Jayco CrossTrak 2019 Review

Off-road hybrid campers have been all the rage in recent years, so it’s no surprise that Australia’s biggest RV manufacturer recently joined the party with the launch of the 13ft CrossTrak at this year’s Melbourne Supershow.

Like all good hybrids, the new Jayco CrossTrak blends the interior comforts of a hard body caravan with the rough track-ability and outdoor living appeal of an off-road tent trailer. In the case of the CrossTrak, sleeping and dining takes place inside the compact interior living space, while the sheltered outside kitchen and external hot/cold shower tent take care of cooking and cleaning.

With a body measuring 4.19m long, 2.2m wide and 2.4m high when travelling, and a Tare weight of around 1350kg, the CrossTrak pop-top is also light and compact enough to drag down tight, bushy tracks and into more remote camping spots where larger caravans will struggle.

Priced from $36,990 drive-away, Jayco is pitching it at adventurous couples wanting a few creature comforts when camping, as well as those moving up from a basic tent trailer like Jayco’s latest JTrak, which is around half the price of the CrossTrak.

However, family buyers are also being targeted with a family version of the CrossTrak that adds a hammock-style bunk bed over an extended rear lounge area, to accommodate an extra child or two.

Jayco is also pitching the CrossTrak at those who appreciate ‘Aussie made’, as it's one of few hybrid models available on the Australian market priced under $40,000, that’s not imported from China.

Fully built down under

The CrossTrak reviewed here is one of the first pre-production models, so expect the final production versions set to roll out to Jayco dealers soon to look largely the same but with a few minor changes and added features.

Unlike the JTrak, which has its body panels manufactured in China, the CrossTrak is fully built at Jayco’s Dandenong, Victoria factory using similar ply flooring and aluminium-frame, fibreglass sandwich wall panel construction to other Jayco caravans and pop-tops.

It rides on a hot-dipped galvanised 'Warhorse' chassis similar to the range-topping Silverline caravan, teamed with the latest JTech 2.0 independent trailing arm suspension.

The review camper was fitted with a 50mm ball coupling, but production versions will get Jayco’s  ‘shockproof swivel’ coupling as standard, to provide a bit more confidence off-road.

Currently there’s no option for a mesh stone shield, so stones flicked back from the tow vehicle will either deflect off the drawbar-mounted twin 9kg gas bottles and twin jerry holders, or the strip of black protective checkerplate fitted behind. The front window also has a protective cover.

Underneath are two 82 litre gal-protected water tanks (the prototype only had one fitted), with no room for a grey water tank with the spare wheel also tucked up underneath.

Easy set up

Setting up the CrossTrak is as easy as any pop-top: position the removable jockey wheel, drop the four corner stabilisers, unlatch the four roof clasps and raise the roof from inside using the bars at each end.

Rather than a more conventional slide-out stainless kitchen, Jayco has opted for an outdoor, built-in kitchen 'recess' on the onside, which is easily accessed by lifting a large, gas strut-assisted cover.

The solid door also doubles as a handy sun or rain shelter if you don’t have the time or inclination to wind out the 11ft Carefree awning when pulling over for the night, or for a roadside cuppa.

The kitchen includes a small sink with flick mixer tap that draws hot water from a built-in instant gas hot water unit. For cooking there’s a two gas burner cooktop with glass lid, plus a handy towel rail, LED lighting, and two overhead lockers for storing some utensils and food.

A gas bayonet for hooking up a small BBQ is also close by, as are twin 240V outlets for an electric frypan or other appliance (a Furrion audio dock will be fitted as standard to production versions, with speakers available an option).

The slide-out for the 55 litre 12V fridge is also located near the kitchen, taking up half the space in the front tunnel boot.

The kitchen is finished with a glossy GRP lining to make it weather resistant and easier to clean, and there’s a heat-shield above the cooker for further protection. However, even though bench space will be enlarged slightly on production versions, most owners will still want to set up a portable table or two when preparing outside meals.

Outside shower

The rear shower tent is also relatively easy to set up and pack up; two latches secure the top-hinged rear lid when once raised, it’s a simple matter of releasing the drop-down mesh tent from the four hooks and two buckle straps holding it in place.

Access is via a zipped door on the onside, and the external hot/cold shower locker includes a spot for your soap. Once again, owners will want to carry a couple of rubber or foam ‘bath’ mats to help keep the mud at bay, as both the floor and walls of the tent are made from a porous, outdoor furniture-like mesh material to encourage drainage.

They'll also need to peg down the shower tent base in any sort of wind to prevent flapping, although production versions will benefit from magnetic catches designed to secure the tent wall to the body of the camper.

