New Bailey Ascent 69-4TS 2027 motorhome

A new model, and a properly clever one

The 69-4TS is new for the Ascent range, and it exists to solve a problem that comes up constantly on the forecourt.

Plenty of couples want the space efficiency of a drop-down bed, nothing permanently committed to sleeping, full use of the floor plan by day. But a good number of them sleep badly sharing a double. Different bedtimes. One of you reads, the other doesn’t. One of you gets up at six. One of you moves in the night. Traditionally the only fix has been a twin fixed single layout, which means giving up a large chunk of the vehicle to beds that sit empty all day.

The 69-4TS gives you both. It takes the best-selling 69-4 layout and replaces the single drop-down double above the front lounge with twin electrically operated drop-down single beds.

How it works

Both beds lower electrically at the touch of a button, giving you two separate single beds with proper separation between them. In the morning, both retract into the roof and the full lounge comes back, the same floor space you’d have in a van with no beds at all.

You get the sleeping arrangement of a twin-single motorhome and the daytime living space of a drop-down layout. As far as compromises go, it’s a rare one that doesn’t feel like a compromise.

The flexi-lounge below

The front lounge is the same well-resolved space as the 69-4, with twin Aguti convertible travel seats that incorporate ISOFIX mounting points, worth knowing if you carry grandchildren in child seats, because it means proper anchorage rather than a belt and hope.

An electric rise-and-fall pedestal table adjusts to whatever you’re doing: dining height for meals, lower for lounging, gone entirely when you want the floor. And the lounge itself converts into an additional double bed at night if you need to sleep more than two.

Kitchen, washroom and wardrobe

The central kitchen is well equipped and includes a Thetford compressor tower fridge. Compressor refrigeration draws from the leisure battery, works regardless of whether you’re perfectly level, and holds its temperature in hot weather far better than the absorption units still common elsewhere in the market, noticeable on a French August trip.

The end washroom is spacious and features a separate shower cubicle, plus a large internal wardrobe. That wardrobe deserves attention: hanging space is the thing most often undersized in motorhomes, and it is the single biggest determinant of whether a two-week trip feels civilised or feels like living out of a holdall.

Garage storage

The full-width rear garage has double-door access from both sides of the vehicle. It’s fully lined with carpeted sidewalls and durable vinyl flooring, fitted with a Truma blown-air heating outlet, an internal 12v strip light, 230v and 12v power sockets, up to four floor-mounted lashing rings, and new bungee storage pockets for the smaller items that otherwise end up rolling around at the first roundabout.

Base vehicle and licence

Built on a Ford cab and skeletal chassis with an Alu-Tech bodyshell, the 69-4TS carries the same fully specified Transit cab as the rest of the range: 2.0 litre 165bhp with 8-speed automatic gearbox, air conditioning, cruise control, electric windows, automatic wipers and headlights, daytime running lights, electronic parking brake, 12-inch touchscreen infotainment with DAB, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a rear-view reversing camera.

3,500kg MTPLM, so a standard Category B licence covers it.

The interior

New Natural Oak furniture finishes, an Onyx worktop laminate, and floating curved overhead lockers with an integral 12v mood lighting track. Fully upholstered wall coverings, premium matt black fixtures and fittings, Oatmeal split-section drop-in carpets over Dark Oak vinyl, and Dune soft furnishings with two scatter cushions as standard.

A 150Ah lithium battery handles off-grid power, and the Truma Combi Neo 6E system provides fast room heating and strong hot water performance.

Who it suits

Couples who sleep better apart but refuse to give up their living space to do it. Grandparents who carry child seats and want ISOFIX. Anyone who has looked at twin fixed single layouts, liked the beds and baulked at the space they consume.

Key features

• 4 berth, 4 travel seats, 3,500kg MTPLM


• Twin electrically operated drop-down single beds


• Flexi-lounge with twin Aguti convertible travel seats and ISOFIX


• Electric rise-and-fall pedestal table


• Lounge converts to an additional double bed


• Central kitchen with Thetford compressor tower fridge


• End washroom with separate shower cubicle


• Large internal wardrobe


• Full-width rear garage with double-door access from both sides


• Ford 2.0 litre 165bhp with 8-speed automatic gearbox


• 150Ah lithium battery and Truma Combi Neo 6E