In Greek mythology, Chimera is a she-devil fire-breathing monster made up of disparate parts from various devil-like animals. In real life, a Chimera travel trailer is nothing like that, living as the most luxurious super-size caravan you're likely to see this week.
Chimera is just one of the caravan lines produced by Swedish company Polar. The Polar Chimera series is actually comprised of two models, the single-axle 590 and the dual-axle 730, each offered with a few different floorplans and a handful of extra customization options.
The 730, for one, comes in three floorplans with sleeping up to as many as six people, but they all have in common the same luxurious touches throughout, plenty of onboard tech, and outstanding levels of comfort.
It's not that often that you would use the term "handsome" to describe a travel trailer, but you could do so with the Chimera 730 BSL Polar brought to the 2024 Dusseldorf Caravan Show earlier this year. The video available at the bottom of the page is a short but full and very telling tour of that unit.
Photo: Polar
The Polar Chimera 730 BSL, regardless of options and finishes, is elegant and sturdy, competent and cozy. Polar describes it as "a caravan beyond moderation," but you're not to take that to mean that it's showy or gaudy, the kind of in-your-face asset that begs for attention whichever way it can.
It's "beyond moderation" in that it delivers "unlimited vacation luxury for the discerning" by means of unique features, all the creature comfort of home, and a habitat that's well proofed against the elements. It's also impressively elegant, with no compromise on functionality or comfort.
The Chimera 730 is a dual-axle variant, offering a total length of 934 cm (30.6 feet), including the drawbar, with a usable interior length of 731 cm (24 feet) and a livable surface of 17 square meters (183 square feet). That's more than plenty to offer all the creature comforts of a home, especially for the discerning customers for whom "home" unequivocally means features like a wine cooler or a nice glass-encased bar in the living room.
Photo: Polar
The Chimera 730 BSL shown at Dussedorf came with the standard white exterior and dark interiors with copper accents throughout. You have to admire the dedication of a builder that matches the copper hardware on the cabinets with copper accent lighting and copper accent lines on the bodypaint or copper wheel caps.
The layout puts a massive, U-shaped dinette at the front, doing double service as guest bedroom and entertaining room. The dinette converts into a bed when needed, while a couple of speakers and a subwoofer pair nicely with the large-screen TV that will be mounted on the already-prepped wall.
The kitchen takes up most of the central part of the caravan and is split in two. On one side, you get a bar for all your drinks and glasses, a double-door fridge with freezer, and additional storage space. On the other, you get a deep sink, a four-burner gas and induction cooker combo unit, more storage, and a tower with an oven, a microwave, and additional storage.
Photo: Polar
The most impressive part about the kitchen, beyond how functional it is despite its relative compactness, is that it looks gorgeous. Better said, it's handsome.
The bedroom is at the rear, separated from the rest of the space by a thick curtain. Each bed features premium mattress toppers and custom Polar neck pillows, and there's storage throughout.
The bathroom is tucked away at the back, behind a wall, so that it functions as an ensuite to the bedroom. It's more compact in size but still well specced, with a walk-in glass shower, a sink with vanity, a toilet, a drying rack, and even more storage. Like the rest of the habitat, the bathroom is finished in the same dark, earthly tones, with copper accents and mood lighting.
Photo: Polar
Most Polar caravans are built by hand in Dorotea, Sweden, at the Polar factory, which also includes a carpentry unit. This means that production is all done in-house, from the exteriors to the interiors, which ensures quality control throughout the entire process.
Standard features include underfloor adjustable heating, AC, an Alde 3030 compact water boiler, a central vacuum cleaner, a 100 Ah AGM battery, and 60-liter (15.8-gallon) water tanks. Extra stuff of the kind other caravans won't even consider include, besides the wine bottle cooler and that large bar, a shoe dryer inside a dedicated shoe drawer, and premium fabrics.
The Chimera 730 comes with a permissible maximum weight of 2,650 kg (5,842 lbs). Pricing for the 730 BSL model starts at €91,670, with the unit shown at Dusseldorf asking €93,660. That's roughly $96,900 and $99,000, respectively, at the current exchange rate. It's a lot of money alright, but luxury is never cheap.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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