Bailey alliance 59-2
Bailey’s mid range Alliance line up gets a new compact six metre model with the classic two berth layout.
Launched last October, Bailey’s Alliance was not so much a completely new range as an enhanced spec option for the entrylevel Advance (which debuted in its current guise earlier in the year).
All layouts bar the transverse island bed (74 2 and 74 4) were copied over into this new mid range line up, while a single bed/end washroom floorplan also debuted simultaneously for both Advance and Alliance.
Now, following its February NEC debut, Bailey has plugged another gap in its portfolio with the launch of this 59-2 layout in both ranges, addressing the desire of some customers for a sub six metre motorhome.
Following usual Bailey practice, the numbers make this a 5.9m(ish) twoberth motorhome.
This is, therefore, the Bristol maker’s smallest model, but it benefits from the same extra kit in higher priced Alliance form a graphite metallic cab (instead of white), a 160bhp diesel engine (in place of 130bhp), a radio that incorporates satnav, a Fiamma wind out awning, an illuminated surround for the overcab sunroof, a 100W solar panel, and a change of décor.
Alliance motorhomes feature a Natural Slate finish in the kitchen (with matching splashback), Portland soft furnishings (or Wandsworth as an option) and Pebble Shore carpets.
ONE STEP AHEAD
As I pulled up outside the Bailey’s Bristol premises, it was clear that the 59-2 has all the design cues of its bigger brethren, but equally obvious that this is a compact ’van.
It probably looks smaller than it is thanks to the neat low profile body (wood free Alu Tech construction, of course) and low Al Ko chassis.
One unique feature of the layout, however, is the slide out electric step required to ease access. This is a reasonable 330mm off the road and then there’s a further slight step over the threshold.
The habitation door itself has a window and bin but is not linked to the cab’s central locking.
Other exterior features of note are a Vision Plus TV aerial socket and a hatch into the under seat space on the nearside useful but only if you can find a home elsewhere for your bedding, as the offside settee base is predominantly occupied by the fresh water tank (good for winterisation) and the Combi boiler.
On the rear wall are fixings for a bike rack, while on the offside are the gas locker (mounted a bit high over the wheelarch) and the toilet servicing (with separate reservoir for its flush, caravan style). Look underneath and you’ll see the small bore waste drain and the lack of a spare wheel (buyers get a Fix and Go kit instead). There’s no winter pack option to insulate the pipework or heat the underslung waste tank.
Like all Alliances, the 59-2 is built on a 3,500kg chassis here resulting in a whopping 820kg payload. That’s another plus of going smaller. Even a couple of Sumo wrestlers could go camping without being overloaded.
TWO BY TWO
The motorhomers went in two by two, at least Alliance 59-2 owners do, because this is a classic couple’s layout with side settees (no rear travel seats) and a rear kitchen with corner washroom. It’s a layout that has been popular in the UK for around two decades. Here, as with most rivals, it feels spacious and open. Large side windows in the lounge, plus the opening overcab sunroof and central Midi Heki rooflight mean there’s plenty of daylight. And, after sundown, illumination continues to be a strength with concealed lighting over the top lockers, and four reading lamps over the settees, as well as more in the cab. Two of the six spotlights have built in USB sockets.
Another aspect that strikes you immediately is the generosity of headroom. There’s up to 2.10m of standing height in the rear galley area, though this reduces as you step up (by 150mm) into the lounge (where there’s room for shoes or even valuables in a locker hidden under the carpet). Then there’s a further rise in floor level (70mm) to enter the cab. Shouldn’t the lounge and cab be on the same level, so just one step is required?
Once you’ve sat down you’ll have no complaints, though and no thoughts that you’re in a small ’van. With the cab chairs (each height adjustable) rotated, there’s comfortably room for six in this lounge area. And, if you’re not feeling sufficiently sociable to invite friends in, the front seats turn through a full 180 degrees, so you can stretch out with your feet up on the sofas.
There’s no bracket or cupboard for your TV, but the surface over the fridge has adjacent 12V, 230V and aerial sockets. Forward of that, the worktop is lower, so you can put drinks here and not block your view of the TV a neat bit of design.
Not so clever is the table storage. At first, having looked in the wardrobe, I thought that the table had been forgotten it wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened when testing a prototype. But, no, it slides into brackets fixed to the nearside settee base. I didn’t find sliding the table in or out from under the settee especially easy and, on one occasion, the rails holding the table moved and it dropped down into the seat locker.
