First look: Venus 550/4
Significantly upgraded spec helped the revamped Venus 550/4 to win our Best Van for Small Families award this year. Peter Baber finds out why the judges were so impressed
Our judges named this revamped Venus Best Van for Small Families for 2019
OUTSTANDING CARAVANS AREN’T always completely new – sometimes, a model that has been quietly selling well for years has a small upgrade, and suddenly is an obvious winner. This seems to have happened with the Venus 550/4, a fixed-single-beds, end-kitchen model in Lunar’s budget range, which had long been admired without raising any eyebrows too high. But the marked upgrade in the range was enough for our 2019 Tourer of the Year judges to name the model Best Van for Small Families. Here, we find out what impressed them.
Pitch and set-up
There is still only a one-piece window, but underneath, you’ll find a single gas bottle locker clearly defined in graphite. It’s on gas struts, so you don’t have to keep holding it up. Alloys added this season give a touch of class and, for the first time, Venus comes with an Al-ko AKS stabiliser. You also get a nearside wet locker, where you’ll find the electric hook-up connection.
Lounge
With a window as large as this, you might wonder why so many people opt for a three-window front panel. And if that’s not enough, there’s a huge Skyview rooflight running down the centre, with LED spotlights in its housing. There are also directional spotlights under the lockers – which you don’t often see in an entry-level van. The Light Walnut wood grain might be a bit dark for some tastes, but the Malawi soft furnishings are up-to-date and complement it well. You don’t get a sunroof at the front, but the interchange of gloss off-white lockers and open shelving reduces any feeling of being boxed in. There is a pull-out shelf at the top of the central chest for snacks. As is common among Lunar layouts, the foldaway table is big enough for four and easily retrievable from the kitchen. Here, Lunar has opted for a permanent worktop that edges out over the rear of the offside sofa, so comfort at this end is a little compromised. But a heating vent under the front chest keeps things nice and toasty. The heating unit is a Truma Combi 4 – perfectly adequate for a mid-sized van such as this and a smaller family. Our judges thought the 550 worked particularly well as a small family van because of the open aspect to the central area and the comfy mattresses on the fixed beds mean you could use the rear section as an overspill seating area. Or you could lounge in bed in the morning while the kids play in the lounge. There’s nothing stopping you being able to keep an eye on them.
Kitchen
The kitchen is definitely one area where the spec upgrade brings benefit. You already had a four-burner hob with last year’s Venus; but this year you get the new Thetford K Series oven, complete with a dual-fuel four-burner hob with a safety cut-off in the lid, and a fan that is designed to keep the oven knobs cool. You might initially mistake it for an extractor fan. The budget hasn’t extended to one of those, but you do get a Russell Hobbs microwave. The work surface, as we said, does intrude into the lounge;
but it is a good area to work in, with light switches and mains sockets well positioned nearby, and enough room to position a kettle and toaster. The Dometic fridge behind this is only half-height – one reason for considering this van as a choice for smaller families. A half-height wardrobe sits above it, so you might need to move if you are cooking while someone is changing.
Washroom
End washrooms can sometimes feel a little bit cut off from the rest of the caravan, but the rather wide aisle between the beds at the rear of the 550 makes this one more easily accessible than most. A large salad-bowl-style handbasin sits under a mirror and over a good-sized storage cupboard as you come in. The rooflight over the middle of the room and the opaque window behind the toilet let in all the daylight you’d need. The large shower cubicle is unencumbered by any wheel arch.
Beds
The comfortable fixed beds are 6ft 2in long, so suitable for all but the very tallest. They each come with a little corner shelf and an individually switched, directional spotlight. The front sofas turn into single beds that are just 5ft long, so probably only suitable for younger children. But if your kids are taller and don’t mind sharing, you’ll be pleased to know that the Lunar designers’ predilection for platform beds, rather than slats, extends down to the Venus range. The open aspect of this van’s centre means there is only a flimsy draw-across plastic partition separating the two sleeping areas. However, the front double is so large that you might be tempted to give the fixed beds to the children and have the rest of the evening to yourselves in the front.
Storage
The nearside external locker is a real bonus this season, although storage has always been better than average in this van. The areas under each fixed bed have internal access doors, and you can also reach them by lifting up the slats. The attractive run of large lockers and open shelving in the lounge and bedroom is practical, without encroaching on living space. The wardrobe could be a little larger if your children are fashion-conscious, but that’s a minor point.
‘The 550/4 works well as a small family van because of its open central aspect’