Jawa Lowdown 2021 Review

The new 13ft Jawa Lowdown doesn’t pretend to take on similar-spec locally-built RVs costing double or more, but for $47,500 it ticks all the essential boxes for budget-conscious remote area travellers.  

However the Jawa has a major advantage over some of its imported compact pop-top rivals as it has been designed with Australian use in mind by an Australian-owned and run company and incorporates a number of modification to its Chinese-built specification based on local Outback experience. 

Made for Australians

Like most imported caravans, hybrids and campers, the single axle Jawa Lowdown arrives by container, but it already sits on its own six-stud 16-inch alloy wheels and 265/75 Landcruiser-size mud terrain tyres.

The wheels come off as soon as the Lowdown hits Jawa's Caboolture, Queensland HQ, and the wheel-bearings are packed and replaced with heavy duty ones. Its Chinese-made shockers absorbers are also replaced with two more rugged local Drivetech Enduro 4x4 shocks per wheel, with the independent trailing arm suspension then aligned for toe-in and camber.

A Dometic under-floor reverse-cycle air-conditioner, a Truma gas/electric hot water system, a 40 Amp Enerdrive DC-DC smart charger, an Enerdrive lithium battery compatible 40AH A/C charger and a 2000 Watt inverter and two 100AGM deep cycle batteries are fitted, while a Cruisemaster DO-35 off-road hitch and an Ark XO 750 swivelling jockey wheel are bolted to the Lowdown’s hot dipped galvanised 150mm x 50mm x 4mm thick steel drawbar.

So, while you get the cost savings from its cheaper Chinese build cost, you get the confidence of proven, quality off-road equipment.

Off-road protection

Talking off-road, the Jawa Lowdown comes fully loaded with external rock sliders to protect its lower flanks, twin 100 litre fresh water tanks and a separate 85 litre grey water tank – all protected by plenty of aluminium checker plate stone shielding – while a 95 litre KickAss external cabinet fridge/freezer, a heavy-duty annexe with draft skirts, a full slide-out stainless steel kitchen and a large wind-out awning that covers the door and all food prep and cooking areas, twin spare wheels and two rear towing shackles, are all part of the deal.

Surprisingly then, given all this largesse, the twin gas cylinders that slip into padded cradles out of stone’s harm way in one of the two front body lockers, are an extra-cost option, while you will also need to supply your own two jerry cans for the other locker...  

The front boots and the body sides up to the waistline are covered by black checker-plate, with the remainder of the Lowdown finished in an eye-catching matt-orange.

Loaded with features

The long list of interior standard equipment on the 13ft Jawa Lowdown includes a Bluetooth stereo system, a 24-in TV with interior and exterior mounts, two 12v internal fans, LED overhead lights and flexible reading lights.

Apart from its price, a key attraction of the Lowdown for many buyers (as its name suggests) is its low travelling height of just 2180mm, which is around the same as a Toyota Landcruiser fitted with a roof rack.

Combined with its overall width of 2190mm, that allows the Lowdown to wind its way down narrow bush tracks, but more importantly for some, will allow it to fit in a suburban garage or under a standard carport, but importantly, folding out its rear hard-walled bed extension turns the Lowdown into the equivalent of a 16ft Hybrid.

Setting up

The set-up operation for the Jawa Lowdown is fairly simple.

First, pop the roof by unclipping its four over-centre corner latches. This is fairly easy for someone of modest stature on three corners, but the fourth latch is behind the awning, so you’ll need long arms, or a high folding step to reach over it, remove its safety pin and then unlatch it. Ditto in reverse.

You then lift the interior over-centre bars to raise the roof, which with the under-floor air-con and only the weight of two flexible 150W (total 300W) solar panels, is tolerably light. Once erected, the bars reassuringly lock into place with clips.

Then, head around to the back, lower the rear bar with its twin mounted spare wheels by removing two sturdy pins with spring-steel retaining clips and hold the bar in its horizontal position by re-inserting one of the pins.

Then lift the rear lid, hold it up by swinging out the side walls, then pull up the rear panel with its opening rear window, clip it into place and, hey presto, your 13ft Lowdown has grown in length by a metre.

The final action is to go back inside to re-position the second mattress to create a full queen mattress and you’re done.  It all takes less than 10 minutes.

