2023 Bailey Discovery D4-4L caravan

Meet the latest addition to the Bailey Discovery family of caravans aimed at those who want their caravan to be a bit different – smaller and lighter, certainly, possibly even for towing behind an electric vehicle.

Keeping it small and light

The D4-4L is the newcomer, for the 2023 season, with the L standing for lounge, while Bailey has seen fit to smarten up the whole range, too, with 2023 models getting a silver bodywork with white complements among the minor tweaks.

Like all Baileys, the Discovery uses the company’s Alu-Tech bodywork construction process – a technique that was introduced some 14 years ago. Here, it features GRP outer and inner walls and a four-part bonding system, along with high density polystyrene insulation. Above floor level, it’s all timber-free, too.

The extended A-frame is designed to take a bike rack (be wary of noseweight), but it should help to promote steadier towing, too. Similarly, the location of the gas locker – right next to the axle, at a height that’s easy to access –  and the spare wheel and tyre, in a recess in the floor, all help towards overall stability when you’re on the go.

Bodywork in grey and white retains its distinctive curves, now with extended graphics, with access to the living quarters via a stable door with a handy coat hook on the inside.

Those alloy wheels are new, too. Inside the Bailey Discovery D4-4L caravan, it’s all gone a bit lighter with a new furniture finish and soft furnishings.

The layout will be familiar to many – it’s a smaller take on a conventional twin settee front lounge/rear side dinette/nearside kitchen/end washroom formula you’ll see across the ranges not just from Bailey but all the UK’s main caravan manufacturers.

In this video we take a loom inside the all-new Bailey Discovery D4-4L caravan:

There’s just the one front window, but its curve follows that of the roofline and, like all the other windows, it’s openable.

The settees provide seating for four and there’s a free-standing table to bring forward from its dedicated locker at the back, for mealtimes and more.

At night, the settees make up to a transverse double bed, with overall dimensions some 1.88m x 1.35m.

There’s more seating for two thanks to the side dinette which, in turn, can be made into bunk beds – 1.84m x 0.74m (lower) and 1.73m x 0.62m (upper) – hence this Discovery D4-4L’s four-berth status, although 2+2 might be a more apt description.

It’s slightly surprising a microwave oven doesn’t make it, not even as an optional extra – that’s despite the twin lockers over the kitchen looking like they could accommodate such a fitting.

The rest of the kitchen, mid-‘van nearside, includes a Thetford Triplex cooker (three gas rings, plus a combined oven and grill) beneath which is a large unshelved locker.

The circular sink is a decent size, too, with a 101-litre fridge set below it. Just note the gas locker impinges on storage space in the kitchen unit, which does count as a cutlery drawer in its repertoire.

The Bailey Discovery D4-4L’s washroom takes up the rear offside corner. Here, a curtain draws across for showering, with the Ecocamel showerhead itself on a riser bar.

Also in here is a Belfast-style fixed basin and Thetford swivel-bowl toilet, along with a shelved locker that should take all your toiletries.

The wardrobe and another locker take up the rest of the back end – contributing to storage that’s better than you might expect in a caravan so diminutive.

The storage for the free-standing table does mean carrying it through to the front, a job where it can easily knock against any of the fixed furniture.

Want a bit more? Extras are courtesy of Bailey’s accessories arm, Prima Leisure, which lists some 40 Discovery-dedicated items.

To find out more about insuring a Bailey Discovery or your current caravan visit our caravan insurance discounts page.

Verdict: Compact caravan with all the accoutrements

Plus: A bit different to the norm…

Minus: …but is it different enough?

In-a-nutshell: Endearing little tourer with a twist of style

Alternatives: Adria Action 391PT, Knaus Sport&Fun, Swift Basecamp 4, Xplore 304