VIDEO: An exclusive look inside Elddis testing at Markbronn

by Chris Jefferies
When it comes to caravan testing, the Markbronn testing track has something of a notorious reputation.
Don’t let its delightful setting in the south German countryside fool you; this is where manufacturers go when they want to give their new tourers a truly rough ride.
In this video, we meet up with the testing and development team at Elddis to put a prototype Solid Construction caravan through its paces, following a rigorous schedule developed by MIRA and BPW.
David Styles from Elddis explains how the team regularly carries out strenuous towing tests to simulate a lifetime of abuse in just a few days.
This includes towing across potholes, cobblestones and twist humps, with the aim of finding out how much stress and strain the individual components can stand up to.
We also find out what it’s like to ride inside the caravan during two laps of testing, in order to get a first-hand experience of the sheer violence of the testing process, which makes just sitting still a real challenge.