Caravan Club Magazine 2012

TEST : FIFTH WHEEL COMPANY INOS
USABILITY
ROOM
to spare
Vehicle supplied
for test by:
Fifth Wheel
Company,
Holywell Road,
Rhuallt,
Denbighshire
LL17 0AW. Call
01745 583000.
C
aravans with slide-out sides
are usually imported from
America, but there is now a
British model available – the
Inos from the Fifth Wheel
Company (which until now has solely built
fifth-wheel trailers). A big and beautifullymade caravan, the Inos weighs 1,900kg or
so unladen, putting any towing vehicle
firmly into the full-size 4x4 category.
CONSTRUCTION
Fifth Wheel Company doesn’t use wood in
its vehicle’s bodyshells; instead it employs
bonded composite supports and superior
grade 40mm insulation. This combination
makes for an extremely strong structure.
Inos is a hand-crafted design, utilising a
twin-axle BPW chassis and UK-supplied
GRP. The floor is a non-slip, safety, vinyl-
78
Spacious and classy interior
Do you want more living space
on site? Then perhaps you need
a caravan with a slide-out side.
John Parsons and Pat Taylor
tackle a British model for size
covered sandwich construction of bonded
3mm ply and alloy, with 26mm-thick
styrofoam insulation and a GRP underside.
Large, manually-operated corner
steadies and a Winterhoff hitch complete
the external picture.
Inside, plain cream walls are
complemented by dark wood and brushed
stainless steel furniture, cream leather
upholstery, pale surfaces in the bedroom
and a granite finish in the kitchen. A classy
and contemporary living environment, of
that there is no doubt.
TOWABILITY
Our test model had an MTPLM of
2,500kg, though Inos can be downplated
to a lower figure if required or up to a
maximum of 2,700kg (with a suitable tow
vehicle). We travelled light, so our actual
laden weight was around 2,200kg with
probably a lower-than-ideal noseweight –
we say this because there was some small
but noticeable movement of the caravan
at 60mph when the wind gusted on our
trip to the Club’s Lady Margaret’s Park
site. That said, aided by the Winterhoff
stabiliser hitch and integrated IDC
anti-sway system, Inos was easy to control.
On our return trip to the company’s
base, we put more load up front which
improved on-road behaviour significantly.
Inos’s MRO is 1,900kg, so a massive
payload of up to 600kg is available – this
should cater for any caravanner’s needs.
Nissan’s Pathfinder made easy work of
pulling Inos, and its 190bhp engine gave us
creditable fuel economy of 20-23mpg
towing. We found Inos easy to manoeuvre,
despite its size.
www.caravanclub.co.uk
Step inside Inos and you get an idea how
Alice felt when she fell down a rabbit hole
and discovered Wonderland.
The full-length electric slide-out, which
extends both lounge and bedroom, creates
a space that is almost as big as the average
budget-priced hotel room! Fellow
caravanners on site who sneaked a peek at
Inos marvelled at its interior space. All you
have to do to gain this extra room is move
a seat cushion, fold back the double bed
mattress and press a switch. Simples!
It’s equally quick and simple to retract.
Inos feels more spacious still thanks to
the large picture windows and a pair of
Heki rooflights, which combine to let
natural light flood in.
Generous of space, Inos is not shy when
it comes to storage either – there is masses
of it, especially when you consider this is a
two-berth caravan. The push-to-open
catches on the lower cupboards are a
particular delight to use. However, we
found the dining table, which lives in the
wardrobe, heavy and difficult to get to.
Although there are two TV points, the
swivel post in the lounge meant that the
gogglebox was visible from the bed, so we
had no need to move it at night.
The Alde heating, its control handily
located in the bedroom, offers a choice
of gas or electric heating at selected
thermostatically-controlled levels (electric
power is up to 2kW and gas up to 3kW,
so you’ll never get cold). We found the
underfloor heating was quite quick to reach
the required temperature, although I’m not
sure who appreciated this luxury the most –
us with our cold feet or the dog!
Fresh water supplies are taken care of by
a 45-litre onboard fresh tank – you can, of
course, use your Aquaroll (a Whale inboard
pump is standard issue) if you prefer.
A good, positive twist catch opens the gas
locker, although I’d have liked to have seen
a stay to prevent this door banging against
the caravan’s bodywork. All of Inos’s
services, except the mains input which is at
the rear of the vehicle, are conveniently
located along one side. There is an outside
gas point, but no mains socket.
One more thing to mention, before
moving onto ‘Living and Sleeping’, is that
the standard Hartel caravan door is just 19in
across – would be useful if it was wider.
John enjoys the
comfortable
dining set-up
LIVING AND SLEEPING
So spacious, Inos’s lounge is an inviting
environment in which to relax, its pair of
leather-clad settees proving exceedingly
comfortable – it’s a great place from which
to watch the world go by. Your welcome is
made even warmer by the ‘living fire’ image
on the TV screen (when it’s not being used
as a TV, obviously).
