Full review

The long-established Compass caravan marque disappeared for four years and then came back three years ago, with distinctive style statements and now, Alde heating in both the Corona and the higher-spec Rallye range.

The lower-priced, lower specced Corona range takes a step forward for 2016, with a stunning new rooflight design. It’s long and slender, set in a white panel that integrates with the small square rooflight in the centre of the caravan, and is surrounded by eight inset bright white lights.

Compass, though, isn’t the first manufacturer to go for this new-style roof light idea. Long, slim opening rooflights were first seen in 2014 when Lunar launched a special edition Clubman  caravan, called Saros. It’s a brilliant design feature; little wonder another manufacturer now gives more caravan buyers opportunity to acquire this lovely feature.

Our review example of the Corona range is the Corona made for two, with new colours for 2016 and a cleverly designed cushion scheme that caters for two very distinctly different tastes in fabric. If you like modern linen-look cushions with pastel, almost deckchair stripes, you position the cushions with this fabric on the top. If your tastes are more traditional and you like fine embroidery in silky threads and intricate floral designs, you turn the cushions over. The Explorer Group design team has managed to cater for two tastes in one caravan. Clever!

Two fabric types are used. A tactile light suede effect for two of the cushions, the curtain edging, tie-backs and tops of the backrests, is teamed with the predominant hessian-look fabric. It works, brilliantly. Large, firm armrests at both ends of the 462’s settees accentuate the home-from-home lounge image and comfort.

Another new décor feature for 2016 is the flooring; a very pale wood-effect which enhances the looks of the much darker (and very practical) carpet that sits on top of it, with just enough vinyl showing around the edges to make a contribution to the overall look.

The 462 is now the only two-berth in the Compass range. It’s a star performer in the kitchen area, with plenty of working surface, and plenty of space, also, in the showering department…
 

Showering

Showering, Corona 462-style, is more hotel than caravan. At its deepest point the washroom measures 1.31m, making it one of the largest dressing rooms in any caravan. The wardrobe is one of the best designed we’ve seen, with two rails, one above the other, giving you a total of 1.67m of hanging width. And there’s more. The wardrobe contains two drawers and two shelves, plus a large floor area that will take care of all shoe space requirements and still leave space for other stuff.

The shower is generously proportioned, too; it’s circular, and 72cm in diameter.

A heated towel rail (part of the Alde system) is on the forward wall of the shower room, alongside the toilet. For greatest towel-drying efficiency, a loop or rail would have been ideally place on the wall above it; that’s something purchasers of this model might like to add, via their retailer. There is, though, adequate towel provision, in the form of a loop and a double hook on the rear side of the washroom.

Sleeping

You can make single beds that are 1.85m long or a massive double bed, by rolling out the slatted base that lives under the chest of two drawers.

It’s worth mentioning that you will want to turn the seating units over to get the greatest efficiency from the layered-fibre Ozio upholstery; Leisure Furnishings, which makes this three-tier, dense foam upholstery, advises us that the underside fabric is designed with greater moisture and temperature control properties than the upholstered top side. In both seating and mattresses, our experience of Ozio seating construction, introduced for 2014, is that it feels every bit as comfortably firm as sprung seating.

Storage

Both of the under-settee storage areas have full-length drop-down hatches. That’s important in a two-berth caravan, in which you have to pull and push your duvets or sleeping bags in and out of storage areas at each end of the night. Six top lockers line the lounge; that’s plenty of space for small items.

Dining

With a level surface measuring 80x65cm when you extend the top of the chest of drawers, it’s unlikely the freestanding table will get a lot of employment, even for major meals when there are just two dining. When dinner guests arrive, though, it’s a quick and easy task to extract the table from its space alongside the drawers within the wardrobe.

Lounge

Our review day was sunny and warm. Ideal, then, to appreciate the soft, light tones of the fabrics; they looked great early in the day, when the weather was dull. When the sunshine emerged, the brighter light accentuated their pleasing pastel tones. Most of all, though, we appreciated the long roof light. We opened it and let the light warm breeze stream in as well as the sunlight. This really is a very pleasing holiday environment, we decided.

Kitchen

The Corona 462 attracted our praise in the kitchen department, too, with a surface width totalling 95cm. The enormous (40cm in diameter!) sink has a cover that matches the pale cream, slightly sparkling, kitchen surface.

Two drawers and a cabinet, 31cm wide, sit between the fridge and the oven. Two capacious top cabinets have light-touch press-and-release catches. Opposite, the dresser gives you a further 89cm of surface. A curved surface by the door gives you another 26cm of space, with two shelves below.

The microwave oven is housed within the dresser, with a cabinet above it. Below, a double-doored cabinet and two drawers complete overall excellent kitchen storage. The Corona 462 is clearly designed to appeal to buyers for whom making great meals, with no surface or storage space challenges, is a priority.

Two power points are on the fore end of the kitchen and another, with television sockets, is by the dresser.

While doing a power point count in the kitchen area we noticed another well-placed socket. It’s close to floor level, enabling you to use a hairdryer, stretching the cable around towards the mirror in the shower room. (There’s an additional socket at the forward nearside corner of the lounge, too).

Towing

We obviously didn’t need a hefty beast like our SsangYong Rexton to take the 462 out on the quiet pretty lanes around the Explorer factory at Consett, at the highest point of County Durham. The 462 is made for mid-weight vehicles. It may not look the ideal visual match for the bulky Rexton but on the road it felt brilliant, and well balanced, although it was totally unladen for its test tow, and with no attention being paid to nose weight.