All that said, this is a good sized table (915mm by 570mm) with the versatility of being free standing. It’s wobble free, as well as being usable when one wishes to dine outside.
A SHELFLESS ACT
With its duo tone top lockers and allwhite lower doors, plus the slate style splashback, this is a well presented galley. It’s got some nice accessories, too, such as the removable draining board, washing up bowl and chopping board. We’re also fans of the halfheight Thetford Triplex cooker, which doesn’t take up too much room but incorporates a three ring hob and combined oven and grill. The spec here also includes an 800W microwave, fitted at eye level.
The design of the kitchen is typical of this type of motorhome, with the main galley unit across the rear wall and the fridge mounted separately, forward of the habitation door. The refrigerator itself is a three way model of reasonable capacity, which can be enhanced by removing the freezer section. In usual Bailey style, though, it’s a basic model with push-button ignition for the gas function.
There’s plenty of cupboard space, both at high and low level, but just one drawer (without recesses for cutlery). The high level lockers are largely unshelved (good for cereal packets, but more shelves might be better) and a bigger concern for shorter chefs will be seeing into some spaces (such as the cupboard above the microwave).
The cupboards over the lounge also lack shelves. They are capacious (you’ll get lots of folded clothing in here) and have positive locking catches but you might find stuff tumbling out when you open the doors. And even more of an issue are the open recesses at the sides of the overcab, which would benefit from deep lips or retainer nets to become genuinely useful.
The final area of storage is the wardrobe (situated forward of the washroom), which, as mentioned, is unencumbered by a table. It has a good hanging height of around 890mm although, at 400mm wide, it is rather slim.
GOING SEPARATELY
Perhaps the modest wardrobe was a casualty of the decision to fit a separate shower in the washroom. If that’s the case, we think Bailey is on the right road (and you will, too, if you prefer to use your own facilities or camp off grid). It’s not often that you’ll find a truly separate shower in a six metre ’van.
There’s much else to applaud here. There’s useful worktop alongside the basin, a large mirror, towel robe hooks, plenty of room on the loo (which is also at a comfortable height), a lock on the door, and the shower is a good size with huge headroom and twin drain holes. If we are to nitpick, the main toiletries cabinet needs more shelves and the shower cubicle lacks anywhere to place your shampoo and gel (except on the floor).
AT THE DOUBLE
The shower might be separate but you sleep together in the 59-2. The only night time option is a transverse double bed made from the settees.
Bed make up is quite simple, with the slatted support of the offside sofa pulling right out across the aisle to form the base of the mattress. You’d expect now to simply drop the backrest cushions into the middle but, actually, you use just one backrest and an infill cushion (which, of course, eats into your storage during the day). Because the settee cushions have knee rolls, you may feel the need to turn the base cushions around to create a flatter bed.
That done, you’ll have a long, comfortable bed with venting panels to keep your pillows away from the side walls and a neat bedside table if feet go towards the offside.
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXER
As well as the DAB radio with built in TomTom sat nav, Bailey specifies the Boxer cab for these Alliance models with cab air conditioning, cruise control, driver and passenger airbags, ESP and cab seats with twin armrests, but not the alloy wheels seen on this test vehicle (which are not available as a factory option).
Like the larger Alliances, the 59-2 also gets the 160 horsepower engine as standard, rather than the usual 130bhp unit. Both are 2 litre Euro 6 diesels, and have an advantage over the equivalent Fiat in terms of smoothness and refinement as well as showing much bigger progress compared with their 2.2 litre forebears.
In such a small (and light) motorhome the engine upgrade results in lively performance with the 59-2 scaling the Mendips effortlessly on our test route and often in a higher gear than expected.
The ultra low Al Ko chassis also makes its presence felt. Some compact coachbuilts can feel quite twitchy as they are too tall in relation to their wheelbase length, but the Bailey seemed as surefooted as its bigger brothers, with very reassuring road manners. I was also very grateful for the 59-2’s compact size when looking for a photo location and discovering just how small the village of Rickford is. And this wasn’t the only time that I was pleased that the Alliance is ‘only’ 2.28m wide (rather than 2.49m of the upmarket Autographs) the B roads around the west of Bristol are not exactly broad.