ELDDiS CRUSADER MISTRAL

The reliable, family-friendly four-berth boasts valuable extras in this 60th anniversary edition

-  Peter Baber

Price £35,699 Berths 4 MIRO 1507kg MTPLM 1660kg

CRUSADER is the most luxurious you can get in mainstream Elddis. This year, these 8ft-wide models have an extra touch of luxury, with a 60th anniversary pack marking the County Durham company’s birthday.

At Glossop Caravans in Derbyshire, we took a look at the Mistral, a single-axle with transverse island bed and end washroom.

Pitch and setup

The Mistral is 8ft (2.45m) wide and over 7m long, with a single axle. But it shouldn’t be too intimidating to tow, because it comes with ATC and an AL-Ko stabiliser. It’s also relatively lightweight for a van with this spec, even with an onboard water tank.

The vehicle looks grand on the road, thanks to the elegant curved front profile and silver sides. You are well equipped when you park up on site, too.

The mains hookup, water connection and cassette access are tucked away on the offside, and lit by two service lights.

Lounge

The front lounge is comfortable for the four people who are going to be living here, but not much more than that.

If you are likely to be entertaining more than four once you arrive, you might want to go for the £565 wraparound seating option. There’s a lot of storage in here, so losing that chunky chest wouldn’t be a tragedy.

Whatever you choose, the settees are comfortable, with four smart scatter cushions (each adorned with a special 60th anniversary tag) and four bolsters.