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The Sterling Amber Elite caravan made by Swift has an end washroom, offside kitchen and a fixed double bed on the nearside.
Features include high gloss, gently curving upper locker doors in Italian Ash with contrasting cream in-fills, chrome handles and a decorative infill panel in the door leading to the shower room. The model we saw was fitted with optional Impala wipe clean upholstery.
The shower room is more than adequately sized with a rectangular shower that has a bifold, space-saving door. There is some cupboard space, but we had some reservations about the open shelves and places for those items on them when towing.
The fixed bed measures 6ft 4ins x 4ft 5ins and has a Duvaley Duvalite mattress; this is lighter than a standard mattress and apparently makes bed making even easier as well as having memory fibre technology and other comfort benefits.
The wardrobe is set at an angle with the free standing dining table stored next to it just below a mirror and useful shelf. The reservoir for the Alde hot water and heating system is in a corner of the wardrobe.
The kitchen has a popular granite look sink set in light brown work tops, with black fronted oven, grill, fridge panel and hob; cream upper locker doors contrast with the base units. A microwave is standard in this range and if you think you’d be short of work top space then there is a handy extension lift-up flap.
The living area has parallel seating with a centre chest of drawers and there is easy front access to the under bed spaces although space is taken up by a 30L in-board water tank. The sofas convert to sleeping space although it’s a cosy space with a chest of drawers in place but a wrap around layout option is available.
Low energy lighting means LED task lights, LED kitchen splash back panel and worktop drip lighting, LED night lighting and LED backlights in the bathroom mirror.
Another green credential is a Ecocamel water saving shower head.
On the exterior there is a shower point, new graphics, BBQ point and a 230V mains electric socket.
For safety and security reassurance the caravan has a passive infra-red alarm system, a Thatcham approved Tracker retrieve system, Al-KO ATC trailer control and AL-KO AKS stabiliser. There is also a receiver for the optional AL-KO Secure wheel lock.
A 5% insurance discount is available with the AL-KO ATC anti-snaking device and if you fit a AL-KO Wheel Lock you benefit from a 10% saving. Visit the Caravan Guard insurance discounts page for details.
For 2014 Swift Group caravans are constructed using the SMART intelligent construction system which is based on proven technology and provides a strong timber-less body frame with modern desirable looks and a leading aerodynamic shape that is resilient to moisture, all wrapped up in a caravan that has undergone the most comprehensive testing.
The new strong timberless body frame uses ‘PURe’, a tough, hard polyurethane based product that is totally impervious to water and has been proven through use. The construction method prevents the transfer of Moisture from the 5000 Series marine grade aluminium sidewalls to the wall board inside.
All fixings, including windows and doors are made into the ‘PURe’ frame which is varied in density in different areas to suit the strength required. Already lighter than timber and with this density tuning it provides around a 10-14kg weight saving without any loss in strength.
A special waterproof sealant is used around fixing screws and they are engineered so that they do not go all the way through the ‘PURe’ frame. The ‘PURe’ material being totally impervious to water and having no veins means there is no passage for water from the outer skin to the inner wallboard, combating moisture ingress.
Verdict: the Swift Sterling Amber caravan is great for all-year round use for traditionalists but check your tow car compatibility before you buy.
Cost to insure: £219*
In summary:
- Berths – 4
- Length including tow bar – 7.32m
- Internal length – 5.60m
- Overall width – 2.31m
- Headroom – 1.95m
- MRO – 1521kgs
- MTPLM – 1675kgs
- Overall height – 2.67m
- Awning size – 9.98m
Recommended Retail Price (model shown): £22,635.00**
For more information visit the Swift Group website or use our Quote and Buy tool for an online caravan insurance quote.
*Caravan insurance is based on 2014 Swift Sterling Amber Elite caravan retailing at £22,635. Fitted with hitchlock, standard alarm and Tracker Retrieve tracking device, optional Al-KO Secure wheel lock and standard Al-KO ATC trailer control. Kept on drive at HX4 0BE. Caravanners over 30 years old, claim free for 3 years and a member of a caravanning club. £100 excess. 180 days European cover and up to £75 per day for up to 15 days emergency accommodation cover included. Legal expenses cover, extended European cover and other emergency accommodation expenses cover options are available at extra cost. Quote includes 10% online discount and 6% Insurance Premium Tax and is correct as of 08/01/14
**Price is ex-works and includes VAT @ 20% but excludes a recommended retailer delivery charge of £545.00 including VAT which includes delivery and preparing your caravan for collection by you.
As some already know we are fans of our Sterling Elite Amber but I spent yesterday looking at the new season ‘vans’ and am a bit worried about what manufacturers are doing. We looked at the Buccaneer series and the swift elegance and I’m a bit disappointed. In an effort to save weight (and build costs) there seems to be a ‘less is more approach’ , shiny interiors, easy to scratch, difficult to repair, the buccaneer equivalent to our Amber had a small lounge area, in all the vans the beds were getting smaller, now 6’3″ x 4’3″ instead of the 6’4″ x 4’5″ in our ‘van’. Not much help if like me you are 6’4″ (and a bit) and even the bathroom sink seems smaller! Despite this prices are increasing to (almost) the cost of a small apartment in Greece or southern Italy. I’m also worried about the ‘no join’ construction method on some of the newer Swift group ‘vans’, what if you have a minor accident? Will it be possible to replace a panel? More importantly, if you can’t then what are the insurance implications? Are premiums set to rise? Come on Swift, Elddis and all the other manufacturers, self levelling corner steadys are great but I can fit that as an after market upgrade to my Amber, it’s cheaper than a £30,000 ‘van’ with a bed I can’t sleep in! Have you seen the size of some teenagers today, do you want them to be the caravanners of the future? BIGGER beds please! The Amber was a good van that would be better with self levelling, underfloor heating and no screw bonding but I’m not going to replace it until you produce something with a decent size bed! (Have insurers looked at the cost of repairing some of the new ‘one piece’ construction ‘vans’ yet?)
We have a 2012 model with the silver sides. We tow using a Hyundai Santa Fe. It’s a great touring caravan, easy to tow (very stable), lovely heating system (radiators) well made, good warranty from manufacturer, great service from our dealer, lots of room inside for us (2 adults & 2 dogs), great end bathroom we use a lot. Lots of storage space. Kitchen could benefit from more work surface (new models have a pop up extension). We prefer our version to the newer models we’ve seen, the White sides are easier to spray out scratches but the silver does stand out, maybe a choice of colours? We also prefer our interior decor, not so ‘loud’ or bright as the new version. That said when we do change we will look at another AMBER before anything else. Really a great caravan.
You’re clearly a fan Jason, thanks for getting in touch!
Lucie
Caravan Guard