Elnagh Clipper 20 - Practical Motorhome

Verdict

If you need plenty of beds on a budget then, despite its shortcomings, the Clipper 20 is worth consideration. It represents great value for little money.

Pros

A lot of ’van for the money
A good family layout
A spacious garage

Cons

Some build quality concerns remain
Buyers should budget for an engine upgrade

Living

Only four can sit for dinner, but at least the dinette is comfortable for them to sit in. Additionally, there are four seat belts in the dinette, with rear-facing lap belts and front-facing three-point belts – not every six-berth can carry as many passengers as it has berths. However, the Elnagh has only the dinette as a lounge space, which isn’t a problem on the Continent where buyers aren’t usually fussed about having a more comfortable lounge space, but for many UK buyers, the lack of a flexible lounging arrangement counts against it.

Kitchen

The Clipper really makes its length count with its side kitchen. This gives it the benefit of over a metre and a half of running worktop, meaning that there is ample room in which to prepare food. Beyond that, the Elnagh impresses with its kitchen storage space. There are two large cupboards under the sink, one of which houses a good-sized drawer, although you’ll need to fabricate your own cutlery divisions. The Smev mini-oven provides a useful extra cooking option alongside the three-burner electric hob, but at 1.65 metres from the floor, it could prove tricky for smaller cooks to use.

Washroom

The Elnagh feels distinctly average in the washroom. The light switch is mounted in the overhead locker, there are unattractive plastics and the shower fittings feel lightweight – a shame, because the washroom has a separate shower cubicle and a fair amount of elbow room.

Beds

When it comes to sleeping, the Elnagh has its opposition licked, thanks to a pair of fixed bunks that nestle in the rear nearside corner. This is ideal for a family ’van, but is only possible due to the Elnagh’s extra length compared with many rivals.
Both the Elnagh’s fixed bunks have lights for reading, but the 1.82 metre length means that they are small for adults or tall teenagers. Coupled with the overcab double and the dinette bed, the ’van offers five to six berths. The pick of these is the overcab bed which, at over two metres long and 1.4 metres wide, is a generous size. The ten centimetre-thick mattress seems thin and there is no slatted base to minimise condensation, but it is away from the sidewall to reduce dampness around the edges.

Storage

The Clipper really shines here, thanks to its extra couple of feet in overall length. Most impressive is its garage. The lower of the fixed bunks lifts up to create a large garage along the nearside of the ’van, which is capable of stowing a couple of bikes or an armful of deckchairs. Add in the fact that there is a Trem three-bike rack fitted as standard, and the exterior storage facilities are impressive.
Things are pretty good inside, too. The kitchen is stacked with storage areas, and the wardrobe (positioned directly behind the cab) is an excellent size. However, having the kitchen in the centre of the motorhome, along with such a large washroom, means that there is a slight shortage of overhead locker space. There are just three lockers over the top of the dinette, and all of the other ’vans on test manage twice as many as that.