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Swift Kudos 830 DB
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Key Features

Model Year 2022
Class Twin Axle
Price From (£) 29,795
Internal Length (m) 6.27
Shipping Length (m) 7.98
MRO (kg) 1541
MTPLM (kg) 1,721
Max Width (m) 2.46
External Height (m) 2.59
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At a glance

Price: £29,795 Berths: 6 Length – Body: 6.27m; Overall: 7.98m Width: 2.46m Headroom: 1.95m Heating system: Truma Weight – MIRO: 1,541kg; MTPLM: 1,721kg

Full review

Words: Val Chapman  Photography: John Chapman

The Swift Kudos 830 DB

With a name that means ‘praise, admiration and fame for achievement’, you expect something special. And you won’t be disappointed. The Swift Kudos is a Sprite by another name, created for Preston Caravans & Motorhomes. With added kit and an exclusive fabric scheme, it sets out to impress – and succeeds.

There are nine models in the Kudos range. The smallest is the compact two-berth 350, only 2m wide and weighing just 1,200kg (MTPLM). There’s a larger two-berth, plus three four-berths; two with island beds and one with a side bed. There are three six-berth models. Three of the Kudos tourers are maximum-width (2.45m). One of these is a four-berth with a side bed. The other two are six-berths. If you’re considering one of these, you have the choice of two excellent layouts.

The Kudos 830 FB has, as the initials imply, a fixed bed, on the nearside, with the shower room alongside it. The other, the 830 DB, is identical – except that, rather than a double bed, there are two bunks and a cute kids’ seating area alongside. That’s the model we picked for this review. It’s based on the Sprite Super Quattro DB.     

 

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The layout

This layout emerged onto the market early in the British manufacturer evolution of eight-foot width caravans. This arrangement would not have been possible in a standard width (2.23m). There’s a full-size shower room on the offside, almost as large as one you’d expect to find across the rear, alongside the children’s seating area. So, it’s an example that shows eight-foot width hasn’t simply given buyers more space, it’s given the market new layouts.

This twin-axle model has an MTPLM of 1,721kg, so it’s within tow range for many vehicles. The virtue of this layout goes further than bunk beds and the convenience of a shower room alongside. It has two really important features. The most obvious is the wide offside dining area, capable of seating at least four. The table is 72cm by 62cm. The second is much less obvious – until you begin to explore. This caravan has two wardrobes, one 39cm wide and the other 49cm wide, opposite one another, immediately forward of the bunks and shower room; the perfect positions, then.

The bunk beds are 1.8m long and 72cm wide. Each bunk area has a bright circular light, set into the rear wall. The 65cm by 35cm table alongside the bunks is of an ingenious design, on an offset monopod base that enables the top to be swivelled to allow space to get to the seating area behind it, and then moved back into the dining position. Two little people could dine here, or, more likely, they’d use it for tabletop pursuits. A mains socket, together with TV points and two USB ports, is close to floor level in this area.  

 

The washroom

The shower room – complete with the Kudos name at the base of the mirror – has all that you require, in compact form: a shower cubicle plenty large enough, a good-sized cabinet under the sink and shelving on the wall, plus a double towel hook and a loop.  

 

The kitchen

The kitchen is 1.43m long, with a three-burner hob, oven and grill, a large circular sink (39cm in diameter), and 46cm of work surface alongside it. Two top cabinets and a cabinet between the oven and fridge provide the storage. This cabinet, 37cm wide, contains a large, four-compartment cutlery drawer and a metal basket-style shelf, 14cm wide. The drainer sits in a slot within this cabinet.

The microwave, alongside the top lockers, has automatic programmes for vegetables, meat, soup, fish, pasta and pizza, plus a separate timer selector by weight.

Beneath the microwave is a neat, stylish feature; a shelf with a curved edge. Two sockets are here, and a circular aperture enables cables for a kettle to feed down to the surface beneath. There’s also space on the little shelf for a few cooking essentials such as salt and pepper.   

 

The lounge

There’s a superb spaciousness and open-plan feel about the 830 DB. The lounge flows into the dining area visually, yet there is a clear separation between the two functions. The monopod base of the dining table is telescopic, so that the table can be lowered to the level of the seating, forming the central area of the bed base for the double bed that can be made up here.

This caravan has a total of eight USB ports, two in the kids’ area, two at the front of the lounge and four more, in neat little fitments, with bright blue LEDs, set into the bases of the lounge top lockers. Excellent charging provision, then.

The lounge settees are 1.85m long, making them suitable for use as single beds. The centre-front drawer and pull-out table unit – substantially wider than in standard-width caravans – contains a surprise. Within the 73cm-wide, 30cm-deep drawer is another drawer. The effect is a neat and tidy piece of furniture.

Three top lockers are on each side of the lounge. There are three more above the dining area.

The storage space under the lounge seating is accessed via drop down hatches. To get at the spaces under the dining seating, you remove the cushions and raise the bases. Even though half of one of these areas is occupied by the Truma heating unit, there is plenty of lower storage space overall.    

 

The Kudos spec

The Swift Kudos 830 DB has £3,500-worth of extra equipment and upgrades, for which buyers pay just £1,800 more than the price of the equivalent standard Sprite model. Effectively, you get £1,700-worth of extras for free.

Among the features that mark out the Kudos from the standard Sprite version is an alarm system with key fob control that also switches on and off the awning light. There’s a 100W solar panel, an exterior mains socket and a gas barbecue point, and an exterior access hatch to the storage area under the nearside settee. Pleated blinds, heavy-duty corner steadies and the ATC stability control system are also part of the upgrade package.

 


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Expert Caravan advice to your door!

Caravan Magazine

Caravan magazine has been inspiring caravanners for more than 80 years! We have grown to become a leading authority on caravans, the caravan industry, caravan lifestyle, campsites and caravan travel destinations. We know what our readers want – and that's to make the most of their caravans and their holidays!

Want to know more about Caravan magazine?

About Caravan magazine  

Our verdict

The layout accommodates the needs of six people brilliantly, with two large dining/lounging areas and the lovely little two-person seat and table at the rear, making it an ideal choice for families who entertain. This caravan has a rather sophisticated, luxury character – and lots of added value. With £1,700-worth of enhancements free of charge, the Kudos 830 DB is a great example of the advantage of going for a special edition rather than a standard model.

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