2015 Swift Loire holiday caravan review: How would you customise yours?

Swift’s Loire range features no less than seven different model configurations from the 28ft x 10ft, 2 bedroom to the 35ft x 12ft, 3 bedroom version reviewed here. Designed to offer great value coupled with simple, yet stunning design, the Loire range would be ideal to consider as a starter caravan.

Outside, the Swift Loire features a central entrance door with a wide, bay window to the front elevation. It has distinctive moulded GRP bargeboards and woodgrain textured aluminum cladding upon which sits a coated steel pantile roof. White uPVC windows with security locks are fitted and water is removed through the usual array of PVC gutters and downpipes.

The holiday caravan sits on a ‘Zinphos’ painted chassis which has a finish warranty of three years. A fully galvanised chassis is available for an extra £588 and would be well worth having, especially when situated in a coastal area.

Insulation wise, the Loire has 50mm glass wool insulation in the floor cavity, 90mm in the roof and 30mm in all side walls. Windows can be upgraded to double glazed versions as an optional extra for around £1365 per holiday caravan. An ‘Environmental Exterior’ is also available for £273. Although fairly standard to look at, the holiday caravan does have a pitched roof and plenty of opportunities to fit feature steps, decks and verandahs.

There are several optional extras available for the Loire range including full central heating, a gas fire instead of the electric one, stain resistant fabrics, TVs in all bedrooms, plinth heaters in bathrooms and even wireless control for the heating thermostats. In terms of customizing – the sky’s the limit!

On the inside, the Loire is basically a holiday caravan of two halves. Entering through the front door, you turn left for the lounge, diner and kitchen areas and right into the sleeping and bathroom accommodation. The lounge is a pleasant, open space with a huge L-shaped corner unit of seating with masses of room to lounge about.

The 12ft width of this caravan allows that extra bit of space and Swift have made the most of it by positioning a neat corner console at one end of the sofa with shelves above and below, a central TV space. There are also spaces for a satellite box and DVD player in this console. Adjacent to this is a smart, contemporary electric fire, mounted on a floor to ceiling panel in the same Romana Cherrywood as the corner unit. A mirror is hung above the fire and the lounge is finished with lined curtains with tie-backs in browns and reds, red scatter cushions and a nice, deep pile carpet in light beige. A coffee table is also included here.

The third corner of this area is taken up with a neat dinette – again with L-shaped seating for two or three and twin stools around an angular dining table set on a chrome leg. It’s nice to see a proper, fixed dinette which gives the holiday caravan a regular dining space, as so many holiday caravans have a movable table and four chairs which can take up lots of valuable space.

A short arm of the C-shaped kitchen takes up the fourth corner of the lounge and features three, large open shelves. The kitchen itself is spacious with many cupboards, drawers and storage options. The colour of the cherrywood in the lounge is carried through here and bright steel handles set off the doors nicely. Central, is a glass fronted oven and grill with four burners and electric ignition. There is an extractor hood above, flanked by two storage cupboards to the right of which a single window lets in available light. In front of this is the stainless steel sink/drainer with monobloc tap.

To the right are further drawers and a standard size refrigerator plus overhead cupboards and space for a microwave oven (not supplied). There is also an option to have a side-by-side fridge freezer on the 12ft wide versions of the Loire. The whole kitchen features 30mm laminate worktops in black granite effect with matching upstands. We felt the kitchen was a good size with plenty of storage and would not look out of place in an ordinary flat. You could certainly cater substantial meals for six people here with little trouble.

Moving out through the kitchen is a narrow corridor off which doors lead you to the sleeping accommodation and bathroom of the Loire. The first door on the right leads to the main bathroom with its roomy shower cubicle with thermostatic shower and dual flush toilet. A pedestal hand basin is also fitted, above which are a built in storage cabinet and illuminated mirror.

Directly behind the bathroom is one of the two twin bedrooms. As could be expected, these are fairly small, but do contain twin single beds with wooden headboards and a shared central cabinet. There is over-bed storage with a central space for books, nick-nacks etc. The other twin bedroom, on the opposite side of the holiday caravan, is very similar in size, shape and features. These rooms, although small, would be ideal to use a childrens’ bedrooms of for the occasional visitors’ overnight stays. Extra space can be obtained in one twin room by stowing one of the beds below the other – a neat solution giving a bit of extra floor space.

The door at the end of the corridor gives access to the main double bedroom. This is a nice sized space with double bed (storage for blankets and bedding under), twin bedside cabinets and over-bed storage. At the foot of the bed, a small vanity unit has a big mirror, shelf and drawer to the right of which is a double wardrobe. Once again, the cherrywood theme is carried through here.

Verdict
With the Loire range, Swift has produced the ideal family holiday caravan. The seven variations and the wide range of optional extras coupled with the mid to lower price point would be an attractive proposition to families looking to buy their first holiday caravan or for couples wanting a spacious holiday caravan with contemporary styling at a great price.

Ex works price: £23,471 inc VAT*

Visit the Swift Group website for more information on the Loire, or to see how much it would cost to insure, use the Leisuredays online quote tool today.

*Additional charges will be made by park operators, and/or distributors for transportation, siting and annual maintenance. Please check the price carefully before you commit to purchase, as prices vary considerably dependent, amongst other factors, on the geographical location of your chosen park.

Get a holiday home insurance quotation from Leisuredays by clicking here.