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NEWS
Swift’s caravan of love arrives
New mid-ensuite, apartment-style layout is good news for parents who want some privacySwift Australia is pitching its latest, UK-built Explorer caravans at parents who crave privacy on family holidays, as well as grey nomads who have travelling partners with different sleeping patterns.
Most Australian caravans feature open-plan interior layouts, where the living/kitchen and bedrooms areas are often in the same ‘room’, or separated by a solitary sliding door or curtain.
However, Swift Australia’s latest Explorer 560 and 650 models feature brand-new layouts that essentially create three separate ‘living zones’: a master bedroom at the rear and kitchenette and lounge/dinette area towards the front, all separated by a walk-through bathroom zone incorporating a separate shower, basin and toilet.
A solid door separates the kitchen/living area from the ensuite, and two more sliding doors close off the bedroom, with the 1.5m deep void in the bathroom acting as another sound and light barrier.
“Swift said they wanted to create different zones in the caravan to make it feel like an apartment, and in the UK they actually nicknamed it the caravan of love,” explained Swift Australia’s Alex Kammerlocher.
He said “interest has been fantastic” in the new layouts, which were on display for the first time at last week's Melbourne Leisurefest after being shown in prototype form earlier this year at the Brisbane Caravan Show.
“One lady said she was so positively surprised to see this layout, which she hadn’t seen anywhere else, and it was so nice to see something different,” Kammerlocher said.
He said Swift dealers had already taken a number of deposits prior to the show, off the back of photos of the layout released earlier.
The two new, four-berth models join three other models in Swift Australia’s latest MK III Explorer range, which are built using Swift’s latest timber-free, fibreglass/composite body construction method.
More 'Australianised' than ever, the new MK III range features a host of factory upgrades including two 65 litre water tanks, wider double bed and a 12V rangehood now fitted as standard, new front and rear panel design, more upmarket gloss cabinetry taken from Swift’s motorhome range, and around 25mm more ground clearance thanks to a new, heavy-duty Al-Ko galvanised chassis.
Other new standard features include a rear bike carrier, twin entry step, and outdoor entertainment locker including TV bracket and connections. Buyers can also opt for the latest Swift Command digital switching system and stain-resistant Swift Shield upholstery.
“But the biggest difference now from the UK models is that we have twice as many (furniture) fixing points within the body structure, which makes it far more rigid for the (Australian) conditions,” he said.
Despite all the upgrades, the new, four-berth Explorer vans. remain lighter than most equivalent-spec Aussie vans, with a Tare weight of 1480kg and 1900kg ATM for the Explorer 560, while the Explorer 650 has a 1600kg Tare and 2120kg ATM.
Swift’s Melbourne dealer Caravan West was advertising a starting price of $63,990 (driveaway) for the 7.48m long (overall) Explorer 560, and $71,990 (driveway) for the 7.93m long (overall) Explorer 650.
Also on display was a new version of the single-axle, east-west bed Explorer 584 model called the 580, with an upgrade in fridge size from 120 to 190 litres.
“In the UK that size fridge would be unthinkable, but it’s what Australian buyers now expect,” he said.
In other Swift news, the Australian outlet is currently completing new versions of its off-road Trailfinder caravan, based on feedback received, including building a smaller 18ft 6in single axle model. Final production versions are expected to be officially unveiled at the 2017 NSW Caravan Supershow in early April.
The Australian-spec Swift Explorer range will also go on sale for the first time in New Zealand in early-2017. It’s also likely that Swift will introduce a slide-out model in the near future, following the recent introduction of a ‘slider’ from major rival Bailey.
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Written byChris Fincham
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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