Chris Fincham•19 Jan 2017

REVIEW

Jurgens Jindabyne PT2270

Lightweight pop-top gets double bunks but is it family friendly?

Since starting local manufacture in Australia in 2008, Jurgens has generated a strong following for its range of solidly-built and stylish pop-tops and touring caravans, with current annual production a healthy 600 vans.

The Pakenham, Victoria-based manufacturer has also led the way in offering a wide range of lightweight caravans for those with smaller tow vehicles, with many of its models coming in under two tonnes fully loaded.

But it’s fair to say most of its offerings until recently have catered to grey nomads rather than families. That started to change a couple of years ago when Jurgens released the 23ft Narooma with triple bunks, albeit with a $60,000-plus price tag and 2500kg-plus ATM.

Now Jurgens is introducing a new four-berth layout for its lightweight Jindabyne pop-top, aimed at young families on tighter budgets with pricing starting under $40,000.

With two bunk beds, a north-south queen bed, kitchen galley and L-shaped dinette squeezed into the 4.92m (16ft 2in) long interior, the Jindabyne PT2270 presents as an enticing alternative to the all-popular wind-out camper trailer for those planning to spend most of their time in caravan parks.

To see how it handles a family of four, Caravancampingsales conducted a ‘live-in’ test of a pre-production version over the summer holidays, dropping the jockey wheel at a busy caravan park at the foot of Mt Buffalo in Victoria’s High Country…

EASY TOWING

With a ball weight around 150kg, 1400kg Tare and 1700kg ATM (exact weights are still to be finalised), the family Jindabyne is easily towed by a wide range of fuel-efficient family sedans and wagons.

Our LandCruiser 70 series tow vehicle with its 3500kg towing capacity was definitely over-kill, barely registering the van behind as it cruised comfortably around 100km/h on the freeway.

The single-axle Jindabyne’s stability on the road and ability to be pushed around by one person on a level campsite by the grab handles, also makes it an excellent option for first-time caravanners and nervous drivers.

However, one thing that caught us out was the Jindabyne’s short drawbar which in combination with the sharp metal edge of the ute’s extended rear tray, resulted in some damage to the front fibreglass panel of the van when attempting a jack-knife reversing manoeuvre into a narrow driveway.

A longer tongue hitch on the ute would have prevented the impact, but it should be less of a problem with SUVs or dual-cab utes with fixed tubs.

Setting up is simply a case of winding down the four corner stabilisers, releasing the roll-out awning and pushing up the roof from inside. The whole process shouldn’t take more than five minutes once familiar with the routine.

PEDANTIC POP-TOP

Unlike most Aussie pop-tops, Jurgens uses a locking mechanism on the internal supports at each end of the roof to secure it in place rather than external latches.

It’s designed to make it easier for shorter people, although we struggled on more than one occasion to pull the roof down and secure it in place, despite Jurgens supplying a detailed set of instructions – it certainly took more effort than other pop-tops we’ve tried.

The upside was the one-piece fibreglass roof and vinyl gusset provided good protection from the elements, with no evidence of leaking despite some persistent rain. We understand Jurgens is working on a new pop-top roof utilising external latches.

Either way, we advise trying the roof on a display model before purchase, to make sure you’re happy with the effort required.

Other than that, we experienced no major operational issues with the Jindabyne apart from the usual sticky drawer latch or obstinate door lock – common issues with off-the-shelf parts fitted to most Aussie vans.

Like all Jurgens vans the Jindabyne comes with an above-average three-year factory warranty, and the build quality is evident in smaller details like the firmly secured interior furniture and the fact all exposed plywood is sealed especially around ‘wet’ areas like kitchen benchtops -- not always the case even on more expensive vans.

FAMILY LIVING

Adding bunks to the Jindabyne makes it more cramped than other layouts, but it’s still workable for four people inside the van as long as no more than one is moving through at any time!

