First Look: Caravelair Antares

Weight-saving is something the Aussie caravan market has been slow to champion, which makes it difficult if you’re looking for a family van that doesn’t require a large 4WD to tow it.

While a few manufacturers have made an effort to put their caravans on a diet with a lighter chassis here or lighter composite body there, most larger family vans are heavy.

This is where the European vans have always excelled, and the latest to arrive in Australia from the Continent is French brand Caravelair.

Caravaler is part of the Trigano group, which also owns the Slovenian brand Adria, and is imported by Carlight, who have been selling caravans and trailers from their Sydney base since 2006.

Big on berths

The Antares 496 is Caravelair’s family bunk-bed offering in the local range, and is only topped in size (and price) by the 5.6 metre-long (internal) four-berth, $51,990 Antares 480.

This $48,990 Anteres 496 six-berth family van is only slightly shorter, with a 5.2-metre internal length.

I can’t help but think how very different it is to another, similar-sized shower/toilet family bunk van I recently tested, the Avida Rock.

The Rock weighs more than twice as much at Tare (1190kg versus 2673kg), and is almost twice the price, but it can sleep only four people versus the 496’s six.

Yes, the Rock is bigger, by 1.5 metres in overall length (but only by half a metre inside), and unlike the Antares is built to cop a pounding off-road and has loads more standard equipment.

It just shows what extremes there are when it comes to housing up to six people in a caravan...

No fixed steps

There are no fixed steps with the Antares 496, so to get in the van you’ll need to unfold the standard, portable steps. Fixed steps should really be part of the deal for a $48,990 (drive away) van like this.

The Antares 496 has a light, airy and welcoming interior space. If you're familiar with European caravan fit-outs, then you’ll feel right at home in the timber-look, pale brown and beige 496. That’s the only problem with this van’s decor; while inoffensive, this colour palette is beginning to look dated against the more varied and colourful Aussie offerings.

However, have a close look at the cabinetry and you’ll notice that everything lines up well and while of a very lightweight material, is very well finished. There are no rough or uneven edges or laminate looking as if it’s ready to chip away in here. That can’t be said of some Aussie vans.

While the 496 is very compact for a six-berth caravan, you pay for it by not having a permanent sleeping set-up for the adults. What that means is, aside from the fixed rear nearside bunks, the beds need to be converted from their daytime dinette configuration for night-time bed use.

The front U-shaped dinette lounge could seat five adults at a pinch (note that there's a seat cushion for the seat just below the front hopper window, although it's not shown in the photos). Like most Euro caravans, the Caravelair has a fold-out table, which is stored in the back of the wardrobe at the rear of the van’s layout.

If you don’t want to bother with getting out the fold-out table for a quick coffee stop, there's a small coffee table that folds out below the front hopper window (although you’d probably just sit at the centre dinette instead).

Speaking of windows, they're all double-glazed Seitz opening windows with pleated blinds and meshed flyscreens. There’s also a large opening Heki panoramic skylight (with concertina blind and meshed flyscreen) that allows in a generous amount of daylight into the front and centre of the van.

As for lighting, there are 12v LED reading lights at the front and centre lounges and rear bunks, a strip light over the kitchen and a ceiling light over the front dinette/lounge.  The bathroom is also well illuminated with a backlit shower panel and  a downlight in the main area, while thee’s a step light on the nearside exterior wall

The 496 could, however, do with a ceiling light towards the rear of the fit-out.

Screened for comfort

The Hartal access door has a flyscreen that slides across the full aperture, so you can get all the ventilation benefits of of an open door without the insects coming in.

The dinette converts to a 1580mm x 2000mm double bed quite easily and quickly. A bed base slides out from the dinette's front seat base and then it’s just a matter of arranging the cushions.

While it’s a clever use of space, the problem is that the extra cushions to make up this bed and the middle bunk beds take up a fair bit of storage space when not in use.

There's a two-pole, 240v outlet below the offside bench that also houses two USB ports, while above the dinette area there are two large overhead lockers at the front and open shelves on the nearside and offside.

Just back from the dinette on the offside is a large storage wardrobe (which also houses the TV pole antenna) and for local vans a Dometic 90-litre three-way fridge/freezer will be fitted.

