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Not content with a quick peek inside the new Bailey Motorhome range, journalists Liz and Dave King took the Approach 740 on a 3 day live in test to give it a thorough examination.
It’s based on the Peugeot Boxer, from the rear it could be mistaken for a touring caravan but the Bailey Approach 740 SE is definitely a motorhome unlike any other.
The big clue is the Alu-Tech timber-free body construction, unique to Bailey.
The layout we tested was the four-berth model with a fixed rear bed and a side washroom.
Bailey has decided to offer a single cab with popular options fitted as standard for all of the three models currently available; all will be built on the new Euro 5 base. It was easy to drive, not at all commercial, with good road holding and a good driving position; just what we wanted as we drove through the Devon countryside in the autumn sunshine. We were glad of the air-conditioning and thankfully didn’t have to put the dual front airbags to the test!
The motorhome is built on the low-line AL-KO lightweight AMC chassis which with its low centre of gravity provides a more balanced weight distribution, gives wider track suspension, increases user payloads and negates the need for a step into the habitation area.
Don’t let the width intimidate you; it has its advantages as we were able to move around the habitation area in comfort and combined with the interior height, the “walnut” wood veneer furniture, the Vivaldi interior colour scheme, and the large PolyClassic windows it made the area a very spacious place to be. Interior design cues are from the company’s award winning touring caravan range. When driving, just remember if you can get the wing mirrors through the gap, then the rest will follow.
Storage was good throughout with a decent sized wardrobe, plenty of roof lockers, under bed lockers, cupboards and drawers all in the right place. There were more than we needed for our trip, but for longer trips or overwintering in warmer climates, you could take the kitchen sink.
The kitchen is fitted with the same stainless steel sink/plastic drainer, chopping board, plastic bowl and contrasting overhead lockers that feature across the company’s touring caravan range; it has a four burner gas hob with a grill and anti-shock oven which have been specially designed to be rattle-free especially if you position the single oven shelf on the “anti-rattle” lower rung. We were sceptical, but the shelf didn’t rattle at all, to our surprise. Likewise, much thought has been given to the choice of an “anti-rattle” microwave and dozens were put to the test before the correct one was found and it didn’t rattle either.
We found the kitchen easy to use and practical; we just loved the large capacity Dometic fridge and big freezer; the latter is designed to take ready frozen food, rather than to freeze food. We didn’t like having to get the big table out for every meal and missed having a low, yet removable, table between the driver and passenger seats for casual use. This is a challenge we’ve thrown down to the Bailey designers to address.
The offside shower room more than met our expectations, and benefits from the overall width of the motorhome; the storage didn’t disappoint us either.
We found the double bed a bit firm, but it may suit some people; for others like us, a mattress topper would improve the comfort.
Where to see the range; at the Motorhome and Caravan show at NEC, Birmingham, Hall 19 stand 19-29 from October 11th to 16th Display models will arrive on dealer forecourts from mid-November.
The technical stuff
Four berths, with two designated travelling seats
Peugeot engine 2.2 Hdi 130bhp with six speed manual gearbox
Grade III classification Thermal insulation for EN1646-1 as verified in cold chamber testing at Millbrook Proving Ground
Overall length 7.519m (24ft 8ins
Overall body width 2.420m (7ft 11ins) excluding mirrors and trims
Overall height 2.738m (9ft 0ins)
Interior headroom 1.98m (6ft 6ins)
MTPLM 3500 kg (68.9cwt)
MIRO 2990 kg (58.9cwt)
Fresh water tank 100 litres
Waste water tank 100 litres
Gas locker capacity 1 x13kg and 1 x 6kg
Rear bed size 6ft 4ins x 4ft 6ins
Front double 7ft 4ins x 4ft 6ins
Front single beds 5ft 6ins x 2ft 4ins
Price Still to be confirmed at the Motorhome and Caravan Show on the 11th October but circa £43,000 OTR
Estimated insurance cost: £277.50 *
Verdict
Let’s be honest it’s a, well specified lazy man’s two-berth introduced at a challenging time in the market at a very interesting price and with the benefit of Alu-Tech construction. If you are thinking of buying a motorhome in this price bracket, then this must be on your “must see” list.
