2022 Swift Conqueror 580 caravan

A top tourer with the most popular floorplan of current times? Let’s take a closer look at the 580, one of four Conqueror caravan models from Swift for the 2022 season.

Putting on a premium

The Swift Conqueror 580 caravan is not short of upmarket credentials, at the same time offering a transverse island bed with full-width washroom beyond, a standard enough twin-settees front lounge and its main kitchen facilities directly over its single axle.

It even eschews the current trend for extra-wide bodies, sticking with a more conventional 7ft 5in (2.28m) girth that many will prefer on the road. It’s not the lightest, however – put that down to the overall build as well as the high specification.

Front, rear, sides and floor are ding-resistant GRP, the upper bodywork is timber-free, while the floor section includes ply and Ravatherm – an extruded polystyrene insulation material, which is noted for its environmental friendliness, thermal properties and resistance to moisture absorption, in particular.

That swooping, smiley front design of the Swift Conqueror is easy to pick out in the crowd, but there’s plenty of practicality, too. It’s a very modern interpretation of a traditional three-window front here, also with the addition of a sunroof and, further back, a large opening rooflight.

Heavy-duty corner steadies are particularly easy to get at, there are fixings for a bike rack on the one-piece back wall (they’re not too high, either) and the one-piece, windowed main door is neatly moulded inside, with a waste bin.

There’s a slight gripe, however – the magnetic stay looks like it may struggle to keep the door open in particularly windy conditions.

That otherwise excellent mix of premium and practical is evident throughout the interior of the Swift Conqueror 580 caravan, too. The 580 isn’t short of rivals, yet it has its own identity. The soft furnishings are called Zinc, upper lockers have an off-white gloss finish, there’s lots of chrome trim, too, along with handy touches such as coat hooks just inside the door.

As to be expected, there’s a complete complement of kitchen kit – Thetford full cooker, large circular stainless steel sink with add-on drainer, served by a Swift-branded mixer tap, directly over which sits a Dometic microwave oven, with lockers either side (housing plate rack and crockery holder).

Kitchen details include mains sockets close to hand, an acrylic splash panel, flip-up worktop extension, soft-close drawers (the uppermost housing a cutlery tray) and more.

Across the corridor of the Swift Conqueror 580, there’s a 133-litre fridge with removable freezer compartment. It has automatic energy selection, but the dual-hinged door, for opening from either side, is barely needed here.

A pleated divider can be used if you want privacy between the bedroom and the kitchen and lounge. The island double bed is extendable and comes with a Duvalay Duvalite mattress sat on sprung wooden slats.

His and hers wardrobes, the larger of which houses the lounge’s free-standing table, are either side of the bed. They’re the top part of furniture units that also offer mini ledges, drawers and floor lockers.

A full padded headboard section plus two high-level lockers are beyond the bed itself, which can be retracted during the day, by removing a short mattress section, as needed. Also, the alloy framework makes it easy to hinge-up for access to a large expanse of underbed storage space.

Doubtless most buyers will want to keep a tourer like this for two-person use. Nevertheless, the facility to change the settees into a 2.02m x 1.80m bed for two extra is always going to be appreciated.

Beyond that island double is the full-width washroom, accessed via a sliding door. Again as you’d expect, it’s a fully equipped washroom, right down to towel and toilet roll holders. The centre-stage fixed basin is inset into its surround worktop.

It’s rather a surprise to see the shower tray has just the one waste water outlet, though. On the plus side, it’s a water-efficient Ecocamel showerhead, plus there’s a drop-down rail for hanging wet clothing etc.

The Swift Conqueror 580 standard kit list is impressive, of course. Alde central heating and hot water system, a 100Watt solar panel, dimmable reading lights, with USB sockets, further sockets on the front bulkhead, on-board 30-litre fresh water tank, DAB radio etc.

Swift Command and Command Tracker top the list of security fittings, with just the annual subscription to pay for the latter, but offering a healthy discount on your caravan insurance.

Verdict: Upmarket gem with a sense of style

Plus: Looks great from all angles, superior specification

Minus: Single plughole for shower, main door only has a magnetic stay

In-a-nutshell: Conqueror hero

There’s more information on the Conqueror caravan range on the Swift website. To find out more about insuring this or your current caravan visit our caravan insurance page.

Alternatives: Adria Isonzo, Bailey Unicorn Vigo, Coachman VIP 575, Elddis Crusader Mistral