they appear quite well finished,particularly outside although not too keen on the go faster side decals that will surely look dated soon.not sure about the sunroof idea either abit of a gimmick and another possible place for damp to get in.
Liked them on the website however went to see them at the lawns show & ' in the flesh' rapidly changed my mind . I think the plastic binnacle at the front and the drainer on the sink & backsplash looks dreadfull very cheap & tacky.The panoramic sunroof looks like an afterthought . The front windows seem quite a lot smaller with wider pillars at the side hence the need for the sunroof to allow more light in but to me it didnt look right? I did find a few improvements though more power sockets , speaker position in roof better & externally the van looks more modern . But i didnt like the decals on the sterling versions
Quote: Originally posted by rd57chad on 27/9/2010
Liked them on the website however went to see them at the lawns show & ' in the flesh' rapidly changed my mind . I think the plastic binnacle at the front and the drainer on the sink & backsplash looks dreadfull very cheap & tacky.The panoramic sunroof looks like an afterthought . The front windows seem quite a lot smaller with wider pillars at the side hence the need for the sunroof to allow more light in but to me it didnt look right? I did find a few improvements though more power sockets , speaker position in roof better & externally the van looks more modern . But i didnt like the decals on the sterling versions
agree with the power sockets , 3 double sockets in the 2 berth we looked in.not too keen on the wood in the sterlings either,very light indeed and that hard plastic above the front windows does look a touch cheapo
We felt the same after seeing them at the Lawns show - was really looking forward to seeing them and the new Lunar Lexon 530. We both much preferred the Lunar and were very disappointed with the Swift and Sterling.
Going to the NEC for another look though we still haven't got the money to buy one!!
The new vans from Swift Sterling and Eldiss all look very gimmicky and whats the point of panoramic roof. Two large heiki sunroofs offer better light levels, plus the decals on the new swifts and Sterlings are rather chavvy and not exactly subtle and they are quite heavy. Its all down to personal preference though. I wouldn,t bother buying new as there are so many good vans which are 2-3 years old and in excellent condition.
We spent last weekend looking at the new vans. Would agree with all said above. Low windows at the front stop the light getting in and you would have to purchase the panoramic window. There is no extractor fan in the kitchen and the wet box has gone. The blinds are so flimsy they were falling apart on the vans we looked at. The wretched Truma heating system was also still evident!!!!!
The binnacle at the front is a gimmick. Are you really going to put your expensive I-phone4 in it to charge so everyone can see it? The white cupboards in the kitchen area made it look very cold.
We thought that the outside looked great but was let down by the cheap look inside.
The Unicorn is a far better deal (Stone chips an all!) but they don't do the layout we want (yet)
We have decided to stick with our 3 year old Challenger as it is definitely better built and feels a lot more comfortable.
Very much as above when we saw it in the flesh, does look good outside but inside it lacks appeal, totally agree about the binacle thing and also you obviously lose space to store items becuase of the sunroof. The blind on the sunroof is a lot less than robust and I think could prove a real weak spot.
We were very disappointed with the new Swifts and Sterlings at The Lawns, hate the go faster stripes and the black outlined fronts. Elddis not much better. I don't think many folk will be buying new next year, hope they change them back!
We had a look at a 2 berth Challenger that was being prepared for a photo shoot all dolled up with flowers and the like. It had the optional sunroof fitted (I gather they are standard on the Conquerors!) and first impressions were `mmmm a bit so so` not quite as `Wow` as I had been expecting, outside ok a bit more modern look to it but having had damp in the past with our vans I was a bit wary about the new sunroof?. I do like the look of the Conquerors though and the Aldi heating as standard but a lot more expensive than the challengers. The Charisma was a surprise as it had a new layout which appeals to us which the others don`t have - a dining area on the side that converts to a double bed!
Steve
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