* Motorhome insurance based on 2012 Bailey approach 740 SE valued at £43,000. Fitted with manufacturer immobiliser and Thatcham Category 1 alarm. Kept on driveway at home at TD9 8ED. Motorhome owners – professionals over 50 years old with no claims, convictions or health conditions in last 3 years. 4 years no claims bonus mirrored from car policy and 2 years motorhome driving experience. Members of motorhome club doing less than 7000 miles annually. £250 excess applies. European cover £22 Extra. European Breakdown £43 extra. Premium includes Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) at 6% and is correct as of 12.10.11.
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Well it seems that the English Builders are losing the plot.
Quality is a bad joke. All the UK brands have quality issues.
I am working on a Autotrail Tracker FB and several things need tiding up.
Why do they not see that married couples like Island beds. The attempts they have made with the Tracker RB and the swift copy are just not upto much, E/W beds are hard to get around maybe OK for short people. No large fridge so hopeless for touring.
The European vans just seem that they listen to what the market wants
We desperately wanted to buy the motorhome but couldn’t find one. So l google’d. Thank you all so very much for all you remarks, some quite distressing. We eventually bought after deciding against our first choice a Chausson Welcome 72! After using it twice for a long weekend in Tedegar Park and 10 days before Christmas near Bath we are highly delighted, we had movement on the revolving shower door so we removed it because we always shower in site showers. But l would recommend this fabulous motorhome to everyone. So pleased with the island bed which lifts up for storage plus the garage. Fabulous heating system with boiling water. Well pleased. But keeps your remarks coming because l so enjoy reading them. HAPPY NEW 2015 YEAR TO YOU ALL.
Our previous Motorhome was a Chausson Welcome 76 and for quality control it was far superior to our present van a 740 SE. we only made the change because the Bailey offered more floor space, essential for the OH who has mobility problems. Come to think of it the only thing I disliked was the Fiat base which had a horrible shuddering clutch in reverse gear. I’ll be glad in some ways when the warranty is finished.
Hi Grant
we live in NZ and this sounds like our first Swift Bolero we purchased just end less problems. I repair motorhomes and your problems are not uncommon.
By contrast in 2013 we came back to UK and purchased a Rapido 791. NOT a single thing was wrong with it. your problems seem typical of the UK manufactures. Autotrail seem the best then go downhill from there
Nice motorhome, appalling quality control. Heating dreadful, bed hot, cab area cold and draughty. Had to fix so much myself…
drivers door blind hard to close without blind coming out.
discovered cable for solar wiring below recommended size for distance.
-6C outside, unable to get above 12C inside.
Waste pipe to low, cant get the ramps underneath, likely to get ripped off.
Items which I have fixed:-
Leak from front nearside marker light. Found and fixed this myself.
Waste pipe from sink not solvent welded and seperated underneath.
Swarf in fresh water tank.
No vent on fresh water tank. Could not fill or draw water.
Led light above table lost some leds.
Waste tank blocked due to discs from hole cutter blocking outlet
Gaps between chassis and floor behind cab not completely masticked.
Items which still require attention:-
Heat output from pipes under floor near cab do not seem sufficient to overcome heat loss and draughts in cab. Outside temperature is 6C. Cab wont go above 19 degrees, but feels colder due to draughts. This is not comfortable. Additionally we are about to go to Germany for a month (10 degrees colder). Very dissapointed.
Previously pointed out repair to passenger seat arm rest below standard with sharp burrs on button head screws.
Plastic strip along cab / main floor weak and cracked.
No insulation in roof corner behind microwave.
Large gap at front of O/S/R wheel arch.
Trim on fridge door has gap between front and frame.
Poor quality external mastic around many panels and above door.
Two wires pass through single wire cable gland on solar panel, leaving 2 leak points.
Solar regulator has no airgap above it.
Bathroom sink slow draining.
Cooker goes out, Grill slow to lock on.
Microwave squeeks badly when driving.
Internal temperature wrong on BCA panel.
Wires keep hanging down at back valence.
Unfinished wood trim under back cupboard (above pillow).
Radio reception poor.
Autograph logo panel has broken fixings.
Passenger door blind trim vibrates badly against door.
Damage on awning (not obvious at collection as road dirt had not got ingested in scraches.
Vehicle books not filled in, Service schedule missing.
Reversing Camera field of view insufficient to see rear corners, using wing mirrors I can not judge distance, there my Wife has to get out. Camera not fit for purpose (£700!).
Pull out legs on couch keep coming out on own and do not lie flat.
Bad mastic in shower, polythene still on edge of masticed shower tray.
