2023 Coachman Acadia 545 caravan

A better class of budget ‘van?

Hard to believe, maybe, but Acadia kicks off the Coachman portfolio as far as pricing is concerned. It’s a four-model line-up for 2023 with the 545 here the starter model, at £31,500.

All Coachman Acadia caravans sport a slightly enhanced latest look thanks to silver-grey sides and door, complemented by black alloy wheels.

Also new for 2023 across the whole Acadia range are a richer woodwork tone and new soft furnishings, as well as details such as more USB sockets, kitchen concertina blinds and upgraded washrooms.

That Acadia look, with its distinctive two front lockers, black “eyebrow” over the three front windows, and matt black grab handles, plus silver sides, is enough to set it apart from rivals.

A 10-year water ingress warranty tells you all you need to know about the faith Coachman has in its traditionally built bodywork, with its aluminium sides and front and rear panels in ABS plastic.

A 1,585kg maximum weight shouldn’t stretch you too far in terms of towing vehicles, although this can be uprated (but only to 1,600kg) if you want more than the initial 155kg payload offering.

In our walkthrough video, we take a look around the all-new 2023 Coachman Acadia 545 caravan:

You enter the Acadia 545 via a windowed one-piece door with a waste bin.

Turn left and you’re greeted by a standard twin-settees with chest of drawers front lounge. Overhead, a large, fixed sunroof and Heki Midi help let in extra daylight (and ventilation, for the latter), while the dedicated locker at the end of the kitchen keeps the free-standing table easy to hand.

The kitchen itself has the usual full cooker on its far right, with a stainless steel sink next to the hob, served by a thin swan neck mixer tap. There’s a permanent worktop to the left of the sink, where you can also put the plastic drainer. There’s also a single mains socket here and a fold-up worktop extension.

A microwave oven sits directly over the hob – not always an ideal location – but it’s all neatly housed.

Arguably the Coachman Acadia 545’s biggest reason to buy, however, is the island double bed coming off the back wall. It’s retractable, for when you want a bit more floor space during the day, and is flanked by units comprising wardrobes and ledges at mattress level, which are so handy for placing essential personal items at night. Under these are shelved lockers on both sides.

Spanning the wardrobes is a trio of high-level lockers, while the base of the bed itself is also a cavern of storage space. There are also individually switched reading lights and fabric storage pockets on the side of each wardrobe.

Also, there should be no issues with natural light and ventilation – with a Heki Midi roof light in the ceiling and decent-sized windows on each side. All have concertina blinds and flyscreens, while a sliding partition completes the bedroom privacy. Fixings are also in place to add a TV – there’s a mounting point and sockets on the nearside bulkhead wall.

There are en-suite facilities to the Coachman Acadia 545’s bedroom – shower cubicle on the nearside, toilet room offside. The former has a single clear door and is otherwise fully lined in white plastic. The shower is on a riser bar, but there’s just one plug hole.

The toilet room has space for a swivel-bowl loo and a fixed corner basin, as well as upper- and lower-level locker storage, a mirror and a window. Also, here is a heated towel rail-cum-radiator, a reminder that all Acadias come with Alde central heating. The toilet room’s solid door can also be used to close off the bedroom and washroom areas from the day time living zones.

Other features of note range from sprung-interior lounge seating to soft-close drawers, external gas and mains points, chrome-plated taps, touch-sensitive dimmable LED ambient lighting, PIR alarm, Status 570 TV aerial, and more.

And on the options list, you’ll find an Al-KO Secure wheel lock and a Moving Intelligence (Phantom) Sentinel Pro-Active tracking system, which will save you money on your caravan insurance premium.

To find out more about insuring a Coachman Acadia 545 or your current caravan visit our caravan insurance discounts page.

Verdict: A budget beater, by Coachman standards.

Plus: Well made, with a more than decent overall specification

Minus: Only an FM radio as standard, microwave location

In-a-nutshell: Quality offering, low (for Coachman) price

Alternatives: Adria Altea Dart, Bailey Unicorn Cabrera, Compass Capiro/Elddis Affinity 550, Swift Challenger 560