Concept Ascot 2005 Review

Last year continued busy times for the caravan and motorhome industry, and 2004 produced an interesting new brand by the name of Concept Caravans.

The Concept team, based in Campbellfield, Vic, had what could be described as a dream start, with dealers Oasis Caravans (Vic), Dave Benson (SA) and Gary Kratzmann (Concept is building the G2 Franklin range for exclusive sale by Kratzmann's in Qld) lined up to stock Concept caravans from the off, and outlets in NSW and Tas appointed shortly afterwards.

The philosophy behind Concept is to offer a quality mid-priced product with flexibility in layouts and high standards of customer service.

The three partners - Keir Smith, and brothers Steve and Bruno Caruso - work very hands-on, contributing ideas, looking at how a design can work better and constantly upgrading to improve the usability of the vans, with a lot of input from the dealers as well.

"We want to give our products all the better features we know customers want and also to build a very good quality van," said Keir.

"Our aim is to be mid-priced to appeal to the younger market, especially families. We have modernised the interiors and colour schemes, etc, and are offering practicality and flexibility of layouts , with everything from big shower vans to family bunk setups."

Day out with Ascot
The Concept Ascot range includes full-height vans and pop-tops, from 15ft 6in to 24ft (4.7m to 7.3m) long, in 20 standard layouts. The model featured here and on our cover is an 18ft (5.5m) x 7ft 9in (2.36m) tandem-axle triple-bunk caravan, clearly designed for a large family.

On a rather grey Melbourne day in early summer the clean lines and contemporary external styling of the Ascot certainly looked appealing.

Its relatively compact size combined with room to sleep five in comfort (without taking the table down) disallowed the inclusion of a shower cubicle, so a handy outside shower was fitted, with gas hot water service.

Other external features included Supagal heavy-duty (6in) chassis built by Preston Chassis, 235x75x15 tyres on 15in wheels, 8in jockey wheel, lockable coupling with two safety chains, new Al-Ko rocker/roller suspension (standard on tandems; single axle models get rebound leaf spring suspension), bumper bar and spare wheel.

Construction is the tried and true meranti timber frame, aluminium sides with insulated roof and walls. Triple-locking door, double ply front, Aussie Traveller acrylic windows, large fully galvanised front boot, Dometic rollout awning, two 4kg gas bottles, 80 litre water tank with stone guard protection and drain tap and A-frame mains water tap complete the exterior.

Stepping inside the rear side door, the efficient floorplan and stylish contemporary interior design were immediately apparent.

The triple bunk setup was tucked into the rear of the van (it can be modified to two bunks if required) with the kitchen/lounge area in the centre and front island queen size double bed.

Interior features included easy-care polyester coated plywood wall linings, with solid timber pelmets and trim, well finished cabinetry and nice, firm upholstery on the dinette seats.

In the kitchen there was a large sink with drainboard, Dometic four-burner cooktop with grill,150 litre Dometic fridge, NEC microwave, flick mix tap, and plenty of overhead and underbench storage.

The angled front edge of the benchtop made the most of the space and the kitchen looked quite usable, although the living zone might get a tad crowded in bad weather with the family cooped up inside the van.

Standard features are bigger beds and fridges, CD/radio, innerspring mattresses and timber pelmets. Concept's full caravan models have a generous internal head height of 6ft 6in (2m), plus queen size bed 6ft 2in x 5ft (1.9m x 1.5m).

In the bedroom there was a useful dressing table with mirror and nice big windows; some people may want a concertina door to provide a little separation from the rest of the van.

Power needs were taken care of with double powerpoints throughout the Ascot, with a dual wired 12V system allowing easy upgrade to a battery system. Lighting was 12V quartz halogen, with reading lights above the dinette and a rotating sink light.

Carrier air-conditioning and a Heki roof hatch were also standard inclusions. Options include venetian blinds, alloy wheels, picnic table and the Winegard TV antenna.

The bottom line
Concept is a young team which seems set for a bright future and on first inspection the Ascot caravan looks as though it will certainly deliver on the style and value fronts.

Quality of the interior finish is obvious in the Ascot. In fact Keir apparently cleans every caravan before it leaves the factory which means he gets to check every aspect of the caravan and implement last minute fixes/changes.

"Warranty - or more importantly, avoiding warranty issues - has been a key to how Concept designs and manufactures its vans," said Keir.

The team aims for a well priced caravan with flexibility, offering a broad range of layouts but keeping in mind that many people want the option of custom-building.

The 18ft bunk van, which retails at $41,000 as shown, has been designed to be user-friendly and easy to service, with reputable suppliers for all appliances and materials.

This fresh new approach from a young company will appeal to a wide range of caravan buyers. Look for Concepts on display at the various State caravan shows this year.

Concept Caravans is at 64 Capital Link Drive, Campbellfield, Vic 3061, (03) 9357 6190.

In SA: Dave Benson Caravans, Gepps Cross, (08) 8262 2500; Vic: Oasis Caravans, World of Caravans, Bayswater, (03) 9761 4933; Qld: Kratzmann Franklins, Virginia, (07) 3265 2477; Tas: Austins, Somerset, (03) 6435 2643; NSW: Aussie Recreational Vehicles, Eden, (02) 6496 4411; Alan Graham's, Gosford, (02) 4322 4488.

Concept Ascot
Model: 18ft triple bunk caravan
Length: 18ft (5.48m) internal
Width: 7ft 9in (2.36m)
Tare: 1840kg
ATM: 2240kg
Towball weight: 140kg
Chassis: Preston Chassis Industries
Price as shown: $41,000 plus freight and onroad costs (base price $36,000)

We liked:
- Fresh, innovative approach to caravan design
- Interior styling and obvious attention to detail
- Good use of floorplan

We would have liked:
- Concertina door to front bed zone
- Will need right packing to increase towball weight