Full review

THE Fleetwood Meridien 640 EKB is innovative in a different way to the luxurious Heritage 640-I with its solar panel technology.

Both come in with new layouts and the Meridien six-berther has an L-shaped kitchen newly positioned in relation to a washroom and fixed bunks.

The Meridien 640 EKB is a twin-axle, six-berth model aimed at a couple with four young children.

It allows the kids to grow up as well, because the two permanent bunks are long enough and strong enough to take the average teenager.

The door into the caravan is forward of the front axle and has an opening window with an integral insect screen and night blind.

There is also a full size insect screen fitted to the doorway. The layout of the caravan appears fairly conventional when you first walk into it – the lounge being on your left and the wardrobe facing you.

But don’t be fooled. Turn and look down towards the rear end and the first things you notice are the two permanent bunks.

On the nearside, facing the permanent bunks is a two seat dinette which at night becomes a single bed.

There is also a hinged sixth bunk on the wall of the dinette whilst under each of the single seats is a drawer similar to the one under the lower bunk. All three drawers reduce the overall capacity of the storage areas.

Above the dinette table are two double door cupboards set at an angle to the wall and separated by two shelves.

The L-shaped kitchen runs all the way along the nearside and across the rear wall to the washroom at the offside corner.

It has a microwave and below that is a Dometic RM8401 fridge with removable freezer compartment.

Due to the height of the fridge the surface above it is higher than the rest of the worktop, then at the far end of the kitchen the worktop turns through 90 degrees for a short distance to the three-burner hob/grill and Spinflo cooker.

The sink is fitted at an angle at the rear nearside corner and when its glass cover is closed there is a great deal of worktop space available for food preparation. There’s also plenty of storage space in the roof lockers and the kitchen unit.

The washroom faces the kitchen. It isn’t large but is well appointed.

The lounge is laid out conventionally with a long seat down the near and offside, separated at the front end by a two drawer chest of drawers and pull-out slats for the bed. There are adjustable reading lights above each seat and in each front corner a very attractive wall mounted mains light.

The 640-EKB has a Truma Ultraheat space heater with blown air circulation. Loose carpets are held in position by press studs.

Our verdict:

This is certainly the most innovative design of a six-berth I’ve come across in many years.

The two permanent bunks are both substantially built and of a size which any average sized teenager – or adult for that matter – wouldn’t find cramped or claustrophobic.
 
The build quality and equipment level leave nothing to be desired.

* A full review including specification was published in the December 2007 issue of Which Caravan. To subscribe to the magazine, click here.