AOR Sinergi 2023 Review

If you’re a mid-sized hybrid caravan buyer, you’re now spoiled for choice with models from Australian Off Road, Kimberley, Pioneer, Rhinomax, Mountain Trail, Track Trailer, Vision (and soon Zone RV) among the leading Australian brands chasing your money.

We’ve just reviewed one of the latest, Australian Off Road’s new tandem-axle Sinergi, and we returned it wondering why you’d want more from an off-road caravan.

Second from top in AOR van range

The AOR Sinergi can be viewed as a smaller brother to AOR’s range-topping Aurora, or a long-promised tandem-axle 16ft Matrix hybrid, but true to company founder Steve Budden’s tea leaves, it has found its own comfortable niche in the AOR range between the two.

AOR really knows its off-road business, but more importantly, its customers. Since 2000 it has been forecasting and setting industry trends with its well-engineered and beautifully built campers and caravans, fearlessly forging new markets usually ahead of its major opposition, which has grown to match it over the years.

The range-topping 7925mm long, tandem-axle Aurora, with its faceted (curved) body sides, indoor/outdoor cooking and separate shower/toilet ensuite, still remains the ideal couple’s off-road caravan for those wanting to makes their own way around Australia, but not everyone wanted to pay its $181,900 sticker price or was prepared to wait their turn in its one-per-month building cycle.

The next model down, the single-axle Matrix, was a worthy off-roader, available either as a full-height caravan or as a pop-top, but its single axle and overall length of 7050mm was a bit squeezy for some, although its price of $133,900 in hardtop form was more attractive.

So AOR did the logical thing, combining the best features of the two in a new model that it priced neatly between them at $159,900.

For this money the Sinergi gets the interior space that a tandem layout and some clever re-packaging has allowed, while at an overall length just 225mm more and with a Tare weight just 55kg greater, it retains the slim-hipped off-roadability of its smaller brother.

Easy towing

That extra length doesn’t hamper the Sinergi off the bitumen, as it sits snug behind most tow vehicles, but the absence of a rear bumper or spare tyre makes its bodywork vulnerable to damage during three-point ‘bush’ turns on one-way tracks.

From the outside, the Sineregi can at first sight be mistaken for the larger Aurora thanks to its distinctive ‘faceted’ side panels that bulge at the waist and then curve to the roof. But the Sinergi’s single spare wheel sits almost vertically on its A-frame, whereas the Aurora’s twin spares and jerrycans are bolted to its rear panel.

The location of the spare wheel is critical to the ethos of the Sinergi, as it has allowed the designers to push the queen bed, or optional twin single beds, right into the nose of the van, liberating more interior space at the expense of the front boot.

Large 50kg-capacity metal bins replace the boot and glide out of lockers located at the front of the body, providing easy access to storage for items such as awning mats, wheel chocks, tools and the like.

Similar to the AOR Aurora, the Sinergi is designed for either outdoor or indoor living, with the outdoor kitchen sliding out next to the left-side front storage bin.

It’s a well-designed and made stainless steel unit, with a twin-burner gas cooktop with griller below, a large slide-out stainless steel prep shelf at the front and, in the case of the review Sinergi, a Weber BabyQ mounted at the rear.

To further increase the bench space, a separate stainless steel shelf attaches to the side of the van for plating up, or for holding drinks.

Inside cooking on chilly mornings or windy nights is handled by a three-burner gas cooktop located in the rear corner of the Sinergi’s impressively long kitchen bench, to the rear of its stainless steel sink, drainage board and hot/cold mixer tap.

To the cooktop’s right is the Sinergi’s larger-than-usual combined shower/toilet bathroom that includes two thoughtful features: one is a splash shield for the toilet roll holder and the other is a wall hatch that allows access into the large overhead locker above the cooktop that can house items like spare towels, meaning they can remain dry while you shower.

Of course, if you opt for the Aurora its extra space gives you a separate shower and toilet; a feature along with its additional floor room that tips many buyers in the larger model’s direction. Both come with quiet-flush macerator toilets that feed into a large 140L black tank that can be emptied at any dumping point.

At the very rear of the Sinergi there are two doors, both sealed against dust by compression latches.

The one on the left is designed to house a portable generator that can be run in situ if you like, with a fresh air outlet protecting it from dust ingress by a car air filter cartridge when travelling.

The adjacent taller locker to its right can house pretty much whatever you like, including a bicycle if you stand it vertically. On the review van the space was given to a wall-mounted 2.5kg washing machine, which is a popular option. An external hot/cold shower and its taps are also located here.

‘Bushability’ is one of the main attractions of the Sinergi and its 18ft 8in overall size, along with Supagal and powdercoated high-tensile steel underpinnings and independent coil-spring tandem suspension with twin telescopic shockers per wheel, which delivers the goods off the beaten track.

Air suspension instead of coils to further cushion the ride and offer levelling and height adjustment on uneven ground when camping, is an extra-cost option.

