Verdict
It sounds a bit of a cliché, but the Unicorn IV is more evolution than revolution.
There’s nothing included here that is a real game-changer, although there is plenty that pushes the marker higher.
This end-washroom, fixed-bed layout occupies a diminishing competitive field, too.
But, overall, this is a comfortable caravan which, thanks partly to stiff price hikes elsewhere, is now beginning to look as if it’s really good value for money.
Pros
The beds are generous
There’s a hugely spacious washroom with a useful laundry basket and a practical shower cubicle
You get a lot of USB points
Cons
We’re not convinced by the wooden hob top – it blocks natural light when raised
We wonder what impact this layout’s increasing rarity may have on resale or part-exchange values
This summer, following extensive research with focus groups, the fourth generation of the Bailey Unicorn was launched, a 10-strong range.
We’re taking a look at a model that’s being carried over from Unicorn III: the Valencia.
It’s a four-berth that’s 5.83m long inside, with a fixed rear nearside bed and an end washroom.
And to see other Bailey caravans for sale, click here.
It is now beginning to look as if it’s really good value for money
Pitching & Setting-up
Some of the changes to this range of Bailey caravans can be spotted straight away.
The single-piece front and rear bumpers, grabhandles and rear light clusters are a new design.
On the offside, you’ll see a change in the way Bailey stores your gas bottles.
On previous Unicorns they were stored one behind the other, now they lie side-by-side in a wider locker, making them easier to access.
There are new, fourth-generation graphics and, as you open the entrance door, there’s another new design, a dustpan and brush cleverly included in the top of the bin.
Living
Alongside the new front window panels, another major change in the Unicorn IV is what Bailey has done just inside.
The front bulkhead has been removed – the company reckons its Alu-Tech construction system is sufficiently robust for there to be no need for extra strengthening here.
Not having the bulkhead makes for more room up front. You can snuggle up right into the corners where you will find useful reading spotlights with integrated USB ports.
The blue and brown ‘Brompton’ coverings to the comfy cushions are very on-trend – but if it’s too on-trend for you, the cream and mauve ‘Finsbury’ is a £225 alternative.
Bailey has stuck with tradition in having a pull-out shelf above the two-drawer centre chest that, unlike other brands, does not pull out flat.
Up above, the corner shelves beyond the overhead lockers have been closed in with a door, behind which you will find two speakers for the radio/CD/MP3 player with Bluetooth connectivity.
There are also sockets on the large wall area by the door that are helpfully placed if you should choose to install a TV.
Across the whole of the 2018 Bailey Unicorn Valencia you will find eight USB sockets.
Kitchen
Workspace in Unicorn IV kitchens has been increased by 30%, much of this achieved by introducing a wooden hob cover that comes down over the existing glass cover to provide a continuous flat surface.
It certainly adds room – for the organised cook.
In the Valencia, its only downside is that it can cut off some of the light coming from the kitchen windows, although good kitchen lighting should compensate for that.
You still get an extension flap out over the lounge, and a large stainless-steel sink.
The re-engineering of the gas-bottle locker means that the three soft-close drawers under here are properly sized kitchen drawers, like that you would find at home.
A dual-fuel four-burner hob sits above a separate oven and grill, and there’s a microwave above, next to the single large overhead locker.
Across the aisle is a 133-litre fridge/freezer.
Washroom
The 2018 Bailey Unicorn Valencia has a roomy and well-equipped full-width end washroom.
A long mirror as you enter past the Alde radiator and the loo makes it feel larger than it is, although you still get a washbasin with substantial shelving underneath, plus a large separate shower cubicle with its own rooflight.
The clothes rail that is attached to this has been brought over from Autograph, Bailey’s upmarket motorhome range.
Unicorn IV’s laundry basket – already a popular luxury feature – offers improved access over the basket that was used in the Unicorn III, a development that delighted our focus group.
Beds
All fixed beds in the new Unicorn range of Bailey caravans are now 10% longer, which means the nearside rear bed here is a roomy 1.98m, or 6ft 5in.
It comes with a panelled headboard, spotlights, and an open shelf with sockets for a TV.
Even with the need to maintain access to the rear washroom, Bailey has managed to squeeze in a tall, slim LED-lit dressing table unit on the offside front corner here. The lower section of it stores the freestanding dining table.
The beds at the front, meanwhile, are now 5% longer in all Unicorns – another advantage of removing the bulkhead.
In the Bailey Unicorn Valencia, that makes the single beds an impressive 1.88m long, although roll out the slats and you make a double that is 10cm longer.
Storage
The rear fixed double bed lifts up easily and provides you with a huge clear area that can be externally accessed. There’s an adequate wardrobe next to the dressing unit.
Across much of this van there are large overhead lockers with posi-lock handles.
Washroom storage is particularly good, too – our focus group’s only gripe was that some of the shelf retainers could have been stronger.
Technical Specifications
| Berth | 4 |
| MiRO | 1343 kg |
| Payload | 155 kg |
| MTPLM | 1498 kg |
| Shipping Length | 7.36 m |
| Width | 2.26 m |
