Adria Adora 612PT Slide-out

It’s a marriage made in heaven that few caravan makers have consummated: a space-adding slide-out wall on a lightweight British or European caravan.

Slovenian brand Adria, now distributed in Australia by Apollo Motorhome Holidays, bagged the bragging rights for being the first Euro brand to offer the feature now commonplace on an increasing number of mainstream on-road Australian caravans when it introduced a new version of its range-topping, tandem axle, 22ft 3in Adora 612 at the 2015 Queensland Caravan Show.

In this respect it has stolen a march on its British (Bailey, Swift and Elddis) and German (Knaus) Euro rivals, although the modest dinette ‘bump’ on the 612PT’s left-hand flank is unlikely to cause any mayhem, even in the tightest local caravan parks.

The Adria’s offside slide-out sits almost totally flush against the caravan’s sleek, polyester composite white body. Like most European vans, the Adria’s wall structure is already very rigid by design and hence little strength appears to have been lost – and little weight gained – by adding the modest hole in the offside wall and installing the slide out mechanism itself.

The purpose of a slide-out is to increase interior space and this is even more welcome in a European-sourced caravans like the 7ft 1in wide Adria, as they are generally much slimmer than their Aussie counterparts to start with.

While some Australian models, like Universal, have huge slide-out wall sections up to five metres long that project the bedroom and lounge into your neighbour’s outdoor living space, Adria’s ‘slide’ is much more modest. It simply moves the four-seater L-shaped dinette just 330mm out from the main offside bodywork in around 20 seconds at the touch of an electric switch.

Given its rear door, this means that you need to extend the wall to get good access to the kitchen for a roadside ‘cuppa’, but with the slide’s speed and its relatively small projection, this is hardly a problem. It also has no effect on access to the Adora’s full across-the-rear ensuite.

Otherwise there’s no downside. The slide-out lounge with its large, almost full-width opening picture window, is one of the best-looking we’ve ever seen from the outside, as it doesn’t have the rather ugly roll-out awning top used by some manufacturers for weather protection, instead relying on good body seals.

Inside, the extension looks like it was made for the Adora too, with the framed timber alcove that the slide exposes when deployed matching the lightweight paneling used in the van’s simple, but stylish interior.

Unlike some British/Euro vans, the Adria Adora 612 has a conventional Australian feel.

The new Dometic entry-door now being fitted as standard to many Australian caravans, sets the tone with its solid feel, as Australians have yet to embrace the two part ‘stable door’ used on many Euro vans.

Located rear of the tandem axle set, you enter with the ensuite to the right, disguised by a proper left-hinged door that blends into the timber wall paneling.

For its 22ft 3in overall length, this ensuite is a good size, rather than expansive, but it’s well laid out in a traditional way, with a Thetford cassette toilet on the left, a central vanity and a huge shower cubicle on the right. However, several things warrant special mention.

The shower, for example, is not only very roomy, but also has a mirror at head height and a central rail on which to hang towels to dry after use, or when travelling (why don’t all caravans have this?).

There’s also a large mirror in the vanity area rather than the pokey little things fitted to many vans, but on the debit side, the plastic vanity bowl, while commendably lightweight, will be easily scratched in regular use.

Many travelers will also mourn the absence of a washing machine that is now expected on a van in the $60,000 price bracket.

The central lounge and kitchen area similarly offer mixed blessings.

The L-shaped lounge upholstered in a stylish woven fabric and located on the right-hand side will seat four easily around the round-cornered single pedestal rectangular table, with a welcome footstool provided for TV gazing.

Alternatively, the dinette can become a small double bed for children or guests.

The opposing kitchen with its three-burner Dometic gas stove, oven and grill combination ticks all the boxes except bench space.

The problem is that the burners are set back under the window, to the left of the Adora’s stainless steel sink, leaving only a relatively small bench plating and serving space.

You could use the glass cover on the cooktop for extra space, but not if the burners are still hot from your omelette/bacon and eggs.

It might be an issue for long-term travelers, but most people will overcome the problem by using the dining table for extra bench space.

To the right of the galley, there’s a large Dometic 190 litre fridge/freezer with a Camec microwave above.

On the bonus side, there’s plenty of kitchen storage with two large drawers and a slide-out pantry.

A small bench to the right of the fridge could be used for supplementary bench space, but in our hands it was fully occupied hosting the Adora’s TV, our coffee pod machine and sundry iPhones/iPads, etc. and their chargers, thanks to the power sockets above.

Thanks to the van’s layout, its island queen bed occupies a royal, tranquil place at the head of the van, and can be separated from the galley/lounge/ensuite by a neat concertina vinyl curtain that neatly clips closed to the wall buttress behind the lounge.

I know it’s a small thing, but it means that someone can watch TV in the lounge while the other person (or children) sleeps and you can close the door on a messy morning bedroom if friends drop around inconveniently early!

Another think we liked was the fact that the Adora 612 with this layout has no front window; it’s unnecessary with the large opening side windows and the space is better used by the convenient shelf for books/phones/etc behind the bed, while roomy robes and overhead cupboards take care of all the storage needs you’re likely to want in a van this size.

The exception is the under-bed storage, where one side is taken up by the modular Truma Saphir reverse-cycle air conditioner.

Outside there’s more storage space in the partitioned front boot alongside the spare wheel and twin 9kg gas cylinders, but the full tunnel boot just rear of it is a more useful space provided you don’t wedge anything in that will damage the rather vulnerable-looking air conditioning hoses.

A wind-out awning provides welcome shade, but needs anchoring with guy ropes in windy conditions.

However we have left the Adria’s most ‘adorable’ feature for last. Its 1650kg Tare weight and even its fully laden ATM of 2000kg, mean that this quite large caravan can be towed by a wide variety of vehicles – a feature that will be its prime attraction for many travelers reluctant to change their tow cars or seeking economical travel.

True, its Al-Ko rubber independent suspension, while tuned for Australian conditions and set to an acceptable ride height, is not designed for heavy-duty corrugations, but then neither are the majority of Australian travelers that will be attracted to the Adora 612PT.

WE LIKED:
>> Euro style and light weight
>> Good ensuite
>> Well-engineered slide-out

NOT SO MUCH:
>> Limited kitchen bench space
>> Fake curtains
>> No washing machine

VERDICT

The Adora 612PT slide-out ticks many of the boxes for Australian touring couples with its combination of Euro style, preferred front bed/rear ensuite layout, light weight and now, with the optional slide out lounge, more central interior space.

ADRIA ADORA 612PT SLIDE-OUT

Travel (overall) length: 8230mm (27ft)
External body length: 6780mm (22ft 3in)
External body width: 2170mm (7ft 1in)
Travel height: 2580mm (8ft 5in)
Interior height: 1950mm (6ft 4in)
Tare weight: 1650kg
ATM: 2000kg
Ball weight: 120kg
Body: Polyester sides and roof and ABS walls
Chassis: Al-Ko hot-dipped steel
Suspension: Dual axle Al-Ko rubber torsion
Brakes: 10-inch electric
Wheels: 14in alloy
Fresh water: 130L
Battery: 1 x 100A/h
Gas: 2 x 4.5kg
Cooking: Thetford Duplex three gas burner gas cook top with gas grill and oven
Microwave: Camec
Fridge: 190-litre Dometic 3-way 12v/240v/gas
Toilet: Thetford cassette in combined toilet/vanity ensuite 
Shower: Separate internal
Lighting: LED
Air-con: Truma Saphir Comfort reverse cycle
Price: $65,895 (tow-away, Qld)
Supplied by: Apollo Motorhome Holidays, Northgate, Qld    
More info: Adria Australia