Full review

TWO-BERTH caravans with end kitchens don’t come much simpler, more straightforward – or more crisply appealing – than this one.

It’s short, light, and low-priced – but does it live up to its name? Does the new Sprite Finesse have – finesse?

We had a day to find out...

Sprite’s new Finesse 2 holds few surprises. It’s a no-frills, basic caravan. That’s the key to its appeal. Flat locker doors with a simple style line of metal-effect enhance the look of space. And that’s important in a caravan whose body length is only 3.66m.

But it’s those flat locker fronts that help give Sprites their simple stylishness. The Finesse doesn’t look like a budget caravan.

That’s because this range has the same high build quality as all other Swifts including £20,000 Sterlings.

Swift has simply stripped out equipment to achieve the low weight and low price that hallmarks the Sprite range. Everything about the Finesse feels solid and robust. Nothing is flimsy.

There’s nothing you could look at and say: “That’s an economy measure”. Except, perhaps the panoramic one-piece window that saves a little money and weight compared with the triple-window design seen in more expensive ranges.

We like that window – it lets in more light and lets you admire more view. The Finesse is a light and airy caravan despite its small size.

It has as classical a two-berth, end-kitchen layout as you could imagine. One for the traditionalists, you might say; perhaps for those of you who have owned several caravans of the same layout and prefer to stick to the layout you know because you know it works well.

But look at the Finesse another way. It’s also one for couples who are caravanning for the first time, perhaps making their first move out of tenting. Like the even smaller Xplore 302 also reviewed in this issue, the Finesse feels very modern and is designed for young tastes, in plain, simple décor.

Upholstery helps. These fawns and creams combine to look light, bright and every bit as modern as something house interior designers might put in a show-house.
The Finesse also has a lot of practical features. Take the washroom for one example. It’s larger than you’d expect for the compact size of the caravan.

Unusually, the washbasin is large. It’s across the front corner of the little room, with a reasonable-sized surround for the shampoos and soap-like stuff; there’s an additional shelf high up above the toilet across the back wall. And the shower area is larger than many caravans of comparable size and status.

The kitchen is up there with the best in terms of storage. A double-doored cupboard gives you a large, two-shelf storage area to the right, with a cutlery tray and wire basket shelf to the left.

You get a plastic drainer to clip onto the sink if you wish to use it; that swallows up nearly all the work surface but it’s not a concern as you have the top of the fridge unit to the right of the door to help.

You don’t get a microwave – but will you miss it when you have an excellent full cooker?

If a microwave is crucial to your caravan cuisine, the fridge cabinet is the ideal place to stand one when you use it – and there’s ample space under the settees to store it out of the way.

Verdict:

Small, easily manoeuvrable, within the towing scope of most Golfs and Focuses, the Finesse answers every need in its class. Put an awning on it and the family can come too. Yes – the Finesse lives up to its name. Anything lacking? Well, yes. There are only two power points; both above the fridge. An additional one in the kitchen would make a big difference. And one at the front end so that you could use a table lamp or a television here would be the icing on the cake.

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• This new caravan review was first published in Go Caravan, find out about the monthly magazine by clicking here.