Dreamhaven SuperX 2026 Review

The Dreamhaven brand is a new arrival on the Australian caravan scene, but the Melbourne-based company behind it, Crusader Caravans, certainly isn't.

Crusader has been building for over 20 years and cemented itself as a key player with the investment in a major new factory in 2022. Far from a laborious custom builder, the automotive-style facility rolls out a finished caravan every hour -- or 54 minutes to be precise! 

You might think mass production of this scale potentially compromises quality, but the top-of-the-line, $180K Crusader XCountry 20-footer I reviewed recently appeared a fine example of a locally-built, full composite 'van. 

Here we're looking at the 20ft Dreamhaven SuperX semi-off-roader. The good news is it's a full composite 'van built in the same Australian factory as the top-spec Crusader XCountry.

But at $90,000, it's half the price. Sure, we're not comparing apples with apples, but fundamental body construction is identical.

A quick look at the Crusader range reveals the Crusader Musketeer Treville semi off-road 'van sits at around $100,000, making it the most comparable to the Dreamhaven. Interestingly, the SuperX edges out the Musketeer slightly on off-grid specs, but the Musketeer wins on interior refinement. 

So what is the motivation to introduce a Dreamhaven model about $10,000 cheaper than the entry-level Crusader?

It’s to compete with lower-cost Chinese imports. High-volume factories like Crusader's need to run at full capacity to be profitable, and adding a price-fighting Aussie-built van to compete with the imports makes good commercial sense.

The end result is that Australian consumers are the winners with a ripper new locally made product at an attractive price. And if you're looking to tighten the budget further, there's an on-road Touring version available for under $80,000.

Quality composite panel construction at this price point is a big deal.

With the Dreamhaven SuperX, we're talking a fibreglass skin on both sides with an extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam core. They're a decent thickness too, with 40mm sandwich panels for the walls and roof, and 50mm for the floor.

It’s a big deal because composite panels are light and strong with good sound and thermal insulation properties, and the use of the one-piece panels reduces joins and potential leak points.

The 150mm x 50mm chassis is made by Melbourne's Intelligent Engineering; the same supplier for the big-ticket Crusader XCountry. It comes painted but you'll pay extra for galvanising or a Raptor coating.

The chassis is paired with robust Teko Tuffride independent trailing arm suspension with coil springs; also produced in Melbourne.

I toured the Intelligent Engineering chassis factory a few years ago and learnt two main things: it's a well-run facility, and there's a close design and operational collaboration between the chassis and suspension makers, which indicates this is a desirable set-up.

The SuperX also gets a Cruisemaster DO-35 coupling, upstaging its more expensive Crusader Musketeer sibling that settles for a 50mm ball coupling!

The rest of the running gear is pretty par for the course with 10inch electric drum brakes and 16in alloy wheels shod with Trazano all-terrain tyres. You'll find the spare wheel underslung on the chassis. Omitting trailer stability control (ESC) is one cost-cutting measure to be aware of, but it can be easily optioned in.     

Starting at the rear, apart from a ubiquitous rear camera, there's nothing on the back wall – no spare wheel, no jerry can holders, no firewood box... Just a simple, low-profile rear bumper without any fancy integrated toolboxes or drawers that you seem to get on every Aussie dirt roaders these days...

But you know what I love it! It’s got clean lines and won’t be overburdened with weight at the rear to compromise handling dynamics.

Up front on the A-frame, there's a basic, compact toolbox with jerry can holders on each side, along with twin 9kg gas bottles and a stone guard. To be fair, there are some modern 'vans getting around without toolboxes and stone guards – so it’s not completely 'no frills'.

Other must-have features running along the offside include a front tunnel boot, picnic table, manual single step, and roll-out awning.

On the driver’s side, mounted to the chassis is an external box containing the battery. This is a cheaper option than the fancier sealed batteries you see mounted internally in some premium 'vans.

Also mounted externally in another box with the water pump. It’s not a bad place to put it, as it won't cause internal flooding if it springs a leak, and it also creates less noise inside the 'van.

The first thing that catches your eye when you enter the Dreamhaven 20 Series SuperX is the continuous expanse of bench space, achieved by positioning the kitchen sink in the far corner.

Both ends of the bench feature handy spice racks. The photos show a book in one of them, but it will probably fall into the sink after the first decent bump in the road!

