Elddis Xplore 530

Ideal for a couple looking for a versatile layout at a budget price and with a light weight.

Exterior

Caravans don’t come much plainer in exterior design than Xplores. They have unpretentious bodylines, they’re plain white with just a dash of red and grey in simple graphics, but plain doesn’t mean boring, and there’s a lot to notice about an Xplore.

Start with a small plaque, unpretentiously low down on the nearside close to the front. This badge bears the word SoLiD, and it stands for a revolutionary development in caravan construction. Elddis caravans are now constructed using a bonding technique, replacing almost all of the screws formerly used. The result is caravans that are stronger in construction, lighter in weight, and are better able to keep water out, as they are totally-sealed units. The maker backs this with a 10-year water-ingress warranty.

Other things to notice outside? The hitch-head stabiliser is part of an options pack that also gives you a spare wheel on an under- slung carrier. It’s your first clue to a really important attribute of Xplores; there is a list of 10 options which enable you to personalise your 530, and pick the extras that are important to you, rather than pay for stuff you may not need or want.

Interior

You can change the fabrics, though we’d guess few would quibble with the light, bright plain fawn garnished with bright red poppies that comes as standard. Two options are priced at £225 and a third is £275; that one is treated with Aquaclean, which increases resistance to stains.

The 530 is a three-berth, with a single bed making up from the offside dining area. You can buy an extra bunk to turn the 530 into a four-berth for £349. Or pick wrap-around seating instead of the chest of drawers. That will cost you £199. And for only £121 you can get fitted carpets instead of the simple two central strips that leave the dining area and
the shower room floor clad in (cold-on-the-feet) vinyl.

The 530’s layout gives it three-generation appeal. Used as a two-berth, you have a permanent dining area, and it’s wide enough to seat four. It’s a good choice for a family of three, and, for grandparents, the dining area becomes an occasional berth for holidays when young family members join in. And this layout has versatility; the lounge is long enough to make single beds as an alternative to the double that makes up by drawing out webbing-link slats from under the two drawers.

One of the 530’s greatest assets (literally) is its generously sized shower room. At 1.3m deep, there’s ample floor space. Accommodation for clothing is amazing. The wardrobe, on the offside, has two rails, one above the other; each is 43cm wide. A floor-to-ceiling cabinet on the nearside has four deep shelf spaces. The 530, therefore, is among a select few caravans in this weight and price range that have a shower room that you could call a true dressing room.

A close look at the kitchen reveals generous storage opportunities in here, too. There’s a cabinet between the oven and the fridge (plus two drawers above it) and a second cabinet opposite, neatly dividing the lounge from the dining area.

There’s no microwave, but that’s the only evidence of weight saving in the meal-prep department. The hob has three burners; if you want a mains hotplate too you can have one for an extra £129. That’s important if you intend to use the caravan abroad, where you can’t replace your Calor gas easily.

The heating system is blown air, propelled through an outlet in the centre of the caravan and a second one in the shower room. The unit, made by Whale, is mounted under the floor. It proved to be highly effective during our chilly winter test week, warming the caravan to a pleasant temperature in less than five minutes. The fan makes a bit of noise, but there’s a quieter setting for night-time use.

Whale makes the water heater, too, it’s eight litres in capacity, and takes only 12 minutes to warm up from cold.

The 530 may be in budget territory in price terms, but its level of firm upholstery comfort and finesse would have you believe otherwise. Locker doors are real ash wood. They have positive catches, with small plastic triggers hidden under the handles; a light press opens the lockers. There are two coat hooks by the door; that might sound unimportant, but it’s a practical feature we like to see.

The 530 has four mains sockets. Two are by the kitchen; a third is with the TV aerial point by the offside cabinet. And the fourth? Rarely do we see a socket so conveniently placed for using a hairdryer. It’s at floor level, below a mirror alongside the door. This takes the hairdressing task out of the shower room, and that means this caravan is better equipped than most for two people to complete the preening routes simultaneously. Practicality rules!

Plenty of storage and space, a light weight and a 10-year water ingress warranty; we call that value for money.