Full review

The new layout in the Elddis Crusader Supercyclone is equally suitable for couples and families, especially those with teenagers.

The four-berth Supercyclone has been around for a long time, establishing a solid customer base among couples looking for twin beds in a long and spacious caravan.

Now, though, the Supercylone moves up a gear, widening its appeal into family territory, with a new layout.

The 2018 Supercyclone still has twin beds, but now they're at the back of the caravan, with the toilet-showering arrangements amidships. Effectively, then, the grooming department and the bedroom have swapped places and, in so doing, have transformed the Supercyclone.

The new Supercylone will still appeal to couples, of course. But the twin room at the rear, completely divided from not just the lounge-kitchen area but also from the shower-toilet, is so much a separate room it's sure to be a great kids' bedroom.

And the older the kids get, the greater the appeal, bearing in mind that the vast majority of teenage caravanners consider sharing space with their parents to be uncool! The Supercyclone gives them their own space, with their own TV points (just add a wall bracket).

Best of all, the central shower and toilet are easily accessible from both the rear bedroom and the lounge-bedroom.

A sliding door segments the twin bedroom from the washing area, and the hinged door of the toilet-washbasin room opens across the caravan to seal off the whole rear area. And when you open it, you realise just what a long caravan this is.

Crusader is Elddis's top-spec range, with Alde heating, extractor fans, ATC stability control, alarm and tracker systems, Alde load monitor, 40-litre water tank, 155-litre fridge-freezers – and stunning Champagne-shade sides that glisten in the sunshine.

Showering

When you close the forward and rear doors to the shower-toilet area you could imagine you were in a totally self-contained, full-width rear shower room.

This one, though, is even better.

That's because it's so adaptable: someone can occupy the toilet-washbasin compartment and someone else could use the shower. And sleepers at both ends of the caravan can get to both without walking through a bedroom.

The shower is on the nearside; it's a generous 65cm x 80cm. Crusaders are known for style; it's apparent here in the shower, with a coronet of bright LEDs surrounding the top of the smart black unit on which the shower is mounted.

The washbasin room is luxurious, with a heated towel rail, three very bright roof-mounted spotlights, and strips of lighting running behind both sides of the mirror, sending shafts of light sideways to reflect off the walls. It's the perfect light for putting on makeup – strengthening the Supercyclone's appeal to families with teenage girls!

Two cabinets, four small shelves plus two surfaces, in addition to the washbasin surround, give many places to put grooming paraphernalia. All in all, the Crusader provides a practical and pleasing washing department.

Sleeping

Luxury-look in the twin bedroom arrives in deep headboards upholstered in a tactile fabric that's almost crushed velvet, but much more modern. It's darkest brown.

A line of LEDs behind each headboard sends soft light out from around them. Four drawers and seven top lockers will swallow all manner of stuff – again underlining the Supercyclone's suitability for teen families as well as for couples looking for a capacious caravan for long holidays. And the all-important bed length? That's a generous 1.92m.

Two USB charging points and a socket close to the chest of drawers complete the practicality list.

At 1.75m, the settees are long enough to make single beds unless you're tall. The double bed base is completed by webbing-linked slats, which draw out from the chest of four drawers. The result is a massive double bed well over 2m long.

Storage

The wardrobe is on the offside, between the shower and the fridge-freezer. There's only 34cm of hanging width which, even for just two, is a bit restrictive. There's no shortage of space for folded stuff, though, with those seven top lockers in the bedroom plus four more in the lounge, and three self spaces at the base of the wardrobe for clothing and shoes.

Gas-filled struts take the weight of the twin bed beneath. The water tank is at the rear of the offside bed space, but you won't miss the space it takes up, because there is so much elsewhere. Spring hinges support the front lockers if you should want to raise the tops, rather than open the drop-down hatches.

And there's an exterior aperture to the nearside under-bed space – with a surprise feature: a mains power point and a TV aerial socket, so that you could use your TV in

an awning.

As you'd expect in a caravan that's 6.34m in body length, storage, is great; only the small size of the wardrobe forces us to give a B rating to this sector.

Dining

The table has its own compartment within the kitchen cabinet; getting it out and in is easy and, of course, it's close to the area where it will be used. For breakfasts and minor meals for two, the top of the chest of drawers extends to 74cm.

Lounge

Many features combine to create a first-class lounge. Over-locker concealed lighting, the 1.37m-long 'Stargazer' rooflight, the sunroof above the front window, framed in cream suede-effect with the word 'Crusader' embroidered into it, and a curved support at the rear of the nearside settee to prevent the armrest from falling off into the doorway…

And then there's the fabric scheme to consider. Elddis calls the scheme Arran, after the cable-knit-inspired pattern on the cushions.

We'd call it just smart and modern; we love the tactile, almost velvety, darkest brown accent to the fabric for edging and curtain ties. It's deployed to trace a fine line between the cream suede-effect sections and the paler cream flecked fabric. Crusaders have Aquaclean fabrics, treated to resist stains.

Kitchen

Every element of the Supercyclone's kitchen is supersized. The surface is 1.1m long and with a 30cm x 37cm hinged-up extension. The fridge has 155 litres of capacity and the ability to remove the freezer if you prefer your caravan with extra chill space.

The sink is large and rectangular (50 cm x 31 cm). And storage is brilliant, with four 45cm-wide drawers, a two-shelf, full-height cabinet that's 42cm wide, plus the usual pans cupboard under the oven, and two double-doored top lockers, each 77cm wide.

The microwave is above the fridge-freezer and there's a locker on top of it. A slim, two-shelf cabinet stands alongside the door… The list of spaces goes on, to include an illuminated drinks cabinet.

Practicalities include an extractor fan and a sink cover that matches – and is almost level with – the surface, so when it's in place you have a generous 1.4m of kitchen on which to organise your meal preparation.

Towing

I took the Supercyclone out among the roads of the Durham dales; some straight and smooth, others narrow, winding and uneven. It was a great test that not only underlined twin-axle stability; it illustrated that big caravans are actually easy to manoeuvre. When it was time to turn around and head back to the Elddis factory at Consett, I spun the outfit around easily in an outsized layby.

Crusaders have ATC, as you'd expect; with the inherent stability of four wheels that's belt-and-braces security and it's great to have.

Verdict

The new-layout Supercyclone is designed for keen cooks, for long holidays when you need gargantuan amounts of storage space, for families of four especially in the teen years, for couples who want luxury and space… It ticks a lot of boxes.

With Alde heating, a big fridge, and tracker and alarm systems, all the spec and more that you'd expect is here. And the pale woodwork with matt fawn locker-edges, plus the simple cream, fawn and dark brown fabric scheme, ensure that this year's Crusaders will appeal to buyers looking for on-trend styling.