Price TBC Berths 6 MiRO 1456kg MTPLM 1636kg
Sonos Bluetooth speaker is a classy addition to lounge Supportive seating and plenty of room for six to relax in Huge central window ensures whole area is flooded with daylight Space for kettle and toaster on kitchen worktop by the sink
A celebration revamp for the range sees the addition of this adaptable and comfortable family-friendly layout
Words and photos Peter Baber
BAILEY’S PHOENIX+ is one of two ranges updated this summer to coincide with the company’s 75th birthday. Now renamed Phoenix GT75, it retains six models, with the five-berth 650 rejigged to become the six-berth 762. We saw it at the factory, the day after the firm’s birthday party.
Pitch and set-up
Although the twin-axle 762 is the longest and heaviest of the new Phoenix models, it still has an MTPLM of just 1636kg, so you might not need a gas-guzzler to tow it.
The new-look van comes with a fetching GT75 logo on the side, as well as decals that are on the pink side of purple. There’s an external locker on the front nearside, which is perfect for outdoor furniture. You get another on the offside at the back, but the access and the locker itself aren’t quite as good.
Both hook-up and cassette access are on the offside, away from any awning.
Lounge
The Phoenix+ 650 had the door just behind the lounge, before you got to the kitchen and side dinette. In the 762, it has been moved behind the side dinette, in front of the washroom. You get a sizeable ‘hall’ with three shelves, a hanging rail and a mirror.
The lounge table is stored in its own space to the right of the door. This is not the ideal spot for table storage: whoever fetches it has to get past not just the cook, but those in the side dinette, too.
That dinette has its own clip-on table, so if you were just making supper for the kids, it might be easier to use this. There is one spotlight and a mains socket, but no USBs.
The lounge is very spacious, with easily enough room for all six of you to relax in. It’s full of light, too, thanks partly to the large central window. At night, ambient light extends to the front, and you also get two spotlights, one with a USB.
But perhaps the biggest change in the living area comes in the provision of audio. Bailey has done away with any radio: pleasingly, what you have instead is a Sonos Bluetooth speaker, at the rear of the sideboard. That’s an upmarket brand for a caravan that not so long ago was Bailey’s entry-level range. The sideboard also has sockets for a TV.
Kitchen
There is enough room by the sink in the main part of the kitchen to put a kettl
