Bailey Pageant Limousin Series 7

BAILEY has this year joined with other UK manufacturers in adding many more options as standard gear in its entire Series 7 range, and I think it gives the Limousin more than just a coat of new paint.

Whether you’ve the space to store this big, twin-axle caravan only you can decide. Whether, more importantly, you’re prepared to invest more than £14,000 in a caravan which is a four-berth at best is, again, your decision. But make no mistake, this caravan has a great deal to offer.

The extras included in that price this year are too many to list here, but include AL-KO ATC trailer control, bigger fridge, CD/MP3 player, alloy wheels, full-height panels front and rear, better upholstery and upgraded interior.

I haven’t listed more for one simple reason; each is just a very small increment on printed paper, but the eventual outcome is a very competent caravan for anyone who wants a huge living space.

Where do we start? The layout offers a fixed rear double with spacious washroom, then the option of two singles of a very large double bed at the front via the dinette.

A family with two children who never fight would like this, as might two couples who enjoy shared holidays. For the rest, I suspect bunks would be a preferred option.

Not that there’s anything wrong with this traditional front lounge. It’s pretty standard fare, with a two-drawer unit and bed base infill sliding out beneath.

The tabletop is the fold-and-slide kind, and there’s a mass of storage space under the long lounge seating.

But then you look more closely; where are the handles for the overhead cupboards?

Neatly concealed along the lower edge, and simple but effective plastic catch system enhanced by gas struts to make the doors easy to lift.

It’s very neat, though I can’t say I’m enamoured of the silver stripe running through the teak-veneer cupboard doors.

So we move amidships, where more nice touches await. The kitchen’s opposite the door, with a very good worktop area, sink with monobloc tap and four-burner hob, both inset into the granite-effect worktop.

Beneath, there’s the Dometic 115 litre refrigerator with detachable freezer compartment, the Spinflo oven and grill, with pan storage in the base. Two cupboards are provided, one with nice slide-out cutlery door and wire baskets.

Across the throat of the caravan to the left of the door is the heater cupboard with a TV shelf, TV point and socket, plus a small amount of cupboard storage.

Over the top of this, Bailey has mounted the Daewoo microwave in the overhead locker space.

Why it chose to site the microwave here is a mystery to this reviewer. It seemed obvious to me that any spillages of food and drink would land directly on the TV… not good if you’re still watching a high-voltage CRT ‘tube.’ If you haven’t got an LCD TV yet, this eventuality would persuade you to invest in one.

At the end of this tabletop is a small Venetian blind which, with a concertina door, provides privacy for the large fixed double bedroom.

And it is a nice bedroom. I had a good bounce on the mattress, and it felt as good as my bed at home. Reading lights are positioned at a slightly odd spacing over the headboard, and the adjacent gangway is wide and useful.

I should mention here that the under-bed storage can be accessed separately through a locker door outside, a shallow tray being provided to keep suitcases and the like from sliding around. It’s not remarkable, of course, but it is one of the caravan’s many nice touches.

What’s more, the bedroom corridor leads to the en suite bathroom, and that’s possibly one of the caravan’s most important features. It’s a big, well-equipped washroom, with Thetford C-250 loo, wash hand basin and spacious shower with swing door.

The bathroom not only has oodles of sensible storage it also has a ‘proper’ mirror – one long enough to see your head, midriff and feet with. There are clothes hooks, and ample lighting options. In short, it works very well indeed.

Which leaves me only to comment on the exterior. I’m afraid I can find precious little to say, even though Bailey assures us that among its many other new features are the re-engineered gas locker with better access, restyled lighting and new graphics scheme.

I’m not being sniffy, but am I alone in thinking all those swoopy lines and sculpted panels are something of a triumph of form over function?

Verdict:

The Bailey Pageant Series 7 Limousin is a very competent caravan at a very reasonable price and, with all the standard options, doesn’t leave you having to shell out for features which, this year in particular, we are coming to expect as normal.

There’s nothing remarkable about this caravan, though we did like those Italian-designed handle-less overhead lockers. This is simply a very spacious fixed-bed double with a great washroom, and the option of two more beds.

But – and I don’t single out Bailey for this observation – it’s not ripping up any conventions. Over a hectic test week when six other caravans passed before my eyes, I shared the opinion of my fellow testers that the choice of fabrics and unrelenting expanses of teak veneer are conservative to say the least.

Do you know anyone who has bought teak veneer furniture since the 1970s? They are what marketing folk fondly imagine the grandparent generation feel happy with.

They may be right, but the consequence of not introducing styles that reflect modern kitchens and furnishings is that manufacturers are stereotyping their customers.

D

•   This review was first published in the July 2008 issue of Which Caravan. To subscribe to the magazine, click here.