Elddis Affinity 550

The 2013 Elddis Affinity 550 has a true bedroom, Alde heating – and a new chemical bonded construction designed to eliminate water ingress

When Elddis launched its new Affinity range for 2013 the manufacturer didn’t simply replace the Odyssey range which was discontinued at the same time. The designers of the new Affinity range brought to the market caravans that, in interior looks and character, are really not comparable with any other.
A combination of darkish cabinetry and pale creams and greens greets you as you step inside – it’s a classic look which indicates you are going to find classic quality around you. And you’d be right. But Affinity proves that quality doesn’t always come with a weight penalty; all four Affinity models have MTPLM figures less than 1500kg.
You’ll find Alde heating, an alarm system, and connections for a solar panel to be installed on the roof if you wish.
But you’ll also find important aspects that you can’t see. For 2013 Elddis has radically changed its construction method, moving away from traditional screws and bolts to create a stiffer, stronger and lighter body shell which it claims is impervious to water ingress. Elddis has named this new construction method SoLiD, which stands for Strong-Light-Dry. The essence of the new production process is chemical bonding. Wood is still a key component of the walls but, instead of screws and bolts, a state-of-the art bonding process joins the sides to the roof and front and rear panels. It also joins the chassis to the floor.
The process was developed in conjunction with German company Henkel, specialists in bonding and better known for working with the aircraft industry. And to back up its confidence in the new monocoque approach to construction, Elddis caravans now have a 10-year guarantee against water ingress.
There’s something else hidden from view on Affinity caravans; a glass-reinforced plastic underskin is present to protect the floor.
As an example of the range, our test model is the island-bed layout, with the shower and toilet opposite one another forward of the bedroom. That’s where we begin this review…
 

Showering

The Affinity 550 is effectively divided into two rooms. The door of the nearside toilet-washbasin compartment opens forwards (on a piano hinge!) to close off the bedroom and washing facilities from the living room. Rarely is such a clear division achieved in a tourer. This is not just about a door. It’s about the wall to the rear of the kitchen also forming part of the clear division.
The shower (on the offside) is circular, with two doors sliding towards one another in the centre of the aperture. This, though, was where we had our one slight gripe about the 550. The doors are completely clear, with only a bit of a pattern across the centre. As a result, the shower, effectively, is very much a part of the bedroom visually. We think obscure doors would have made the shower look more self-contained than an actual feature of the bedroom.
The washbasin room opposite the shower is spacious. The basin is large.
There are outlets for heat from the Alde system to allow warm air to rise from the wheel arch area towards a towel loop directly above.
A big cabinet under the basin and a wall cabinet near the toilet create enough space for all necessities.
 

Sleeping

If home-from-home island-bed luxury tops your list of “must-haves” in your next tourer, we recommend you look closely at the new Affinity 550. This bedroom, with its en-suite configuration, feels so separate, so self-contained; it’s not just the bed shape that creates a home-from-home appeal – it’s the entire bedroom. Note the word we’ve used – bedroom, not bed area!
The wardrobes on each side of the bed give you three-quarter hanging depth plus two huge shelf spaces beneath; that’s unusual, and takes care of the walking boots and other shoes amply. Two top lockers over the bed are plenty deep enough for plenty of fold-up clothing.
A triangular dressing table (complete with power point) is on the offside, with a cabinet beneath. On the nearside there’s a bracket (and connectivity) for the Avtex television (with DVD and Freeview) that comes with the caravan.
All in all, this is a lovely bedroom, with café rod curtain poles and plain styling. But there’s something here that might escape your attention initially; it’s not obvious – and it’s a really important feature. The bed base is longer than the storage box underneath it, which means there’s an increase in floor space.
A double bed makes up in the lounge by means of slats that slide out from under the drawers.
 

Storage

All caravans with fixed beds have enormous storage potential but some is easier to access than others. The 550’s bed rises with minimal effort, on long gas-filled struts. You can reach in from all three sides – and the space is completely clear, with a plastic moulding running around the edge at floor level to hide the trunking for the Alde heating.
Storage under the settees is easy to get at, too, with full-length drop-down doors – or of course you can raise the tops; they’re supported on spring hinges.
Two deep lockers (one with a shelf) are above the settees; the two front top lockers are also deep.
Storage, then, is great for two (and, let’s face it, most 550 buyers will be couples) and probably fine for four.
 

Dining

The freestanding table has its own storage cabinet alongside the door. Its top matches the cream of the kitchen surface, and it’s large – plenty big enough for four to dine with lots of space.
The small table that pulls out from the central drawers unit is level with the top of the cabinet when it’s extended, so creates a surface amply big enough for two to dine here.
 

Lounging

Our test Affinity 550 was equipped with the cream leather lounge upholstery option. It’s teamed with fine-fabric cream curtains edged with pale moss green panels. The same green clothes two bolster cushions. Two more, large, square cushions have a leaf pattern. The combination works well, in a subtle sort of way.
Lighting and locker furniture are interesting. Two corner lights have white shades edged with chrome-effect plastic. An LED strip is set into the lower edge of the front lockers. Handles are chrome-effect, and attractively chunky. Positive catches are easily opened by pressing a finger-tab hidden under the handle – just where you’d naturally put your fingers when you touch the handle; it’s a brilliant little design touch!
 

Kitchen

We love the large rectangular sink! It’s not new for 2013; we remember praising it in previous models, too – and this is why: It’s made of a tough acrylic substance we think wouldn’t scratch, it looks good, too – rather like granite, with sparkly bits of quartz for interest. More important than looks is the practical small drainer near to the tap. There’s enough space here for a couple of mugs – and it’s the place you can lodge your washing up liquid bottle.
The cover is also the drainer – it’s a brilliant design involving one side having grooves so that the water will run into the sink. On the underside, two recesses fit into two raised sections on the edge of the sink, to keep it in place when it’s in use. An extended moulding on the opposite side ensures there’s a slope towards the sink.
A mains hotplate is here alongside three burners. The microwave is neatly housed, flush into a wooden cabinet alongside the two top lockers.
Lower storage is limited to a narrow cupboard between the fridge and the oven, with two drawers above it. Fine for cooking utensils; cutlery would be ideally situated in one of the front-central drawers.
 

Towing

At under 1500kg the Affinity 550 is well within range of a wide selection of tow vehicles. No need for a car as heavy as the Caravan Buyer Kia Sorento that does most of the test towing. On the road it felt predictably fine and stable during its road test. The iDC electronic stability system is present to detect, and then control, the first signs of a sway before it develops; that’s the system used by BPW, which makes the chassis for all Elddis caravans. There’s a hitch-head stabiliser, as you’d expect; it’s the Winterhoff model.
 

The 2013 Elddis Affinity 550 is high on spec, and right in the middle of the weight range, it has a lot of competitors – but few have a longitudinal island bed layout.