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Sterling Elite Onyx

Key Features

Model Year 2008
Class Single Axle
Price From (£) 15,495
Internal Length (m) 5.50
Shipping Length (m) 7.18
MRO (kg) 1353
MTPLM (kg) 1,600
Max Width (m) 2.29
External Height (m) 2.70
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Full review

FROM the outside the ‘van looks great. Simple blue and grey graphics complement its silver sides, which are set off by the white-framed hatches and vents.

Inside, the ‘van benefits from good and plentiful lighting, although one minor disappointment is the inclusion of fluorescent strip lighting instead of the softer, ambient glow provided by LED lights which are increasingly common on continental ‘vans.

However, the lights recessed into the front locker corner panels above the lounge and the over locker lighting throughout the galley are a welcome addition.

A table, big enough to sit betwixt a pair of diners, folds out from the top of a central set of three drawers between the parallel front settees.

It’s a handy alternative to the more substantial, four-berth-friendly table living in a cubby inside the wardrobe, although my bruised thighs are a testament to the suggestion that it would certainly benefit from a smoother finish underneath the front two corners.

The cushions are plush and the upholstery plain and inoffensive. There’s no armrest or side panel on the end of the offside settee, so trying to lounge on this side will result in a loose cushion avalanche into the entranceway.

Sterling Elite caravan interiorLift up the offside cushion and through a tidy hatch in the floor you’ll find access to the 40-litre insulated external onboard water tank. Complementing the under seat storage are spacious and sturdy frameless overhead lockers.

New pleated blinds, a clever design with a smooth action, cover the front windows. The curtains are net framed on either side by fabric panels, letting in maximum light while creating a cosy feel and providing privacy.

The kitchen is dominated by a large Stoves oven/grill with dual fuel hob and a 175-litre Thetford fridge/freezer with digital control. A domestic-style metal mixer tap and large sink radiate quality and style.

Two overhead cupboards, a lined locker under the oven and a long thin cupboard between the fridge and oven complete the set-up. Moulded crockery racks with straps mean that such items can rest happily there, as even in transit on a sharp bend there’s no danger of an outburst of plates and bowls.

Opposite these, a cabinet sitting around 10 inches lower offers the all-important worktop space and more storage. The microwave sits above this in a highly impractical fashion; for those of us standing less than 6ft, retrieving hot dishes and liquids from this lofty position poses all sorts of dangers. Even for those who can comfortably reach, I’d recommend caution, especially when there are children on board.

sterling elite caravan kitchen imageA concertina door makes the token separation between the bed/washroom and main living area. A blind at the end of the bed can be lifted to increase the open-plan feeling of space in the daytime, and dropped at night.

Entertainment is taken care of in the form of a 15in flatscreen TV with Freeview, DVD/CD player, DVB radio and 12V and 230V power supply.

The TV can sit on the cabinet, to be viewed either from the lounge or the bed, through an open blind, or it can plug into the second TV point and sit on the drawers at the front of the ‘van.

The gas-assisted frame of the fixed double bed is topped by an ‘Ultra Comfort’ deep sprung mattress, which is a comfortable size and only tapers slightly at the foot end. Two small corner shelves sit above the bed next to two spotlights.

An open corner shelf sits between the frameless lockers to give versatile storage facilities for clothes.

The separate vanity unit with basin sits opposite the bed and sports an appealing double aspect vanity mirror, that domestic quality tap and a large cupboard below. A 32mm thick lightweight door leads to the washroom, best described as small but functional.

A plastic folding door separates the small shower from the Thetford C250 toilet, preventing your washroom from becoming a wet room. The shower has a small alcove for toiletries and, again, the domestic-style metal tap.

Light floods in through the Heki rooflight (one of three in the ‘van), which is topped up by mains lighting. A touch-button control panel sits above the entrance door, from which you can manage the water, mains/leisure battery and lighting.

Marketed as ‘top of the range luxury without twin-axle dimension’, the Onyx doesn’t quite match up to its four-wheeled counterparts, missing out on the Alde ‘wet’ central heating and the walk-in shower, sacrificed for the fixed bed.

For this though, it comes in at around three grand cheaper than Swift’s new twin-axle ‘vans and manages to hold on to a towmatch rating of of D in our towcar guide.

Exterior design and interior upholstery get the thumbs aloft. As for build quality, we can only hope that the loose panel that came off in our hands near the washroom was a one-off in an otherwise solid ‘van.

Fact-file:

Price: £15,495 (excl. delivery)
Internal length: 18ft 1in (5.50m)
Overall length: 23ft 7in (7.18m)
Overall width: 7ft 6in (2.29m)
Overall height: 8ft 10in (2.70m)
MTPLM: 1,600kg
MRO: 1,353kg
Bed sizes: Front double 7ft x 5ft 3in (213cm x 159cm) or two singles 5ft 6in x 2ft 4in (167cm x 72cm) and 5ft 3in x 2ft 4in (159cm x 72cm)
Rear double 6ft 4in x 4ft 6in (192cm x 138cm).

•    A full version of this review appeared in the September 2007 issue of Which Caravan, the only magazine all about buying. Find out more about the magazine.
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