Evernew E2000 RTX 2019 Review

Wherever you travel in Australia, you’ll find Evernew caravans – not really surprising for a brand whose origins date back to 1963 with many repeat owners.

But still impressive for a relatively small manufacturer that has primarily existed in Victoria over the past 56 years; has only sold factory-direct since the early 1980s; and has not attended a caravan show since the late 1990s.

Despite being ‘Victoria’s Secret’, Evernew’s good name has got around. There is probably a greater percentage of all the Evernew full-height caravans and pop-tops built still touring Australia than those of any other brand, while just recently, Evernew was awarded the ‘RVMAP People’s Choice Award Manufacturer of the Year’ at the Caravan Industry Association of Australia's recent National Conference.

Times are changing

However, things could soon change. Since being sold by retiring co-founder Bruce Bailey in early 2017, Evernew in the hands of new owner Bib Dani, has aimed higher.

The first step was to improve build quality and streamline its supply chain, by moving from a number of small-volume suppliers to source premium products from major, nationally-supported brands. Now comes Evernew’s first all-new model for many years – the full off-road and fully-equipped RTX.

While the secret to the longevity of previous Evernews has been their strength. Bruce Bailey always said he built caravans for a lifespan of at least 30 years, so every Evernew’s normal spec was what rivals would call ‘all-road’... but the new RTX goes further.

It starts with a hot-dipped galvanised chassis custom-built exclusively for Evernew by G&S, which they have been doing since 1975. Measuring 150mm x 50mm at the drawbar with an upswept rear end and a monster 300mm above the tandem axle set, including a 50mm raiser, combined with extra strengthening gussets, it’s the most robust thing I have ever seen under a caravan – and I’ve had my head under a few!

Matching it is Cruisemaster’s premium ATX airbag suspension, complemented by Toyota Landcruiser-size 265/75R16 Cooper Discoverer light truck tyres, 12-inch drum brakes all round and a 4.5-tonne capable Cruisemaster DO-45 coupling up front. There's also a heavy-duty 100mm x 50mm rear bumper with four stays carrying two mounted spare GRID alloy wheels, to complete an impressive off-road equipment inventory.

Underneath you’ll also find the RTX’s two 95-litre fresh water tanks, a separate 65-litre drinking-water tank with a dedicated 12v pump and filter and a 95-litre grey water tank with a bypass valve – all well-protected from stones by checker-plate, while their plumbing and wiring is tucked well up between the chassis rails or protected by more checker-plate.

Topping all this is a steep rear cutaway, smooth aluminium body over a Meranti timber frame, rather than the full composite sides of some of its rivals. Meranti is still the framing material of choice because of its strength-to-weight ratio and ability to adapt to climatic extremes, unlike inflexible welded aluminium.

Built for battle

But if you peeled off the aluminium you’d find that Evernew’s wall studs have extra bracing than most conventionally-constructed vans and the larger-than-customary 70mm diameter Meranti roof beams are spaced just 400mm apart on average and checked into the walls.

Finally, to keep frame-rotting moisture out, up to five separate layers of waterproofing go into the ceiling of each caravan. As a result, the majority of the near 10,000 Evernews built since 1963 are still circulating around Australia in original or successive owners’ hands.

The rear body cut-away is a new departure for Evernew (pun intended) and endows the RTX with more versatility in extreme terrain than its conventionally- bodied all-roads counterparts.

You don’t need to be fording crocodile-infested rivers to appreciate this, as the humps and bumps on the Melbourne property we camped at would have tested any 20ft 10in internal-length off-road caravan, as would any steep service station driveways in tropical Far North Queensland! (I’ve also found the rear cut-away on my own van is very handy when you need to swing around on a narrow track, as it allows you to reverse deeper into the surrounding bush).

Internally, the cut-away rear limits layout options, so the queen bed needs to be at the rear end, while the RTX’s separate shower and toilet ensuite has to be located at the front because the floor is level there.

Storage towards the front

Outside, with a tandem wheelset, the opportunities for in-body storage hatches is also limited, which is why the RTX comes with a standard drawbar-mounted checker-plate tool box as standard to house a portable fridge and generator on opposing slides and twin 9kg gas bottles stowed away from stone-strike, in the middle.

The box on the first production RTX we reviewed was still a work-in-progress and later models are expected to incorporate a woodrack on top.

The only external hatch on the RTX is a tall, skinny one just forward of the front awning arm on the door side, which is deep enough to house all the requisite hoses and electrical cords and tall enough to store a couple of folding chairs and a small table for roadside lunch stops.

Fortunately, this is well compensated for inside, where cupboards with positive locking buttons line the central and rear upper walls, as well as under the kitchen and dinette seats.

There's also plenty of storage room left under the lift-up north-south queen bed beside the separate compartment housing the RTX’s standard 300AH Enerdrive lithium battery with its DC-DC charger, and its 3000W Combi inverter and 120AH charger.

On the roof you’ll find three 150W glass solar panels, while the van is wired to an Anderson plug that can connect to a further portable panel, if desired, for extended off-grid living.