Outside side pillars unbonding from cab b posts
Sorry that should have read four motorhomes. I agree that the waste outlet should be modified I have come close to tearing it off too many times to ignore this. Another one of my jobs to be done
We had a whole raft of warranty work done in January, lots of niggling quality issues. Prior to that in December both grey and fresh water tanks had their sensors replaced as they had ceased to function- we were travelling around with the fresh water tank two thirds full whilst the gauge registered zero. When zero was displayed the pump ceased to function. What we still need is to find a way of preventing the heat from the Truma heater bleeding through to the mattress above it. We still think it is the best of the five motorhomes we have owned prior to this
Picked up our 745 1st March started our two week trip 3 days later did 1200 miles the heating was outstanding like the fridge had to turn them both right down. Have had the waist pipe bracket come loose good job I kept an eye on it I was nervous due to it being low. We have a snagging list of 15 items all small that should have been picked up on the PDI. That said she handles great my wife finds it easy to drive and plenty of room for us and our two dogs just need to remember she is low to the ground.
We love our 740
Storage is our only issue, a larger storage door might help
10/10
Our choice ended with the Rapido 791 DF
Just supurb.
The combi heater failed and we got a UK spec curcit board had a British flag stuck on it. It works much better and will reheat even from warm
Try chipping Sudbury caravans near Bristol they have the new 750 & 765 on show. I am seriously thinking changing my 745 for the 765 autograph. The black cab would not be my first choice but I did see another motorhome company charging up to £600 for the black cab. Dear O dear what to do.
Thank you so much Eddie Strong for your kind interest. We have decided that this is the motorhome that we will end up with! We had a brand new Ace Siena (4 year old now) only 5000 miles but my husband is so stressed with having to pull the bed out. Its immaculate condition. Had a A Class beautiful top class but because of the pull down bed over drivers pit, I could’nt manage it because I have arthritis in my spine, hips and knees and to get in the bed was too much. I’m so glad you enjoyed your hols and thank you once again!
We have just returned from Shepton m/hme show and although there were two 765s, a 620, a 625 and a couple of 765s, never saw a 740 or 745 on show. Perhaps keep searching the web and dealers sites. Should we stumble across one we shall send you an email via this site. Best of luck. 740 is a super van, having recently spent 8 weeks in Spain in it.
Triing to find a dealership that has 2013 740 model with the silver/blue finish (we don’t like the black 2014) because it would got better with our blue/silver Smart that we tow!
May seem extreme having secondary heating system installed,but even having two refillable gas bottles,it is reassuring to know that we are not using gas to heat the van whilst we are away from these shores,whilst not on e/h/up. The Truma,as you say,works well.No complaints there,but cold is a definate NO NO. We were given to understand that the Truma boiler discharged the water when temp. dropped to ?. Thankfully ours dose”nt do that.Must say that the Bailey is without doubt the warmest m/hme we have had.
It seems a bit extreme having a new heating system installed. Our previous motorhome had a Truman combi which started to go wrong after 18 months from new. It was a difficult problem to pin down because every time the power was shut down it reset itself! It was eventually traced to a faulty circuit board which Truma replaced. After that it gave no further problems. We were asked to check it out which we did in the middle of a freezing cold January spell. Now we know what toast feels like but it restored our faith despite some opinions of the Truma combi.
We purchased our 740 last December,had it registered and took delivery of it in January. Having heard worrying stories of the Truma heater, we took the van almost immediately,down to VanBitz and had Webasto Air Top heater installed. The two blow vents are at the bottom of the kitchen sink cabinet so warm air goes to both lounge and bed areas. Also fitted was a Sterling battery to battery charger,two 110watt solar panels and Strikeback alarm.Just felt that should we be off elec h/up in a cold spell,we shall still be warm and cumfy.The Peugeot part of things has had 3 re-calls,1 of which did”nt apply as the m/h is built on an Alko and not Peugeot chassis. One related to a software issue on the drivers panel. The second related to shield between the gearbox and exhaust system.Both fixed. Finally to be able to watch all the tennis,we had the Oyster sat system put on. So far we are pleased with the motorhome.
I meant to say the new engine is more economical than the Fiat.
