; there’s a new DAB radio. And more…

There are seven models in the line-up. We tracked down one of the most popular layouts to carry the torch for Unicorn V; the single-axle Vigo, with a rear shower room and transverse island bed. It has pride of place at the front of Cheshire retailer, Leisure Sales’ showroom; its indoor location immediately emphasising one of the Vigo’s most appealing attributes: this is an exceptionally well- illuminated caravan.       

Lighting

Among the new lighting features are two very bright white lights set into the surround of the high-arching central front window – which also gets a new design. It’s now wider, so the Vigo – along with all models in the range – enjoys an increase in the amount of daylight in the lounge; there’s almost a conservatory feel to the front of the caravan.

Bright lighting runs beneath and above all of the top lockers, under the rim of the kitchen surface, and under the pelmet in the bedroom.

The exterior gets a lighting improvement, too, with the introduction of a bright services light in the perfect position for you to plug in your mains cable after dark – and the socket is now in the offside, which means it’s no longer in your awning.                

Fabrics

Pale grey, smooth-fabric upholstery of obvious robust quality, teamed with pastel mauve, create a super modern, yet also relaxing environment. The vertical ripple pattern outlined in white, for the curtains and cushions, adds a sense of depth, and the pale cream satiny sprig pattern on the bolster cushions injects a touch of natural vibe. And the window panels, made of a fabric that imitates mesh, are superb.

Contributing to the fabric scheme is suede-effect that cloaks the walls of the dresser by the door and also the two front corner panels with pouches.

We took the carpets up for the photos because they were coated in protective plastic film – and the exceptionally smart flooring was revealed; it’s stone-tile effect, in grey. Taking up the carpets also reveals one of Bailey’s hallmarks: the position of the battery housing, set into the floor. In the Vigo, it’s just inside the door. While on the subject of the doorway, it’s worth noting that there is a small cabinet at floor level to the left of the door as you step inside, just large enough for a couple of pairs of shoes that can be hidden away as you step inside.    

The bedroom

The bed is 7.5cm wider than those in previous Vigos, at 1.43m – and the wardrobes that flank the bed have been reshaped to allow for this. While retaining the same width at the top (30cm), they now slightly taper. We reckon this doesn’t significantly diminish hanging space, as most garments are bulkiest at the shoulder area. And the new, curved wardrobe shape injects a nice touch of Scandinavian styling to the Vigo.

The wardrobes have small apertures so that you can reach into the bases from the bed. We think Bailey has missed a trick here; if USB or mains sockets had been fitted into the bases of the wardrobe, this would have been a superb place for charging phones.

In front of the bed is a dressing table with tall, mirrored cabinet, lower cupboard and television connections, plus a small shelf on the other side of the window.       

The kitchen

The total length of the kitchen is 1.71m, creating ample surface space for easy meal prep. That length includes the 32cm by 48cm hinged extension and, importantly, a 15cm area to the right of the cooker, perfect for utensils and ingredients in use. Also to the right of the cooker, beneath this super-useful area, is a wine rack.

Kitchen storage comes in the form of two drawers and a drop-down-door cabinet, 70cm wide, plus two top lockers and a two-shelf cabinet with a curved door within the dresser. There are also cabinets above and below the fridge/freezer (that’s the tall, slimline, Dometic 133-litre capacity model). The 700W microwave is a new model and has what is called a ‘non-moving ceramic hot plate’, which means there is no separate glass plate that you need to remove every time you tow.            

The washroom

The bright light theme of the lounge and kitchen carries through to the shower room, where an almost dazzlingly bright light comes from a circular light in the roof of the shower cubicle. There’s an excellent amount of light from strips concealed around the mirror that sits above the Belfast-style washbasin (also a new feature). A strip of LEDs, plus a spotlight, are on the offside. The shower room contains ample shelving and cabinets, and three towel hooks.          

Summary

All of the attributes you’d expect of a tourer in this price bracket are here, including the ATC stability control system, a solar panel (80W), an Al-Ko Secure wheel lock, a Tracker Monitor system, a PIR alarm, a barbecue point, plus an exterior mains socket. The Vigo is a very refined caravan, with brilliant (literally!) lighting design, especially in the lounge and shower room, and vast amounts of daylight coming in from the new-design central front window that’s a staggering 64cm wide and 1.6m tall.

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