Full review

New to the Compass Capiro range is a classic two-berth, end shower room layout – but with an impressive twist.

The Compass Capiro 520 has an exceptionally large shower room and enormous wardrobe accommodation. And it’s of an unusual layout, with the shower positioned in the offside corner, the toilet beside it and the basin in the centre at the rear.

A suite of wardrobes occupies the whole wall on the nearside. One wardrobe has a double hanging space, with one rail above another. The table is stored in this sector. The central cabinet contains jacket-length hanging space plus three deep drawers. The third sector has five open shelf spaces.

There’s a heated towel warmer, part of the Alde system which heats all models in the Capiro range.

Heating

Capiro is the mid-range in the Compass portfolio; Casita sits below it, with seven models all heated by the new Whale system, and Camino sits above it. Like Capiro, the four Caminos have Alde heating.

Compass is made in County Durham by the Erwin Hymer Group which also makes Elddis. Many Compass models are mirrored in the Elddis ranges; the Compass Capiro 520’s Elddis cousin is the Affinity 520, with the same spec. The differentiation is in styling of the woodwork and fabrics.

The 520’s notable features include a long, slender skylight stretching the whole length of the lounge.

Kitchen

The kitchen sink is large, steel and rectangular, with a cover which sits flush with the surrounding surface.

All the five side lockers have tilt-action catches set behind the handles; a new feature for 2020. The top kitchen lockers have a subtle herringbone pattern finish.

A long mirror by the door is bordered by a white panel of the same herringbone pattern as the finish on the top kitchen lockers.

Kitchen storage consists of two drawers and a cupboard beneath and, opposite, a dresser with a large double-doored cabinet and two drawers. There’s also a locker above the microwave.

Design

Fabrics are close weave pale grey teamed with pale grey curtains and cushions with a white pattern. The seating fabric is treated to resist stains; the treatment system is called ActivCare.

Features

Capiros have external barbecue points; a change for 2020 is the covers to these open vertically, close to the caravan side. Features also include lights for the gas bottle compartments and reinforced step sections on the drawbar, so that you can stand on it to clean the windows and the front of the caravan.

Capiros also have the Alde Load Monitor system, which enables the Alde heating to be set to the maximum electrical capacity of your caravan site pitch, to prevent you from exceeding it and tripping out the supply.

The Al-Ko hitch head stabiliser is standard Capiro equipment, too, as is Al-Ko’s ATC (Active Trailer Control) system which enhances stability by electronic, automatic application of the caravan brakes when the system detects the first signs of a snaking movement.

Verdict

The Capiro 520 has a luxuriously large shower room with an impressively capacious suite of wardrobes and shelving. With Alde heating, this is a caravan designed for year-round use and the refinement of the Load Monitor System makes sure you can’t accidentally trip out the power supply to your pitch.

Features including a barbecue point, fabric that’s treated to resist stains and tilt-action locker catches set behind the handles all add up to a nicely refined caravan. All this, and the MTPLM is only 1,345 kg