Full review

Exterior

Pure white and with a simple, traditional body shape, the Quasar 554 doesn’t attempt to compete in the arena of new front and rear curves and high shoulder lines that we see in some other caravans. It’s a classic caravan, with – again, by comparison with many other 2013 caravans – understated graphics.

You’ll notice the exterior hatches on both sides, giving you access to the space under the twin beds. You may also
spot the plain-white awning rail; unobtrusive but somehow adding style. Finally, you’ll appreciate the awning light –
a row of LED ‘bulbs’ in a moulding that’s curved downwards at each end to channel rain away from the door.

Interior

The 554’s layout creates a delightful cosy day-and-night environment for a couple. We say ‘day and night’ as there’s a feature of the 554’s beds which brings them closer into the daytime-use bracket than in many other twin-bed layouts. These beds are lower than most. At 52cm high they’re the same height as the settees, which means they look more like an extension of the living space than a separate bedroom.

You lose a little depth of storage underneath them as a consequence of their low level, but with so much space we think no buyers will miss it.

There are exterior hatches to both sides and full-length interior access doors to these spaces.

The 554’s principal attraction may be its twin beds, but there’s another major feature that will influence buyers. It’s the size of the full-width shower room.

At 1.07m deep, it’s much larger than you’d expect in a caravan that’s only 5.61m in body length. The shower measures 78cm x 66cm; that’s fully domestic-sized. The washbasin’s a bit small, but that’s a small price to pay for the generous dressing space here.

A clever layout technique has been used in the design of the centre of the caravan to create
a kitchen with two good-sized lower cabinets. The fridge is outside the main kitchen area,
on the offside. The wardrobe is above the fridge; it’s half-length, with a hanging depth of 95cm. Putting the fridge here has been made possible by the introduction of the space-saving Truma Combi heating system; the unit is under a settee.

Contrast this with the imposition on the layout of a large, square Truma convector heater that we used to see until very recently – the 554 is one of the best examples of the advantage of the new hide-away system.

The 554’s kitchen gives you enough working surface, especially when you put the sink cover in place. There’s a mains hotplate plus three burners, a full oven and grill and a microwave with auto-cook facility.

Lower cabinets give you good kitchen storage – but how about storage elsewhere? Two long top-lockers are above each bed and four more line the lounge.

Two of these have shelves, which are more robust than the Quasar shelves of recent years.

The settees are 1.5m long; that’s not full-stretch-out length of course, but then that’s what the beds are for. With heaps of cushions, you can turn them into a daytime relaxing zone, which leaves the front area for dining. When you pull out the chest of drawers’ extending top, you have an adequate space for most meals for two; there’s always the freestanding table (stored in its own section of the kitchen cabinet) for when friends join you for dinner.

The more we examined the 554, the more it impressed us as a great couples’ caravan. That’s because the beds make good daytime feet-up places, the shower room is big enough to give you plenty of space for dressing, the kitchen is practical on storage, and the lounge is a lovely cosy space for two, and occasionally four, to sit.