Cosy interior

Jayco has worked hard to give the CrossTrak’s compact interior an inviting, homey feel, squeezing in a north-south double bed and good-size V-shape lounge/dinette, along with a good number of open and closed storage options along all four walls.

The downside of this ‘mini caravan’ feel is there’s very limited floorspace left near the door for getting dressed or moving around in general.

As many as four people could fit around the cloth upholstered V-shape lounge, as long as they can squeeze around the multi-adjustable dinette table that locks in place when travelling.

The double bed has the desirable north-south orientation and features a cushioned coil spring mattress, but it’s not the biggest we’ve tried and might struggle to comfortably accommodate two larger adults.

There are no lack of natural light and ventilation options though, including four zipped meshed windows in the grey pop-top vinyl, three caravan-like hopper windows with built-in screens and blinds, and two roof hatches.

There’s also a Sirocco fan near the base of the bed, and the option to fit a roof-mounted air-conditioner.

Decent storage

While none are particularly large, we counted nine internal cupboards of various sizes, including a couple suitable for bulky clothes and towels. There’s a deep lidded storage bin, reading light and double 240/USB sockets on one side of the bed, and more storage options under the dinette seats, where the HWS and water pump can also be found.

There’s also a long open shelf on one side of the bed, above the kitchen recess, and some narrow shelving above the dinette, with bungy cords to help hold in place smaller items.

As well as an outside light Jayco has added some LED strip lighting in and around the furniture, which should look quite nice at night. Our review camper also came with an optional TV, mounted on a swivel arm over a corner cupboard near the entry door.

The CrossTrak’s biggest storage space is accessible either from an external locker or by lifting the bed base inside, and should offer even more room for camp chairs and other bulky items when the 100Ah battery and BM Pro J35 charger/transformer are relocated to a new compartment nearer the kitchen on production versions.

Also part of the 12V package is a 150W flexi solar panel mounted on the rear lid and remote battery monitoring via a smart phone app, with the option to add a second battery.

There's no dedicated spot to carry a portable toilet, but the tunnel boot is big enough to carry one, along with a Weber Baby Q and possibly a generator if required.

Sturdily built

Although we didn’t get to go over too many bumps or test out the standard ‘dust resistant cabin’ (or ‘hail resistant’ roof) during our day long test, the CrossTrak appears well designed and well-built overall, with some reassuring attention to detail such as the Adventurer-like aluminium-reinforced and secured cabinetry.

Our biggest gripe with the fittings were the tightly sprung hinges on the narrow overhead locker doors above the bed, which made them difficult to open and close. The right-side awning arm also needs to be released and pushed forward before the shower tent lid can be unlatched from the main body, although this isn’t a deal breaker.

The prototype had a plated Tare weight of 1125kg and 2100kg ATM, although this won't be the case on the production version which will have a Tare closer to 1350kg and around 450kg payload -- leaving around 286kg for food, drinks and the rest of your gear after the tanks are filled.

Summing up

Jayco says it’s had a good response to the CrossTrak since its launch in February, with around 50 orders taken at the time of writing.

It certainly ticks a few boxes for this type of camper: relatively easy to tow and set up, a good mix of inside and outdoor living, and suitably equipped for a few days off-the-grid.

Add in competitive pricing against its mostly imported rivals and the backing of the nation’s largest RV network, and it looks like another winner for Jayco.

2019 Jayco CrossTrak 13.39-1

Overall length: 5.1m
Body length: 4.19m
Travel width: 2.2m (incl. awning)
Travel height: 2.4m
Tare (approx): 1350kg
ATM (approx.): 1800kg
Ball weight (Tare): 90kg
Body/frame: 'Toughframe' fibreglass composite
Chassis: Hot dipped galvanized steel
Wheels: 16x7in alloy/GT Radial Adventuro 245/70 AT tyres
Suspension: JTECH 2.0 independent trailing arm
Brakes: 10in electric drum
Stability control: NA
Cooking: Dometic two gas cooktop, stainless sink with mixer tap
Microwave: Not fitted
Fridge/freezer: Sphere 12V 55 litre
Shower: Hot/cold external with drop-down tent
Toilet: NA
Air-con: Roof-top (optional)
Hot Water: Suburban Nautilus instant
Fresh water: 2 x 82L
Grey water: NA
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Lighting: 12V LED
Batteries: 1 x 100Ah AGM and 35A charger
TV: Furrion 19in LED (optional)
Radio: Furrion dock
Solar: 1 x 150W flexi-panel
Price: $36,990 (drive-away, Vic)
Supplied by: Jayco Australia, Pakenham, Victoria