2019 Bailey Pegasus Grande range review

Wider appeal

Bailey has gone big! – relaunching its Pegasus range as a six-model line-up all with extra wide 2.45m (8ft) bodies.

They’re aimed at two possible caravanner types – those who are happy to leave their ‘vans seasonally pitched and those who want a bigger tourer for their money – or even a party ‘van!

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The news

Bailey Pegasus Grandes – two single axle models, four twin – may be big, but they’re not especially heavy.

If you think you need a cruiserweight towcar, think again – even the heaviest Grande Palermo – with a maximum weight of 1,692kg and 179kg payload  – isn’t that hefty. All MTPLMs are upgradeable.

Prices have been kept low, too. They’re in the £23,564-£25,064 bracket (on-the-road).

What’s different?

Bailey says its designers have had anything between 20 per cent and 25 per cent more interior space to work with. That has led to bigger beds and larger lounges especially – all model-specific.

Look out, also, for the G-shaped front lounge in the Rimini, Brindisi, Bologna and Messina – with a sliding table along the nearside, which can be complemented by a free-standing table at mealtimes. Pull out lats also mean making up the beds is a lot simpler.

In the family-sized Turin and Palermo, there’s a central U-shaped dinnette.

The Turin has fixed bed and the Palermo fixed bunks.

Factory-fitted options are limited to an alternative upholstery and bedding sets.

Standard equipment includes Truma Combi heating (4 for the singles axles, 6 for the twins), Domestic fridges (103-litre in the single axles, 145-litre in the twins), Thetford cooker with dual-fuel hob and separate oven and grill, Thetford C-260 toilets etc.

Among the upgrades

Grandes borrow heavily in terms of equipment and styling from the outgoing Pegasus GT70 models.

Al-Ko ATC and Tracker Retrieve are standard on all models, with Al-Ko Secure receivers for the twin axle models, great for lowering your caravan insurance premiums. All models are pre-wired for a mover, too.

As you’d expect, there are the usual updates to the furniture finish, soft furnishings, external graphics etc – with new Ozio foam for the seats and beds.

Also new are:

*Full-width front exterior floor locker accessible from both sides

*One-piece front and rear panels with integral grab handles

*100W solar panel

*Exterior gas barbecue point

*Reading lamps with USB charger outlets

*Flush-fitting hob lid to match the rest of the kitchen worktop

*Swan neck mixer taps to the stainless steel kitchen sinks

*Russell Hobbs microwave ovens

What Bailey says

“The new 8ft Pegasus Grande is a real leap forward in Bailey caravan design and caters for the growth in demand for larger caravans. Suitable for both touring or seasonal use, it is a genuine four-season vehicle. The lightweight and high performance GRP skinned Alu-Tech body shell make the all-new Pegasus Grande the perfect choice. Big on size, big on spec, yet light on weight and light on price.”

Pick-of-the-range

Rimini was Bailey’s best-selling Pegasus model – so there’s every reason to believe it will be the same for the Grande variant. It’s the one with twin single beds and a full-width rear washroom.

And the rest

Brindisi, four-berth, transverse island bed plus full-width rear washroom

Bologna, four-berth, twin axle, G-lounge and transverse island bed plus full-width rear washroom

Messina, four-berth, twin axle, G-lounge and rear island bed plus full-width central washroom. The all-new Pegasus Grande Messina was crowned Tourer of the Year 2019 by Practical Caravan magazine this month too.

Turin, six-berth, twin axle, French bed plus adjacent washroom

Palermo, six-berth, twin axle, rear fixed bunk beds nearside, washroom offside

Interesting fact

Bailey has always made its caravans in Bristol. Its first caravan was sold for £200 at Ashton Gate (home of Bristol City FC and Bristol Bears RFC) market. The Howard family took over the company in 1977.

There’s more information on the Pegasus Grande range on the Bailey website. To find out more about insuring this or your current caravan visit our caravan insurance discounts page.

And look out for our review of the Turin model next month.