Full review

AT the end of the notes I made  after having a good look around the Fleetwood Heritage 640CB I wrote: This is a superb van! It isn’t often that I use superlatives like ‘superb’ but in this case it’s thoroughly justified.

The Heritage 640-CB is one of six layouts in Fleetwood’s top range. It’s a twin-axle model, which although designated as a four-berth is perhaps better described as a two-berth – optional four.

This is because the lounge has U-shaped seating which can become a double bed but not normally two single beds due to the shortness of the seats. The caravan is 6.35m long (20ft 10in) internally and 8.00m long (26ft 3in) overall.

Although the front of the caravan is aerodynamically shaped, two things do concern me. Firstly, the door to the gas locker is smaller than I would like making it more difficult to lift cylinders in and out.

My other concern is the position of the storage sockets for the 12N and 12S plugs. These are on the nearside, which at first glance appears the logical place to fit them. The problem is that when the plugs have been stowed, if you wish to raise or lower the jockey wheel assembly their cables get in the way.

At the front nearside corner is a barbecue point followed by a wet locker with a 230V socket. Next comes the one-piece door, which has an opening window with a night blind and an insect screen, and a built-in magazine and newspaper compartment. Importantly too, there is a full concertina insect screen in the doorway for use when the door is left open in hot weather.

Just to the rear of the door – over the axles – are the ventilator grills for the Dometic fridge/freezer stack, followed by an obscure glazed window in the washroom toward the rear nearside corner.

I very much liked the light clusters and the third brakelight at high level in the rear panel, together with the chrome plastic trim running across the panel at waist height. Forward of the offside rear corner is a door giving access to the storage area under the fixed bed, followed by the waste outlets just behind the rear axle.

Towards the front offside corner is the flue for the Alde wet boiler, the Whale Smart Flo water socket and the battery compartment. What isn’t visible from ground level is the solar panel built into the roof to trickle charge the battery – especially when the caravan is laid up for long periods and mains electricity is not available. What a good idea!

As you enter the caravan, the Dometic fridge/freezer stack is on your right together with a microwave above the freezer. To the left of the doorway is a worktop and two shelves built onto the end of the nearside seat.

Whilst I can see the worktop being used to stand things on, especially as there are mains, TV and satellite receiver sockets on the wall behind it, the two shelves did strike me as being slightly surplus to requirements since they have no guard rails to prevent items from falling off – added to which the items would need to be removed before travel.

The U-shaped seating layout does mean that there is a reasonable amount of space for people to sit. But due to their short lengths, the near and offside seats can’t be used as single beds. Pullout bed slats do however enable the seating to become a double bed – hence Fleetwood’s description of the 640-CB as essentially a two-berth caravan which could also sleep four.

Above the near and offside seats are a number of shelves and roof lockers with another two roof lockers above the windows at the front of the caravan. a speaker and a mains wall light is in each corner.

The Alde water heater has been fitted under the offside seat, access being via the seat slats. However, there is also access under both seats via dropdown front panels.

Opposite the doorway is the offside centre kitchen. To maximise the amount of worktop space, the stainless steel sink has been fitted north/south instead of the more usual east/west.

The sink has no integral drainer but a removable plastic one is provided. There is also a hatch between the kitchen and the bedroom with a hinged worktop which also provides additional work surface when cooking etc.

At night, the worktop helps close off the bedroom from the front of the caravan.

In addition to the microwave, the 640-CB has a Spinflo hob and grill with three gas rings with electronic ignition, and a 230V electric ring. Below the grill is a Spinflo Caprice oven with the dedicated cupboard for the freestanding table next to it, whilst the two roof lockers above the kitchen unit have fitted crockery racks.

Below the sink is a cutlery drawer and a large two door cupboard. Lastly, an Omnivent two-way three-speed fan has been fitted in the ceiling above the kitchen unit.

From the kitchen you walk into the bedroom where the fixed bed has been mounted along the offside wall. The passageway down the left-hand side of the bed leads to the rear end washroom.

I liked the small cupboard and three drawer unit fitted in the nearside corner at the foot of the bed.

Above the cupboard is a panel, housing the radio/CD/DVD/MP3 player, the Alde control panel, and the LCD information panel which has menus covering the status of the inboard water tank, pump on/off, battery, solar panel, alarm, and even the outside temperature.

The end washroom is one of the best I’ve come across in a long time. The first thing that impressed me as I walked in, was the domestic type panel radiator on the wall just inside the doorway – the rest of the radiators in the caravan are fin type.

I also very much liked the full height shower cubicle which has several shelves for toiletries. The washbasin too, is a generous size and is set into a base unit with plenty of space for toiletries.

Next to the Thetford toilet is the wardrobe which has a full depth door and plenty of hanging space – something which many caravans of this size lack.

The caravan’s sound system is also piped into the washroom, and there are two good size obscure glazed windows in the compartment – one on the nearside and one in the corner of the offside rear panel.

An AKS stabiliser, Euro on/off brake, AL-KO wheel secure and heavy duty steadies are standard fittings as is a carbon monoxide alarm which has been fitted alongside the fire alarm.

Our verdict:

By now you’ll probably have realised that I was very impressed by the Heritage 640-CB. In my opinion it is – as I said in my notes – superb. Yes, there are things I’ve criticised but overall, this is a caravan in a class of its own.

E

•    A full version of this review appeared in the February 2008 issue of Which Caravan. To subscribe to the magazine, click here.