Elddis Xplore 402

As I have just had my first trip in this 2014 edition that is new to the Xplore range I have done quite a long review which I hope prospective buyers may find useful.

Elddis Xplore 402

Outside

Nice graphics…don’t’ know why people bother to comment on this, as far as I am concerned a white caravan is a white caravan. Anyway it looks nice, drain outlets are to the rear and could
be a problem on a sloping pitch. The battery box is on the awning side which could be a good or bad thing depending if you are using a porch awning. Also it doesn’t have an aerial input, so if you need to use a cable it will have to come in via the window.
This is the first time I have had a BPW chassis if it is yours too then note on the hitch head stabilizer you have to push the little black ball up high enough for the little green indicator to pop up before the handle will go down, this can be tricky until
you are used to it. The one thing that really bugs me is the gas locker. It is held open on a metal stay, this folds down into a clip on the floor, to get it in you have to balance the door on your head or back, and lean right in to find it, the result is
every time the bolts on the inside of the locks dig in to various parts of your anatomy, a gas strut surely wouldn’t be either expensive or heavier. I bought the BPW wheel lock which fits into a receiver, like the alko one, but I don’t find it any easier to
use or such a good fit, however the hitch lock is better, can’t remember the name, but it was pricey. Steps at the front to reach the roof good idea, needed to clean the front window after all the spray.

Inside

As you open the door it looks spacious, I have put some heavy duty sticky hooks on the right hand wall for coats and dog towel, plenty of room to take off coats and dry the dog, so I don’t
feel the need to always put up an awning. In the bathroom the shower is a good size with places for soap etc. I either need a bigger hot water tank or to shower quicker, I don’t use the caravan shower a lot, but it is nice to be able to if you need to. The
hand basin is a good size without water going everywhere. Plenty of storage,  just remember to put the lid down on the loo before opening the cupboard above it! Back in the main van the wardrobe is quite spacious, but I found the rails had jumped out of their
sockets by the time I arrived, so everything was in a heap on the floor, think I will try the non technical jamming them in with blue tac next time. The hob has 3 burners, the big one is good for large frying pan or wok. Small oven below, but was big enough
for my turkey on Xmas day when my oven threw a wobbly. Sink is black, not that keen, but ok. The draining board fits neatly inside and there is enough room especially with the handy fold up shelf on the end of the worktop, above there is a double socket and
room to plug in the kettle. The fridge is below, very good with removable freezer, and pretty blue lights. The lights are also on the outside and might be a bit bright for some during the night, but I find them useful for lighting the way to the loo. The seats
and nice and long and can easily seat 6. The middle chest is removable and the top extension slides out, add the free standing table to this and 6 can dine comfortably , there is a little height difference between the two. I cooked for 5 Solo’s at New Year,
4 courses and plenty of room for dining and serving, and the dog.  I had the microwave fitted and this is a good microwave/grill combo it is sited opposite the sink in the top cupboard, but low down, with a really useful small cupboard above it. Below that
is the space for the t.v. it has a bracket arm that the t.v. screws onto and works well there is another double socket and aerial socket. Below is a big cupboard with shelves. The interior looks light and spacious, not sure yet about the one piece front window,
you do feel anyone looking in can see everything you are doing. Lighting is good, mainly led's with some nice chunky light swithches, and one more really useful socket up at the front corner which is handy for charging ipads etc.  The carpet is just one long
strip of dark brown, I like this, it’s easy to take out and brush and doesn’t show dog paws. However the upholstery certainly would, light cream, so I invested in some throws before allowing the dog in.        Now  the down side. The beds are on slats that
lift up on a heavy duty spring, again you have to bring the head into use to hold the bed open to put the bedding away, this is not easy, again a couple of gas struts could not be that expensive. Also the drain for the hot water tank is right against the front
wall and the slats above it do not lift up, the gap in the end slat is narrower than the rest and I cannot get my arm down to open/close the valve. Next is the Whale underfloor heating, I know this has been discussed elsewhere. I find it noisy, with a draft
around ankle height which means my feet are always cold. There are 2 vents, one on one side of the seats and the other by the wardrobe. I think some people could probably get used to the noise at night if you have it on the low setting and get used to the
fan coming on and off. This is one of the drawbacks, that the fan needs to run when the heating is on, so even if you run the heating on gas you still need electricity. I have bought a small convector heater, I put it by the door, under the coats, which keeps
them warm and dries the dog towel. If I go out I turn it off and put on the Whale in case the hooks give way. The final moan is the t.v. aerial. This is a small black whip aerial like a car one, I walked around the van for a long time looking for a “proper”
one. Again there are threads elsewhere about these aerials. All I can say is when at home I tuned it in and got 7 channels, as soon as it rained, which it did a lot over Xmas, all channels pixelated, when it dried up they were fine. I didn’t try it when I
went away as they had t.v. on the bollard. The aerials are by Avtex, but I cannot find anything about them on their website.

Finally

I have had several vans before, usually top end fixed beds, but now widowed I needed something lightweight to tow behind a standard estate car, this rules out most of the better equipped
2 berths. I looked at lots at the recent Oct. show at the NEC and I chose this. I really like the layout, I wanted a full front chest,  I wanted a separate bathroom, I don’t like sitting on the loo with my feet in the shower.  I wanted beds long enough to
use as singles. This van looks nice outside, is spacious and comfortable inside and seems very well built and doesn’t feel flimsy, it doesn’t feel cheap, which I felt a lot of comparable vans did. It seems hearing some tales, (a friend has to take his 9 month
old van back to the manufacturers to have it taken apart and dried out.) that so far there is nothing wrong with this van, is somewhat unusual. (I’m touching wood)

Before you go

I wrote a similar review for the Xplore 402 page on the Elddis/Xplore website, it didn’t appear immediately, obviously someone checks it, I then got a very nice email, thanking me for my
comments and sending attachments on how to set up the Avtex aerial. On reading these it is made to go with the Avtex t.v.’s which I don’t have.

 Also to date Elddis/Xplore have not put my review on their website, there is only one, who gives it 5 stars, and hasn’t taken delivery yet. So perhaps they say
“we want your review, but only if it is good” or maybe they will prove me wrong!