So how has Bailey been received by Aussie caravanners?

Adrian Van Geelen, Managing Director of Bailey Australia has been in business in Melbourne for two years now, and says “The industry has been looking for a lightweight alternative to heavy Australian vans that you can tow with a standard passenger car, not to mention the quality and styling, and it has been well received”.

The ‘flagship’ of the Bailey range is the 25ft ‘Pamplona’, named after the famous Spanish town where the annual running of the bulls is held.

Adrian says this particular model is what prospective buyers are asking for. “It’s lightweight and quality combined with a practical design and layout”, he said.

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The trick to finding a van like this is to find one with features that make life more comfortable and easy-going.

One company that is showing incredible dedication to producing these types of vans is Bailey Australia.

Each of its new Unicorn Series is all completely user-friendly and packed with features that don’t take an engineering degree to understand.

Perfect for weekend trips to the coast, these caravans are as comfortable as a five-star hotel, as clever as a camper trailer, and as fun as a Volkswagen Beetle.

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Whether you can live with the attention its polarising styling brings is one thing but, if you can, you will pass through the curtain into a very different caravan world.

Bailey might be Britain’s largest caravan maker but, being well aware of the changing demographics of today’s caravanners, it has its ear firmly to the ground in Australia.

In the 18 months or so that Bailey Australia has been selling the Bristol-built caravans here, it has passed on the feedback of more than 250 owners, as well as writers like myself, on ways to make them more suitable for Australian conditions.

Refreshingly, many of these constructive criticisms have been translated into improvements in the latest Series 2 Unicorn models that have just gone on sale.

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Click here to read the Practical Caravan Magazine Owner Satisfaction Survey and see how Bailey faired

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2236823/Queen-goes-glamping-luxury-motorhome-Jubilee-trip-Bristol–declares-real-home-home.html#ixzz2DHMD4dSW

A Bailey Unicorn Alu-Tech caravan has successfully completed a marathon endurance test on the AL-KO test track in Germany

Testing was undertaken to assess the suitability of the vehicle for Australian road conditions which are perceived to be tougher than those in Europe. Bailey Alu-Tech caravans and motorhomes proto types have already been subjected to a comprehensive product validation programme including a series of accelerated life tests at the internationally renowned Millbrook Proving Ground. However it was felt that additional testing over and above that carried out on UK products would be required in order to satisfy the demands of the Australian market.

The test vehicle was a Unicorn Cabrera built to Australian specification featuring an AL-KO chassis, axle and running gear and the Bailey Alu-Tech bodyshell. In terms of construction the only significant difference is that that the caravan it is covered with a GRP outer skin, as featured on our Orion caravan and Approach SE motorhome ranges, rather than the aluminium skin currently used on domestic Unicorn models.

All Bailey caravans and motorhomes ranges now are built using the state of the art Alu-Tech body shell construction system. The result of the most comprehensive product design programme ever undertaken Alu-tech leisure vehicles are more robust, more durable and yet lighter than those manufactured using conventional methods to provide a completely new level of product performance.

This claim was put to the test at the AL-KO test track in Markbronn Germany – a circuit renowned for its severity and is known in the industry as the ‘caravan graveyard’. The track itself is one kilometre in length and the features a number of different road surfaces to thoroughly test vehicle endurance.

Potholes

The pothole test is designed to prove that the vehicle will meet the challenges of real-life usage. Potholes are believed to cause up to 1 in 5 mechanical failures of all types of vehicles on UK roads at a cost estimated at £320 million per year. The potholes vary in size, shape and are up to a maximum depth of about 78mm. The test simulates repeated forceful impacts placing large stresses on every part of the vehicle and proves the quality of the design and engineering of the chassis and body structure of the caravan.

Belgian Pave

This test is designed to prove the quality of the vehicle build when used on road surfaces more closely linked to general driving conditions including undulating and uneven road conditions. It ensures that the axle, suspension and the joint between chassis and bodywork are capable of withstanding the continual vibration from driving on these types of road surfaces.

Rumble Strip

The final test is over a roughly undulating surface similar to a rumble strip. Here the road surface is a series of peaks and hollows at different distances, widths and heights. This test applies stresses to the chassis and running gear through continuous vibration which places greater pressure on the different components of the chassis and tests the integrity of the joints between chassis members and the bodywork of the caravan.

Test Conditions

After every twenty lap series on the track the caravan was returned to the workshop to examine all major chassis joints and inspect both the exterior and interior of the caravan for any changes in condition. Checks to ensure all bolt torques are maintained were also carried out on a daily basis with all information recorded in the final test report.

In total the Unicorn Cabrera successfully completed 1,000 laps of the track which, based on AL-KO calculations, simulates a performance of 100,000 kms of usage. This is the first time a UK-made caravan has been tested to this level on this punishing circuit and is further proof of the superior performance and durability of a vehicle built using the combination of an AL-KO chassis and an Alu-Tech bodyshell.

The latest body construction techniques and a quality fit-out sets this RV up for anything

It really pays to look for maximum efficiency when towing. This allows us to stretch our precious dollars further, see further down that next road or over that next hill, and in turn, get the most out of everything our beautiful country has to offer.

Bailey Caravans, one of the biggest manufacturers in the United Kingdom, builds thousands of units every year; one in every three caravans on the road in the UK is a Bailey! It has recently expanded into Australia under the name Bailey Australia, and offers some great weight savings that really help when it comes to maximising your fuel economy.

The Pegasus Rimini, which we’re taking a look at here, is one of the mid-size models of the range, yet can still be towed by a sedan thanks to the Alu-tech composite material they use for the construction. This material is extremely light yet extremely strong, making for an ideal base to build the rest of the Pegasus Rimini on.

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Edward John Eyre, who in 1841 was the first European to successfully cross the Nullarbor Plain, described it bluntly as “a hideous anomaly; a blot on the face of nature; the sort of place one gets into in bad dreams”.

Despite his less than flattering critique, thousands of Australians in caravans and motorhomes make the pilgrimage across the Eyre Highway, named in his honour, each year – many on a lap of Australia, others just to tick it off their bucket list as a quintessential outback experience.

Crossing the Nullarbor, which literally means ‘treeless plain’, was an achievement in itself until the Eyre Highway, which stretches 1668km from Port Augusta to Norseman, was carved across the continent in 1941.

Today, the highway, which contains the longest straight piece of tarred road surface in Australia (146.6km) on its western side, is just a bitumen bore. The other problem is the limited quality
accommodation, or even quality caravan park facilities, so if you are a creature of comfort, you’ll need to bring your own, which is exactly what my wife Wendy and I did.

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By offering plenty of luxurious finishes and options, Bailey Caravans has been able to build a great allround touring caravan that can offer you everything you need to experience an extended touring adventure. A unique roto-moulded body is the jewel in the crown, meaning you can have a large, well-spaced interior, yet still have a van that is lightweight enough to tow with a small 4WD.

Bailey Caravans has done well to produce a van that ticks all the right boxes for a couple that are looking to get out and tour a little further afield, yet still have enough room to house friends and family when theneed arises.

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