Elnagh Baron 530

A brief look at this rear lounge motorhome, built in Italy but for the UK market.

Unless you’ve been in motorhoming since the early noughties, the Elnagh brand may be unfamiliar to you. It’s an Italian firm that has actually been building motorhomes for over 60 years and is now part of the huge Trigano Group.  

As it’s been newly reintroduced to the UK this year, there is a range of four models. Being imported by Marquis, the layouts, interiors and equipment has been tailored just for us.  

This one is the smallest model in the range at just over 6.50m long. Yet it still manages to offer four berths and four travel seats, with Isofix on rear travel seats. And while you might not want to carry children, there is a growing range of safety carriers for pets that work with Isofix points. 

It’s based on the Peugeot, which used to be a problem for motorhomers as this wasn’t available with an auto’, but now you can specify an automatic gearbox. Essentially there are now few differences between the Sevel (including Fiat and Citroën, too) vans of this size, and many people prefer the look of the Peugeot from the front.  

It’s the 140hp engine, which should be more than capable of powering this compact motorhome with ease. You also get cab air-con, cruise control with speed limiter, ABS, ESP tractional control and hill descent features as standard.  

Outside you’ll notice the framed windows, which are certainly not a feature you’d expect from a more entry-level brand, and that’s also emphasised by the Truma Combi 6 E gas/electric heating fitted, too (often it’s the more basic 4kW model or the 6kW that only works off gas). 

You step on board, thanks to a low entrance and two inboard steps, straight into the lounge. It’s a fairly compact lounge, with a large fixed leg table that will allow four to dine. That has a downside in that it means the rear seat passengers might be quite confined on the road, especially if a taller person needs the seat pushed far back. 

The interior feels both modern and homely thanks to two-tone part-leather seats in cream and blue as well as clever use of ambient lighting (note the panel at the end of the seat and illumination around the kitchen area). 

The kitchen has a two-burner hob with large round sink adjacent, but there’s also an oven/grill underneath. Nest to this is a large drawer with inset sliding tray that is ideal as a cutlery tray but there’s no dividers, so you can fit one that best suits your needs. The locker under this is quite a big space, which will need some dividers or storage organisers to maximise its use, especially as the gas shut-off taps are located here, too. 

The tall fridge is certainly useful enough for a family, though, at 137 litres with a freezer compartment at the top and bottle drawer at the bottom.  

Opposite this, the washroom is practical with a toilet as you go in and then the basin contained within the separate shower. The wooden duckboard is there when it’s in basin mode and, when you want to shower, lift this out and fold over the screen panels. The space around the basin can be used for shampoos and there’s a lip under the sink that’s pretty useful as a footrest if needed. The cupboard above the toilet should do for storage of essentials while a smart metal rack could be used for temporary storage and it has hooks for hand towels, etc. Note the toilet roll holder is in a convenient location by the door.  

At the back, while the rear lounge is quite compact, it is a good space for relaxing or dining. The table, another fixed leg affair, folds in half for access to the seats.  

There is some storage under the seats, though you will need to remove a few cushions for easier access. But note the small dresser unit between the fridge and lounge. Here’s where the TV points are and it has a small amount of worktop, with a cupboard below. There is the wardrobe opposite this, too, with two high-level lockers on either side under the drop-down bed. 

And that brings us to the sleeping arrangements. There’s a single bed that drops down in the front lounge, with a double that drops down at the rear, leaving a further single bed made up from the lounge seats below. The front bed does block the doorway a little but there might be a modicum of access if you duck underneath it.  

There’s also a small locker under the rear lounge seats, running across the motorhome. It can be accessed from a door on each side and, while not huge, is certainly big enough for a decent set of outdoor furniture and maybe a small bbq. This is where the infill cushion and ladders are for the beds. There’s also a light and mains socket. 

What’s also handy to note is that this motorhome is 3,500kg as standard, which means it can be driven on a standard car licence. It offers a decent 590kg payload at this level. That’s with the manual gearbox; if you want the auto it’s 542kg payload. But if you have the C1 or C category you can upgrade this to 3,650kg for more payload, which means you get 740kg for the manual option and just under 700kg for the auto. 

There are brand-new models available at dealers right now, including Calder Campers, with a range of pre-registered motorhomes available for a limited time. 

The sleeping arrangements are a little strange if you want four-on-board, but there's no denying the tardis like feel of this motorhome. It's not that long, but has a decent amount of living space for all four occupants if you need it on a rainy day. Test rear passengers are okay with the two travel seats in the lounge though, as that fixed table could get in the way.