Evernew E-Series 21ft

STEPPING UP

If you could isolate one factor that's generally indicative of a successful caravan manufacturing business, it would have to be experience. And when it comes to the sheer number of years in the game, you'd be hard pressed to beat Melbourne-based concern Evernew.

This family-owned and run company has weathered more ups and downs in the Aussie caravanning game than many companies will ever know, from the boom times of the 1970s to the dip that followed and the healthy period we find ourselves in now. Evernew's managing director, Bruce Bailey, knows each one of those spikes and troughs personally, as Evernew is one of the oldest continually operating caravan makers in the country.

"We started back in 1963, and we've had our yard here in Bell Street, Heidelberg, since 1965," he says.

That's the finishing and retail yard he's referring to, as the firm's prime manufacturing plant is located a few kilometres away.

Evernew isn't a volume producer, and currently its staff, numbering around 30, manufacture between three and four vans a week. But business is booming right now - Bruce says he's got a backlog of about six months to work through - and Evernew is hoping this boom will be sustained with the introduction of its new 21ft (6.4m) E-Series with separate shower and toilet.

"We produced this model purely as a result of the feedback we've been receiving," Bruce tells me during my visit. "We just kept getting more and more people telling us they wanted the extra comfort a separate shower and toilet provides, in a relatively compact, easy to tow format."

Ten minutes later, those sentiments were echoed during a quick chat with Des and Maureen Fraser, who had just driven to Melbourne from their hometown of Corowa in southern NSW to update the Evernew pop-top they've enjoyed for the past six years.

"We've taken our van all over Australia and loved every minute of it," says Des. "Now it's time to update we looked at quite a few other vans but came back to what we know best."

Maureen, meanwhile, says she's looking forward to a bit more luxury. "Having a separate toilet and shower will just make life on the road that bit more comfortable," she says.

THE ENTERTAINER
There's no denying that our 21ft review van was a polished production. Nearly 45 years of experience shows through the moment you walk through the rear Camec triple-locker door.

We should point out that Evernew is a custom van builder, so our review van is essentially a sample of what the company can do. Evernew will sit down with you right from the start and match your budget and needs with a creation you can call your very own.

The rear door opens into a focal point for this van - an L-shaped dinette which is perfect for entertaining, with decent sized Jupiter windows (with venetian blinds and timber pelmets) behind both sides. The table drops down to form a second bed, which Bruce's son-in-law, Darren, says is somewhere in size between a single and a double - the mattress is stored underneath the queen-size bed in the bedroom.

There's plenty of storage below, and overhead lockers above, three of which have tasteful patterned glass doors. A light polyply has been employed for the walls and various cupboard doors, with timber trim and quality stainless steel push-to-lock buttons used throughout.

A Dometic Seitz Midi Heki hatch is found in the ceiling over the dinette, with the space further illuminated by two large round fluorescent lights in the ceiling, a strip fluoro over the sink, a halogen downlight in the Swift rangehood and three halogen reading lights, one at each corner of the dinette.

The kitchen is compact but very practical in terms of its layout and use of space - everything you need is within arm's reach. There's a Spinflo Caprice MkIII four-burner cooktop (three gas, one electric) with grill and oven, a sink/drainer with flick-mixer tap, a Panasonic microwave and a 150L Dometic three-way fridge/freezer. Above the fridge is an external antenna jack and space for a television, while in the ceiling overhead you'll find a Winegard antenna, with an Aircommand Ibis air-conditioner alongside.

A larger stainless steel splashback instead of the small Laminex one would have been nice here but, that aside, the kitchen is a great package with a sensibly constructed benchtop and the microwave set at a height that will suit most people. There are plenty of powerpoints here, too, as there are throughout the entire van.

CREATURE COMFORTS
Sliding back the concertina door exposes the other focal point of this E-Series, the bedroom. The island queen-size bed extends out from the nearside, with deep, sizeable wardrobes that will easily accommodate full-size coathangers.

There are two corner cupboards above and below the entertainment system, the upper one housing the voltmeter, fuse box, mains switch and water meters, and the lower one housing the 30A SmartCharger (the single deep-cycle battery has its own compartment, accessed via a hatch on the rear offside). On the subject of electrics, this van had been pre-wired to accept a solar panel, too.

The bed lifts on gas struts to reveal plenty of storage. Even when the spare mattress for the dinette bed is stored there, this space is barely diminished.

Moving to the front of the van brings you to the bathroom. It's a bit of a squeeze getting around the foot of the bed to the bathroom, and you have to take care not to trip on the protruding wheel arch. For that very fact, if you like entertaining regularly or you're not as mobile as you once were, a front bathroom layout like this might not be quite so practical.

The bed has halogen reading lights either side, and the room is nice and light, with a massive Jupiter window opposite the bed, another decent sized one at the head of the bed and a Four Season hatch overhead. The size of the windows here more than makes up for the lack of a window at the front of the van.

Forward of the bed is a good space in which to dress, facing a basin with flick-mixer tap, with vanity mirror above and towel rail to the side.

The loo comprises a Thetford toilet, shelf and 12V hatch and light. It is very spacious, as is the moulded fibreglass shower cubicle opposite.

Outside you'll find plenty of the niceties we've come to expect, such as a fold-down picnic table, Dometic A&E 8500 awning, illuminated grab handle and an exterior light and powerpoint.

At the drawbar you'll find two 9kg gas cylinders, a tap, a breakaway switch, an Al-Ko coupling and a good sized gal-lined boot, with boosted storage capacity thanks to the van's battery being housed at the rear.

This E-Series has been built upon a 4in hot-dipped galvanised steel frame, with its twin axles fitted with classy 14in alloy wheels, in turn mated to 10in electric brakes. The bumps in this case are handled by a leaf-spring rocker setup, while a meranti timber frame has been employed, clad in traditional aluminium and with LED lights at the rear.

With an ATM of 3130kg we're in mid to large 4WD territory, and although we didn't get a chance to tow the Evernew ourselves, it certainly appeared to track nicely behind the tow vehicle.

THE BOTTOM LINE
It's hard not to be swayed by the sheer number of years Evernew has been in the business, and that vast amount of experience shines through in Evernew's products.

CW was impressed with how well this 21ft E-Series had been constructed. The quality of the fit and finish is all you'd expect and more of a van in this price range.

If you're looking to upgrade, the separate toilet and shower will add a new level of luxury to your caravanning experience, and an Evernew van like this one certainly won't fail to disappoint.

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Evernew Caravans
101 Bell Street
Heidelberg Heights, Vic 3081
(03) 9459 7516
email: info@evernewcaravans.com.au