Elddis Crusader Tempest
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Description
The Elddis Crusader Tempest is a six-berth, triple-bunk layout with two four-seater dining areas, a large kitchen with huge cupboards, the luxury of a separate shower, the stability of twin axles – and oodles of style
Key Features
Model Year
2010
Product Class
Twin Axle
Price from (£)
£20449
Berths
6
Full Review
Little wonder the Elddis Crusader Tempest caused such a storm when it was launched last year. This innovative layout with a stack of three bunks tucked away in the rear nearside corner is one terrific family caravan.
It is bristling with specification – which carries with it a hefty price-tag. But the best news is that, if you like the layout but the price is just a stretch too far for you, there’s now also a very similar layout in the Avanté range, £4000 cheaper, lighter – and with most of the layout features except the luxury of a separate shower.
This time, though, it’s the mighty Tempest that gets our attention…
It’s late evening and dusk. We’ve towed the 1800kg Tempest 239 easy, stable miles today through high wind which served to demonstrate the additional stability and safety that two axles gives you.
The Whale Aquasource tap-to-tank hose system ensures we can fill the Tempest’s in-board tank with a mere tweak of the tap on the pitch. Inside, 20 lights, some bright little LED, some spotlights, create delightful pools of luminance around the caravan. Lines of more miniature LEDs define the curtain pelmets.
Time to examine the hub of this giant six-berth: its central, four-seater dining area, opposite the large kitchen. Just behind the dining table is a full-size fridge-freezer that will hide several days’ food supply. The double-doored cupboard in the centre of the kitchen is big enough to contain tall cereal packets and fizzy drinks bottles. In addition there’s a two-shelf cupboard above the freezer and a two-shelf, floor-level cupboard that divides the central dining area from the lounge. Tempests do storage superbly – something that will be much appreciated by families, especially when it’s main-holiday time as distinct from weekend breaks.
There’s plenty of space to dine, too – for up to 10 people. This is a model to consider if you go away with friends and family. Everyone can eat together here – six at the front table and four more at the large offside dining area. Or, think of it another way and you have a breakfast room and a dining room as well…
Perhaps the best bit of this caravan is its hideaway bunk area, just behind the kitchen. Beds elsewhere consist of a double in the dining room and two singles or a double in the lounge. So there is plenty of family flexibility if there are four, not six, on board. Three kids on the bunks, parents on the dining room double, one youngster on a single bed in the lounge. Or two on the bunks (that leaves the bottom bunk as a permanent storage space), two in the lounge, two more in the dining room.
The water system gives options, too. You can take your water supply from your exterior water container to the in-board tank or from the Whale hose and connector direct from the tap – the choice is yours, once you’ve figured out which levers go in which direction and which switches flick the water on… Simple from now on.
In order to achieve the fabulous layout feature of those three tucked-away bunks and two dining areas, the Elddis designers had to compromise somewhere – and they did it in the size of the washroom. There is a separate shower in the offside corner – and that’s superb. But the toilet and washbasin area is small, as is storage space in the little room, especially considering this is a six-berth caravan.
But a negative comment on the size of the washroom must be seen in the context of this caravan’s superb six-up capability. And it’s safe to assume that most big families would use campsite facilities – because caravan water heaters don’t provide enough warm water for six consecutive showers!
The Elddis Crusader Tempest, with its unique layout, is one fabulous family caravan. Value for money? We think so. But if you don’t agree, take a look at the very similar, cheaper Avanté version.
It is bristling with specification – which carries with it a hefty price-tag. But the best news is that, if you like the layout but the price is just a stretch too far for you, there’s now also a very similar layout in the Avanté range, £4000 cheaper, lighter – and with most of the layout features except the luxury of a separate shower.
This time, though, it’s the mighty Tempest that gets our attention…
It’s late evening and dusk. We’ve towed the 1800kg Tempest 239 easy, stable miles today through high wind which served to demonstrate the additional stability and safety that two axles gives you.
The Whale Aquasource tap-to-tank hose system ensures we can fill the Tempest’s in-board tank with a mere tweak of the tap on the pitch. Inside, 20 lights, some bright little LED, some spotlights, create delightful pools of luminance around the caravan. Lines of more miniature LEDs define the curtain pelmets.
Time to examine the hub of this giant six-berth: its central, four-seater dining area, opposite the large kitchen. Just behind the dining table is a full-size fridge-freezer that will hide several days’ food supply. The double-doored cupboard in the centre of the kitchen is big enough to contain tall cereal packets and fizzy drinks bottles. In addition there’s a two-shelf cupboard above the freezer and a two-shelf, floor-level cupboard that divides the central dining area from the lounge. Tempests do storage superbly – something that will be much appreciated by families, especially when it’s main-holiday time as distinct from weekend breaks.
There’s plenty of space to dine, too – for up to 10 people. This is a model to consider if you go away with friends and family. Everyone can eat together here – six at the front table and four more at the large offside dining area. Or, think of it another way and you have a breakfast room and a dining room as well…
Perhaps the best bit of this caravan is its hideaway bunk area, just behind the kitchen. Beds elsewhere consist of a double in the dining room and two singles or a double in the lounge. So there is plenty of family flexibility if there are four, not six, on board. Three kids on the bunks, parents on the dining room double, one youngster on a single bed in the lounge. Or two on the bunks (that leaves the bottom bunk as a permanent storage space), two in the lounge, two more in the dining room.
The water system gives options, too. You can take your water supply from your exterior water container to the in-board tank or from the Whale hose and connector direct from the tap – the choice is yours, once you’ve figured out which levers go in which direction and which switches flick the water on… Simple from now on.
In order to achieve the fabulous layout feature of those three tucked-away bunks and two dining areas, the Elddis designers had to compromise somewhere – and they did it in the size of the washroom. There is a separate shower in the offside corner – and that’s superb. But the toilet and washbasin area is small, as is storage space in the little room, especially considering this is a six-berth caravan.
But a negative comment on the size of the washroom must be seen in the context of this caravan’s superb six-up capability. And it’s safe to assume that most big families would use campsite facilities – because caravan water heaters don’t provide enough warm water for six consecutive showers!
The Elddis Crusader Tempest, with its unique layout, is one fabulous family caravan. Value for money? We think so. But if you don’t agree, take a look at the very similar, cheaper Avanté version.
Our Verdict
Elddis Crusader Tempest caravanning is caravanning in extreme luxury. You have length – all 7.96m from hitch to tail lights. You have six berths, among them a triple bunk stack. You have a four-seater central table and a four-seater (at least) dining area at the front. You have a separate shower. And you have extremely modern soft furnishings trimmed with an unusual colour.
Advantages
Berths for six
Three bunks
Big kitchen
Big kitchen
Twin axles
Twin axles
Two dining areas
