Baby bush-basher under $20K

South African off-road brand Conqueror continues to expand its presence Down Under, recently introducing a new entry-level, sub-$20K soft-floor trailer that boosts its range of tough, go-anywhere campers to six models.

Measuring 3.7m long, 1.3m wide and 1.6m high when travelling, and weighing just 490kg dry, the UEV-310 is the smallest and lightest in the Conqueror range and is aimed at occasional campers with smaller tow vehicles like the Toyota RAV4 or even beach buggies.

It can also be used as an on-site work trailer during the week.

"With its smaller sub-500kg weight the Conqueror UEV-310 is perfect for this market as it has all the benefits of the bigger models but in a more compact offering," said Conqueror Australia Business Development Manager Dan Bosschieter.

Like its
bigger UEV-490 brother, the baby camper is constructed from an electroplated steel body and hot dip galvanised chassis and uses a Treg hitch. It rides on a torsion independent suspension with 12inch electric off-road brakes, and 16inchs steel rims with 245/70R16 tyres.

Made from military-grade Ripstop canvas, the fold-out tent section measures 2.1m x 2.5m when erect.

Despite its compact dimensions the UEV-310 offers a hefty 1020kg payload, with two cubic metres of lockable storage (accessible from inside and out), as well as a double bed with connected dressing area which Conqueror says takes less than two minutes to set up.

"You can literally pull up, flip the lid, wind down the midge mesh doors and go inside with no further action required. Inside you have 1.6-meters of headroom and can have a double bed made up and you can access your pantry, fridge, mini-bar and storage instantly without any unpacking,” Mr Bosschieter said.

Like the rest of the Conqueror range, the UEV-310 is built in South Africa but modified to suit Australian conditions. Each unit fully complies with Australian Design Rules (ADR) and comes with an engineer's certificate.

Pricing for the entry-level model starts from $16,200; a far cry from Conqueror's range-topping UEV-490 which begins at $52,475.

Meanwhile, Conqueror Australia has teamed up with 4WD specialist Opposite Lock, which has allowed the company to extend its nationwide dealer and support network, to 51 service support centres and seven dealerships around Australia.

The deal means that Conqueror owners will be able to service their campers at any of the 39 Opposite Lock stores around Australia.

See the Conqueror Australia website for further details.