The Elddis Avanté has proved a popular choice for a large number of dealerships to use as the base for their special editions. But with Elddis caravans remaining largely unchanged this season, we thought it might be a good time to take stock of what the range has to offer, by inspecting one of the most popular models, the Elddis Avanté 550 with a central washroom and an inline island bed.

We went to Whitfords Caravan Centre, in Burnley, to check it out.

Pitch and set-up

Erwin Hymer UK is hot on towing stability. The Avanté is the Elddis brand’s cheapest range, but it still manages to come with ATC as standard. Few other caravan manufacturers do that at this level.

It looks stylish, too, as the crisp white of the exterior contrasts at the front with black tinted windows and a grey panel on the gas bottle locker. The grab handles are chrome, another smart touch. There are no external locker doors, but you do get a spare wheel slung underneath the van.

Lounge in the Elddis Avanté 550

The lounge feels very bright, thanks to the pale upholstery and fawn furniture finish. The settees are comfortable, too, with a pronounced knee roll. However, they only just provide enough room for four – that is possibly something you have to put up with if you’re thinking of choosing a caravan that’s less than 6.5m long, but has an inline island bed.

There is a useful pull-out shelf above the central chest, while the foldaway table is stowed in its own compartment by the door. It is big enough for four, always an important consideration when searching for the best 4 berth caravan.

Lounge of Elddis Avanté 550
Neutral tones help to make the lounge bright and airy

At night, ambient light behind the lockers, a spotlight in each corner of the lounge and a striplight over the chest – all individually switched – keep things bright. There are TV sockets by the door.

There is a mains socket in the offside corner of the front sill, but what this lounge really lacks is USB ports. One comes as part of the radio fitted inside one of the lockers, but that’s it. There aren’t any among the TV sockets or the light fittings. If you are in need of a digital detox, you might think that is a good thing. But teenagers with all of their devices could feel a bit put out.

Kitchen in the Elddis Avanté 550

The kitchen has a reasonable amount of workspace, so you might not need to use the pull-up extension. There’s even more worktop if you put the cover on the sink, and there are two mains sockets nearby.

Looking down the Elddis Avanté 550
Light fawn furniture finish gives the whole interior a spacious appearance

This area is well lit, with four LEDs: two in front of the overhead lockers and two underneath. A four-burner dual-fuel hob sits above the separate oven and grill, and although the 98-litre fridge is only half-height, it is two-way opening, so it is an easy reach from the lounge. You get a microwave, too, but it is not the plateless variety other brands have caught onto.

Washroom in the Elddis Avanté 550

The 550’s washroom is spread across the centre, but you just get one solid partition with a door. The only thing separating the washroom from the bedroom is a concertina curtain. This no doubt saves on weight and cost, although other caravans at this price range and weight often include a solid partition.

The circular offside shower has good headroom, a light and a soapdish. There is only one plughole but the tray is deep.

It doesn’t have a roof vent: the nearest one is over the main washroom, where you will also find a circular toilet (with a cassette access hatch that would probably come inside an awning) and a salad-bowl-style basin with an average-size mirror.

Beds in the Elddis Avanté 550

When you’re choosing an island bed caravan, you’re going to want a comfortable sleeping space. That’s certainly the case here, with a plush headboard and two spotlights (but again no USBs). It works well as a daybed, too. There is a dresser with a mains socket and a mirror in the offside front corner, and a second set of TV sockets on the nearside.

Rear double bed
Generous double bed can be rolled back in the daytime to provide more room

At just 5ft long, the settees are only really usable as singles for small children, but they come together with slats to make up a reasonable double.

Storage in the Elddis Avanté 550

You don’t get external access to the underseat areas up front, but both have internal access flaps, and the slats stay up. The same is true of the huge area under the bed. There is one large overhead locker on each side of the lounge, with two more over the bed-head, between two wardrobes with drawers.

The kitchen has two overhead lockers, a drawer above the fridge, two drawers above a small cupboard between it and the oven, and a large pan locker under the oven. The washroom has a tall cupboard by the basin.

If you’re not certain about the model for you yet, take a look at our guide to the different types of caravans, where we outline the pros and cons to consider.

Alternatives to consider

The twin-axle entry-level Swift Sprite Grande Quattro EB is well-built, comfortable and spacious, with comfortable beds and a spacious washroom. Alternatively, another tourer from the same brand is the Elddis Affinity 550, a well-built caravan with great storage and build quality throughout.

Technical spec

  • Price: £26,599
  • Berths: 4
  • MiRO: 1259kg
  • Payload: 153kg
  • MTPLM: 1412kg
  • Interior length: 5.78m
  • Shipping length: 6.30m
  • Overall width: 2.26m

Spec list

  • Al-Ko chassis with AKS 3004 stabiliser and ATC
  • Exclusive ‘Tardis’ Sports alloy wheels
  • Spare wheel and underslung carrier
  • All-LED interior lighting
  • Whale CompleteHeat heating
  • Thetford K1520 Mk2 oven with separate grill and dual-fuel hob
  • 98-litre Dometic Series 10 fridge
  • 800W microwave
  • Eco Camel showerhead
  • Alarm
  • DAB radio
  • Rear double bed: 1.35 x 1.90m
  • Front double bed: 1.12 x 2.08m

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