MMM – September 2019

September 2019outandaboutlive.co.uk 147

INSIDE STORY

No one is like ly to buy acoachbui lt

motorhome on external appearan ce,

so it’s the interior design where sales

will be won or lost.

Here, the Edge gives off a plain

and simple vibe with grey being

the predominantcolour(a darker,

char coal for the lower kitchen

cabinets) andcontrast provide d by

top lo ckerdoors ina dark wood with

heavy grain pattern.

Overca b bed aside, the layo ut is

pretty much what you’d expect...

if the badge on the ou tside was of a

continental brand!

Neither Bailey’s Advance nor Auto-

Trail’s Tribute budget rangescurr ently

incl ude a direct competitor, a lthough

Elddis offers a single-bed-over-garage

floorplan in its Autoquest line-up

and there are, of course,countless

alternatives fr om European entry-

level range s, in cluding vehicl es from+

certainly seemedsurefooted, if a littl e

more susceptible tocrosswinds than

lower-s lung motorhomes.

It sits on a standard-height

chassis, so the floor is quite high,

with a consequent effect on weight

distribution – andthe need for an

external step at the habitatio n do or.

In this case,the step is manually

adjusted, which is a sign that this

motorhome is built to a price.

It’s not all back-to-basic s, though,

as the Edge has a stylish, fully

moulded rear panel (with separate

rear corner sections for ea sier repair),

as well as a neat shape forthe luton

and bold , sporty orange graphics.

There’s a bin on the do or and a

flyscreen here, too, pl us an awning

light. Bike rack fixings are factory-

fitted, andit’s great to see that the

chassis fr amehas been extended ri ght

to the back, supporting a garage with

200kg load limit.

However, the wa ste tank is small

(60 litres) and looks vulnerably low to

the ground, as well as havinga slow-

to-drain small bore outlet.

That garage will be a key reason to

buy –if you want generous storage

this is the Edge layout to choose (the

island bed model, for example, has

no externally accessed lockerspace).

Here, there’s a huge void for all your

sporting or camping paraphernalia

• it measures up to1.12mwide and
  0.97mhigh.
  It’s heated, too, andthere’s a
  small LED light ju st inside the do or,
  although there areno power sockets
  here and just one lo ading door (on
  the nearside). This door comes with a
  convenientsinglehandle and two-
  point locking.
  Note, too, that, as the floor is high,
  the lo wer lip of the garage door is
  around 850mmoff the ground – quite
  a height to lift anythingreally heavy.

“Swift is temptingnewcomers into motorhomingwith this new

Edge,and it may aloappealto manyhire fleets”

RACHEL STOTHERTDEPUTY EDITOR

SECOND OPINION

Swift Edge 476 TESTED

The kitchen is one of the best features, especially with the LivingPack’s microwave

Both theovercab and rear single
mattresses sit on solid wood bases

Just one garage doorand a high floor

mean loading up could be a chore