Powered up for the price

This up-spec power system is one of a suite of top-end equipment fitted as standard to the $134,000 RTX. Along with the premium Cruisemaster ATX Aarbag suspension and DO-45 coupling, it includes a Dometic power awning, a Camec three-point locking security door with keyless entry, a power-operated Techno aluminium step, a large, front-loader Camec 4kg washing machine under the kitchen benchtop, an Ibis 4 low profile reverse cycle air conditioner, a Webasto diesel heater, an Intellisat S2 auto satellite system, a premium Apollo 770 audio system with four internal and two external speakers, built-in WiFi, and a WiFi caravan alarm and a GPS security system.

I’ve been reviewing caravans for some time now, but I’ve never seen so many items that are normally extra-cost options included as standard on a caravan that costs around $25,000-$30,000 less than its equivalently-equipped direct off-road competitors. You can really see where the money Evernew saves on dealer margins and show appearances is spent!

Glamorous interior

Inside, the review RTX looked unexpectedly luxurious thanks to its high-gloss black cabinetry, with contrasting grey timber-look flooring and matte-white walls and ceiling.

With the limitations imposed by its rear cut-away, the layout is pretty conventional: an island longitudinal queen bed at the rear, surrounded by upper cupboards and a pair of three-quarter mirror-fronted robes with 240v and USB charging points in bed-accessible nooks, a leather-clad cafe dinette with pull out footrests in the middle, opposite a good-sized galley with its Swift 500 Series grill and oven below the left hand side, and a 25-litre microwave located in the upper cabinets on the right.

Large premium windows and a roof hatch opposite the entry door let plenty of light in.

The front bathroom, with a well-finished and spacious shower cubicle on the left and the toilet on the right, and a vanity with a long bench and mirror in between, is unexpectedly roomy and is separated from the rest of the cabin by a solid sliding door with full-length mirror.

It’s all very logical and useable, with the van‘s 2260mm internal width allowing adequate room for two people to pass between the bedroom and bathroom.

Plenty of direct and mood lighting makes easy work of the night, with a separate bedside switch turning on floor lights for early hours toilet trips.

Externally, there are lights on every side – all orchestrated from a separate light panel just inside the door – and we made good use of the two front spotlights to illuminate our nearby campfire.

While all this equipment is not essential for off-grid living, it certainly makes the transition from city to remote country a seamless, comfortable, experience and as the overnight temperatures nudged zero, the Webasto heater came into its own.

Tough tow truck required

As you'd expect from a manufacturer that has been custom-building caravans from small pop-tops to monster tri-axles for nearly 60 years, the RTX towed securely and easily behind our Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD at any posted speed limit, with power to spare from its 6.6-litre turbo-diesel for overtaking.

As reviewed, the RTX weighed in at 3140kg Tare with an ATM of 4000kg, leaving a load capacity of 850kg. But, as this limits tow vehicles to local Toyota Landcruisers and the like with up-rated GCMs or large American pickups like the Silverado, Evernew is looking at offering a 3.5 tonne rated version of the RTX with a few equipment deletions, like one spare wheel, perhaps two fresh water tanks, a more compact lithium battery system and maybe making the Satellite system optional to get its Tare weight below 3000kg.

However, our RTX and Silverado combination proved unstoppable in the sort of rough terrain that owners can be expected to take their caravans, cresting steep slopes and crossing undulating rough terrain without the hint of a scrape underneath. And when stopping for the night, the side-by-side height adjustability of the airbag suspension was much appreciated in levelling the van.

Summing up

While Evernew has built conservatively-styled off-road caravans for many years, the E2000 Series RTX is a significant new model that signals the manufacturer’s intentions to take the remote area of town even more seriously in both style and equipment.

Evernew already has a well-deserved reputation for ‘built-to-last’ caravans and the new, more aggressively-styled and equipment-loaded E2000 RTX deserves to be regarded as a serious competitor by other premium off-road caravan manufacturers.

2019 Evernew E2000 RTX

Travel length: 8700mm
Internal body length: 6350mm
External body width: 2490mm
Internal body width: 2260mm
Internal height: 1950mm
Travel height: 3060mm
Tare: 3150kg
ATM: 4000kg
Ball weight: 230kg
Body: Flat composite powder coated aluminium over Meranti timber wall and roof frame with aluminium checker-plate lower stone protection
Chassis: Heavy-duty hot-dipped galvanised 150mm-300mm x 50mm custom-built G&S steel chassis with 4.5-tonne rated DO-45 off-road coupling
Suspension: Cruisemaster ATX 4450kg-rated automatic ride height airbag suspension, with side-to-side manual adjustment and 46mm diameter monotube dampers
Brakes: 12-in electric drum brakes
Wheels: Alloy with LT265/75-16 Cooper AT3 tyres
Water: 2 x 95 litre fresh water, 1 x 65 litre filtered drinking water and 1 x 95 litre separate grey water
Battery: 300Ah Enerdrive lithium battery with 430Ah DC-DC charger, 650Ah solar controller and 3000W/120AH Combi inverter/charger
Solar: Roof-mounted 3 x 150W glass panels
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Hot water: Gas HWS
Cooking: Swift 400 Series internal 3 + 1 hob cooktop, plus grill and full oven, plus 25-litre microwave and external BBQ
Fridge: Dometic RUC6408X 190-litre compressor fridge-freezer
Shower: Separate internal and external hot/cold
Toilet: Separate cassette
Lighting: LED inside and out
Price: $134,000 (Victoria)
Supplied by: Evernew Caravans, Heidelberg Heights, Victoria