Caravan chassis bling on the rise

Aussie caravan manufacturers have been adding plenty of off-road and off-grid 'bling' to both the inside and outside of top-spec models in recent years, to entice buyers to fork out for these big-ticket rolling roadshows.

But now we're seeing a number of chassis manufacturers getting in on the act by adding more eye-candy to go with the heavy-duty chassis hardware...

High-volume Melbourne caravan chassis builder Intelligent Engineering made a big splash at its first display at the 2023 Melbourne Leisurefest in early-October, when it displayed an eye-catching 'naked' show-chassis that probably cost as much to put together as a small pod camper.

The new 4500kg rated Intel Hawk caravan chassis was brimming with the latest hardware as well as 'fashion' items, starting with its steel Truss chassis being fully coated in a glossy two-pack automotive paint, with contrasting red paint for the custom side panels and recovery hooks.

Up back a stylish custom rear platform bar incorporated a strut-assisted drop-down arm for the spare Mickey Thompson Baja Boss mud tyre, along with a nifty slide out drawer with clear cover for storing a collection of matching tools.

Other noteworthy items fitted to the Intel Hawk show-chassis included side toolboxes from Paramount Industrial Products, a Cruisemaster DO-45 coupling, Black Jack electric trailer jack, Teko TuffRide twin-shock tandem off-road suspension with truck-size airbags, and Trailparts UniHub 'low maintenance' hydraulic disc brakes.

There were also some protective mudflaps and underbody checkerplate protection for the lithium battery boxes and four water tanks mounted centrally between the chassis rails; all beautifully finished right down to the painted Iluma stabiliser legs.

A spokesperson for Intelligent Engineering, which is based in Campbellfield, Victoria and is a supplier to major brands including Crusader Caravans, said the Intel Hawk on display was specially built for the show but is likely to find its way under some top-shelf off-grid caravans in the future.

At the same show, Melbourne's Vacationer Caravans also had a 'naked' display of its top-shelf X-Treme 12in truss chassis which boasts a long list of features including an X-Treme black protective coating, Cruisemaster's DO-45 coupling and top-shelf ATX M60 Stage 4 airbag suspension, 17in Theory rims with Mickey Thompson tyres, an underslung spare wheel, skid plates, recovery points and rated safety chains with Hammer locks.

If that isn't enough, there's also provision for a Euroflex 12V jack on the X-Treme chassis that's fitted to some of Vacationer's biggest off-road vans.

Not to be outdone in the 'show off' stakes, over at the ProRV stand at Leisurefest was the Melbourne manufacturer's latest 16ft Puma Electro all-electric off-grid caravan, complete with unclad side wall to show off its big in-built lithium battery system that includes 400Ah lithium batteries, 1050W rooftop solar and a 'wall' of Victron battery management electricals including a 3000W charger/inverter.