We bought the 740 because we wanted to get away from the continental lounge arrangement. Our previous motorhome had this and it became unmanageable following the wife’s hip operation. We just could not move without the other occupant sitting down elsewhere. This got us thinking and an even earlier motorhome had the same arrangement as the 740 so it made sense to revert to this layout. The 740 has even more space. Our youngest grandchild is 14 now so unlikely to want to be saddled with a couple of crumbles like us! On the plus side the engine is a lot smoother than our last one which was fiat powered and more economical. Getting back to the water filler, the aquasource lay flat filler is really two items the first being a flat hose reasonable narrow bore with a connector which clips to the filling point on the van, a good point since the hose stays in place when you turn the water on, whatever the pressure. The other bit is a short length of hose with a water pump on the end and when connected to the van supplies the current for the pump, it even stops pumping when the on board tank is near full. Full marks to Bailey.
Just read normans comments on the740 wich would have been my first choice but my wife had other ideas due to grandchildren.I note your proplem with habitation door,it so happens my wife rang me today said she could not open the door.My first thought was I had run the battery flat so I ask her to switch the mains power on . When I returned home it opened straight away,now I am not so sure that was the proplem. Practical motorhome had a good report on the 745 in its june issue , the pictures show a different wet tray than mine. Bailey must still be tweeking these small things, they have always been good with after sales on my caravans and Iam sure the motorhomes will get even better.
Took delivery of our 740 on 20th and took it to France on 25th for 1600 mile trip. It behaved beautifully barring the lock on the habitation door which refused to let us in, we had to enter via the cab. Hopefully this will be fixed under warranty. The water pump and filter is at the back on the 740 (filling point on the rear panel) so I would not advocate removing the plastic tray, we had to pack the awning in the wet and it was the best place to leave it for the trip home. I wish the outside locker was a little taller. The flat hose is not the fastest filling but compact when rolled up for stowage. The additional external pump means you do not have to move off pitch to fill the water tank but again it is slow. Better than nothing I say. Overall it’s fair to say we are chuffed to bits with it.
Just had our first run out in bb Approch 745 she is our first motorhome.We only spent three days with her at Weston-super-mare’ so not much of a test. Here we go, broke the water filter before we went, awning slid forward under the bed,first night slept in double bed banged my knee on side wall.The next night slept on half of the double at the front much better.Where do you put chairs and sun bed,it will fit under bed but you will have to take out wet tray.Now if you try to do this you will find two large holes in the floor.You will need good DIY to sort but it will give more space.Also you need to protect the water pump or move it .apart from all this we think its still a good buy.Looking foward to spain next year.
We currently have a Swift 680FB but the kitchen drives us mad
This looks like a good replacement for next years trip.
Some observations is there does not seem like the same storage under the bed.
It does not seem to have the rear wide track so would not be as stable.
The Combi heaters are temperamental and dont heat the water very well when heating the cabin.
As we are in NZ it is not easy to see them . Please post some user comments or email me direct with them [email protected]
Can someone who has this motorhome the Bailey 740 Approach, give us a run down on the water filling system ‘ aquasource lay flat filling pipe’?
We are not sure how effective it will be.
My wife and I own a bailey pegasus two berth caravan .we are seriously looking at baileys 740se motorhome ,we know how good the alu-tech body shell insulation performs in the heat of spain .The one thing that terns me off at the moment is the colour of the rear and side body trim which is grey yet the front is silver wich seams a bit odd.
Saw this at the NEC and discussed the four seat version, the 745, which looks like being the perfect motorhome for us.
i own the peugeot compass cruiser,shes 24ft and have had her from new, after seeing the new bailey 740,this will be my next new baby, i enjoy travelling winter as well as summer it would be ideal.. sue
looks good at the NEC show looking foward to giving it a test drive
We are looking to replace our Eura Mobil Contura 705 and this looks a likely contender, but I wouldn’t compromise on the base vehicle which we have had on the last three of our motorhomes which would have to be the Mercedes with the automatic gearbox. We like the idea of a four berth though although there are only the two of us plus our small four legged friend. Why a Mercedes you might ask, more power….. easier on long journeys… good fuel returns and as our next one is to Noth Cape and Finland all these things need consideration.
I also visited the bailey stand at the NEC and looked over the 740se and was impressed i also spoke to a lady on board who had just ordered the first off of the next to be built model which was the same as the 740se but had a front facing double seat with seat belts to make it genuine 4 berth but i personally find the width scary
Saw this at the Motorhome & Caravan Show earlier this week and wished I had waited 6 months before buying my currrent new one. Superb is the only way I can describe it.
already done
looks like a great motorhome could be what were looking for