Bunks galore

At the centre of the layout on the offside you have a single cafe dinette for two that converts to a two-bunk bed. When converted to bunks (which takes a bit of practice to work out the folding mechanism for the upper bunk base), you’ve got 650mm x 1800mm stretching room on the bottom bunk and 850mm x 1800mm up top. There’s also a two-pole 240volt outlet with two USB ports, identical to the one at the front lounge.

Under the rear seat is the Truma Combi water and space heating system, and under the front dinette seat there's more storage space (although you need to be careful to not damage the space heater ducting).

The space heater (which has a control panel above the access door) has ducts at the centre lounge and front lounge, and the van is pre-wired for the optional air-conditioner and solar panels.

Decent kitchen

The kitchen on the nearside centre of the layout offers a generous amount of storage with lockers above the kitchen and large cupboards below the bench. While the example shown here has an oven, Australian versions won't (they'll have an extra cupboard instead). It’s a shame that at this price point the 496 doesn’t include a microwave (although, again, it's available as an option).

On the kitchen benchtop there’s a three burner (two gas, one electric) cooktop and a single-bowl sink with mixer tap. There's no rangehood and while there's a fold-down extension for the bench, it's still a very small space to prepare food for up to six people. So you'd have to use the dinette opposite the kitchen when it comes to food prep.

At the back of the layout, the fixed bunks (each measuring 710mm x 1850mm) have plenty of room to move – they don’t feel claustrophobic, and the hopper windows provide plenty of natural light. Like the centre offside bunks, there's a good-quality block-out curtain to provide some privacy to the bunk area.

Storage up the back is centred around a large wardrobe/cupboard, which offers hanging space with two shelves underneath. Also, the rear boot can be accessed internally from the lower bunk base.

Big bathroom

The rear offside bathroom is a generous space for such a relatively small caravan. The facilities are adult sized -- not always the case with caravan bathrooms!

There’s adequate rather than outstanding storage in the two open lipped shelves in the vanity unit and in the mirrored cupboard above the sink.

Storage accessed externally includes a lockable front boot that houses the spare wheel and a 30-litre grey water tank. There’s provision for two LPG gas cylinders – although this Aussie market certification example has yet to be fitted with the gas cylinder enclosure, which is a legal requirement for Aussie vans. When that's done, you can’t help but think there's not going to be too much storage space left.

Thankfully, there’s a generous external storage space accessed via a hatch on the nearside rear, although for good towing balance you’re going to have to be careful not to put too much heavy gear in there.

Also outside, on the nearside front, is a 240v power outlet, an external shower and a gas bayonet, while the other side reveals a locker for the battery and a 240volt power inlet.

Up at the A-frame, there’s the familiar, European-style AL-KO friction coupling and park brake, and a side-mounted jockey wheel.

Summing up

While it appears to provide comfortable sleeping quarters for up to six people, the Caravelair Antares 496 clearly doesn’t have ample storage or food preparation space for that many people camping in the van on a longer holiday.

For some though, that compromise will be worth making for what is a well-made, extremely light, and easy-to-tow caravan.

Specs: Caravelair Antares 496

Travel length: 6910mm (22ft 8in)
Body length (open length): 5850mm (19ft 2in)
External body width: 2300mm (7ft 7in)
Travel height: 2580mm (8ft 6in)
Interior height: 1950mm (6ft 5in)
Tare weight: 1190kg
ATM: 1500kg
Ball weight (Tare): 77kg
Body: Fibreglass composite
Chassis: 100mm x 50mm galvanised steel
Suspension: Torsion bar with shocks
Brakes: 8in over-ride drums
Stability Control: n/a
Wheels: 14in alloy on 185R14C tyres
Fresh water: 70L
Battery: 100a/h deep cycle
Solar: Optional
Air-conditioner: Optional
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Hot water/heater:  Truma Combi 10L
Cooking: Two gas/one electric cooktop
Fridge/freezer: Dometic three-way 90L
Microwave: Optional
Toilet: Thetford cassette
Shower: Separate cubicle
Lighting: 12v LED
TV: Optional
Price: $48,990 (drive away)
Options fitted: None
Supplied by: Carlight Caravans and Trailers, Girraween. NSW
Website: www.caravelair.com.au