JB Caravans Milano 2306

WE LIKED:
>> apartment-style comforts
>> impressive attention to detail
>> generous windows and skylights

NOT SO MUCH:
>> cramped bathroom
>> power-hungry 240V appliances
>> heavy-duty tow vehicle required

The Australian RV industry is nothing if not constantly changing, whether in adopting new technologies or with the number of brands that appear on the market -- or disappear -- on an almost weekly basis.

A relative newcomer is JB Caravans, which operates out of a small factory in Craigieburn, Victoria; not far from Supreme Caravans and a host of other caravan manufacturers that congregate in this industrial hub west of Melbourne.

Prior to establishing a range of caravans under the JB banner just over a year ago, the factory built vans for others. Currently, it specialises in custom building a five-model range of bitumen and rough road touring vans, with capacity around three vans a week.

Of course, to compete in the crowded caravan market you need a point of difference, and JB’s claim is “the best value caravans in Australia, not the cheapest”.

A good example of this philosophy is the company’s range-topping Milano, which is set up more like a city apartment than a humble caravan with top quality finishes, fittings and, in the case of the 2306 model reviewed here, appliances including a dishwasher and washing machine... all for less than $80,000 on the road.

WHEN BIGGER IS BETTER

We towed our review van, a 23ft 6in long, twin axle Milano, with a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder, diesel powered Nissan Pathfinder, which seemed to struggle a bit with the van’s bulk, especially when getting up to speed.

It wasn’t surprising really, considering the Milano boasts a Tare of 2630kg and weighs 3030kg fully laden. Something with a bit more grunt like a diesel LandCruiser or Pajero is definitely in order.

While the Milano boasts a traditional, fully insulated, stucco-style aluminium clad body and Meranti timber frame, it does stand out for at least a couple of reasons.

Black aluminium checkerplate covering the front and sides, combined with bold decals and shiny six-spoke 15 inch alloy wheels with light truck tyres, give the big van a striking, even sporty appearance.

JB Caravans builds its own chassis, which in this case is 6inch Supagal RHS steel for both drawbar and main chassis rails. It rides on dual axle rocker suspension with 10inch electric brakes.

A 50mm tow ball, Al-Ko jack, 8in jockey wheel and two 9kg gas bottles reside up front, plus there are four ‘easy drop’ jacks. The two 95 litre water tanks are protected by galvanised stone guards, and the three-arm rear bumper holds the spare wheel.

Instead of a conventional front boot, there’s a spacious tunnel boot with lino flooring and doors either side. A few odds and ends can also be strapped onto the small mesh tray on the A-frame.

The Milano is set up for outdoor living, with an outside locker containing a TV swivel arm and Winegard aerial connector; two 240V outlets; roll-out Dometic awning; pull-out BBQ, and drop-down picnic table.

ROOM TO MOVE

It’s clearly obvious this caravan is designed for finicky buyers, the minute you hit the switch for the electric steps and pull yourself up into the caravan using the chrome handle.

Reflecting the modern, all-white look increasingly popular in RV circles, the walls and ceiling are finished in easy clean gloss white, and contrast nicely with the more earthy, natural tones of the stitched, leather lounge, Corian benchtops and splashbacks.

Attention to detail is evident everywhere you look, from craftsmen-built cabinets featuring piano hinges, gas struts and a dark, two-pack finish, to ‘soft-close’ drawers with self-locking, push button chrome handles.

There’s plenty of scope for personalisation though, with JB Caravans offering at least 200 trim colours, eight benchtop options and various fabrics and floor coverings

The layout is skewed towards a spacious, open-plan kitchen/living area, with the large, C-shaped lounge/dinette dominating at the rear and kitchen benches running along both sides around the middle. The separate shower and toilet/bathroom are located next to the compact bedroom located towards the front.

If you like to cook, you’ll love the kitchen with generous benchspace on both sides allowing enough room for a couple of cooks to do their thing without causing too much bruising or arguments. 

