Around the time you are reading this feature about the latest caravan models from German manufacturer, Dethleffs, I will be visiting the Erwin Hymer Museum at Bad Waldsee in the south of Germany to see where it all began.
Of all of the exhibits on display at the museum, the thing I am most looking forward to seeing is the 1932 Dethleff’s caravan that started it all. More than 80 years later you can be fairly sure that the company has ironed out a few kinks and is producing a caravan that, in its class, offers some of the best features you will find.
Certainly, the notoriously thorough folk at Deluxe are convinced that the latest caravans to join their range will find wide favour. I’m keen to see why they rate them so highly. You may remember that the only vehicle I have ever driven which had absolutely no rattles was on loan from Deluxe Group. That said, I know from experience how impressed the Deluxe team is by quality and good engineering. And, while our tastes may sometimes differ, theirs appeals as a cast iron assurance of steadfast design. So here I am at their Blenheim yard on a blustery winter’s day to check out two different C’Go models.
C’Go is the family-friendly tier of the Dethleffs caravan range which offers three levels of appointment from the C’Go up to the Nomad, and finally to the aptly named Exclusiv which sits imperiously at the top of the tier.
Each will have different appeal to different buyers. Obviously if price is a factor, the C’Go – which I am on the lot to view – is a great place to start. And to me it is a real surprise. I’ve become accustomed to a sort of European template (in both motorhomes and caravans) of leather and two-toned satin finish faux woodgrain. It’s a universally appealing, very pleasant, and easy to enjoy sense of style.
But regular readers will be familiar with my long lament about the over-use of polished wood and the lack of white walls on offer. That’s what sets the C’Go apart from its European counterparts, and I like it a great deal. It’s a bach look that I have only seen in a few recently manufactured Australian vehicles. So I’m fairly stunned to step into the German-manufactured C’Go and find bleached floorboards, white walls and a strong nod to mid-century modern.
The clue to this interpretation of a contemporary classic lays in the brochure which refers to the decor as “bright Scandinavian style with vintage elements”. Interpret that as pared back and stylishly modern.
515DL
First we view the 515DL – a four-berth with permanent queen-sized bed and separate shower and toilet. In this model, squabs in the rear dinette are upholstered in Lotus, a leafy green which contrasts nicely with the white walls and bleached floor.
The dinette converts to a second double and while the whole seems open and airy, it is nicely separated from the other (queen) bed by the living arrangements. With the curtain deployed in the master bedroom, it is possible, even in this relatively small and open area, to create a sense of privacy for the occupants. It’s also worth noting that at 230cm wide, a Dethleffs caravan will be a fraction wider than its English counterpart.
And the sense of internal space is exaggerated by a few key design features beyond the white walls and bleached floor. One of the things I loved was the three-way slim-line fridge and freezer hidden behind a flush panel. This clever narrower model, with a removable freezer, is a design we are beginning to see more of in imported European vehicles. It makes a lot of sense to have the same capacity as any good-sized fridge/freezer, but in a taller model.
Opposite is the remaining galley set up, which, as you would expect is utilitarian in the way European galleys are. The C’Go has no oven, so you are going to have to make use of the barbie if you have a hankering for a pizza or a roast. But if you are adept at being well prepared before you begin cooking, you will have a three-burner gas hob at your disposal, adjacent to the sink.
Three overhead skylights drench the inside with good natural light. And when you need a little more, you will love the innovative strip light LEDs which can be moved to wherever you need the light to fall. This is very clever design.
Certainly you will not lack for storage options with spacious kitchen cupboards and soft close drawers. Overhead lockers are a strong theme throughout and I think this extra space to stow things away contributes the C’Go being an ideal getaway vehicle for a small family.
The bathroom is compact, but adequate, and I thought the oval basin was not only practical, but refreshingly different and distinctive. The large mirror also enhances the sense of space in the room. Hot water is via a Whale rapid gas/electric heater.
430QS
Where the internal layout of the smaller 430QS differs is that the cafe-style seating converts to a single bed and the master bed is an east/west double. I also loved the Marlos dove grey colour-way in this ’van which appealed as still very stylish but more neutral. Both ’vans are heated with a Truma gas and electric heater. The C’Go is fully insulated to European standards.
Outside, the side walls feature hammered aluminium panels with integrated awning and canopy bars on both sides. The C’Go has a six-year water tightness warranty. Deluxe Group has also selected a combination of component upgrades which include a heavy-duty AL-KO chassis and axle that allows for a higher payload while maintaining Dethleffs’ high standard of towing with AL-KO brakes and anti-sway coupling.
External storage is in two good-sized lockers. One for the toys, the other to house the gas bottle, spare wheel and what have you. Added extras courtesy of the Deluxe team include installed fresh and grey water tanks, parking legs and roof vents. Deluxe has organised for the chassis to be upgraded at the factory so the 90-litre fresh and grey water tanks can be installed without compromising the GVM.
And, while there were some words and phrases lost in translation when the German Dethleffs web pages I was using for research were translated to English, for my money, they nailed it with the following summary of the C’Go: ‘Straightforward, bold and with an attractive price advertises the C’Go especially to the young at heart caravan beginners.’
Nice. I couldn’t have put it better myself.
For more information, contact Deluxe Automotive, Blenheim on (03) 578 3310, or Central RV, Taupo on (07) 378 0620.
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