Xplore 495

The 2009 Xplore 495 has a low weight, low price, two lounges... What more could you want in a family caravan? Well, actually, more kitchen space – but you can’t have everything!

Take a proven family layout that sleeps five and give it a bright, cheerful image – and a good price – and you’re pretty sure to have a winning combination.

The Xplore range is all about great value. Specification is kept to a minimum in the interests of price and weight – and the result, throughout the range, is a set of very appealing products.

Where the 495 scores in particular, is that it looks and feels like a much larger caravan than its five metres of body.
That’s because it has two lounges – a layout that presents an open, airy aspect. The rear lounge gives you a double bed with pull-up bunk above; two full-length singles or a big double are at the front.

This layout appears in several manufacturers’ ranges; it’s been around for years – simply because it works well for a family. It’s also good for a couple. You can leave the rear section made up as a bed; you’ll have ample living space in the front section.

But in five metres of body there have to be compromises. What you gain in lounging space, you lose in kitchen space. You only have the small hinge-up flap to the right of the kitchen on which to prepare food if you’re using both hob and sink. With the chopping board-grade glass covers in place, though, there’s enough space – you just have to organise your food preparation carefully.

There’s only one very slim kitchen cupboard. Storage space elsewhere, though, is fine in terms of locker-numbers. There’s a total of 12. But none has a shelf to divide the space, so you can only put a small amount of clothing in each locker, otherwise each time you open the locker anything piled more than half way up the aperture will fall out. Shelves, though, equal extra weight, which would detract from what Xplores are all about.

If you look hard enough you can find other economies that shave off price as well as weight. There’s no window in the door – but you’ll not miss it because there are two windows at the rear. And the curtains are of a thin material. But forgive this model those things, for it really does succeed in its aim: accommodation for five in a spacious-looking layout at an affordable price.

Xplores get the basics right and also give you some nice surprises. One small useful feature  is hiding away in the shower room. It’s a rail, running the whole length of the ceiling - perfect for drying towels and garments.

The single-strip carpet that isn’t fitted around the furniture may be an economy measure but it’s one that’s very practical. Easy to roll up out of the way of muddy feet when you need to do so, it also looks good because it exposes a small amount of the attractive wood-effect floor covering around its edges.

The five-berth 2009 Xplore 495 is well built but without the level of equipment that would bump up the price. This model’s great plus-point is that it has two distinct living areas, both capable of seating four with room to spare.
If you can live with the lack of kitchen work surface (bearing in mind you’re making meals for up to five) and the shortage of kitchen cupboard space, the 495 is a fantastic family caravan for its size.