Coachman Amara 570-6

The six-berth 2009 Coachman Amara 570-6 is perfect for a growing family gives you two clear living areas, plenty of space – and everything about this caravan is quality.

Caravans have characters. No-frills, budget caravans with simple styling take on the image of a carefree sunny holiday. Brightly coloured beach balls and ice creams and sunshine spring to mind. Super-spec, sumptuous luxury caravans remind you that high quality brandy is expensive for good reasons, too. And then there are caravans that are less expensive, less ostentatious but still up there with the best on many levels. They’re not top spec. And not top price either. Their character? Think of a quality wine, a Chablis, perhaps. Think of classical jazz, or timeless big band swing music that’s uplifting and carries you along with its beat to make you feel exhilarated, happy – ready to plan your next caravan holiday.

Coachman has crafted, in its Amara range, a timeless classic that fits this uplifting, positive-mindset frame perfectly.
So what it is about an Amara that puts it into the timeless-classic slot? It’s this: Obvious solid build quality, a craftsman look and an understated expression of fashion in its décor that makes you sure it won’t look dated in 10 years’ time.

There’s a refinement about the whole Coachman range. And it’s here in the Amara models that you see Coachman’s attention to detail at its best. That’s because spec is lower here than in the Pastiche, VIP and Laser ranges but the superlative quality of construction for which Coachman is known is there all the same.

Ours for a week of evaluation was the new-for-2009 six-berth 570 model. It’s Coachman’s contribution to the important family-room. multi-bunks trend. You have a cohesive room, divisible by concertina partition, containing three fixed bunks (offside) and a dining area that makes into a single bed with a pull-up bunk above.

This cleverly-designed family room hides away a huge storage area under the bottom bunk. You simply remove the mattress and pull up the base against the wall, to reveal an area of floor space that is easily large enough for a cycle – or even two.
Coachman puts a cabinet between the bunk stack and the dining table. That’s important. For it is here, hidden away neatly inside an aperture on the side of the cabinet, accessed from the seating area, that you’ll find the key to family electronic happiness: power socket and TV points.

Ok, so the kids are happy because they can have their electronic wizardry in their own little room. We think classy Coachman has created a room for big kids, too. So we canvassed the views of Chapman Junior (whose rugby-player build puts him head and shoulders above “kids” status but who is nonetheless an ideal source of views on caravan convenience for entertainment devices that connect to a mains socket). The Amara is briefly at our home before we set off for its live-in test and Richard sticks his head inside the new arrival as soon as I reverse it into the driveway.

“Wow! The laptop can go on the top of that cabinet and I’ll borrow the flatscreen television from your caravan – that’ll go on the table. You can have the rest of the caravan, this is a cool room for me. I’ll sleep here tonight – and when can I borrow this caravan for a week?”

OK, so our live-in test week starts well. The other two Chapmans, complete with Amara, are off to Cambridge the next day so our son doesn’t get my flatscreen and his request for an Amara-style week goes on hold. But we appreciate his input all the same.
We’ve brought this classic-appeal caravan to a place with timeless classical appeal, too. Installed on Highfield Farm Caravan Park, just three miles from Cambridge, we set about a thorough examination.

First, though, the journey. Behind an on-test Audi A6 Quattro  the going was easy. Just keep in mind, though, that a caravan of 5.7m body length on a single axle is going to be subject to wind influence. That trait was discernible on the blustery day of our outward journey; prudence with speed kept wind effect to a minimum, though.

The layout gives you a lounge of traditional long-parallel-seat design. You have an offside washroom with separate shower, a nearside kitchen with fixed drainer and enough work surface to the right to avoid juggling plates. We’ll put it to the culinary test and find out more later...

Now for its character. Coachman invested hugely in the Amara – currently its best-selling range – for 2009. Interior furniture styling points include light wood with darker wood frames for all head lockers; metal-effect front for the fridge; great, square chunky handles on the drawers – and the Omnivent extractor fan gets touch controls. That all adds up to a quality look above its price-station.