Although marketed as a two-berth, Inos
owners will be able to welcome a couple of
overnight guests as the settees are both long
enough, albeit a touch narrow, to be pressed
into action as single beds. However, there is
no such compromise with that glorious
nearside island double, best described as
‘semi-fixed’ as it needs to be folded for
travel. Set up within a second or two (just
what the doctor ordered after a tiring day
Fellow caravanners on site
s
who sneaked a peek at Ino
ace
marvelled at its interior sp
“
Inos is easy to handle on the road
The slide-out, er, slid
es
out quickly and ea
sily
TECHNICAL
RATINGS
”
CONSTRUCTION
TOWABILITY
USABILITY
LIVING AND SLEEPING
KITCHEN
WASHROOM
LIGHTING AND ELECTRICS
VERDICT
0
RRP/as tested
Overall length
Overall width
Overall height
Internal length
Max internal height
MRO
MTPLM
User payload
Berths
NCC approved
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
from £36,000/£38,802 OTR
22ft 11in (7m)
7ft 3in (2.29m)
8ft 10in (2.7m)
21ft 6in (6.55m)
6ft 8in (2.04m)
1,900kg (37.4cwt)
2,500kg (49.2cwt)
600kg (11.8cwt)
2
no
Figures supplied by manufacturer
Luxury living
Club insurance: 01342 336610 • Info: fifthwheelco.com
April 2012 The Caravan Club Magazine
79
TEST : FIFTH WHEEL COMPANY INOS
LIGHTING AND ELECTRICS
Attractive and
practical kitchen
/oven
b
o
h
er
rn
u
b
ru
fo
a
as
h
ef
h
C
hich to
with Piezo ignition from w
eal
conjure up a delicious mhowever,
utilise the fold-up extension at
“
walking or cycling), it is a full-size double.
We found the mattress a little on the firm
side, but still enjoyed a peaceful night’s
sleep. Useful bedside storage is also a boon.
Perhaps the real triumph of this
bedroom, though, is the view you get once
you’ve drawn back the curtains of the large
picture window above the vast dressing
table in the morning – you’ll be sorely
tempted to lie in bed for an extra hour or so.
We also liked the ability to section off
the bedroom with a concertina blind,
which curves round to include the
wardrobe, so creating a private changing
area. Also of note is the retention of access
to the rear washroom with the slide-out
retracted for travel mode.
KITCHEN
While some caravan makers don’t take care
to provide sufficient kitchen lighting, this is
not a criticism that can be levelled at the
Fifth Wheel Company in the Inos. Plenty of
natural light and a highly-effective double
LED leave no corner in the dark.
Inos’s impressive storage credentials
continue in the kitchen (but there is no
cocktail cabinet or crockery rack), although
worktop space is not overly generous, even
with the sink cover in place. You can,
80
”
the kitchen’s forward end, but this
obstructs entry to and exit from the caravan
via the main door when in use. You could
always employ the dining table as extra
work surface should you wish, without
seriously compromising space in the lounge.
Chef has a four-burner hob/oven with
Piezo ignition from which to conjure up a
delicious meal, as well as a microwave
which is not ideally set above the domesticsize 175-litre Thetford fridge-freezer – you
can opt for a smaller fridge, which would
then bring the microwave lower.
WASHROOM
This large end bathroom boasts a spacious
separate rectangular shower unit with
bi-fold door and luxury fittings. Clever use
of mirrors and good lighting make the
bathroom feel even bigger than it really is.
The sink, though small, is well positioned
with decent storage below. Additional
storage cupboards are found adjacent to the
Thetford C260 cassette toilet, one of which
holds the header tank for the Alde system.
Standard washroom fittings extend to an
extractor fan, two towel hooks, a soap dish
and mug holder, all of which are quality
items. Quality also accurately describes this
compartment’s solid, sliding door.
As nightfall descends, another Inos strength
comes to the fore – interior lighting can
accurately be described as fantastic. Four
ceiling-mounted 60-LED units combine
with adjustable LED spotlights in both the
lounge and bedroom to offer a truly
illuminating experience. Those spots in the
bedroom are easy to angle for perfect nighttime reading and have individual switches.
The ‘awning’ light (it’s in single
quotes as there is no awning rail!) enjoys
a central location, thus offering a good
spread of light. Sensor operated, it means
you never have to fumble in the dark to
open the caravan door when you return
from an evening out.
The Inos owner can take advantage of
multiple mains sockets, each area being
well served. The double socket in the
kitchen is thoughtfully sited above a small,
flat workspace – ideal for the kettle without
the lead interfering with cooker or sink.
Fuses, trips and the RCD are easy to
access in one of the bedroom cupboards,
while the electrical control panel is again
sensibly sited above the main caravan door –
it shows tank water levels, battery state and
internal and external temperatures.
Battery charging is by a CB 522 switched
system which has four modes, including a
10-hour 13.5V hold and a standby function
which stops charging until the battery
power falls below 13V. ■
VERDICT
This Inos is built to the same exacting
standards as its bigger sibling, the
Celtic Rambler, which we tested
previously for this magazine; it has that
same ‘wow’ factor as soon as you step
inside, too. It is splendidly spacious
and luxurious, is a pleasure to live in
and not as difficult to tow as you might
originally think. It can also be adapted
to an individual’s requirements.
The Fifth Wheel Company is a
family firm that clearly takes pride in
its products, an approach which is
highlighted by its response to some
minor comments we made after our
four-day test. “Already modified” and
“Yes, we will fix that” are typical of its
responses to feedback.
With a starting price of £36,000,
Inos is not cheap, but dare I suggest
that it still offers good value for money.
Remember, though, you’ll need a B+E
driver’s licence and a suitable towcar.
Overall, Inos is a mighty and
impressive caravan.
www.caravanclub.co.uk