Full review

Exterior

There’s something reassuringly understated about a Lunar Lexon’s exterior appearance. It’s a classic look, without the flashy, head-turning graphics that are in current fashion. You get the sense that Lexons don’t have to compete in terms of exterior splashes of dark greys and colours in order to capture your full attention.

The Lexon 420 perhaps illustrates the effectiveness of this subtlety of graphics more than most that emerge from the Lunar factory, because it’s a classic, short, two-berth shape; even before you step inside, the presence of a side window, set well back towards the rear, suggests that a rear washroom forms part of the 420 layout.

Interior

This traditional layout gives you two long settees by day and two single beds, each 1.84m long (that’s 6ft 1in) by night – or a double bed. Tall caravanners will probably choose the double bed option, because that gives you a bed length of 2.13m (7ft) across the caravan.

If that’s your choice, you’ll notice the Lexon’s bed slat design – their ends are encased in runners so that there is no risk of them jumping out as you draw the slats out into position. Storage under the front seating areas is accessed from the tops in the 420, rather than by front hatches.

So far, so straightforward, until you open the shower room door and then you realise that the 420 has one very special feature – its shower room is enormous, considering that this caravan’s body length is only 4.18m. The shower is as large as many you’ll find in houses, at 80cm wide and 67cm long, and hanging space for towels is generous. There’s a loop, plus a rail running across the length of the shower. That’s ideal, also, for hanging rain-soaked coats.

Shower time

The shower rose is worthy of comment, too. It has an air intake at the base of the handle. Air is drawn into the water and, as the water and air mix, turbulence results, which increases the pressure inside the showerhead, forcing the water out with greater power than from a showerhead without the air intake.

The Lexon 420’s shower room has another feature that’s a little unusual. It’s a traditional linen cabinet alongside the toilet. Under a hinged lid are four hooks, on which a cotton bag is suspended. The cabinet under the washbasin is slim, so there’s not a lot of storage space. But less woodwork means less weight, and this Lunar is brilliantly light for its length.

There’s more than the large size of the shower room and wardrobe to surprise you in such a short caravan. The amount of lower kitchen storage space is impressive, too. It’s equipped with a capacious cabinet with two deep shelf spaces and a cutlery drawer that is easily large enough to house the cooking utensil and tableware needs of two people. As well as ample cupboard space, the 420’s kitchen gives you a generous amount of surface, measuring 48cm deep and 69cm wide. There’s a mains hotplate amid the gas burners, plus a Sanyo microwave.

Bright

A strip of very bright LEDs runs under the top cabinets the whole length of the kitchen, giving you a good level of illumination. We love the design of Lunar’s new-for-2012 shower doors. They’re hinged 10cm inwards from the frame. That’s to allow this wide door (it measures 72cm) to open without colliding with the washbasin. This design adds huge amounts of style. Storage space may be small in the shower room but wardrobe accommodation is huge.

The 420’s wardrobe is on the nearside, opposite the kitchen. The rail runs the whole 80cm width of the wardrobe. Four shelves, 27cm wide, run down the left hand side. And four head-height lockers around the lounge give sufficient space for the needs of two.