Imperial Caravans Palace 2006 Review

By Malcolm Street

Imperial Caravans has been building caravans for a substantial number of years and yet the name is probably not well known.

The reason for that is quite simply that the company has always built vans to order for dealers and they have sold them under the dealer’s name.

Consequently there are quite a few Imperial caravans on the road but all have different names, depending on which capital city they were originally ordered for.

In recent times, there has been some change to that process – in both Sydney and Brisbane caravans are for sale under the Imperial marque.

In Sydney’s case, Imperial vans are now available from the Sydney Caravan and Camping Centre (SCCC).

Not long after the first models arrived in his salesyard, Paul Hutchinson was on the phone to CW telling us about his new Imperial range, in particular the Palace model.

Some have suggested that the Imperial Palace sounds like a Chinese restaurant but we suspect it is more in the context of a palace on wheels… Buckingham Palace perhaps?

CW’s review Palace was an 18-footer (5.5m) with a Tare weight of 1230kg and an ATM of 1710kg, making it ideal for quite a number of tow vehicles, in our case a Ford Falcon ute.

Being a relatively lightweight van, it tracked along very nicely behind the Falcon. Our van was empty and came in with a ball weight of 150kg but with more load on board, a weight distribution hitch would not go astray to help keep all four of the Falcon wheels firmly on the road.

Imperial vans are built on a hot dipped galvanised box section chassis. A single axle and leaf spring suspension means the Palace has a fairly standard running rig, the only ‘extra’ feature being the quick drop corner stabilisers.

On the drawbar are two 4kg gas cylinders, jockey wheel, ball hitch and mains pressure tap complete with hose connection. A spare wheel sits at the rear on a steel bumper bar.

An attention grabbing feature of the Palace is the aluminium checkerplate that is used for a stoneguard across the front and along the lower waistline on both sides.

Meranti timber is used for the out-of-sight framework and aluminium cladding for the walls and roof.

Scratch-free glass hopper windows are used all around and the entry door is the ubiquitous Camec triple locker.

In addition to the front boot there is another external storage locker at the rear offside which gives access under the dinette seat. The nearside wall sports an A&E awning, two external lights and one external powerpoint.

One of the benefits of not having a shower cubicle/bathroom in a van is that there are no real bulky items that take up ‘air space’, thus giving a slightly more spacious feel to the internal layout.

CW’s review van had a front bedroom, rear dinette and mid-kitchen layout which is divided up between living and bedroom areas by an angled sink and mid-section bulkhead partition.

Internal decor consists of a lightly stained timber look for all walls and cupboards plus, in our case, a blue theme for curtains, manchester items and upholstery. Ply timber is used for all cabinet construction.

A large window area and a large Seitz marine style hatch contribute to a fairly light interior, and a centrally mounted rooftop air-conditioner provides cooling when needed.

Up front, the main bedroom has a north-south double bed with innerspring mattress, which lifts up in order to get to the storage area underneath.

On either side of the bed are a small wardrobe, bedside shelf, drawer and floor locker.

Usefully placed along the back of the bed is a small shelf under the window. Extra storage is provided by two overhead lockers and a waist-height cupboard in each corner at the foot of the bed.

Lighting is supplied by an overhead fluorescent/halogen light plus two halogen reading lights above the bed.

In the catering department, the nearside bench has a four-burner Swift cooktop with grill alongside, albeit at an angle. The advantage of this is that a little more kitchen bench space can be squeezed into the design.

Above the sink is the microwave alongside two overhead lockers. The water to the sink comes from both the hand pump and a mains pressure taps.

Under-bench storage is provided by three cupboards, one floor locker and three drawers of various sizes (two large and one cutlery).

Kitchen lighting is quite adequately provided by a halogen downlights in the rangehood, an above sink fluorescent and a ceiling-mounted fitting as well.

On the opposite side of the van is a mounted-off-floor-level fridge, alongside a small slide-out pantry.

Above the fridge, the shelf area is designed for a TV with both powerpoint and antenna connection on the wall.

At the rear of the van, an L-shaped lounge sits in the offside corner. Contoured foam cushions provide seating for two and naturally there’s a table which can be lifted out of the way when not needed.

Generously, three halogen reading lights are provided in addition to the overhead fluorescent fitting.

The under-seat storage area is accessed by lifting the cushions out of the way and opening the ply timber hatches. A floor locker door gives quicker entry when needed.

All around overhead lockers provide additional storage, as does the small nearside corner cabinet by the door.

For this level of van, the lighting supplied is more than adequate. A point of interest is the round overhead fluorescent fittings which have both 240V fluorescents and 12V halogen globes as well.

These are reminiscent of older caravans where the only lights available came with both 240V and 12V incandescent globes.

Most of the light switches are mounted behind the kitchen bench beside the doorway – a central location, except when you stumble in after a late night and have to grope for the light switch. Having one lower down would be nice.

The Bottom Line

Generally speaking, the Imperial appears to be a very well assembled van. At 18ft (5.5m) long, the Imperial Palace is a comfortable towing proposition with a good variety of choice of tow vehicle.

The layout lends itself well to a couple who don’t want an on-board bathroom and are happy to spend most nights in a caravan park or camping ground. It might not be Buckingham Palace but the Imperial Palace is certainly a little palace on wheels.

For more information contact Sydney Caravan and Camping Centre, 19 Smith Street or 64-76 David Road, Emu Plains NSW, (02) 4735 2044, web:

We liked:

• Angled kitchen setup allows a flexible bench layout and takes away the ‘straight bench’ look

• General fit and finish – inside cabinetry and locker doors was smoothly sandpapered

• Comfy rear dinette/lounge area

We would have liked:

• Light switch lower down the doorway

• Extra smaller drawers and one less cupboard in kitchen bench