Elddis Crusader Tempest EB

The Elddis Crusader Tempest EB has a brilliantly practical family caravan loaded with spec, and an excellent bunk area layout

The high-spec Crusader range is designed for discerning caravanners. The newcomer for 2013, the Tempest EB, is also designed for families who need a lot of living, sleeping and storage space – and for drivers who appreciate the extra stability and relaxing tow characteristics of twin axles.
The fixed-bunk Tempest has been around for a few years, winning fans for its size and the way it keeps the kids’ sleeping zone separate from the living area. The original layout had the bunks on the nearside, with a shower room in the offside corner. Now, for 2013, all that has changed – and, we believe, for the better.
Two bunks are on the offside. The shower room is alongside and behind it (of which more later). The kitchen stretches all the way into this area, with a big fridge freezer opposite the bunks.
A double bed makes up from a four-seater dining area on the offside. And everywhere you look you’re aware that spec is high; Alde heating and electronic anti-snake device are standard equipment, along with a television and an extractor fan.
But it’s where you can’t see that’s the most interesting part about 2013 Crusaders caravans. The construction method has moved away from traditional screws and bolts to a revolutionary chemical bonding system that’s unique to Elddis. It’s designed to eliminate water ingress and create greater solidity of construction.
You also can’t see (unless you crawl under the caravan) the protective layer of GRP under the floor, to protect it from water being sprayed up on the road.
And you might not notice the new GRP sides which have a greater resistance to damage than aluminium.
Step inside, though, and you will notice that the shape of the shower room is like no other…
 

Showering

The shower room extends across the whole width of the caravan – and a little bit more.
The toilet’s on the offside, the basin’s in the centre and the large rectangular shower is on the nearside. So far, so standard. The bit more comes in the form of a dressing area immediately inside the door; effectively, the shower room has an extra section which extends into the central corridor of the caravan. Here you find a large mirror and, opposite, a wardrobe, with two rails, one above the other. By end shower room standards, it’s not the biggest – but it is one of the most ingeniously designed in its integration with the bunk bed area layout.
 

Sleeping

That corridor area we described forms a partial wall for the bunk area, and helps to give this bedroom a feeling of cosiness. A wooden divider between the bunks and the dining area completes the cohesive bedroom impression; separate curtains track across the edge of each bunk.
You can make a double bed from the offside dining area by hinging up wooden extension to each of the seats. There is still enough corridor space when this bed is made up.
The settees are 1.8m in length (almost 6ft), so they’ll make single beds as an alternative to a double, by pulling out webbing-linked slats from the front central chest of drawers. It’s here, as you make up the bed, that you’ll notice an unusual feature of this caravan’s storage capability…
 

Storage

 
Even though the lounge bed has roll-out slats to bridge the corridor between the settees, there are four drawers in the central front unit. The slats drop down into an area behind the drawers. That’s storage bonus number one…
Each of the settees has full-length drop-down front access hatches. There’s front access as well as hinged tops for the storage areas under the dining room, too.
As you’d expect in a caravan of this size, the top locker count is high, at nine. Add in the space under the bottom bunk and it’s clear the Tempest’s capacity for hiding stuff is well up to its six-person task.
 

Dining

That goes for its dining arrangements, too. Four can dine at the central table. And four more can sit to the freestanding table that lives in its own cabinet to the rear of the kitchen. And of course there’s a snack or coffee table at the front when you extend the top of the chest of drawers.
The Avtex television that’s standard with Crusaders has a mount on the front wall of the kitchen.
You can watch television when you’re dining in either the lounge or the dining room; the bracket enables you to adjust the unit’s position accordingly. And if you push it a little further towards to back of the caravan, the kids could watch it from their bunks.
 

Lounging

Stretch your legs out, nestle your shoulders into the amply proportioned front corner pieces and you have lounging comfort for two. If two people don’t grab the whole of each settee, up to six can sit here. Four scatter cushions and two small bolsters, in shades of cream and pale moss green to match the curtains, are here to augment your comfort.
 

Kitchen

Some would say catering for six isn’t easy in a caravan (unless it’s barbecue weather). And, generally speaking, they’d be right. There are, though, a few caravans that give the cook space to get properly organised and even creative; the Tempest is one of them.
There’s surface space to the left of the hob and to the right of the sink. A further area is at a lower level, forward of the kitchen.
Crusaders have sink covers that double as drainers; in the Tempest it fits into lugs on the right hand side of the sink.
Crusaders also have tough glass lids on the hobs; they’re so tough that you can use them to chop vegetables, so you get a bonus on usable space there.
Storage is among the best in caravan kitchens. The fridge is the tower-style, with integrated freezer which you can remove if you prefer extra chiller space.
The microwave is over the freezer, with a cupboard above it. Two drawers are to the right of the oven, with a cupboard below. Alongside is a cupboard that’s the entire depth of the kitchen, divided into two cavernous shelf spaces. No trouble housing tall fizzy drinks bottles in the base space here! But we can’t help wondering why Elddis didn’t put in a second shelf, which would have doubled the capacity of the top area.
Just in case you need even more place to put stuff, there’s a two-shelf cabinet under the lower kitchen surface, to the right of the main kitchen.
Two large top cabinets take care of the tableware and much more; there’s enough depth for tall cereal packets. To the right, a drinks cabinet with a dark plastic door has clips for six stemmed glasses and two bottles.
 

Towing

Elddis caravans ride on BPW chassis – and, in Crusaders, that’s complete with BPW’s anti-snaking system, iDC (Intelligent Drive Control). The intelligence is the system’s ability to detect the first signs of a snaking motion, and then pull the Tempest back into line by applying the caravan’s brakes electronically.
We’ve heard it said that the enhanced stability of twin-axle geometry means that such devices are not needed. We’d say it’s surely more valuable on a single-axle caravan, where there is a single pivot point – but let’s not forget twin-axle caravans can be deflected from the straight by strong gusts of wind, too – and every aid to safety has got to be regarded as a positive when you’re looking at your next purchase.
That said, there was no wind to deflect the Tempest on its test tow – and no over-exuberant White Van Men or speedy lorries overtook us to disturb the equilibrium.
It was an enjoyable, easy test tow (Kia Sorento in charge); this is a caravan to pick if you plan to take your family on lengthy cross-continent journeys on which ease of towing is paramount.

With the easy-tow, extra stability of twin axles, the enormous storage capacity especially in the kitchen – and two areas in which to relax and dine, this is a fantastic family caravan. Add in the Crusader high spec and you can really see value in its £24,000 price tag.