Michael Browning•15 Feb 2017

REVIEW

AusRV Byfield

New locally-built, lightweight composite caravan impresses straight out of the box

Another day, another nameplate, but the new AusRV Byfield 22ft All Roader is different in many ways

For a start, it’s the first locally-designed and built caravan from a company – the MDC Group – that has made its name importing Chinese camper trailers and off-road pop-tops.

Secondly, it’s light on weight for its 22ft size and equipment, weighing in at 2300kg tare despite its full-length 150mm x 50mm galvanised chassis, Al-Ko trailing arm and coil spring suspension and full complement of luxury touring features.

Finally, despite its ‘new kid’ look, the AusRV is based on many years of experience. AusRV’s parent company MDC obviously has a pretty good idea of what Australians want, as founder Vaughan Hindley estimates it has sold around 20,000 imported RVs in the 10 years since he founded it.

So, when he decided to build full-size caravans locally, he went for experience. AusRV’s new Operations Manager Kevin Edwards has been in the industry for 30 years, 18 of them with Jayco, which he left 15 months ago while Manufacturing Manager.

Meanwhile the MDC Group’s new National Business Development Manager, Richie Fort also comes from a caravan industry background, having worked with Edwards as part of the Jayco network.

Perhaps not surprisingly, both speak highly of Jayco as the industry leader, but it’s obvious that in its AusRV range they hope to trump the industry leader in many important ways.

Winning the weight war

Weight is a major area. By sourcing full thickness composite fibreglass wall and roof panels from the same Sunshine Coast specialist manufacturer that supplies Coolum Beach’s Zone RV and sitting them on a thick composite, timberless one-piece floor, AusRV can save metal in the chassis and come in several hundred kilograms lighter than a similar-sized Jayco Silverline.

OK, the 22ft Byfield is not really ‘Prado friendly’ – certainly not if you want to do more than top up its twin 85 litre fresh water tanks and fill its 190 litre Dometic fridge/freezer – but the 19ft Finke All-Roader that’s expected to tip the scales closer to 2000kg empty will be.

The van’s fibreglass wall and roof construction offers other touring benefits, as by having fibreglass on both sides of the sandwich panel Edwards says the shell will expand and shrink at the same rate in hot and cold weather, whereas walls with different density materials may not.

Having a common 150mm x 50mm chassis with independent suspension is another plus, as even AusRV All-Roader models have enough ground clearance to tackle any major Australian sealed or unsealed road, whereas the Off-Road versions sit even taller for the rough stuff.

Viewed externally, there’s a certain similarity between AusRV and ZoneRV caravans, although this is more the result of using similar body panels than any other intention.

However, we’ve found that a growing number of NSW and Queensland caravan builders are adopting cleaner and more minimalist styling compared to their southern counterparts and the Byfield is a good example of this trend.

21st century styling

From the outside, the first thing you notice about the AusRV Byfield is its clean, angular lines, accentuated by black corner mouldings, large windows, modest (and to my eye, tasteful) graphics and generous ground clearance.

However rather than looking as though it’s sitting on top of its suspension, as some off-roaders do, the Byfield looks smart and integrated. This ground clearance is all the more impressive when you consider that this is an all-roader, not a specific off-road model.

The latter at AusRV wears Al-Ko’s dual shock absorber Enduro Outback trailing arm and coil spring suspension, whereas all-roaders employ the lighter single shocker Al-Ko Enduro Cross Country independent suspension.

What also strikes you, along with the ground clearance, is how well everything underneath the Byfield is laid out and protected from stone strike, with the plumbing tucked well up between the rails of the one-piece chassis and the waste water drain plug mounted high and well out of harm’s way at the very rear. No crawling around in the mud to attach the waste hose – whoopee!

The only exception was the initial lack of stone protection for the van’s brass tap on the outside of the A-frame, but by the time we had returned the Byfield, a template had been made for one that will be fitted to all production vans. AusRV is already listening to what customers want and making it work – impressive.

The other thing that strikes you is the total lack of checker plate cladding, with the lower third of the van’s bootless front panel protected instead by spray-on stone shielding. It looks smart, removes another potential moisture trap in a vulnerable area between the body and cladding and can easily be touched up by brush at the end of a long trip, if need be.

The same spray-on stone guard is also used on the Byfield’s A-frame, where it’s applied as an additional barrier on top of the standard hot-dipped galvanizing.