Recessed in the bench is a pop-up power point tower -- a handy space-saving feature. While under the bench is a four gas burner and grill, and below that a 22L microwave. The low position of the microwave means you're less likely to tip hot food on you, but the trade-off is you'll need to squat to reach in and get the food. 

The rest of the appliance list is up to scratch and includes a 224L compressor fridge and reverse cycle air-conditioner. If you're after a built-in audio system, diesel heater or a dust reduction system, you'll have to start ticking boxes in the options list. 

Opposite the kitchen is a generous club lounge, but you won’t find any pop-out leg rests. It may not look as fancy as some of the more premium offerings, but it was comfortable for me. Leatherette option upgrades are available.

The front bedroom features a classic island bed. However, it felt like the bed was more recessed into the furniture than most 'vans I see. This affords deeper overhead cupboards and a storage cubby hole beside the bed, complete with USB and power points.

Something that niggles me when I inspect underbed storage is 12V systems exposed to potential damage from unrestrained cargo. It's no exaggeration to say I was delighted to finally see a system with a protective cage installed.

The surprise packet in this 'cut price' van is the 3.2kg top-load washing machine supplied as standard in the rear bathroom.

I also liked how the tap is mounted to the side of the rectangular sink, to allow more room for hand washing, although it does consume a bit of bench space.

The rest of the bathroom is functional with a cassette toilet, separate shower and decent storage. I also noticed the drawer construction in the bathroom and throughout the 'van is identical to the top-of-the-range XCountry, including the soft-close function. Another tick!

The spec on this budget 'van is by no means high-end but very reasonable for the price.

Local outfit BMPro is the key component supplier, providing the power management system, 30A DC to DC charger, and 2000W inverter.

The 200Ah lithium battery and 440W rooftop solar is about what you expect for the price, with the option to add another battery, solar panel and a larger inverter if you plan to spend more time off-grid. 

There's also good water storage: 220L fresh and 110L grey water capacity.

The 2468kg Tare weight makes this one of the lighter 20ft 'vans I have reviewed. Rating the ATM at 3200kg is a sensible move in the juggling act between providing a reasonable payload (732kg) for the 'van and allowing realistic weights for the rig's gross combined mass.

For example, the Ford Ranger V6 (Australia’s most popular ute) has a GCM of 6400kg. Subtracting the van's 3200kg ATM from the 6400kg GCM leaves 3200kg for the maximum tow vehicle weight.

The Ford V6 Ranger has a GVM of around 3300kg, which means you're 100kg short of being able to fill both the ute and van to capacity. That’s manageable; for example, you just have to run both the 'van and ute 50kg shy of capacity to stay legal.

We more often see 'vans rated to 3500kg ATM, but that’s unrealistic even for the mighty Ranger. However, if you do have the right vehicle, the SuperX can be re-rated to a 3500kg ATM.

In a word, yes!

The Dreamhaven SuperX represents a lot of caravan for the money, backed by an Australian manufacturer with runs on the board.

It boasts all the fundamentals that Aussie 'vanners aspire to for semi off-road travel, plus a few extras you mightn't expect at the price. And if you're after more features, there are plenty of boxes to tick from the options list.

Price RRP $89,590
Travel length: 8267mm
External body length: 6353mm 
Travel width: 2500mm
Travel height: 3200mm
Tare: 2468kg
ATM: 3200kg
Ball weight (Tare): 165kg 
Body: Fibreglass sandwich panel composite
Chassis:  150mm x 50mm, painted steel chassis rail
Suspension: Tuffride independent with coil springs, DO-35 pin coupling
Brakes: 10in electric drum
ESC: Optional
Wheels:16in alloy, 245/70R/16 Trazano                                      
Water: 2 x 110L and 1 x 110L grey
Battery: 200Ah lithium
Solar: 2 x 220W rooftop solar panels
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Hot water: Instantaneous gas
Cooking: Hawk 600 Series (4 gas burners and grill)
Fridge/freezer: Thetford 224L compressor
Microwave: LG 22L 
Toilet: Thetford cassette
Shower: Moulded fibreglass
Lighting: LED strip and ceiling 
Air-conditioner: Houghton HB3500 rooftop reverse cycle
Washing machine: Aussie Traveller AT3200 3.2kg
TV: TV/DVD player 24in
Audio: Not fitted
Supplied by: Dreamhaven Melbourne, 1457 Sydney rd, Campbellfield, Victoria
More info: Dreamhaven Caravans