Elross ECX15 2019 Review

Long-standing Western Australian private and commercial caravan manufacturer Elross is bringing new products to the market but believes today’s buyers still want to play a major role in customising their own caravans.

“The customer gets to experience planning a caravan for their specific needs and that’s something you can’t get buying a van off the showroom floor,” Elross Caravans and Mobile Solutions owner Declan O’Brien told caravancampingsales during a recent tour of Elross' Beckenham, West Australian factory.

“We always invite customers to come into the factory to see their caravan as it’s being built," he explained.

“We recently drew the layout of a caravan on the factory floor so the owners could get a feel of walking around inside. They could gauge the width of the van, the relationship between furniture items and see how the different parts fit.”

Elross started in the late 1970s and was bought by O’Brien in 2015 and is now a family-owned and run business. His brother Regan is the factory supervisor.

“I’ve been in caravans all my life,” O’Brien said. “I was with Coromal (the former WA caravan manufacturer) for eight years until I had a chance to buy Elross from the original owners.

“It had a very good reputation as a manufacturer of strong and durable caravans and vans for the mining and food industries, mainly due to its steel frame construction and high quality of workmanship,” he said.

“We have ensured that those qualities remain. The food-van business was very successful in the early part of the business ownership but is now slowing down as the market is becoming saturated. Mining is continuing to be important to us and there remains good demand, along with the release of our own locally-manufactured off-road caravan which is building real momentum.”

“Right now we are doing about 40 per cent of work on mining caravans, 40 per cent on caravans for private users and the rest on food vans and specialist vans and truck bodies for remote work by government departments.

“It’s very diversified and we have to be flexible because we’re a small company, a young company with young employees and young, growing customer base.”

Same but different approach

According to O’Brien, Elross still uses pretty much the same rugged chassis design as it did in its early days. The chassis rails are Duragal 150mm x 150mm x 3mm and are polyurethane coated where the body joins to stop corrosion, chipping and prevent dust from entering the inside of the van.

“The components, materials and suppliers we use are predominantly from WA and, if not, then they are from Australian suppliers,” he said.

“The steel, for example, has to come from Australia. We use Redarc for inverters, charging and management systems because it's Australian made and has a proven track record.

“The cabinets are made by us in-house and we use a WA upholsterer. The plumbing and 12-volt work is also done in our factory, along with gas compliance and 240v electrical. We take care of the entire production in house to help with quality control.

“The cabinets use full-length piano hinges and are bolted to the steel chassis rails of our vans. We use lightweight Meranti timber for strength and weight, 16mm panel doors and acrylic - all important aspects needed in an off-road application.”

The caravan wall panels are unique, comprising a steel exterior and interior skin with 48mm Colorbond over an EPS polystyrene core.

O’Brien said the material is highly thermally efficient and while it takes up a bit more space in the caravan design, he believes the advantages of structural strength and the temperature control outweigh any downsides.

“We are in the higher section of price in caravans and we suit those who have had a caravan before and now know exactly what they want,” he said.

Tough off-road vans

Released in early-2019 for the recreational market, O’Brien said Elross' latest ECX (heavy duty off-road) range is aimed at "caravanners who want something custom made, good quality and most importantly reliable”.

“An example is the ovens. Most people don’t want big ovens anymore and most don’t want to cook inside the caravan we are finding, so we decided to use cook-top units and slide-out outdoor kitchens,” he explained.

The Elross ECX15 recently completed by the WA caravan manufacturer is an example of the co-operation between customer and builder and also a reflection of where Elross believes the market is heading.

The single-axle, off-road ready van has a relatively compact 15 foot (4570mm) long body (hence the ’15’ in the name) and weighs 2120kg unloaded, making it suitable for a wide range of mid-size tow vehicles (the owner uses a Toyota Prado).

“This is the first caravan for the owners,” explained O’Brien. “They have come from camping, so they know what they want in terms of accommodation, comfort and features.

“They came up with the design and we slightly tweaked it in small areas for practicality. In most cases, the customer has an excellent understanding of what they want, especially if they have owned a van before.”

The ECX15 rides on BF Goodrich KM3 tyres (with two spares mounted at the rear) and like all Elross caravans, is fitted with Cruisemaster XT independent coil suspension (airbags are also an option).

Internally, the east-west bed is set quite high to make room for the 60 litre Engel fridge and Dometic pull-out kitchen (both accessed externally), installed in the under-bed space.

When it's too cold or wet outside, the owners can cook indoors on the two-burner gas hob with sink/drainer and 130L compressor fridge located close by. The slide-out Dometic kitchen has more cooking options with a three-burner cooktop along with sink, cutting board and storage.

Also fitted outside is a Carefree Triple Black roll-out awning that incorporates an LED light with dimmer.

Compact and comfy

The Elross ECX15 also comes with combination shower and toilet together with a washing machine that's part of the vanity/sink unit. There's also a big 32in TV and optional Fusion entertainment system with outdoor waterproof speakers.

Another Elross point of difference is the Hummingbird GPS tracker which provides an odometer reading to follow a maintenance schedule and provide proof of distance travelled when selling the van.

Other options fitted include a Redarc 240V inverter and Trail-A-Mate jockey wheel. The ECX-15 comes standard with two 120Ah AGM batteries and two 160W solar panels, though Elross can fit up to four panels if required.

The ECX is also available in other body sizes, including a range-topping 21ft tandem axle version, and there are plans to introduce new colour scheme options for 2020 models.

“The 14-16-foot versions are single axle and those above are tandem," he said. "The 21-foot is about as big as you want to go for an off-road van because of the approach and departure angles."

Summing up

If first impressions count, then the new ECX off-road caravan range from West Australia's Elross is worth serious consideration if you're in the market for a rock-solid off-road van built exactly to your requirements.

Specs: 2019 Elross ECX15

Overall length: 6170mm
Body length: 4570mm
Travel width: 2350mm
Travel height: 2890mm (including air-con)
Tare (plated): 2120kg
ATM: 2800kg
Ball weight (Tare): 195kg
Body:  50mm Colorbond structural insulated panel
Chassis: Duragal 150mm x 50mm x 3mm
Wheels/tyres: 16x7 Sunraysia steel wheel 265/75/R16 BF Goodrich KM3
Suspension: Cruisemaster XT Coil
Brakes: 12in electric drum
Stability control: N/A
Cooking: Thetford Topline Hob 322 two-burner gas cooker
Microwave: N/A
Fridge/freezer: Bushman 130L and Engel 60L portable fridge
Shower/toilet: Combination
Air-conditioner:  Dometic FreshJet 3200 roof-top
Space heater: N/A
Hot water: Suburban Nautilus instant
Fresh water: 2 x 120L
Grey water: 1 x 95L
Gas (bottles fitted): 2 X 9kg
Lighting: 12V LED
Batteries: 2 x 120Ah AGM
TV: Furrion 12/240V 32in LED
Radio: Fusion 650 Series
Solar: 2 x 160W roof-top panels
Price: From $70 990. As reviewed (drive-away): $83 475
Options fitted : Extra water tank. A-frame tap, external shower, toolbox upgrade, Trail-a-mate jack, G40 shock absorbers, Dometic slide-out kitchen, Fusion sound system, diamond stick upholstery, vanity sink upgrade, Redarc 2000W sine wave inverter, slide-out fridge
Supplied by: Elross Caravans, Beckenham, Western Australia