Interior highlights

Up front,  our review Jawa Lowdown was fitted with a super-single bed to the left of the entry door, with windows at each end – ideal for a child, a guest, or the beloved family dog. Like the fold-out rear queen bed, it has its own 12v fan.

If you’d rather, this bed space can be configured as more storage, by deleting the windows and installing storage lockers, for an extra $1000.

Below the bed there’s a slightly daunting array of push-button switches and warning lights, plus level gauges for the fresh and grey water tanks, the stereo head unit and one of the Lowdown’s three internal/external speakers.

But once you’ve turned on the Lowdown’s power via the DC-DC charger in the cabinet below, it all becomes much clearer and you can adjust the LED lighting to suit your needs and mood. The adjacent cupboard is a handy storage space for other electronic items.

Shower and toilet inside

To the right of this bed, opposite the entry door, is a combined shower and toilet, with the height of the ‘telephone’ shower easily adjusted upwards on its long, chromed shaft, with a vinyl flap above the door shielding the interior from shower spray.

The shower door is held shut by a gate-styled latch, which could inadvertently lock someone inside the cubicle!

To the right of this unit is a single seat, which can be converted into a small dinette by relocating the folding table stored in one of the front storage boots. Your dining companions presumably sit on the bed.

To the right of the door is a deep stainless steel sink and adjacent steel drainage board with a hot/cold mixer tap, with a mirror on the underside of its lid to allow dish-rinsing/hand-washing/teeth brushing/make-up or whatever, without braving the external elements.

Cooking outside

Cooking? That’s an outside job, with a large slide-out stainless steel with a four gas hobs, a two-tier plate rack and a stainless steel sink to its right revealed by a drop-down door  

A cutlery drawer, storage for the unit’s gas and water connections and a mixer tap are also part of this comprehensive unit, with a fold-down leg to stabilise it when fully withdrawn. Pantry storage in a series of separate compartments sits above the stove locker.

At the front of the van, a separate slide reveals the Lowdown’s included 95 litre KickAss separate cabinet fridge and freezer, plus two large pantry storage boxes. Handily, both the fridge and cooking modules  are covered by the Lowdown’s large wind-out awning, when deployed.

On the other side there’s a slide-out box for a generator, plus another slide-out drawer that houses the Lowdown’s included tent for the external shower and full four metre annexe (including walls, vinyl flooring and draft skirt).

On the tracks

So, it’s certainly got a lot, but how does all this work in practice?

Well, although it’s not really a lightweight with its Tare of 1880kg, the Lowdown tows really well at all reasonable speeds.

Its relatively light ball weight of just 140kg makes it suitable to be hauled by a medium sized 4WD, but if you load it up to its full 2400kg ATM, you’ll need a tow tug that’s 2500kg-capable.

The Lowdown’s suspension looks capable of tackling most of Australia's worst corrugated highways, but I’d be packing a good basic took-kit before a big trip to re-tighten a few bolts and screws on ancillary items.

Summing up

The 13ft Jawa Lowdown packs all the essentials for remote area travel in a compact and very affordable hybrid that can fit in your garage.

While detail quality isn’t at the level of top-line Australian hybrids, neither is its price.

How much is the Jawa Lowdown 13ft hybrid?

Price: $47,500
Travel length: 5640mm
External body width: 2190mm
Travel height: 2180mm
Tare: 1880kg
ATM: 2400kg
Ball weight: 140kg
Body: Steel frame under smooth aluminium composite walls, with a fibreglass roof and nosecone
Chassis: Hot-dipped galvanised steel with 100mm x 50mm x 4mm A-frame.
Suspension: Independent by trailing arms and coil springs , with Drivetech Enduro twin shock absorber per wheel
Brakes: 12-inch electric drum
Wheels: Alloy 16in wheels with 265/75R16 M/T tyres                                         
Water: 2 x 100L fresh water; 1 x 85L grey
Batteries: 2 x 100Ah deep cycle
Solar: Roof-mounted 2 x 150W flexible panels
Gas: Optional 2 x 9kg
Hot water: 14L gas/electric
Cooking: Slide-out external stainless steel, four-burner gas cook-top
Fridge: Slide-out external 95L compressor cabinet-style fridge/freezer
Toilet: Internal cassette
Shower: Internal full-height one-piece moulded fibreglass combined shower/toilet, plus external hot/cold shower with shower tent
Lighting: LED
TV: 24in HD LED
Supplied by: Jawa Campers, 39 Lear Jet Drive, Caboolture, Queensland