Full review

Our dealer special review day started in challenging fashion, with winds gusting up to 40mph (according to my weather app) and heavy rain. Hardly ideal caravanning weather but this combination of rain and wind force served to illustrate two really big reasons for putting our review example of Marquis’s Swift Lifestyle range on your shortlist.

Firstly, its twin-axle extra stability meant that the mighty 6 FB showed no tendency to sway even slightly in response to gusts on exposed stretches of our 12-mile journey from Marquis’s Preston branch to Little Orchard Caravan Park amid the agricultural area of the Fylde region.

Secondly, once pitched, corner steadies down and Truma heating switched on, the luxury of a spacious caravan is amplified in bad weather, when, imagining a family holiday scenario, awning construction would be pretty much impossible in pelting rain and high wind.

We were cosy in the six-berth model that we’d picked to fly the flag of the eight-model exclusive Lifestyle range.
Time to look at the bigger picture.

If you’re looking for a lengthy tourer that’s also relatively light in weight, your choice is far more limited than if you were to search for your perfect purchase in other caravan categories.

There are only seven twin-axle caravans that could be termed lightweight for their length. All except the Venus 620/6 are more than 1600kg MTPLM. Two are from Bailey (the Pegasus GT65 Bologna, at 1606kg and Turin at 1676kg), one is from Elddis, the Avanté 636, at 1642kg, and one is from Coachman, the Vision 646, at 1685kg. The two twin-axle Sprites, the Quattro EW and FB, both at 1600kg, are therefore pretty special caravans.

So how do you fancy a Quattro that’s enhanced, by extra equipment and some individuality that turns it into an exclusive model? Enter the Swift Lifestyle 6 EW and 6 FB, the special versions of Quattros made for Marquis.

Both models have fixed beds. Both can sleep six. Both have double beds and offside dining areas that can be turned into bunks. They are the same price and the same weight. The EW has a full-width shower room and an L-shaped lounge; the FB has a more spacious, parallel lounge, and a combined shower-toilet room in the offside corner alongside the bed. It’s an established layout that has proved its popularity over several years.

Marquis has made the 6 FB its own by changing the fabric scheme and adding £2657-worth of enhancements including an alarm system, a solar panel and a sunroof. In addition, you get a year’s free insurance, with Safeguard, with any Lifestyle caravan, as part of the deal.

The Lifestyle 6 FB costs £1975 more than its standard Quattro cousin, so you get £682-worth of extras free of charge. It’s a good deal, and a good, appealing model to consider if you want something exclusive in interior looks, and with an impressively comprehensive list of extra equipment.

The extras in the FB include an additional TV socket close to the television bracket in the bedroom; an extractor fan, heavy-duty rear corner steadies and an external storage access door. There’s also an external mains socket and a barbecue point.
 
The Diamond Pack is added into the value package, too. On twin-axle models it’s worth £575; that’s £100 more than for single axle Lifestyle models because twins come with AL-KO Secure wheel lock receivers on two wheels.

* Find out about our great Caravan magazine digital subscription offers by clicking here.

* New to caravanning and want a wealth of advice on buying, owning and enjoying your caravan? Order your digital copy of Your First Caravan here.