Swift Sundance 630L - Practical Motorhome

Read the Practical Motorhome Swift Sundance 630L review to find out if this family 'van is worth the increased price over its predecessor

Verdict

The mid-season launch of the Swift Sundance, in February 2010, was the latest in a long line of evolutionary tweaks. New detailing and improved kit levels saw it move slightly upmarket. Available with either low-profile or overcab roof lines, the 630L tested here is the latter, making it a genuine family six-berth. Loads of wow factor, and a much improved specification, justifies the increased price tag.

Pros

A stylish new rear panel, and the re-styled kitchen with its own cream locker veeners, give it tonnes of showroom appeal.

Cons

The twin dinette up front is rather upright both for passengers on the road and for evening lounging.

Living

Inside, Sundance models have Tanganica walnut furniture with attractive matt nickel inserts. Overhead lockers have push-button catches, while lighting throughout is the same LED system we’ve already seen in Swift’s more expensive ranges. The rear lounge is excellent. As well as a free standing table, it comes with a dresser that extends as a place to put your coffee mug. Drop in carpets, and wallboards to back the cushions, are nice touches. The twin dinette upfront is fitted with four three point belts, and is rather upright and not especially comfortable for longer journeys or longer spells of lounging, but a clip-on table makes it fine for four dining, and a separate, ‘break-out’ lounge is always welcome in a family ‘van.

Kitchen

One of the more interesting design details is the decision to give the kitchen its own distinctive colour treatment. That is, rather than the wooden furniture throughout the rest of the ’van, the kitchen gets cream locker doors and new work surfaces, with an attractive granite-look sink. There is a full oven, grill, dual-fuel hob, large stainless steel-look smart energy selector fridge, and a built-in microwave as standard. A hinged worktop extension extends the otherwise compact workspace.

Washroom

The washroom has a folding partition door to keep the wood panelling separate and dry from the lined shower. The latest Thetford electric cassette toilet with electric flush and wheel holding tank is fitted, along with a thick, locking washroom door. The shower tray has two drain plugs, which is ideal for those sites where levelling the van is difficult on uneven pitches. There’s a large, circular washbasin, and the tap doubles as the shower head on a nylon extension cord.

Beds

The one piece mattress for the overcab bed is supremely comfortable. An aluminium ladder stashes neatly beneath the bed base when not in use, which itself raises on gas struts. The twin dinette makes quickly and easily into a double bed measuring 1.82m x 1.23m, thanks to solid extensions, but this poses problems of using the ladder to the overcab bed, plus there’s nowhere dedicated to stash the clip on table. In the rear lounge, a slatted base pulls out from beneath the dresser. The bed measures 2.04m x 1.34m, and is partitioned off from the rest of the ‘van with a privacy curtain. Alternatively, it can be used as single beds of 1.87m x 0.66m.

Storage

There’s some external access to the nearside rear sofa, and plenty of seat box storage, including sunken trays for leisure batteries. Overhead lockers are generously proportioned too. Our family testers said that, during their three week trip to Slovenia, they found storage generous, and packed away considerable quantitates of clothes, wetsuits, and outdoor gas stove, a barbecue, footballs, cricket set, and more, with capacity to spare. They did, though, struggle for cupboard space with the many toiletries of an active family.