Eriba Nova Light 515 caravan

A family tourer, light in weight, with cleverly designed storage areas under beds at each end, a central dining area – and underfloor heating 

Words: Val Chapman  Photography: Richard Chapman

The Eriba Nova Light 515

The Eriba range is made by the giant Erwin Hymer Group, in Germany. Arguably best known for the time-stood-still Eriba Touring range, with bodylines unchanged for decades, Eriba also makes a range of caravans with very modern body styling. The Nova Light 515 is one of these.

This caravan, as you might expect, follows continental layout trends, with a fixed double bed at the front, plus fixed bunks. Contrasting with UK-style layouts, there’s no traditional front lounge, the dining-lounge is amidships. And, in keeping with continental style, the shower and toilet are together in one compartment. Also typical of many continental caravans, the cooking equipment is just a three-burner hob (no oven or microwave).

The Nova Light has a 45-litre inboard water tank (under the dining area seating) – and a surprise: underfloor heating.

The Nova Light is distinguished by its long drawbar, like most continental caravans; this characteristic enhances stability, because the axle is further back as a result. And another benefit: the drawbar is long enough for you to mount a bike carrier.

There’s a lot to like about the Nova Light, as we discovered during a day at Adventure Leisure Vehicles in Cumbria. Among the features that impressed us is its MTPLM 1,500kg under-bed storage arrangement.

The storage

The area under the double bed is accessed via a large hatch on the offside; it’s comparable to a motorhome garage. There is more space than you’d ever need here, and the size of the door means that lifting things in and out would be easy. There’s even a mesh fabric pocket on the door, for small items, and metal tie-down points. 

The base of the lower bunk, at the rear, lifts to reveal storage space. And a door (43cm by 98cm) opens to this area to make loading and unloading super easy.

Four top lockers are above the dining area, each with a shelf below, and there are two above the  bed – although you’d have to stand on the bed to get at the contents of those. The wardrobe has a 50cm-wide hanging rail. A shelf above it provides 40cm of storage height. Lockers both above and beneath the 133-litre fridge could be used for footwear.

Storage, thus, is impressive for a caravan with a modest body length of 5.4m.

The beds

 The fixed double bed measures 2m by 1.4m. The bunks are 2m long and 76cm wide. A bed can be made from the dining area, by unfolding the hinged wooden bases from under each of the seating sides. This bed measures 2.05m by 1.28m. 

The table arrangement is ingenious. It’s stored under the bed, and slides forward through an aperture in the top of the bed base. A hinged leg folds down from beneath it. And, when you’ve finished eating, you simply fold the leg, and slide the table back into its hideaway. The table is large enough for four to dine; it’s a trapezium shape, measuring 74cm wide, by 94cm on the longest side, tapering to 80cm.

To allow for the depth of the storage area beneath, and for the table storage area, the double bed is  quite high; the top of the mattress is 90cm from the floor.

So, rather than climb in from the floor, you can use a step, built into the bed base. A turn-button releases it, and it drops down to form a shape rather like a box. Clever!

The interior

The Nova Light 515 has a plain and pleasing interior design, with lots of natural wood, light brown upholstery – and very refined curtains. There are voiles with fine vertical lines and tiny bits of raised fabric that forms a subtle slub-effect in the weave. The voiles are of ample width and are box pleated. 

The main curtains are beautifully designed, incorporating a system of tabs and hooks on the reverse side, that hold them nicely folded. The fabric has an abstract pattern depicting ancient international postcards, complete with scripty handwriting, on satin-type fabric that reflects light; it’s super-high quality.

Lighting

The lighting design, like the curtains, is super-refined. The two over the bed have cone-shaped shades and are touch-controlled by buttons in the bases. The buttons are surrounded by bright blue lights; you can leave the blue lights on overnight if you want a little illumination. Four spotlights are set into the frames around the two rooflights. The bunks have reading lights on long flexible stalks. 

Above the kitchen, the three spotlights set into the base of the top locker are touch-controlled; another nice refinement. 

The kitchen

The 98cm-wide top kitchen locker is divided into two sections, each with shelves. There are no racks for plates or mugs but there is enough space here for tableware for five people. 

Lower kitchen storage is impressive. The cutlery drawer is 40cm wide and has five large recesses; plenty of space for utensils as well as cutlery. The cabinet beneath the drawer is 60cm deep and contains a shelf. The cabinet to the left is the full height of the kitchen and, again, contains a shelf.

To make the best use of the surface space, you’d keep the glass hob cover down until you require the burners. The surface measures 1.02m wide and is 64cm at the deepest point (it curves slightly). There is space in front of the hob and sink and around each of these. And, another nice Eriba touch:  there are splash guards at both ends of the kitchen. 

The washroom

Design in the shower/toilet compartment displays the Eriba practicality ethos, too. The tap rises on a metal-coated hose to secure into a clip in the ceiling, to convert it to a showerhead.

Two towel rails are built into the door and a triple hook, that hinges flat when not in use, is above the toilet. Five shelves each have elastic straps to keep items in place; simple and ingenious.

There’s a wall cabinet and another beneath the washbasin, plus two additional shelf areas, so there are plenty of places to put all the stuff a family needs.

<p>Eribas are known for their robust build quality, and everything about the Nova Light 515 typifies that. All edges are smoothly rounded, and doors and lockers have easy-tilt plastic positive catches. This lightweight five-berth is stacked with refined features, including touch-control lights and beautifully created curtains that have an inbuilt hook system to keep them tidy. The presence of underfloor heating is a delightful surprise. And the storage arrangements &ndash; especially the garage-style compartment &ndash; are impressive.</p>