Swift Escape 622 - Practical Motorhome

Great for touring couples and revised for 2016, find out more about the two-berth, end lounge Swift Escape 622 in the Practical Motorhome review

Verdict

The Swift Escape 622 will appeal to couples looking for a straightforward and user-friendly motorhome with the comfort and convenience of an end lounge. Well equipped, with plenty of change from £40,000, and now packing some desirable upgrades including DAB radio and an Ecocamel Orbit shower head, the 622 should offer years of happy touring. And to see other Swift motorhomes for sale, click here.

Pros

It represents good value for money
This definitely doesn’t feel like a budget ‘van

Cons

With only two travel seats, occasional touring guests can’t be accommodated

Originally conceived to make a stand against cut-price foreign imports, Swift Group’s entry level coachbuilt range has become one of the UK’s biggest-selling motorhome line-ups, winning a sackful of awards along the way. Now rolling into its seventh season, Escape clearly thrives on the stiff competition it faces from rivals including Elddis Autoquest, Tribute coachbuilts and most recently Bailey, with the Approach Advance.

Critical to the ongoing popularity – and resilience – of Escape has been a focus on layouts that appeal to both families and newcomers to the pastime, available for a modest outlay and including very respectable equipment lists. Layouts catering from two to six berths are offered, in low-profile (622 and 664) and overcab coachbuilt form (624, 644, 686 and 696).

Following a flurry of improvements to complement the previous year’s base vehicle update, changes for 2016 comprise routine spec bumps. And how better to see how these have been incorporated by taking a look at the 622, a 6.3m-long, end lounge, two-berth – and the newest model to join the range.

The rear lounge is a multi-function space that fulfils three roles: lounge, bedroom and dining room

Living

Stepping inside via the nearside habitation door, the rear lounge is where all the action takes place in the 622 – a multi-function space that fulfils three roles: lounge, bedroom and dining room.

The interior ambience is pleasing, with little shouting ‘budget’ – three windows and a central rooflight provide natural illumination, with support from LED reading lights in the corners. The seating is comfortable, with good support, although tall people may prefer taller backrests. A folding leaf table fits snugly into the lounge from its storage position in the wardrobe.

Kitchen

The Swift Escape 622’s galley kitchen serves the available space well, with extra work surface provided courtesy of a hinged flap extension. Many equipment boxes are ticked, namely a three-burner hob, a combination oven and grill, a microwave plus a dual-fuel 80-litre fridge with a separate freezer compartment.

Washroom

A multi-function washroom occupies the area opposite the kitchen, where a swivelling cassette toilet, a shower area and a corner vanity unit vie for their share of the available space. New for 2016, the efficient Ecocamel Orbit shower head will help get the most from the 65-litre fresh water tank.

Beds

Come night-time, the spacious rear double bed deploys by pulling slats out from the seat box under the rear window and rearranging the cushions. It’s a simple operation that takes a couple of minutes, and gives a generous 2.08m x 1.34m (6ft 10in x 4ft 5in) double berth.

Alternatively, the parallel lounge seats can be used as single beds, with the offside bed 2in longer than the nearside one (1.86m x 0.68m; 6ft 1in x 2ft 3in).

Storage

Seat boxes and overhead lockers provide the majority of places to stash any inanimate objects that will count towards the Swift Escape 622’s generous 534kg payload. Other locations include a small cupboard, two cubbies and a cutlery drawer in the kitchen unit. A vanity unit under the washroom sink will please those who prefer to keep lotions and potions tidied away.