2014 Swift Sterling Amber Elite caravan review

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  1. Jason says:

    As some already know we are fans of our Sterling Elite Amber but I spent yesterday looking at the new season ‘vans’ and am a bit worried about what manufacturers are doing. We looked at the Buccaneer series and the swift elegance and I’m a bit disappointed. In an effort to save weight (and build costs) there seems to be a ‘less is more approach’ , shiny interiors, easy to scratch, difficult to repair, the buccaneer equivalent to our Amber had a small lounge area, in all the vans the beds were getting smaller, now 6’3″ x 4’3″ instead of the 6’4″ x 4’5″ in our ‘van’. Not much help if like me you are 6’4″ (and a bit) and even the bathroom sink seems smaller! Despite this prices are increasing to (almost) the cost of a small apartment in Greece or southern Italy. I’m also worried about the ‘no join’ construction method on some of the newer Swift group ‘vans’, what if you have a minor accident? Will it be possible to replace a panel? More importantly, if you can’t then what are the insurance implications? Are premiums set to rise? Come on Swift, Elddis and all the other manufacturers, self levelling corner steadys are great but I can fit that as an after market upgrade to my Amber, it’s cheaper than a £30,000 ‘van’ with a bed I can’t sleep in! Have you seen the size of some teenagers today, do you want them to be the caravanners of the future? BIGGER beds please! The Amber was a good van that would be better with self levelling, underfloor heating and no screw bonding but I’m not going to replace it until you produce something with a decent size bed! (Have insurers looked at the cost of repairing some of the new ‘one piece’ construction ‘vans’ yet?)

  2. Jason says:

    We have a 2012 model with the silver sides. We tow using a Hyundai Santa Fe. It’s a great touring caravan, easy to tow (very stable), lovely heating system (radiators) well made, good warranty from manufacturer, great service from our dealer, lots of room inside for us (2 adults & 2 dogs), great end bathroom we use a lot. Lots of storage space. Kitchen could benefit from more work surface (new models have a pop up extension). We prefer our version to the newer models we’ve seen, the White sides are easier to spray out scratches but the silver does stand out, maybe a choice of colours? We also prefer our interior decor, not so ‘loud’ or bright as the new version. That said when we do change we will look at another AMBER before anything else. Really a great caravan.

    • Lucie @ Caravan Guard says:

      You’re clearly a fan Jason, thanks for getting in touch!
      Lucie
      Caravan Guard


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