First look: Lotus Trooper

Established in 2004, Melbourne’s Lotus Caravans is a pioneer of the tough, black checker plate off-road styling now favoured by many Australian caravan manufacturers.

Led by industry young gun George Josevski, Lotus was also one of the first to offer multi coloured exterior panels, glossy furniture, CNC cut-outs and stitched leather upholstery, and continues to fuel demand for ruggedly built, off-the-grid capable caravans dripping with comfort and luxury features.

While dipping its toe into the popular touring market more recently, the acquisition of slide-out specialist Universal caravans has allowed Lotus to go back to what it does best -- purpose-built off-road caravans -- with four tandem and single axle models currently on offer.

As part of 2018 updates, Lotus has given its hard-core, range-topping Trooper a freshen up including new styling and equipment designed to keep the Melbourne manufacturer ahead of the tough-road glamour-van pack.

Top of the pack

Sitting at the top of Lotus’ heavy-duty range, the Trooper is available with eight standard layouts, in body sizes from 18ft 6in to 22ft.

While one of the smallest in the range, the 18ft 6in tandem axle Trooper reviewed here is no lightweight, but nor is it light on for features for its driveaway price of $101,500.

With a Tare weight of 2730kg and ATM of 3495kg, you’ll need a big LandCruiser or similarly beefy tow vehicle to haul it safely around (an imported Ford F250 like that driven by the Lotus boss would be just the thing!)

If your tow vehicle isn’t up to the task, Lotus offers the smaller and lighter Off Grid models, although you’ll have to sacrifice some space and comforts.

Standout styling

If you like your caravan to stand out in the park, you won’t be disappointed with the latest Trooper. For 2018, the exterior styling has gone up a notch with more external checker plate (in shiny silver if you prefer) and new striking, stick-on decals on the German-made aluminium composite body panels (also available in different colours), that attach to the Meranti timber frame.

Other ‘bling’ on the 2018 Trooper includes trademark Lotus touches like CNC-cut ‘Lotus’ decals on the unique front grab handles and along the main chassis rails.

Tough stuff

On a more practical note and befitting its top-spec status, the Trooper gets a special, beefed up ‘Truss’ hot dipped galvanised chassis from G&S Chassis that runs 150mm RHS throughout. Four underslung water tanks fit neatly within the 325mm deep main bearers, with an upswept rear section boasting ‘rock sliders’, recovery hooks and a four-arm bar with integrated wood rack and space for two jerry cans and a spare wheel (a second spare wheel can also be fitted).

Also up back is a reversing camera and LED work light, complementing further LED lighting along the front and door side.

The Trooper also runs 3500kg rated G&S Control Rider independent trailing arm suspension with two shocks per side, 12in off-road brakes, and 16in alloys with mud terrain tyres.

With plenty of checker plate protection around the water tanks and most of the wires and hosing neatly tucked up out of harm's way, it looks ready for battle!

More body armour

Other body armour includes a heavy-duty, mesh stone guard with mud flaps and built-in A-frame tap. The stone guard also shields two 9kg gas bottles and a large checker plate toolbox with two compartments for a slide-out fridge and generator if required.

The drawbar is also equipped with a detachable jockey wheel and trusty Cruisemaster DO35 hitch.

Other external highlights on the 18ft 6in Trooper include a big Dometic roll-out awning, entertainment locker with TV arm, 12V outlets and TV aerial connector on the onside, and three watertank fillers and an external shower on the offside.

Also worth mentioning is the 30kg-rated Ranger drop-down picnic table fitted, which features user-friendly latches rather than the usual, frustrating keyed locks for securing it in transit.

More bling inside

Step up into the Trooper, via the drop-down steps, and you're greeted by a smart, modern layout, with a typical grey nomad floorplan that includes a walk-around queen bed up front, two-person café dinette and well-equipped galley kitchen in the middle and a full width rear ensuite with separate shower and toilet.

Trademark Lotus touches abound, from monogrammed black leather upholstery to glossy handle-free cabinetry, with the option to add splashes of colour if the more conservative granite-grey decor is not to your liking.

The bedroom area is equiipped with all the expected storage areas above and around the coil spring mattress. There's some under-bed storage, although it's limited due to the full length tunnel boot. You'll need to be careful when packing here though, as some of the hosing from the hot water unit fitted is exposed and could be susceptible to damage.

Dining for two

The centrally located kitchen and cafe dinette/lounge take up a good chunk of interior space and should please most couples. However, we did notice that the tri-fold table cuts into some of the standing room around the kitchen when extended, and unlike many vans these days there are no extendable footrests for the dinette to stretch out.

The kitchen has everything you’d expect including a stainless sink with drainer and filtered tap (with its own water pump), head-height microwave, four-burner cooktop with grille and oven, rangehood and 190 litre compressor fridge/freezer.

There are decent storage options for food, cooking and eating items including overhead lockers, soft-close drawers and a pull-out pantry, and sufficient benchtop space when the glass lid on the cooker is down.

To cope better with dusty and corrugated roads, Lotus has fitted a 'scupper vent' above the bed, as well as separate internal locks for kitchen and bathroom drawers, to stop them falling out on bumpy roads. The only issue here would be remembering to take the extra time to lock them before hitting the corrugations!

Powered up

The Trooper is well set up for off-the-grid camping, with a 200Ah Revolution lithium battery system monitored by a Redarc 50A BMS fitted under one of the seats. Together with 600W solar rooftop power, it should be enough to keep the fridge and perhaps the air-conditioner running for extended periods.

The four water tanks can carry up to 219 litres of fresh water and 110 litres of grey water, so you're well covered in the hydration department too.

There’s also a quality Fusion stereo with internal and external speakers, Air Command air conditioner, Sirocco fan, internal TV arm for the 24in LED TV, a large LED-lit roof hatch and plenty of interior lighting options as well as 12V/240V powerpoints.

The full width rear ensuite is not particularly spacious but ticks most of the boxes, including a solid sliding door with fixed double towel rails, top-load washing machine, full width mirror, ceramic basin, fiberglass shower unit with smoke glass door and LED/fan-equipped roof hatch.

Minor gripes

While there’s a lot to like about the Trooper, there are a few things we'd prefer differently if it was our van.

While it was good to see some shiny checker plate floor protection around the entry area, we'd prefer to see more durable kickboards around the living areas to protect the glossy or leather-clad furniture panels from getting scuffed up by shoes.

And given there are plenty of kitchen storage options, none of the drawers are really big enough for larger pots or portable appliances like plug-in coffee machines.

The bathroom offers excellent headroom like the rest of the van, but it doesn’t offer a lot of room for changing into clothes after a shower with the door shut.

Given its Outback aspirations, it's a shame gas central heating is not included as standard in the six figure priced Trooper, although it is available as an option. Stability control is also an optional extra.

Summing up

The updated Trooper range reinforces Lotus’ reputation as the style leader in the booming big, rough road caravan market.

Solidly built and set up for a comfortable, off-the-grid lifestyle, the heavy-duty Trooper provides plenty of camping options for those with a suitably equipped heavy duty tow vehicle.