2016 Buccaneer Clipper caravan review: Feel the quality… and the width

We’ve had island beds, transverse island beds, single beds… so you can guess what’s coming here: transverse single beds!

But, it’s over £31,000 and, while it exudes an air of pure quality, it’s also some 2.45m (8ft) wide. This is serious stuff, indeed, and definitely not for the faint-hearted.

From Elddis’s flagship Buccaneer range, there’s little that’s discreet about a tourer like this. It’s certainly a unique floorplan, with its extending twin single bed arrangement and full-width washroom beyond. That means, when the beds aren’t needed, there’s sufficient space at the foot end of each to get past easily on your way to the washroom.

They’re different lengths, but the larger of the two, is some 1.97m (6ft 6in), with the other 1.87m – and, of course, there’s still room to dangle your feet out at the end of each. Both are 0.70m wide, with a handy chest of drawers in between. Overhead, there’s a Heki rooflight, two lockers over the padded headboards and a pleated divider extending across to complete the privacy.

The lounge seating doesn’t stint either – those settees are 1.81m long and, if the resultant two further single beds here aren’t sufficient you can also make them into a truly king-size double.

That full-scale washroom across the back is accessed via a sliding door.

There’s a chrome heated towel rail in here, plus a free-standing basin with swan neck mixer tap.

There’s also a step-in shower cubicle with tile-effect wall lining (although it flexes, which rather spoils the effect) and a fancy Ecocamel Orbit showerhead, as well as a clothes airer.

Plenty of other details are to hand in this washroom, too, including toilet roll and soap holders, and toothbrush mug. There’s also an opaque window, a feature that always helps with ventilation in a room like this.

The kitchen is ‘midships’ and L-shaped, helping to optimise both worktop area and low-level storage space. There’s a full cooker here, of course, with dual-fuel hob as well as separate oven and grill, although it’s perhaps surprising to see there’s not a permanent drainer alongside the granite-style sink – especially considering the facilities extend to an extra-thick, wood-edged kitchen worktop and stylish mixer tap.

Across the galley is Dometic’s largest 8-series fridge (with a capacity of some 155 litres) with removable freezer box (ideal if you want all the space for a larder). There’s space above this for a Daewoo microwave oven that’s still at an acceptable height.

There’s a wardrobe to the left of the fridge and microwave, set over two drawers and a floor locker. There’s a darker tone to the woodwork and a slight curve to the seating where it meets the central chest of drawers. Lots of complementary chromed detailing highlights the special nature of this tourer.

Heavy-duty corner steadies are the only hint of what’s more than just a party trick for this top tourer. It boasts a remote control levelling system care of E & P Hydraulics, which means your caravan really can be pitched and levelled in just a couple of minutes maximum.

There’s plenty more. The Alde heating and hot water system extends to underfloor warming. It’s all fully programmable and can also be set up remotely via your smartphone.

It’s all about equipment levels in a unit like this, too. Hence items such as the 100Watt solar panel, Aquaclean upholstery, stereo radio with MP3 and Bluetooth connectivity, all kinds of LED lighting (including illumination for the drinks cabinet and gas locker), external barbecue and satellite TV points… the list simply goes on and on!

It’s all made using Elddis’s SoLiD bodywork construction, of course, featuring silver sides, tinted windows, darkened alloy wheels, fixed front sunroof and, underpinning it all, BPW’s superior Swing V-tec chassis with shock absorbers, should mean a very well-behaved unit on the road – it also includes iDC anti-snaking.

This really is the touring caravan that’s got everything, including the price tag.

Verdict: Caravan that has it all... for the caravanner that wants it all.

Plus: Unlimited luxury, superior heating system, levelling system, single beds arrangement

Minus: Heavy (of course) and expensive

In-a-nutshell: Luxury apartment on four wheels

There’s more information on the Buccaneer range on the Elddis website. To find out more about our low-cost premiums visit the caravan insurance discounts page.