Concept Ascot XTC 2021 Review

Many people these days are discovering, or re-discovering, Australia, but not everyone wants to do it the hard way and travel by the gnarliest roads to the most remote places.

More people, particularly those new to caravanning, want to travel in comfort, both on and off the grid. These travellers don’t want to pay thousands extra for a tough, heavy van with technology they don’t need.

Sure, they don’t want to travel thousands of kilometres extra to avoid an unsealed highway, but their travels are planned more on sealed road travel, while taking advantage of free camping and National Parks and the roads coming to them, with many more kilometres of major outback highways paved each year.

Top touring option

This is where the Concept Ascot XTC 600 'all-roads' caravan fits in perfectly. Although falling into the current ‘sweet spot’ of popular caravan size at a relatively compact 19ft 6in (body length), the Ascot XTC has been designed and built for long-term touring and comfort for travelling couples, which in these times might include a ‘lap’ of Australia.

With its steel frame, smooth 3mm thick silver aluminium composite panelled walls and solid one-piece fibreglass roof and aerodynamic nose cone, the XTC is a good looking and fairly aerodynamic caravan that differs in construction from Concept’s traditional Meranti timber framed and ribbed aluminium-clad models.

The Alucobond composite cladding adds about 60-70kg to the XTC’s weight compared to ‘stick and tin’ construction, taking its Tare weight to 2670kg, but it certainly adds to the van’s elegance.

The penalty for these good looks is payload, which with its ATM of 3130kg works out at 460kg – marginal for a long-distance tourer when you subtract the weight of the water in its twin 100 litre tanks, etc, but adequate – just.

The lower ATM means Concept has been able to save some weight on heavier-duty components and this will reward the long-distance traveller with lower fuel consumption without restricting the XTC’s ability to travel on Australia’s major unsealed highways.

Coils all round

Concept now fits all its caravans with independent, trailing arm coil spring suspension and the XTC’s AL-KO Enduro Cross Country suspension has been engineered for the sort of touring that most owners will enjoy.

Importantly for many buyers, though is that most of the luxuries that make travelling a pleasure are on the XTC’s standard spec list on this $78,990 tourer, rather than options.

Things like an extended A-frame with a DO-35 off-road coupling at the pointy end of the Supagal Australian steel chassis. This has allowed Concept to fit a large checker plate toolbox, with a slide-out on one side for a generator, or an external cabinet fridge; external floodlighting; a mounting clamp for the standard Trail A Mate hydraulic jack and stone-protection for the external A-frame tap.

Other external features include two 9kg gas bottles, and two 170W rooftop solar panels feeding two 100AH AGM deep cycle batteries; a Waeco reversing camera; an external connection for the standard Winegard TV antenna; a fold-down picnic table; an external hot/cold shower; standard Fiamma rear bike rack and mud-terrain tyres on alloy wheels.

Inside there's a touchscreen Bluetooth DVD/radio and a 24-inch TV; a profusion of 12v/USB connections; a large central Dometic 3-way fridge; soft-close drawers; Narva dimmable LED touch-lights and extractor fans over the toilet and shower.  

Off-grid camping ready

Despite being designed for predominantly sealed-road touring, the Concept Ascot XTC is well-equipped for visits to National Parks and free-camps, with its good ground clearance ensuring access to most places that adventurous owners might want to take it.

It’s here that its generous 200-litre fresh water capacity and standard grey water tank come into their own, while the above-average solar/battery set-up should allow you to exist comfortably off the grid for several days, with the BMPro touch-panel providing up up-to-date details on water and battery levels.

The only missing item is an inverter to run things likes a coffee pod machine, but the more you add to the XTC’s standard spec, the greater the weight and cost.

If you want even more travelling comfort, you can add a Truma gas heater, a 200AH lithium battery and charger upgrade, a 12v fan, AL-KO electronic stability control and an external pull-out kitchen.

Personally, I think if you're going down the lithium path, you’ve probably chosen the wrong van to start with, as the XTC’s forte is long distance on-road touring, where 240v power is readily available.

Off-road protection

Standard 600mm checker plate side protection and underbody shielding are adequate for the sort of light off-road duty that most owners will subject the Concept Ascot XTC to.