The lack of an opening front boot may be an issue for some, as the full tunnel boot through the body behind it shares space with the Byfield’s unshielded hot water service.

Personally, I’d like to see a tool box on the otherwise naked A-frame, ahead of the twin 9kg gas bottles and stone tray, where it could hold all the messy things like power leads, hoses, ground matting and the jockey wheel. However, a toolbox can be optioned.

Fresh but familiar layout

Inside, via the same robust multi-point locking Dometic door now being fitted to many up-market Australian caravans, there’s a comfortable, modern and roomy feel about the Byfield interior.

It’s conventionally laid out, with an island front queen bed in the nose, a central galley with huge bench space on the door side and a large U-shaped lounge on the other, with the three-way fridge opposite a multi-level pull-out pantry to their rear.

The bathroom spreads across the full rump of the Byfield, with a standard top-loading washing machine in the right rear corner, next to a good-quality Dometic cassette toilet, with a central vanity basin topped by a large mirror in the centre and a large fibreglass shower cubicle on the door side.

It’s a very livable layout that should suit long-term travelers, with the rectangular lounge table dropping down to form a large super-single bed once an infill cushion stored under the bed is added.

Effectively this makes the Byfield a ‘family’ van if you have one or two children (say) under 10, although AusRV is also planning to offer both 22ft Byfield and 19ft Finke family bunk models in the future that offers a fixed family bedding solution.

The only penalty you pay for this convenience is that the cushion of the seat that runs along the wall above the wheel-arch is fairly short, but you can always sit on the full-size side cushions if this is an issue and the arrangement does allow a lot of room between the lounge and galley for two or more people to move around without bumping into each other.

My other small niggle with the layout is that the excellent, unencumbered storage space under the lift-up queen bed is rather smaller than it could be if the bed base was enlarged.

However, no-one could possible complain about the kitchen space and the marble-look benchtop on the review van, offset by a matt black sink, drainage board and tall mixer tap. It’s one of the largest and most useful I’ve ever seen on a caravan of this size.

There’s a lot of useful cupboard and drawer space beneath, but the routing of the plumbing in the upper cabinet under the sink somewhat detracts from its usefulness.

The other impressive thing about the AusRV Byfield was its finish, which was excellent, given that this was a first production model. At its price of a tick under $80,000, this is a very good large touring caravan that will deal with all major roads you come across.

We liked

>> Clean styling

>> Sturdy all terrain underpinnings

>> All fibreglass lightweight construction

>> Great kitchen bench space

Not so much

>> Relatively small storage under bed

>> Small seat cushion on central dinette

>> Needs storage box on A-frame

>> Relatively light ball weight might be an issue

Verdict

The new AusRV Byfield 22ft All-Roader is a new addition to the ranks of Australian caravans, and the considerable industry experience of its builders shines though.

Cleanly styled, light in weight, roomy, well-equipped and capable of tackling all main roads, sealed or unsealed, in its All-Roader spec, it’s one to put on your short list if planning a big Australian trip.

AusRV Byfield 22ft All-Roader

Travel length: 9005mm

External body length: 6682mm

External body width: 2460mm

Travel height: 2900mm

Interior height: 2020mm

Tare weight: 2300 KG

ATM: 2900Kg

Ball weight (Tare): 100kg

Body: Sandwich one-piece fibreglass walls and roof, sandwich panel floor

Chassis: 150mm x 50mm galvanised

Suspension: AL-Ko Enduro Cross Country tandem axle independent suspension with single shocks per wheel

Brakes: Al-Ko 10-inch electric

Stability Control: Al-Ko ESC standard

Wheels: 16in alloy with LT265/75-16 tyres

Fresh water: 2 x 85L

Battery: 1 x 100Ah deep cycle

Solar: 200W roof-mounted

Air-conditioner: Truma Aventa roof-mounted

Gas: 2 x 9.0kg

Cooking: Dometic four-burner gas/electric, cooktop, grill and oven

Fridge: 190-litre Dometic three-way RMD8555

Microwave: NCE

Toilet: Dometic cassette

Shower: Separate fibreglass cubicle
Washing machine: 3kg top loader

Lighting: LED

Price: $79,990 (approx.) ex-capital cities

Options fitted: None

Website. AusRV Caravans and Motorhomes

AusRV Byfield

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