Swift Challenger Grande 650L SE caravan

A spacious, twin-axle, Alde-heated caravan with an L-shaped lounge and a luxurious separate bedroom at the rear

Words: Val Chapman  Photography: Richard Chapman

The Swift Challenger Grande 650L SE caravan

L-shaped lounges, it seems, are in fashion. While the parallel lounge configuration vastly outnumbers alternatives, the number of lounges with seating arranged in an L-shape has increased recently.

Swift offers several models in this layout: the Sprite Quattro EW; in the Challenger Grande range there’s the 560L, the 650L and 650L SE, and 560L SE, and there’s also the 850 in Swift’s flagship Elegance Grande range.

The Erwin Hymer Group has three: the Elddis Crusader Borealis, the Compass Camino 650 and the Buccaneer Barracuda. 

Bailey answers the demand for L-shaped seating with its configuration that it names ‘G-shape’, in the Pegasus Grande SE range’s Rimini, Brindisi, Bologna and Messina.

Narrowing down your choice, if you want eight-foot width, twin axles and Alde heating – and want to keep the price ticket below £40,000, Swift’s Challenger 650L zooms to the top of your shortlist.

Challenger Grande was introduced two years ago and, in common with all eight-foot-width ranges, has proved popular, hence the rise in the number of models in this range from an initial three to five. Perhaps it’s little wonder; the Challenger marque has, over many years, established a reputation for consistent value, so its Grande range is a predictable success amid the growing demand for eight-foot-width caravans.

The SE spec level

And there’s a choice of spec levels. Our review model is the 650L SE, £1,700 more than the 650L, and slightly heavier, with an MTPLM of 1,805kg, compared to 1,765kg for the non-SE version. It’s nice to have the choice!

Additional features that distinguish the 650L SE from the 650L include the automatic ATC stability control system, heavy-duty corner steadies, Al-Ko Secure wheel locks, a side-lift jack, an external TV point, an external cold water shower point, a Truma Waterline to enable you to connect directly to a  tap on a pitch, an additional towel loop and rail, an Omnivent extractor fan and an on-board water tank. 

Our exploration of the 650L SE took us to Preston Caravans and Motorhomes, where we discovered a surprise. In this age of ever-rising prices, it’s great to see a price drop – this model is reduced by £3,500, from the list price of £36,695 to £33,195.

The layout

The 650L layout, with a rear bedroom and shower/toilet compartments amidships, is very much a couples’ caravan, though, of course, the lounge can be transformed into a double bed – or a single bed, across the front. Any which way you use the lounge, it’s gorgeously spacious. All L-shaped lounges give more floor space than parallel seating layouts – and they work especially well in the wider format of eight-foot width.

On the nearside is the perfect position for a television – and, if you like your television to be large, there is ample space for it here. The cabinet beneath contains the sockets for the television, and there is a circular aperture in the cabinet top so that cables can be fed through neatly.

Fabric hues are subtle, majoring on fawns, with tartan-inspired upholstered panels flanking the offside window and also the window in the bedroom. Two dark green cushions, and two more in a satiny gold and white pattern, inject the colour interest. Neat, pale gold banding running along the top lockers at handle level creates a refined look.

White cabinetry distinguishes the kitchen from the lounge top lockers. 

The kitchen

Usefully, there’s a hinged extension to the classy marble-effect surface. When it’s in place, there’s plenty of surface space. There are two mains sockets in the kitchen, and enough space to place a kettle near to the sockets if you wish. 

A wide (soft-close) drawer containing a large cutlery tray, and a double-doored cabinet of the same width, gives you enough lower storage space. There’s a chopping board and drainer stowed away in a recess inside this cabinet. 

Opposite, the 133-litre-capacity fridge has a 12-litre removable freezer compartment, and has lockers both above and below it. And the cabinet alongside is just big enough to augment kitchen surface space. It’s a pseudo dresser-style, with two shelves (ideal for keys and phones) above a mirror. 

On the aft side of the fridge/freezer is the cabinet that contains the table, with two shelf spaces above it, and one beneath, all of the perfect dimensions for tall stuff such as cereal packets.

The bedroom

The bedroom is a cosy environment, with a TV position on the wall that separates this room from the shower and washing zone. The beautifully upholstered tall bedhead enhances the luxury look. Doors on both sides of the central TV wall enable you to exit and enter the bedroom either via the shower or the toilet area. 

Between the doors, on the washroom side, is a lovely makeup shelf and a large mirror with a spotlight above it; that’s in addition to the mirror above the washbasin on the offside. This one has two lights above it. 

The washroom is nicely spacious, definitely of dressing room proportions, and with a boutique, luxury feel. And, unusually, there are three cabinets; one below the washbasin, one below the makeup ledge and a third on the wall to the right of the basin.

The bed is 1.92m long; perfect unless you are very tall. 

Storage

Bedroom storage comes in the form of two-shelf cabinets beneath the wardrobes, and large over-bed lockers – plus, of course, the space under the bed. Although the spare wheel lives under the bed, there is plenty of space around it. 

And there’s a surprise. You can access the lower shelf area of the cabinet under the nearside wardrobe from the outside as well as from the inside, so this could be the ideal place for boots, shoes or wet-weather gear.

Plentiful storage is most definitely a key attribute of this model, something a couple or small family will appreciate.

<p>If space, Alde heating, a large shower room and a cosy secluded bedroom are your goals, you have found them in the 650L. This is a luxury layout, and, whether you go for the higher-spec SE or the standard version, the price makes the 650 good value for a caravan of its size. Add in its smart modern styling with much use of white and plain brown, and you can safely regard the Challenger Grande 650L and 650L SE as caravans with solid appeal.</p>