Full review

WHEN Swift’s designers decided to heat the end-washroom, side dining area Sterling Elite Emerald with the Alde system they transformed this layout at the stroke of a pen.

That’s because the Emerald’s kitchen matures instantly from puny storage status to the sort of kitchen that’s well up to its assigned task of feeding four, and is better than most caravans of its length.

The Alde heating unit is hidden in the wardrobe; you get a large kitchen cupboard in place of the Truma heater in 2010 models.

The designers transformed the Emerald – and all of its Elite cousins with it – in other ways, too, for 2011.

Elites (and also Conquerors) now have sunroofs that arch upwards from the top of the centre front window, high into the roof. The result is that these ranges are quite simply the lightest, brightest caravans on the market.

They’re head-turners, too. The 2011 Elites take Sterling’s eye-catching grey metallic sides a leap further. Bold, chunky graphics in dark grey, with flashes of blue and a honeycomb-effect in the middle make sure you’ll be noticed.

Strange to report, the first thing you’ll notice if you step inside one of the new model Elites is its rubbish bin. 

New 2011 bins are larger and have a neat clip which enables you to tip the canister forwards to extract the plastic bag that you can trap in the removable rim. Bins are minor points in caravans – but everyone has to put rubbish somewhere. And the part of the caravan that generates most of it is the kitchen…

The work surface is large. And under the forward end of the worktop is another layer. If someone in the family hasn’t already claimed this ledge for an X-Box, the cook can use it to place food ready for the table, thereby freeing up the top surface for food prep.

It’s under that ledge that you find the extra cupboard gained by the compact Alde heating system.


Storage solutions go on into the front of the caravan. The rooflight means you can’t have the traditional pair of front top lockers.

But in former Elites, with steeply raked front panels, these top cabinets were small triangular affairs which didn’t have the capacity to hold much stuff.

The more upright front line of the 2011 Elites allows space on each side of the rooflight for large-capacity lockers which reach deep into the front panel line.

Generous storage is a theme in the rear washroom, too. The double-doored wardrobe has drawers beneath it, and shelving which provides good shoe storage.

Elites are at the top of the Swift price echelon, so your expectancy is high in terms of equipment.

The sound system (JVC) emits a quality tone, enhanced, for 2011, by the position of the speakers, which direct sound into the caravan from the roof, rather than down from the underside of a locker into the cushions!

Single-axle Elites now get internal water tanks, with an external pump for filling the tank or connecting to a campsite tap. The tank is only 15 litres (twin axles in the range have tanks that are double that size) – but it’s a big plus-point, making this caravan truly suitable for year-round use.

But good news isn’t everywhere in the Emerald. The side dining area makes into two bunks. The bunk that rises from the wall governs the height of the table, and this means the table is too high for comfortable eating, even for adults.

This, and the absence of a power point near the mirror, are the only drawbacks we’ve yet found if the Sterling Elite Emerald falls within your budget.

Verdict:

Perfection is difficult to attain in every corner – and the Emerald, we have to say, does shine out in most.

Only the offside dining table that’s too high for comfortable dining mars this otherwise excellent caravan.

You can have a socket fitted where you need it by the mirror near the door, so that omission is simple to overcome – though at this price we’d have expected Swift to realise that mirrors and mains power need to go together.

The bright, light look created by the combination of fantastic roof light and pale woodwork is the unique feature of this year’s Elite range – and we think these roof lights will be a trend-setter. We wonder which manufacturer will be the first to follow Swift’s lead…

• This review was first published in the November 2010 issue of Go Caravan magazine.