Despite the 19ft 6in length and the XTC’s relatively modest payload, there’s plenty of room to store bulky items. The large checker-plate tool box has a lift-up lid and two fully partitioned compartments – the one on the right fitted with a slide for a generator or portable fridge and the other free to store all the messy bits, like ground matting, hoses, wheel chocks and cables, or to serve as a back-up pantry box.

This leaves the full through-body body boot behind the box free for longer things, like beach umbrellas, folding chairs, etc, plus there’s another rectangular and relatively shallow locker in the door-side rear of the body for anything else you you’d like to take on holiday (like a case or two of beer, wine, or both!).

There's also an external TV hutch with a pair of Fusion speakers and a bracket to accept the XTC’s standard 24in TV, along with connections for power and the TV antenna. This can be an all-weather TV viewing area if you deploy the XTC’s four metre-long awning.

The XTC’s lifestyle theme continues on the back panel where there's a standard Fiamma bike rack, above the single, rear bumper-mounted spare wheel, making the van an excellent base station for further exploration.

Inviting layout

Inside, the presentation is stylish and inviting, with plenty of comfort features for a travelling couple, plus flush-fitting solid cabinetry and a combination of matt and gloss finishes.

The leather-clad café dinette lounge with its pleated stitching, is as comfortable as it looks and can seat up to six adults if you use the pull-out footrests and their matching cushions as extra seats.

As these occasional seats are capable of supporting up to 140kg, I’m amazed that other caravan manufacturers don’t offer this feature, particularly in shorter caravans. As a bonus in the XTC, they can convert to skinny single beds if need be.

Headroom is an exceptional 6ft 8in (2030mm), which is good news for taller owners.

To ensure the van tows correctly, the 188-litre Dometic is mounted centrally, separating the bedroom and lounge, while the van’s huge full-height shower cubicle and rear bathroom back onto the opposing lounge backrest.

The kitchen with its 3+1 Swift 500 gas cooktop and grill is supported by a head-height mounted dLUX microwave, leaving good bench space for a caravan of its length, while the large stainless steel basin is served by a hot/cold mixer tape and another dedicated to filtered drinking water.

The combination of concealed and direct overhead lighting and reading lamps provides an inviting ambiance to welcome you home.

Good internal storage

Like outside, there's plenty of storage space inside, both in the overhead lockers with their concealed latches that line the side walls and above the bed and in the unencumbered storage box under the central north-south lift-up bed. Sadly, there's no slide-out pantry.

The rear bathroom is also stylish, with its large shower, central vanity with a large backlit vanity mirror and a top-loading washing machine below. 

The cassette toilet is tucked conveniently just around the corner from the van’s rear entry door, while a sliding bathroom door ensures privacy.

In summary, it’s all very liveable and comfortable, which is just the way Ascot XTC buyers obviously like it!

Summing up

The Concept Ascot XTC is a stylish, well-made, well-appointed and well-priced couples' touring caravan for those planning to travel long distances on mainly sealed roads.

2021 Concept Ascot XTC 600

Body length:6170mm
Overall length: 8390mm
External body width 2450mm
Height: 3000mm
Internal height: 2030mm
Nameplate Tare: 2670kg
Nameplate ATM: 3130kg
Ball weight: 190kg
Body: Steel wall frame with 3mm smooth aluminium composite cladding and one-piece roof
Chassis: Steel Supagal chassis with extended A-frame
Suspension: Al-Ko Enduro Cross Country trailing arm coil
Brakes: 10-inch electric drums
Stability Control: Al-Ko ESC optional
Wheels: Alloy with 15 x 175 light truck tyres
Fresh water: 2 x 100L plus separate grey water tank
Battery: 2 x 100AH AGM deep cycle
Solar: 2 x 175W roof mounted
Air-conditioner: Dometic Ibisi 4 reverse cycle, roof-mounted
Gas: 2 x 9kg plus external gas bayonet
Cooking: Swift 3+1 gas/electric, cooktop and grill
Fridge: Dometic 188 litre, three-way 
Microwave: dLux
Toilet: Dometic china bowl cassette
Shower: Separate ceiling height one-piece fibreglass module
Lighting: LED
Price: $78,990
Supplied by: Concept Caravans, Campbellfield, Victoria