First look: Lunar Quasar 462
The new season’s Quasar range has been given a revamped interior décor, designed to offer style and sophistication at mid-market prices. Peter Baber steps inside
Mid-market price, upmarket style and sophistication in this roomy two-berth
ONE OF THE quirks in Lunar’s line-up is that two of its midmarket ranges, Quasar and Lexon, feature an associated range made up of just one tiny two-berth – respectively, the Ariva and the Stellar. But that hasn’t stopped the company producing slightly more roomy and comfortable two-berths within the main ranges themselves. Here, we take a look at the Quasar 462, one of many models now on the market offering a more spacious end washroom.
Pitch and set-up
Quasars this season come with a distinctive green stripe on the decals, which clearly separates them from other caravans offered at this price level. The large single gas bottle locker across the front is easy to access, and provides a good amount of space for all of those bulky extras that you somehow always need to take with you when you go caravanning. However, the Quasar range is towards the bottom end of the mid-market, so you don’t get a huge level of extras – there’s no external barbecue point, for example, although there is an external shower. You also get external access to the nearside underseat area. The entrance door looks a bit basic. There is a bin included, however, and you do at least get a grab handle inside.
Lounge
Last season, Lunar teamed up with homeware and fashion brand Joules for a venture that included working together on interior soft furnishings. In the Quasar, the result was an interior scheme that was decidedly floral. This season, the two parties have gone their separate ways, and the interior has been toned down. But the experience of working with Joules has clearly left its mark, in a good way. The blue, mauve and white scheme here isn’t nearly as blatant as last year’s pinks, but it is soothing and calming, and a world away from the beiges and tans that are on offer elsewhere this season. The two settees that display the new fabric are comfortable, and the lounge itself is a pleasant place to sit in. It may not have the largest sunroof up front, but there is a huge rooflight down the centre of the van, right into the kitchen, to let in daylight. Come the evening there are two LEDS in the ceiling, elegant ambient lighting, including around the pelmet below the sunroof, and four handy spotlights. Two of these have built-in USB sockets. At the rear end of the nearside settee, a sideboard provides a useful place for a TV, among other things. There is a TV and mains socket included here, but no USB sockets. The foldaway table is stored neatly in a kitchen cupboard on the other side.
Kitchen
Lunar kitchens are often on the generous side and, thanks to the extra length, the one in the 462 is no exception. The hessian-style workspace next to the large, circular sink is huge, and although you only get one mains socket to go with it, the whole area is well lit. Even at this price bracket, you get a dual-fuel four-burner hob and separate oven and grill, as well as a Dometic fridge. You also get a microwave,
‘Lunar kitchens are often on the generous side, and the 462’s is no exception’
although it takes up the whole of what would otherwise be a third overhead locker, which seems a bit of a waste of space. The other lockers have racks for crockery and mugs, while the cutlery tray is in the top of the large lower cupboard, which also includes the table storage. Across the way, the sideboard offers even more work surface. The large overhead locker above is partly shelved, but the small shelf below this would only be good for spice jars and, while there are two shelved cupboards underneath, the wheel arch features in both of them.
Beds
Lunar is also noted for providing beds that you put together with pull-out platforms, rather than slats, even in lower-priced ranges. You don’t have to worry about the housing for these platforms restricting access to underseat areas, because Lunar includes internal access flaps as well. There’s quite a knee roll in the bases of the settees, so you will have to turn them over, but the backrests are relatively flat. You could just use the two settees as single beds, once you remove the backrests, provided both of you are under 6ft.
Washroom
End washrooms often provide extra space as a dressing area. Lunar hasn’t gone for this here, instead providing more room around the toilet. Space in the offside corner wardrobe feels a bit wasted, too, because the hanging rail only runs from back to front, not side to side. But at least Lunar has gone to the trouble of providing a trapdoor in the bottom of the main wardrobe, which extends the hanging height. Putting a large item, such as a long coat, in here should not be a problem. The salad bowl-style handbasin is a good size, with a useful cupboard below. A rooflight and two LEDS above the large mirror mean the room is also well-lit. The shower cubicle is large, albeit with only one drainage hole and a single door.
Storage
Internal access to the underseat areas is a big bonus in this price range, although neither of them is completely clear. The nearside locker, which also has external access, doesn’t have equipment stored in it, but there is some ducting in here. The offside one includes the Sargent system, but is otherwise clear. There are four large overhead lockers in the lounge, along with accessible space under the central chest and space in the sideboard, which should be more than enough room for everything two of you will need in here.