SHOWROOM STARS
CONTINENTAL CARAVANS
For many buyers, Continental brands have that certain je ne sais quoi! Here are some of our favourite pre-owned bargains from abroad
The conundrum
If you’ve decided that you prefer Continental to British design, your options are a little more limited with caravans than they would be if you were looking for a motorhome. There aren’t so many Continental caravans sold into the UK market, so you tend to find fewer of them on dealer forecourts. But they can make for a brilliant buy – here’s our pick of the best that we’ve reviewed in recent years, and a great used example that we’ve spotted.
Hymer Nova 470GL (2019)
Layout End washroom
Berths 2
L/W 6.88m/2.30m
MTPLM 1800kg
Payload 335kg
MiRO 1465kg
Plus
points Great build, excellent washroom
Minus
points No sunroof and no microwave
Our review said…
Hymer’s Nova range has never been a big seller in the UK, thanks to a high price (around £39,000) when new, and a heavy weight: this two-berth model has a hefty MTPLM of 1800kg. But these caravans are well made, thanks to the PUAL construction system that originated in the aircraft industry.
So if you have a suitable tow car, does this caravan make more economic sense as a used model? Well, there are still some things that are surprising, such as Truma rather than Alde heating, no microwave fitted as standard and no sunroof (and inside, only a shelf where a sunroof might have been, rather than a locker). The single front window might also signal ‘low budget’ for some UK caravanners.