Coachman Amara 535/4
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Description
The four-berth 2009 Coachman Amara 535/4 has the renowned Coachman stamp of quality everywhere you look
Key Features
Model Year
2009
Product Class
Single Axle
Price from (£)
£15089
Berths
4
Full Review
There’s always something exciting about looking over a new model – especially when it comes from a company with a reputation for producing quality caravans that will still be in service when much of the competition has been recycled. The new Coachman Amara 535/4 replaces the 530/4 for 2009.
It’s a single-axle four-berth with an internal length of 5.50m and body shell width of 2.26m. The layout comprises a rear ?fixed bed and a parallel-seat front lounge.
Externally, there’s a gas barbecue point and a 230V socket and, for an extra £55, you can have a Truma awning warmer fitted. The waste outlets are positioned at the rear for the van. That’s no problem if the caravan is always sited on a level pitch, but if it’s facing downhill, it’s difficult to discharge the waste water.
As you enter the caravan, the curved locker doors are eye-catching, with hardwood frames in a different colour timber to the in-fill panels – a relatively minor feature but one which overcomes the blandness you come across in many other caravans. Another design triumph is the caravan’s attractive electrical control panel mounted above the door.
The layout of the lounge area is totally conventional with a settee down each side and a chest of drawers between them at the front, the top of which doubles as an occasional table. Below the chest is a floor locker which is ideal as a shoe store. In between the chest and the floor locker is the bed-slat storage compartment. Night-time use for the lounge has to be as a double bed as the seats are too short to be used as single beds, except for children.
There are two roof lockers above each seat and across the front of the caravan; the second locker on the offside is where ?the Sony CD/MP3 radio is fitted. The unit into which the radio has been installed is of top quality. The two speakers sit on the underside of the roof lockers, which could limit the full stereo effect.
Kitchen equipment is a Spinflo Caprice MKIII cooker and grill, plus a four-burner hob, with each of the burners a different size. The drainer is of the fixed type, which restricts the amount of worktop space. Just as well, then, that opposite the kitchen unit – to the right of the door as you come into the caravan – is a dresser whose worktop is more than adequate for food preparation.
The fridge is the 107-litre Thetford model. In a roof locker next to the two lockers fitted with tableware racks is the microwave. It’s also equipped with an Omnivent two-way three-speed extractor fan. There isn’t a great deal of storage space for food, though.
Next to the kitchen, and separated from it by a concertina door, is the fixed bed area. The toilet/shower compartment is in the offside rear corner. At the front corner of the bedroom is a large washbasin built into a superb corner unit with plenty of space for toiletries.
In the washroom the toilet has been fitted at the rear and is separated from the shower by a door. The compartment is a complete unit with built-in recesses for the various items ?you need when having a shower. The problem is that when you’re showering all the recesses are in the toilet area which is closed off from the shower by the door.
Apart from the shortage of food storage space there’s nothing lacking when it comes to general storage. The 535/4 has lots of roof lockers plus a good-sized wardrobe opposite the fridge. There’s also plenty of space below the fixed bed which can be accessed by lifting the mattress or via the external locker at the rear nearside.
The caravan is light and airy due, to a large extent, to the two large Heki rooflights and the lighting system which comprises both 12v and mains lights. Other features worth mentioning are good quality carpets, a flyscreen in the doorway, and a spare wheel.
It’s a single-axle four-berth with an internal length of 5.50m and body shell width of 2.26m. The layout comprises a rear ?fixed bed and a parallel-seat front lounge.
Externally, there’s a gas barbecue point and a 230V socket and, for an extra £55, you can have a Truma awning warmer fitted. The waste outlets are positioned at the rear for the van. That’s no problem if the caravan is always sited on a level pitch, but if it’s facing downhill, it’s difficult to discharge the waste water.
As you enter the caravan, the curved locker doors are eye-catching, with hardwood frames in a different colour timber to the in-fill panels – a relatively minor feature but one which overcomes the blandness you come across in many other caravans. Another design triumph is the caravan’s attractive electrical control panel mounted above the door.
The layout of the lounge area is totally conventional with a settee down each side and a chest of drawers between them at the front, the top of which doubles as an occasional table. Below the chest is a floor locker which is ideal as a shoe store. In between the chest and the floor locker is the bed-slat storage compartment. Night-time use for the lounge has to be as a double bed as the seats are too short to be used as single beds, except for children.
There are two roof lockers above each seat and across the front of the caravan; the second locker on the offside is where ?the Sony CD/MP3 radio is fitted. The unit into which the radio has been installed is of top quality. The two speakers sit on the underside of the roof lockers, which could limit the full stereo effect.
Kitchen equipment is a Spinflo Caprice MKIII cooker and grill, plus a four-burner hob, with each of the burners a different size. The drainer is of the fixed type, which restricts the amount of worktop space. Just as well, then, that opposite the kitchen unit – to the right of the door as you come into the caravan – is a dresser whose worktop is more than adequate for food preparation.
The fridge is the 107-litre Thetford model. In a roof locker next to the two lockers fitted with tableware racks is the microwave. It’s also equipped with an Omnivent two-way three-speed extractor fan. There isn’t a great deal of storage space for food, though.
Next to the kitchen, and separated from it by a concertina door, is the fixed bed area. The toilet/shower compartment is in the offside rear corner. At the front corner of the bedroom is a large washbasin built into a superb corner unit with plenty of space for toiletries.
In the washroom the toilet has been fitted at the rear and is separated from the shower by a door. The compartment is a complete unit with built-in recesses for the various items ?you need when having a shower. The problem is that when you’re showering all the recesses are in the toilet area which is closed off from the shower by the door.
Apart from the shortage of food storage space there’s nothing lacking when it comes to general storage. The 535/4 has lots of roof lockers plus a good-sized wardrobe opposite the fridge. There’s also plenty of space below the fixed bed which can be accessed by lifting the mattress or via the external locker at the rear nearside.
The caravan is light and airy due, to a large extent, to the two large Heki rooflights and the lighting system which comprises both 12v and mains lights. Other features worth mentioning are good quality carpets, a flyscreen in the doorway, and a spare wheel.
Our Verdict
The 2009 Coachman 535/4 is a quality caravan that’s well designed and built to the high standards we’ve come to expect from Coachman. It’s bound to prove popular with families who want a caravan which is going to outlast much of the competition. The position of the waste outlets and the lack of worktop and storage space in the kitchen are the reviewer’s criticisms, but none of these is a major concern in what essentially is a first-class ?four-berth family caravan.