Colours are the familiar creams and browns that dominate caravan fashion of 2009. But the Amara version of this trend uses cream as the predominant colour which, with the light wood, creates a feeling of space. Not that this 5.7m body-length caravan is short of space, of course – it just looks a little larger than it is. The plain cream curtains help, too; there’s a subtle roundel pattern that gives the fabric a touch of light-reflecting sheen. Another contribution to the light aspect comes from the deep window in the door. And the solid construction of the door, which incorporates a magazine rack, is matched everywhere else in the caravan’s build. Take a look at the gas bottle compartment for another example. The lid is sturdy and doesn’t flex. Its two securing locks turn smoothly and without the need to fiddle. It rises on a central gas-filled strut – and the aperture shape means that access to the contents is easy. Next time you view a Coachman, take a look at the floor of the gas compartment. It’s as solid as the floor throughout the caravan... Add solid dependability to that character description we started earlier.

By the time I’m writing these notes we’re putting the kitchen to its first test. It’s not a challenging test: fish with on-the-vine tomatoes, onion, loads of black pepper, and fresh asparagus. Instantly, as I rinse the asparagus under the tap, I appreciate the fixed drainer – far more preferable to the clip-on plastic type. Oven and fish meet up and 20 minutes later it’s on the plates. There’s a microwave above the four-gas-burner hob but it doesn’t find employment for this simple meal.

Next part of the test: Decision time: there are six places to sleep in this caravan and only two occupants. Do we sleep singly on those two parallel lounge settees? That’s the quickest option. One could take the bottom bunk, the other the rear nearside bed that makes very easily by pulling out slats from the nearside wall under the table position. That would leave the front end clear for a quick breakfast in the morning before we hitch up. Those are all workable options which demonstrate the flexibility of this layout. But, no, we discover that the best way to use this as a two-berth is to take full advantage of the rear dining area. We make up the double bed in the lounge and leave that lovely rear seating area as a permanent two-seater dining room.

Gradually, the Amara 570-6 is emerging as one for a growing family, perhaps with teenagers; a family who needs options.
There is one minor point about the rear area that lets it down with a resounding thump, though. It’s a strip light above the table, on the underside of the nearside head lockers. The best we can say is that it doesn’t match the quality and style we see elsewhere in the Amara. There’s another of these devoid-of-style strip lights over the kitchen, too. Replace those with the simple, quality metal spotlights we see elsewhere in this model, Coachman, and you’ll have created a totally pleasing look, rather than something that’s just a tiny touch imperfect.

There’s plenty that is perfect, though. Like the high-quality fabric curtain that runs around the nearside bed/dining area to give privacy from the rest of the younger people’s room. Each bunk has its own curtain, too - and they’re all heavyweight material.

Showering arrangements in the heated buildings at Highfield Farm Tourist Park are so luxurious and spacious that it was tempting to shun the Amara’s offering. But a live-in test is just that – and the keeping clean department can’t escape evaluation. Four little shelves for shampoos (more than enough), a slim and stylish showerhead, plenty of room to shower inside the circular-track plastic door... boxes were getting ticks apace... A long shelf on the wall, edged with a strip of opaque white plastic (plain and simple and it works as a décor feature)... There’s enough room in here to towel and dress.

Mealtimes punctuate live-in tests; they’re at the heart of caravan evaluation, as kitchen functionality is vital to all except those for whom eating out is holiday de rigeur.

This evening rocket leaves and tomatoes are first under the tap before they get a sweet dressing that involves canned mango plus balsamic vinegar. The large grey glass sink and drainer lid is up for this task. It’s still raised when I wrap smoked bacon around chicken breasts and slide in some mango between the two. I find the small amount of (wonderfully stylish metal-effect) surface is sufficient for this two-plate task. It’s pretty much the simplest of dinners; only one pan is involved (potatoes). The oven looks after the chicken and the salad now sits on the rear dining table until the cooking is done. Why is it there? Because, put simply, there was not enough room for it in the kitchen while I was curling bacon around chicken... and I’m only cooking for two. Don’t expect the amount of kitchen surface space to be fantastic for preparing meals for six. You’ll find a way, though – by using one of the two tables as well as the kitchen.

We found a way, too, of real luxury living... We’re off to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford tomorrow morning and we have an early start. So I set breakfast out this evening on the rear table. So, wake, shower – and sit down to breakfast immediately... We rename this area the breakfast room and discover another versatility factor about the Amara 570.

The six-berth 2009 Coachman Amara 570 is one to consider if you have a young family, for whom a triple bunk arrangement is ideal, and if you also want a quality-feel caravan. This is a caravan which has décor that won’t look dated 10 years after it was built. It has a classic charm designed to appeal to all tastes in a quiet, understated way.