Full review

KIDS are so easily pleased. When I asked mine whether they’d rather take a motorhome or a caravan to Yorkshire, the unanimous verdict was a motorhome. “Why?” I asked. “It’s got an electric bed that drops down from the ceiling. Obviously.” Came the sarky response.

Well, that’s me told.

The motorhome in question is Bailey’s Approach 765, which indeed does have a drop-down double (well-three-quarter bed really) that is electrically powered.

Last year we took a comparably-priced Chausson Welcome 69 down to the Loire for a fortnight, but this Bristol-built beast has a very different layout, and one which, I would argue, is much better suited to our changeable English weather, especially when rain’s involved.

For starters, the expansive rear lounge is immediately impressive, flooded with light as it is from three sides and via the rooflight. I’d also realised that more lounging space would be essential for English touring.
The Bailey’s living space is roomy, with very comfortable cushioning, pleasing fabric panels, just enough sockets and a wall-mount for a TV. Even with the fold-out dining table in position, the rear space still felt airy.

MOTORHOME FIXED BED? NON!

Of course, unlike the Chausson, the Approach requires its lounge to be transformed into a mega-sized bed each evening. This can be a bit of a chore, especially if, like us, your bedding isn’t the right size – the bed is 5ft 10in wide. I’d recommend ordering some custom-fit sheets. That said, the bed is comfortable, and so big that there’s no need to meet your bedmate at any time, should you not want to.

Another drawback of not having a fixed bed, is that there’s no capacious garage, just an ‘under-couch’ storage area accessible from the rear of the ’van. As we were only weekending, this wasn’t an issue, but a fortnight away with kids could be problematic.

I’m not a huge fan of combined shower/loo set-ups either, but the Bailey does it rather well, with a bijou basin positioned within the shower cubicle and the loo slightly separated outside. At 6ft 2in tall and big-boned, I thought I might have very restricted movement, but it turned out not to be too bad, although you wouldn’t want to drop the soap too often! Mind you, taller users can get a shock from the cold chrome shower tap that’s positioned rather low down.

The swivel-top loo was fine facing straight forward, but the larger user might find it more comfortable to swivel and have their feet in the shower cubicle. The washroom is finished off with a towel rail, and heater underneath, and a neat cupboard and shelves unit for storage.

Opposite the washroom is a decent-sized, full-length storage cupboard with hanging space, shelves and the fold-out table, and next to that is the compact and clever kitchen. This features a 103 to 110-litre Dometic fridge – depending on whether the detachable freezer is fitted (it wasn’t), an anti-rattle Thetford Caprice oven, dual-fuel four-ring hob and an 800W microwave.


CAPABLE CULINARY QUARTERS

Altogether, this ensemble gives you as many cooking options as at home, though work space is limited. Major culinary productions will benefit from using the front dinette table behind or the additional space to the right of the door. Washroom users will have to signal their intention to open the door, as it opens straight into the cook’s space and could prove dangerous. But eye-level storage is very good, with four cupboards with usefully proportioned shelves, one of which hides the microwave. Base storage is limited though, with just a narrow space for cutlery, trays and bottled water, etc.

The Bailey’s rear passenger cell is opposite and forward of the kitchen. It seats four people in car-like seats with inertia-reel seatbelts – two front and two rear-facing. The seat backs are very upright, but the cushioning is good and the aesthetics appealing.

A 50mm-thick bulkhead separates this area from the driver’s seat and the wall behind should protect occupants from flying debris in the event of a crash. Bailey went to great lengths to develop this safety-cell, using in-depth crash-testing. That is reassuring.

This forward seating unit is also a rather ingenious double bunk bed. The seat bases and table contrive to create a lower double bunk (well it’s 3ft 4in wide, so ‘double’ might be pushing it a bit), while a 4ft-wide bed drops down from above. Both are perfectly spacious when used as singles, though headroom is a little limited. The upper bed holds 150kg, has a Froli sprung base below its mattress and a safety net to prevent any unintended ‘circus tricks’ at night. In short, these are good beds, but better suited to children I think.

BOXER BEATEN BY DUCATO

Up front, the Approach offers a Peugeot-spec man-in-a-van experience, with acres of shiny plastic, no vanity mirrors, annoyingly loud reversing-warning beeps, decent ergonomics, a good driving position, air-con, great forward vision (but limited side vision) and, shock-horror, no usable cup holders.

The driving experience is pretty good, though it’s not as easy a drive as was the Fiat-based Chausson, which seemed to have slightly more oomph and better gearing that was more suited to the engine’s power delivery.

The steering is good for a big beast though and the turning circle much better than I expected. The Peugeot gearchange is pleasingly slick and the 2.2-litre engine is relatively relaxing at motorway cruising speeds.
On our way home, we stopped off in Rutland. On this titchy county’s B and C roads, the engine needed a lot of coaxing and plentiful gearchanges to make progress, and all the time with a timpanic soundtrack from behind.

Yes, my biggest moan about the 765 is the noise that emanates from the accommodation area when driving. The metallic rattlings and bangings from the kitchen area on anything other than the smoothest roads were really intrusive and, once detected, couldn’t be ignored. I rejigged the contents of the cupboards, which helped a bit, but it seems like there’s still some work to do here.

Overall, this big family ’van offers a svelte, low-profile outline, yet has impressive space inside. The interior is pleasing on the eye: light and airy with luxurious-looking woodgrains and fabrics. It hammers the Chausson (or equivalent-sized fixed bed models) for daytime living, but loses out for driving, sleeping (that fixed bed), washing (separate shower) and storage (the fixed bed again).

After less than three years in the motorhome world, Bailey is already challenging the big boys with its innovative thinking and engineering, and, for the larger family, the Approach 765 should definitely be on any motorhome shortlist.

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