Sterckeman Starlett 440CE
Image
Key Features
Model Year
2008
Product Class
Single Axle
Price from (£)
£7995
Berths
4
Full Review
FIRST impressions count – and our first encounter with this compact family caravan was on the road, hooked to our on-test two-litre Golf.
The long drawbar characteristic of continental-made caravans, combined with exceptional balance, makes this model a real star on the road. It demonstrated for us, in just 20 minutes, that you can enjoy caravanning with a small car and small caravan AND have good stability – provided you choose the right combination.
That 20 minutes was the time between picking up the caravan at the importer, Freedom Caravans, at Stafford, and reaching our test destination, the Camping and Caravanning Club site at Cannock Chase.
So, road manners are good – time to take our first step inside and – wow! That’s the only way to describe this interior. For a small family caravan it’s utterly fabulous. You have two adult-sized fixed bunks, a U-shaped lounge and a kitchen with bags of surface and bags of cupboard space, too.
The first thing that hits you along with the superb layout is the colours. This is the deepest, brightest red we’ve ever seen in a caravan. It works fabulously.
On with the layout tour for you: Imagine using this caravan as a couple. You could sleep on those wide bunk beds – each has ample headroom for adults; each has a reading light and its own window and the mattresses are deeper than those intended just for children.
In two-berth mode you’d have the advantage of a permanent lounge-diner at the front, unless you chose to make it up as a double.
But it’s in family mode that this Starlett really shines. The kitchen is superbly designed considering the short length of the caravan. You have a full-size fridge and separate freezer above it. A surface on the right of the kitchen is perfect for food preparation.
The shower/toilet room is a little tight in total space terms. But two large mirrors give the illusion that it’s twice its size.
Anything we didn’t like about the Starlett? There’s a central roof light which keeps the main living area bright but the rear area, where the bunks meet the shower room, is rather dark.
Anything lacking? There’s no oven, no grill, the space heater is gas-only and the water heater is mains-only, and there’s only one mains socket. But if you want upgrades and more sockets, Freedom will provide. For the price, this is one excellent caravan.
Our verdict:
If you thought you had to sacrifice style in the quest to find a lightweight, low-priced caravan, the Starlett is the caravan to prove you wrong.
You can have a good build quality, small size, Golf-towable caravan for under £10,000 – and the wow-factor comes free! Even though this is a small caravan, Sterkeman gives you adult-width fixed bunks, sturdily-built and with mattresses of a good thickness.
Put up with absence of oven and grill and you can have great holidays in this caravan.
The long drawbar characteristic of continental-made caravans, combined with exceptional balance, makes this model a real star on the road. It demonstrated for us, in just 20 minutes, that you can enjoy caravanning with a small car and small caravan AND have good stability – provided you choose the right combination.
That 20 minutes was the time between picking up the caravan at the importer, Freedom Caravans, at Stafford, and reaching our test destination, the Camping and Caravanning Club site at Cannock Chase.
So, road manners are good – time to take our first step inside and – wow! That’s the only way to describe this interior. For a small family caravan it’s utterly fabulous. You have two adult-sized fixed bunks, a U-shaped lounge and a kitchen with bags of surface and bags of cupboard space, too.
The first thing that hits you along with the superb layout is the colours. This is the deepest, brightest red we’ve ever seen in a caravan. It works fabulously.
On with the layout tour for you: Imagine using this caravan as a couple. You could sleep on those wide bunk beds – each has ample headroom for adults; each has a reading light and its own window and the mattresses are deeper than those intended just for children.
In two-berth mode you’d have the advantage of a permanent lounge-diner at the front, unless you chose to make it up as a double.
But it’s in family mode that this Starlett really shines. The kitchen is superbly designed considering the short length of the caravan. You have a full-size fridge and separate freezer above it. A surface on the right of the kitchen is perfect for food preparation.
The shower/toilet room is a little tight in total space terms. But two large mirrors give the illusion that it’s twice its size.
Anything we didn’t like about the Starlett? There’s a central roof light which keeps the main living area bright but the rear area, where the bunks meet the shower room, is rather dark.
Anything lacking? There’s no oven, no grill, the space heater is gas-only and the water heater is mains-only, and there’s only one mains socket. But if you want upgrades and more sockets, Freedom will provide. For the price, this is one excellent caravan.
Our verdict:
If you thought you had to sacrifice style in the quest to find a lightweight, low-priced caravan, the Starlett is the caravan to prove you wrong.
You can have a good build quality, small size, Golf-towable caravan for under £10,000 – and the wow-factor comes free! Even though this is a small caravan, Sterkeman gives you adult-width fixed bunks, sturdily-built and with mattresses of a good thickness.
Put up with absence of oven and grill and you can have great holidays in this caravan.
- This review was first published in the August 2009 issue of Which Caravan magazine.
