Full review

Established and respected as a caravan maker, Bailey of Bristol has only recently waded into the motorhome market. All models are coachbuilt and five layouts offer classic designs – some of the most popular in motorhoming – front and rear lounges and fixed beds are all included.

Writ large on the tee-shirts of the Bailey bunch is the name Alu-Tech – a construction system that clamps caravan body sections together, thus avoiding leak-prone fixing holes. Bailey now brings the system to motorhomes, claiming, a unique-and-stronger structure that’s far less likely to let in water.

This is backed by a six-year body integrity warranty, with an extra cost option to extend it to 10 years. But there’s more, as no wood is used in framing and panels (unlike in many other ‘vans, where plywood is used inside) are skinned, inside and out, in durable GRP.

The model in question is new, but not completely new, it’s an expansion of sibling, 740. Where the ’40 has a twin-sofa lounge up front, the 745 provides a half-dinette-based euro lounge – its two belted travel seats allowing it to be a full-blown four berth ‘van: The French double bed is partnered with a transverse double made from the lounge come sundown.

In between these fore and aft areas stands the kitchen, with the washroom alongside the fixed bed. In fact, this represents the classic French bed layout found in thousands of Continental ‘vans, and it’s probably the most popular layout in Europe.

As well as their unusual construction, Baileys are dimensionally unusual too. The 745 sits nicely and unremarkably in the seven-and-a-half-metre class, but it’s wide. This motorhome is, like its siblings, one of the widest around at whatever length. The length allows generous amounts of linear room in lounge, galley, bedroom and washroom.

With industry types on the trip there was plenty of comment on the 745’s looks, both outside and in. ‘Economy’ probably best sums up their reactions, as external styling is quite plain, interior appointments presenting as entry-level. However, value for money is a strong point: think in terms of a £7k-plus saving over other ‘vans in the same class.

Lounge and dining

With other bodies lurking around I had a rare opportunity to fill the lounge, so I lured MMM team members in with promises of free food and drink.
Comfy seating was on offer for everyone (up to six people), but the lack of a table extension meant dining from the side sofa and cab passenger seat was a stretch. A four berth ‘van that only offers up-to-the-table eating for three? Mmm...

Lighting in here is very good with no less than six LED readers ensuring that everyone can see their book. Power provision is less good though – with no sockets (230V or 12V) on offer, I used my laptop with its lead stretched into the kitchen. The TV finds a home atop a cupboard located just aft of the caravan door, where 12V and mains sockets attend, and bereft of a set, this became the charging station for my phone and computer.

Bedroom

Come bedtime the lounge converts into a transverse double bed near domestic-sized in width and long enough for all but the very tall. Drop the table, pull out side sofa sections drop in cushions and the bed’s made. Well, that’s the theory anyway: I wrestled with the cushions, plus no less than five infills and a mysterious plank (all of which need to be found a home when not in use).

Finally I had a bed constructed, but had cushions left over and no home found for the plank. Sadly the – otherwise very good – Bailey manual included no bed-making instructions. However, ‘tis my experience that many lounge beds of this type are tricky to make, so if you’re buying, get a demo before you buy, and at handover.

Kitchen   

Above the fridge, a very nice stainless steel microwave adds value, and it’s mounted at a sensible height, as approved by the least lofty member of the MM team. The main kitchen unit is home to some large drawers and a deep cupboard, plus pan storage locker beneath the domestic-sized cooker. And that deep is deep – in fact it goes way back, getting narrow right at its rear and threatening to leave some items out of reach. Some panelling and a shelf in here would be a good idea methinks.

Above two twin-door cupboards (no shelves within) add to looks – their frames providing mounting for powerful LED downlighters. In the corner are a pair of mains sockets and the switches for said lights that might be a stretch for shorter cooks than me at five-ten. The square ‘designer sink’ could be accused of being a ‘showroom appeal’ item, but redeems itself, as it comes complete with a washing-up bowl, sturdy drop-on chopping board and a removable plastic drainer. Given the fact that the the only worktop on offer is the the corner of the unit, the large chopping board proved very welcome inclusion: I used it extensively and very successfully throughout the test.

Rear washroom and bed

In the rear stand wardrobe and washroom on the offside, the reason-to-buy double bed opposite. It’s problems and the things that go wrong that always make any story interesting and it’s the same with motorhome testing: if things are poorly designed and badly built, it gives me far more to write about. I don’t get to write much about the French bed – it was just too blooming good. Good-size? Check. Sumptuous domestic-style mattress? Check. Plenty of room to sit up in bed? Check. Reading lamps and shelves for clock and glass? Check. One of the best I’ve had the pleasure to slumber in for some time – the 745’s permanent bed is as good as you’ll find.

The washroom is a place that benefits most from the extra body-width – more than any other in this motorhome. This type of washroom habitually suffers from lack of width in others, making is a squeeze to get past the loo and into the shower. In here, there’s plenty of space to stand at the washbasin, sit on the toilet and move past it into the shower. Once there you discover a spacious cubicle – its rigid doors, twin-outlet tray and roof vent making it good to use.

The toilet is Thetford’s C250, so you get a waste cassette on wheels and here, a built-in flush water tank. All fine so far, but the washbasin is less successful. Trumpeted in the Bailey brochure as a stylish Belfast sink-style unit, it trades function for form and is just not the right shape for the corner in which it’s located. This is made worse by the finger-width gap between it and the wall. Surface is lacking too, and although there’s a shelf above the loo, it’s less than convenient. Mount a conventional vanity basin here and all will usable and easy to clean.

Lighting gets some stick too, as a single LED downlighter and single-tube fluorescent, strangely-mounted above the doorway seemed a touch, err, strange. There is no lamp in the shower either, another glaring – no pun intended – omission. All this is made worse by the the clear window - needless to say the blind remained closed while I was on board.

Equipment

The high spec cab, high quality chassis and methods of caravan body construction are potentially as good as you’ll find anywhere; living area kit is very good too. Rather plain styling and entry-level style furniture seems a contradiction, while the rather generous width will not suit everyone.

However, it’s the width that makes the layout work better than in many other motorhomes of type. And value for money is excellent – research similar ‘vans with the same specification and you’ll see what I mean.

As the overall winner in this year’s Caravan Club Design and Drive competition, this Bailey Approach has already gained kudos; it should most definitely feature on your shortlist if you’re in the market for a seven-and-a-half-metre French bed low-profile.

An extended version of this motorhome review of the Bailey Approach SE 745 was published in the August 2012 issue of MMM. You can download a full copy of the magazine from HERE