The onside section includes a big stainless sink and drainer, with mixer tap as well as filtered water tap. As well as overhead lockers and a microwave positioned up high, there are a good number of cutlery drawers as well as a small slide-out pantry.

There’s also something you don’t see in every caravan: a built-in front-load washing machine.

Directly opposite are more food prep areas, plus another, full height pull-out pantry handily located alongside the 184 litre Dometic fridge.

While the four-burner (three gas, one electric) cooktop/grill and oven are par for the course, the neatly camouflaged, slide-out dishwasher isn’t. A 22in LCD TV is also mounted here, for viewing from the dinette/lounge area or even while cooking!

The stylish, well-cushioned leather lounge comfortably seats up to eight people (great for happy hour!), and the table is fixed but can be swiveled around or adjusted for height. A nice touch is a magazine pouch in the side of the couch.

CLASSY ABODE

Generous fitment of Dometic, double glazed tinted windows (with built-in blinds and mesh) as well as two, large skylight hatches ensures a light-filled interior during the day. Come night, 14 LED downlights can light up the van like a supermarket, or they can be ‘zoned’ to create the right mood.

Also worth mentioning is the amount of storage inside; I counted 22 overhead lockers alone. Another strongpoint is decent headroom, even with the Ibis Air Command air-conditioner fitted.

Unfortunately, the allocation of so much space to the living/kitchen areas has resulted in a somewhat cramped bedroom and bathroom at the rear.

While the fully enclosed fibreglass shower with its stylish, opaque black door, large shower hose and soap holder, is reasonably roomy, the same can’t be said about the bathroom/toilet opposite, which is cramped, to say the least.

Only one person will fit in here, and the position of the toilet means you can’t stand directly in front of vanity/mirror and sink. That said, there’s some benchspace as well as storage space for toiletries. Both shower and bathroom feature a skylight and extractor fan.

There’s little room to move around the north-south, 6ft2in x 5ft double bed with inner spring mattress either, particularly at the foot of the bed once the bed has been extended out to its full length. There’s the usual storage areas under the bed, including a handy wine rack.

Bedroom storage is restricted to some small cupboards, but there’s no wardrobe as such to hang clothes. Two reading lights, as well as another TV facing the bed, adds to the area’s loungability. Speakers are also located in the bedroom, as well as the kitchen area and outside the van.

The ‘control’ panel for the electrical system is neatly hidden behind an overhead locker in the kitchen, next to the Pioneer radio/CD unit. On-board electrics on this van extend to two, 120aH batteries, 30 amp charger, solar wiring and controller, water level monitor, and gas/electric water heater.

Finally, I counted 10, 240V sockets throughout the van, so your plug-in gadgets are well catered for.

VERDICT

JB Caravan’s Milano range-topper obviously has a particular customer in mind:  those who appreciate the finer things in life and don’t want to sacrifice the comforts and conveniences of home while out on the road.

Obviously, with such a range of 240V-hungry appliances onboard, it’s really geared to blacktop travellers who plan to spend most of their time in caravan parks hooked up to powered sites.

Nonetheless, it’s good to see new brands aiming to lift the bar in what remains a fairly conservative industry, especially for those tired of the traditional timber look.

The pricing -- less than $80,000 on-road for this van -- is another attractive feature in a market where similarly-specced luxury caravans with six figure pricetags are increasingly common.

JB CARAVANS MILANO 2306

Overall length: 8.95m (29ft 4in)
External body length: 7.05m (23ft 6in)
Tare: 2630kg
ATM: 3030kg
Towball mass: 250kg
Frame: Meranti timber
Chassis: Supagal
Body: aluminium
Suspension: twin axle, Rocker-roller
Brakes: 10in electric
Wheels: 15in alloy
Cooktop: four burner, grill, oven
Microwave: 23litre stainless
Fridge: 184 litre Dometic
Toilet: Dometic cassette
Dishwater: Fisher & Paykel slide-out
Washing machine: front load
Shower: separate cubicle
Lighting: LED
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Freshwater: 190 litre
Price: $77,000 (tow-away, Vic)
More info: JB Caravans