Coachman Golden VIP 520-4

The Coachman Golden VIP 520-4 is a special edition created for Glossop Caravans. It has craftsmanship-style woodwork,a practical kitchen, a beautifully spacious shower and lots of added equipment

Instant impressions: a quality four-berth with a classic style. It’s not until you look more closely, though, that the true character of the VIP 520-4 reveals itself…

The kitchen is pretty standard stuff: Spinfo four-burner hob, grill and oven with microwave above, roof-mounted extractor fan, centre cupboard with small drawer above, fridge to the right… The sink has a fixed drainer and comes complete with a chopping board that perfectly fits the rim of the oblong washing-up bowl supplied. That’s just about as good as sink arrangements in caravans get. To the right is your food preparation space – not large but, when you consider you’ve got that chopping board to use as a surface when the glass sink and drainer cover is raised, it’s a very practical kitchen. Close the glass lid, of course, and you have even more surface.

Standard stuff this kitchen may be, but it earns full marks for practicality. Living space in the two-table configuration of this excellent, popular layout is great – but the best is yet come. It’s the Little Room. Open the chunky-handled door in the centre of the caravan and you’re in a beautifully spacious shower and dressing room. Circular shower to the right, toilet (complete with upholstered cover that makes it into a bedroom seat) to the left, plenty of floor space… There are some stylish features in here.

The window gets a folding fabric blind of pastel green, peach and cream stripes. And there’s style in here that distinguishes Coachman caravans from everything else. It’s where you wouldn’t expect unique style. It’s on the wardrobe door, wall cabinet door and shelf edging. They’re all of an opaque white plastic that adds crisp modernity to the classical appeal of this VIP.

The wardrobe deserves your attention. It’s across the offside corner, to give plenty of floor space. It has two deep drawers beneath its full-length handing space and three shelves. But the shelves would be difficult to access when the rail is full of garments. You’d have to reach through the hanging garments. And the clothes hang behind one another instead of the more usual side-by-side. This makes those at the back difficult to pull out. But if this is the only negative you spot in this caravan, it’s one you could happily live with among all the rest of the positives.

We think you’ll like the general light, bright ambiance of the VIP range – plenty of light comes in through plenty of windows including a deep one in the door.

Light-reflecting tones major in the soft-furnishings. The carpet is pale (impractical because every footprint would show on it; a strict “no shoes” rule is essential). But it looks great. Worktops are plain cream, too, with a pearlescent sheen. The total image is of style and quality.

And there’s more, for this special edition package includes a delightful compendium of kitchen and bathroom equipment. That gives you towels with embroidered Glossop logos, a soap and shower gel set, a spice rack complete with spices, a glass chopping board – and a set of wine glasses etched with the Glossop emblem. Finesse, or what?

Buying a Coachman is buying into quality craftsmanship on which the company has justly built its reputation. Buying a Glossop dealer special VIP gives you a caravan that’s – yes, even more special. It has around £1500-worth of extras – and the difference between the standard model on which it’s based and the price you pay for this one is only £500.

The Coachman Golden VIP 520-4 special edition created for Glossop Caravans is one to look out for if you’re looking for the offside dinette, rear shower room layout and you want luxury and are prepared to pay for it. Coachman can be relied upon to produce craftsmanship caravans that appeal to the discerning. Give them the Glossop touch of dealer special magic and you have real luxury caravans with bags of added value that far exceeds its price-tag.