A key feature of the van here is that its fibreglass sandwich-panel construction is just 2100mm wide – about the same as most large 4x4s that will tow it – so like a cat’s whiskers it will go where its tow car takes it, with its reasonable 2490kg tare weight easily handled by a solid tow car.

Water crossings are no obstacle to its braking either, thanks to the 12-inch diameter disc brakes fitted as standard. Discs also have the added benefit of smooth, grab-free performance when cold.

Unlike most ‘off-road’ vans, whose A-frame is welded to the main chassis rails before the leading pair of wheels, the Sinergi’s chassis extends unbroken from its DO-35 off-road coupling to the rear. This results in a very rigid base for the suspension to work at its best over corrugations and fulfils AOR’s principle of ‘Keep it Simple’ when it comes to technology designed for remote-area use.

Hitching up is easy, with the test Sinergi having a flat base ‘foot’ attached to its ARK 750 flip-up jockey wheel. The drainage hose connections for the van’s blackwater tank are also conveniently located here on the A-frame nose.

Despite having gas cooking appliances, AOR meets all current regulation while claiming 100 per cent dust-free sealing of both the Sinergi proper and its external hatches.

The mandatory lower vent in the rear entry door is addressed by a drop-down hinged panel containing a dust filter pad that is tension-sealed against the vent when driving, aided by compression locks on the door itself and its central flywire window vent.

Other hatches have compression locks that force the panel against their rubber dust seals

If you’d still rather travel gas-free, AOR have either a 24V or 48V all-electrical option.

The AOR Sinergi in base form comes with a 300Ah lithium battery, with four 140W rooftop glass solar panels, but AOR is now fitting additional flexible solar panels to the angled roof sides to enlarge this.

A 2000W pure sine wave inverter is standard, allowing you to plug in an induction cooktop inside or outside, but you’ll need a larger inverter, a generator or a 240V power point to fire up the standard roof-top-mounted Truma air conditioner.

A Redarc Redvision smart management system is fitted as standard, with the energy usage and most power functions able to be monitored and controlled via a panel inside the entry door.

The main power fuses can be accessed easily via a port on the panel below one of the lounge seats, while the main electrical and plumbing apparatus very easily reaches and services via an external hatch to the rear on the front off-side storage bin. It’s all designed for K.I.S. maintenance in remote areas.

Inside, AOR offers buyers two different sleeping options – a full north-south queen bed, or twin north-south single beds. With the latter, the beds are separated by a small chest of drawers and a floor storage hatch, while with the queen option you lose the drawers while the hatch is moved to underneath the extendable dining table. It’s a good place to leave car keys, etc. while you are out for a walk.

The side windows are huge and now have struts that keep them open at any angle, while a roof vent and twin 12V Sirocco fans aid cooling in muggy conditions.

The kitchen, with its huge unencumbered preparation bench running along the offside wall, is the real star of the Sinergi’s interior and the location of the stainless steel sink and three-burner gas cooktop at the rear end maximises the space.

This is a great feature for cool nights in, with the café-style dinette on the opposite wall. Twin pop-up foot rests add to its comfortable ambiance, while a diesel space heater is standard.

Refrigeration is taken care of by a twin-drawer 175L Evakool fridge-freezer that can be programmed to operate only as a fridge or as a freezer.

On the road, the Sinergi towed easily and confidently behind our GCM-upgraded Toyota LandCruiser crew-cab tow car. With the necessary GCM upgrade, this is the ideal vehicle to take the Sinergi bush, as the caravan can get you far enough to serve as a very comfortable base station while you explore further with the tow vehicle, perhaps with the aid of a rooftop tent.

To be honest, there isn’t much to dislike about AOR’s new Sinergi, which consolidates its maker’s 23 years of building high quality off-road campers and caravans.

Sure, its price is near the top of its market, but it makes a good ownership case for an adventurous couple against the more expensive Aurora model, unless you can’t live without a separate shower and toilet.

Price: From $159,900
Chassis: One-piece galvanised and powdercoated steel
Body: Fibreglass composite
Total Length: 7225mm
Body length:  5850mm
Body width: 2100mm
Body height: 2985mm
Tare weight: 2490kg
ATM: 3400kg
Wheels/tyres: 17in steel Toyota LandCruiser 200 series, with 265/70R17 Cooper AT3 tyres
Brakes: 12in disc
Fridge: 175L Evakool gas/electric drawer-type fridge/freezer
Fresh water: 250L tank (grey water tank no-cost option)
Battery: 300kW lithium
Solar: 4 x 140W glass rooftop panels (total 480W)
Air conditioner: Truma rooftop reverse cycle
Hot water: Electric
Space heater: Diesel
Cooking: three-burner internal gas cooktop, two-burner external gas cooktop. Weber BBQ optional
Shower: Combined internal shower/toilet, plus external hot/cold shower
Lighting: LED throughout
Supplied by: Australian Off Road, Calloundra, Qld