Michael Browning•6 Jan 2017

REVIEW

AOR Odyssey Series II

Australian Off Road’s re-take on its camper trailer origins is now complete with new baby hard shell model

If you think of AOR’s new 3.6-metre long hard-walled pop-top as a mini caravan, you’re at odds with its Caloundra, Queensland maker.

Rather, AOR’s founder Steve Budden views his latest off-road creation as a logical current day replacement for the Odyssey hard floor folding camper trailer that formed the company’s foundation back in 2000.

Working on the basis that the majority of today’s travellers are younger, time poor and expect a greater level of comfort than their predecessors, the Odyssey II ticks all the boxes.

For a start, it’s 610mm shorter than AOR’s top-selling Quantum ‘Super Camper’ with which it shares many visual similarities, including its composite fibreglass walls and cut-away rear end. It’s also 370kg lighter at its tare weight of 1400kg, putting it clearly into camper trailer, rather than caravan territory.

Combined with a 4x4-sized body width of 1950mm, generous 30-degree front and rear departure angles and its flexible DO-35 off-road hitch, the new Odyssey – like its canvas-roofed predecessor – can follow a medium sized 4WD most places.

In fact, unless your ‘Four-be’ has a suspension lift to increase its clearance, your tow car is likely to be the limiting link in your off-road aspirations.

SEMI HARDCORE HARD SHELL CAMPER

That’s not to say it’s in the same league as hard-shell off-roaders such as Track Trailer’s Tvan, Vista’s RV, the new Pioneer Mitchell, or the super-light Ultimate – they’re in a league of their own for serious off-road travellers who eschew predominantly canvas-based campers.

However the Odyssey Series II at its size and weight is far nimbler than most off-road caravans and will meet the adventurous aspirations of most remote area travellers.

At least that’s what AOR believes and the proof is in the bank. To date, just over six months after its public launch at the 2016 Brisbane caravan show, AOR has received more forward orders than for any other new model in recent years.

Although clearly based on the top-selling Quantum, the Odyssey II looks perfectly proportioned. In fact, when you see them side-by-side, the Quantum – and particularly the even longer Quantum Plus – both look almost over-sized.

Yet the reality is that the Odyssey offers almost the same amount of useable room inside as the shorter Quantum. Let me explain.

In the Quantum, the north-south queen bed is fixed in position in the nose of the camper, leaving seating space for four between it and the simple galley that spans the rear of the camper to the right of its combined shower/toilet.

In the new Odyssey, the bed is in the same position but is front hinged, so it rises – still fully made ¬ out of the way up to the full height of the pop-top roof when not required.

This reveals seating – or dining space for four – with plenty of head room, with under-bed storage hidden by hinged covers that are held in the open position by simple bungy loops.

One of these lockers holds the Odyssey’s table, that needs to be assembled and then locked into place between the lounge seats, but with a little more design thought it surely would have been possible to have the table lower to the height of the lounge, where it would be covered by the bed in its lowered position? We understand that AOR is working on it.

Even with the bed down, there’s still seating room for two, so it you’re planning a quick overnighter there’s no need to spend the five seconds it takes to tilt the bed.

COOKING INSIDE OR OUT

Like the Quantum, the Odyssey II offers the option of indoor or outdoor cooking – or both.

Indoor, it’s via the standard three-burner cooktop set into the rear benchtop next to the small square stainless steel sink with its hot/cold mixer tap. A 75-litre Vitrifrego compressor fridge sits below the right-hand side of the benchtop, next to three sliding storage drawers.

The lower section of the left-hand side of the cabinet on the review Odyssey housed the camper’s standard portable toilet, but we understand that this slightly clunky arrangement is being changed on future models that will see it housed in one of the external lockers.

Neither is ideal in a vehicle without an external shower pod or tent.

Most people purchasing the new Odyssey will want to cook outside and for them, AOR offers its $3500 stainless steel kitchen. It’s a relatively expensive option, but most people will tick that box because it really makes this pop-top work like a camper.

It slides out of a front locker and unpacks with large stainless steel prep shelves left and right of its three-burner cooktop and stainless steel sink with its hot/cold mixer tap, but there’s no room for a flanking fridge slide unless you order the optional front storage locker.

With a standard 140 litres of fresh water, the Odyssey II is well equipped for remote area camping, but you can option twin 80 litre tanks for an additional $1100 if you’d like a little more.

LINGER LONGER OFF THE GRID

It’s the same for the electrics. The Odyssey II’s twin 120AH marine deep cycle batteries, 2 x 150W roof-mounted solar panels and 1000W inverter will be enough for most buyers, although AOR offers a pricier lithium battery system for those who would like to linger longer off the grid.

And that’s just the start if you want to play the options game. For example, a full width front storage box (for a portable fridge) with a drawbar extension costs $1500; there’s a sail track awning to supplement the standard Thule Omnistor wind-out job if you’d like more shade and you can specify a diesel heater (like our test Odyssey) for an additional $2500.

It can all add up if you’re not careful. In fact, when we visited the purpose-built AOR factory on the Sunshine Coast, the staff were applying the finishing touches to a similar fully-optioned Odyssey II including air conditioning, that was going to cost its female purchaser around $93,000 – or almost $25K more than the standard price!

WE LIKED:

>> Modern style

>> Quality finish

>> Off-road ability and specs

>> Internal spaced utilisation

NOT SO MUCH:

>> Premium price

>> Lack of standard external fridge slide

>> Portable toilet storage

>> Need to assemble table

VERDICT

With its starting price of $69,900, the Odyssey II is far from a cheap option. However, counting the $$ is missing its point.

Beautifully made and finished like all AOR products and well supported in the field by an organisation with a large owners’ forum, the latest and most compact AOR camper is a lifestyle choice designed to take you places where campers can and caravans can’t in surprising comfort.

AUSTRALIAN OFF ROAD ODYSSEY II

Travel length: 5200mm

Body length: 3600mm

External body width: 1950mm

Travel height: 2275mm

Tare weight: 1400kg

ATM: 2000kg

Ball weight: 100kg

Body: Fibreglass walls and roof

Chassis: Galvanised, powder coated steel 150mm x 50mm

Suspension: AOR independent trailing arms and coil springs with twin EFS gas shockers per wheel and 2500kg axles and bearings

Brakes: 12-inch electric

Wheels: 17 x 8in Dynamic steel rims with 265/70R17 off-road tyres

Fresh water: 1 x 140L

Battery: 2 x 120Ah deep cycle AGM

Solar: 2 x 150W roof-mounted panels

Gas: 2 x 4.5kg

Hot water: Gas

Cooking: 3-burner gas internal cooktop with optional exterior 3-burner kitchen

Fridge: 75-litre internal Vitrifrigo compressor

Shower: External rear hot/cold shower

Lighting: LED throughout

Price (As reviewed, ex-Qld): $75.900

Options fitted: External kitchen ($3500); diesel space heater ($2500)

Supplied by: Australian Off Road, Caloundra, Qld

AOR Odyssey Series II

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