Full review

Swift S-LINE TD

Kimberley Caravans’ family-layout S-Line TD is a special edition version of a Sprite Musketeer TD. The package of extra kit that transforms it from basic to midrange spec includes a sunroof, a hitch-head stabiliser and a microwave oven. You also get alloy wheels, a spare wheel, an AL-KO Secure wheel lock receiver (the lock is an optional extra, at £244), a door flyscreen, a radio/CD and two scatter cushions. But it’s the fabric change from the standard Sprite that makes the S-Line TD instantly look very different. The combination of hessian-style weave on the seat bases, and a bold leaf pattern using bright, pale turquoise and nut brown looks really distinctive. The value of the extras amounts in total to £1405. The S-Line TD costs £1000 more than the standard Sprite TD (when you add k KIMBERLEY CARAVANS | t 0115 938 2401 | w kimberleycaravans.co.uk in the normal deader delivery charge of £545) – so you’re getting £405-worth of extras free of charge. TD stands for twin dining areas; the rear, family area, has a table for three, and there’s a freestanding table to put up in the lounge.

Showering
The shower shares its compartment with the toilet but this is no cramped washing room. The shower area is massive, at 90cm long and 68cm wide. The shower head has a water-saving trigger mechanism, so that once you’ve set the temperature, you just squeeze the trigger to obtain water.

Sleeping
The rear family area converts to a double bed; you pull out an extension to the forward settee to gain extra width for the bed. A bunk rises from the nearside wall above it. The lounge makes a double bed by drawing out webbing-linked slats from a housing at the centre-front.

Storage
For a caravan that’s only 4.74m in body length, the amount of storage space is impressive. Five top lockers will hide away the t-shirts and a good many small toys. The wardrobe gives you 60cm of hanging width plus two deep shelf areas beneath. Full-length drop-down hatches give good access to the sleeping-bag hide-aways under the lounge.

Dining
With two dining areas, children and parents get plenty of their own space at mealtimes – and the rear area makes an excellent play zone. There’s ample space for three to sit here; the table is wedge-shaped, which means there’s a good measure of floor space. The four-seater dining table for the front area is free-standing; it’s stored inside the wardrobe. Lounging The rear family area is plenty big enough for lounge-type activities. We think many buyers of this model will want an extra mains socket in this area; Kimberley Caravans tells us you can have one fitted for £62.50. Television requirements are taken care of by the dresser; there’s a mains socket, a 12volt socket and an aerial point here, and plenty of space for your TV. There’s a power point in the lounge and another one in the kitchen.

Kitchen
For a compact caravan, the kitchen is something of a surprise, especially in terms of storage capacity. Its surface is a generous 86cm long; that gives you ample space to make meals for five. The large circular sink takes up some of that space of course, but there’s 12cm of surface in front of it, plus space to its left. Cooking equipment is a three-burner hob, microwave (that’s part of the extras package) and full-sized oven with separate grill. There’s a 30cm-wide cutlery drawer above a cabinet in the centre. This cabinet contains two small shelves. There’s space beneath but this is inevitably compromised by gas taps, the exit pipe from the sink, the ducting for the blown air heating and the wheel arch. But that’s no problem, because, in the dresser opposite, there is a large cabinet containing two shelves and a slim cupboard alongside, with three shelves, plus a cabinet at the top of the dresser. Taken as a whole, the kitchen and dresser give you excellent storage and good work surface area, too, considering the compact size of the caravan.

Towing
We’ve towed several TDs, all of them equipped with hitch-head stabilisers, and have found towing characteristics to be well-balanced; our short tow-test of the S-Line TD reaffirmed this.