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quoteAn L of a tourer!
Congratulations to Elddis, for finding a niche in a market that nobody else has spotted. To summarise: L-shaped front lounge. Rear transverse island bed. Light overall weight. This all sounds rather interesting…
The 454 joins the long-running Avanté caravan line-up from Elddis (also badged Compass Casita) if you prefer different graphics and interior colours). It certainly brings something new if you want a tourer for two.
Ironically, then, it’s a pretty traditional exterior, despite benefiting from Elddis’s SoLiD bonded bodywork construction, including the roof, complete with GRP skin to the underfloor. The sides are aluminium and there’s the usual three-window front, with fixed sunroof overhead, but the overall look of the Elddis Avanté 454 is clean-cut, with features like alloy wheels helping to give things a lift.
It might seem shy of windows elsewhere, but the interior is light enough to offset any feeling of claustrophobia. That front lounge features settee seating with a good depth of backrest across the front and along the offside. The nearside has a furniture unit that also offers an open shelf, plus there are sockets for TV etc.
There’s storage in the settee bases but, unlike others offering seating like this, it doesn’t go on to offer a bed.
Instead, there’s a full-scale bedroom at the back of the Avanté 454. Here, you’ll find a retractable island double bed that’s 1.90m x 1.35m at its maximum.
It’s flanked by wardrobes set over sets of drawers and a floor locker – the first drawer on each side providing a handy ledge when pulled out for night-time use.
Also, at the foot end of the bed, there are corner storage units.
The mattress is set low for easy access, whilst still offering plenty of storage space in its base. There’s a rooflight above, plus two windows, with judicious use of mirrors adding to the feeling of overall spaciousness. Slightly surprisingly, there’s no divider for bedroom privacy. Then again, this is a two-berth caravan…
Bearing in mind the sub-6m body length, there’s the inevitable squeeze. For the Avanté 454, that means compromises to the kitchen and washroom that take up the mid-‘van nearside and offside respectively.
The kitchen keeps things compact in one unit, with a fridge tucked under the sink, plus a full cooker with dual-fuel hob (three gas rings, one electric hotplate) and separate oven and grill. Plus, there’s a microwave oven. The circular sink has an add-on drainer, and there’s a neat drawer at the end of the unit.
A bigger compromise (for many) is the washroom, where there’s no separate shower cubicle, although there’s a deep shower tray next to the swivel-bowl toilet. Also in here is a countertop white plastic basin and a water-saving Ecocamel Orbit showerhead on a riser bar. Perhaps unsurprisingly there’s no window, although there is a rooflight.
The only storage here is a high-level, double-door locker.
Like so many touring caravans these days, payload is some way off being generous, although again do bear in mind this is a two-person unit. You’ll certainly want to check the overall specification, too.
True, Elddis has stuck to its value-for-money ethos, so it’s good to see fittings such as Al-Ko’s ATC and Whale’s CompleteHeat 4.3kW gas/electric blown air heating and Expanse water heater. Elsewhere, you’ll also note items such as sprung roller blinds to the windows.
Key is the floorplan, however. That all of this fits within an internal body length just shy of 5.18m is a tribute to Elddis.
Verdict: Island bed luxury in a short, light tourer for two
Plus: Lightweight, full-size bedroom, clever front lounge
Minus: No bedroom divider, compromises in the kitchen and washroom
In-a-nutshell: L-shaped lounge in a lightweight
There’s more information on the Avanté range on the Elddis website. To find out more about insuring this or your current caravan visit our caravan insurance discounts page.
Alternatives: None
Elddis Avanté 454 factfile
| Model | Elddis Avanté 454 |
| Dimensions | 6.89m L, 2.26m W, 2.64m H |
| Internal length | 5.18m |
| Berths | Two |
| MTPLM | 1,310kg (upgradeable to 1,500kg) |
| MIRO | 1,182kg |
| Payload | 128kg |
| RRP | from £20,194 on the road |
| Safety & security | Al-Ko ATC, Al-Ko AKS stabiliser, receiver for Al-Ko Secure wheel lock, shock absorbers, smoke alarm, carbon monoxide detector, spare wheel and carrier, CRiS |
| Key options | Alternative upholsteries (£275), Al-Ko Secure axle wheel lock (£259), extra locker shelving (£42), 100 Watt solar panel (£535), Omnivent roof fan (£225), caravan tracking system (with first year’s subscription) (£280), Hypnos mattress (£200), PIR alarm (£280), exterior access locker (£77), exterior gas point (£105), exterior mains socket (£66). |
Thanks it’s good to hear from someone that has one i too think it will be good to fit on drive and seems more that adequate for 2 people
No separate shower cubicle is a definite backward step. So we won’t bother looking at it
We bought an Elddis Avante 454 In November and love it. There are minor niggles, there is a lack of sockets for charging all the phones and laptops that we take. The washroom is small but adequate, a shelf under the cupboard would be useful for things that are used often while on site. Those minor niggles are fixed in our ‘van as I fitted a couple of extra sockets and a shelf.
The heating works well, over New Year in very cold weather it was lovely and warm inside. The blown air pipes run inside the ‘van rather than underneath so there is no loss of heat.
The washroom is small but adequate and the shower works well. The kitchen has everything we need. We did think that storage would be a problem, but we put a few plastic boxes under the bed and have loads of space for all that we need.
It tows well, no problems in high winds on the motorway.
We love the fixed bed, it simply makes it so much more comfortable and less work than our previous ‘van where we had to make up the bad each night.
We also like the fact that there is a window at the rear so when sitting in the lounge area we can see all directions.
The biggest bonus for us is that the overall length is short enough to fit in out driveway so we can keep it safe at home.
No separate shower no thank you a step back in time