While cutting into valuable floorspace, the walk-around l.7m x 1.4m queen bed is a nice luxury, and will extend to 1.93m for taller folk. The only downside of doing this is that it restricts access to cupboards on one side of the bed (and how far the fridge door will open), although it's easy enough to crawl over the bed without disturbing your partner.

Maximising space, Jurgens has placed a large wall mirror on the side of the bed nearest the door, with enough room in front for some-one to get dressed or apply sunscreen or make-up. There are also some handy built-in shelves with lips under the mirror, for storing keys, wallets and mobile phones.

You can just squeeze three people into the L-shaped dinette, with the pedestal table with removable support swivelling to allow access from either end. While workable, we'd prefer a slightly sturdier set-up for prepping meals, given the limited benchspace in the kitchen. It would also be good if the table could be pushed further back into the seating area to free up more space when not in use.

The galley nestled in the onside corner comes well equipped with a four burner cooker and grill, stainless steel sink with drainer and storage cupboards, with the 93 litre fridge and microwave located elsewhere along the opposite wall. While compact, it's all well contained with splashbacks at both ends to prevent spills onto the adjoining bunks or dinette.

The only minor gripes here were overhead lockers over the sink causing taller types to stoop, and only sufficient space for one person to cook or wash up at the one time.

We’d also like another 240V socket in the corner (there are powerpoints on the left of the sink and more under the dinette) to more easily plug in appliances like a coffee machine positioned in the corner bench space.

OUTSIDE SHOWER ONLY

There’s no room for an interior ensuite, and limited space to put a portable toilet, but that wasn’t a problem for us with caravan park amenities just outside the door. If you plan on spending time outside caravan parks the Jindabyne can be optioned up with an external shower along with a hot water system.

Our review van was fitted with an optional 12V water pump but hooked up to mains pressure, we never had to electrically pump water from the underslung 60 litre tank through the sink or drawbar tap.

The review van also highlighted Jurgens’ latest 2017 décor range, which in this case included matte timber cabinet fascias, gloss benchtops and dark cloth upholstery. We were also impressed by the double-glazed windows with internal screens and blinds, including on the front window, along with pull curtains on most windows and the entrance door.

It was a bit dark during the day even with all blinds open, but unzipping the four, screened roof-top flaps added significantly to natural light and ventilation.

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

Jurgens has come up with a clever, three-in-one solution to fitting double bunks into the Jindabyne, with mostly good results.

Best suited to the shorter sibling, the bottom bunk is 1.72m long and 0.72-0.80m wide. It can be converted to a two-person dinette during the day, although we rarely did this due to the trouble of having to make up the bed again. However, it's a good option for rainy days when you’re stuck inside.

The top bunk mattress is larger (1.93 x 0.7m), but in reality closer to 1.8m x 0.6m as the roof intrudes about 10cm at the sides. We also discovered a potential safety issue, with some sharp metal edges on the roof raiser at the far end posing a minor hazard.

Our solution was to wrap towels around the sharp bits. Another option is to have the child's head down the other end closer to the ladder, although this could create another issue with limited headroom to move around.

There was also an issue with one of the rungs on the ladder being replaced by a storage shelf, which makes it harder for those with shorter legs to get up and down.

We understand Jurgens is considering some changes for the production version, including extending the length of the bottom bunk at the expense of storage space to make it more suitable for lanky teenagers.

STORAGE OPTIONS

The Jindabyne doesn’t have the big storage areas of a larger van, but we found more than enough options for all the essentials for a two-week trip, including plenty of room for clothing and non–perishable food.

While we’ve criticised it in the past, we didn’t mind that the fibreglass lid for the front boot has no supporting struts, as it’s light enough to rest on your back while accessing the two 4.5kg gas bottles, spare wheel, jockey wheel, hoses, cords, helmets and shoes that were stored here.

The half tunnel locker at the rear was also handy for storing recreational gear like tennis rackets and cricket bats.

Other larger items like camp chairs, picnic table, Weber BBQ and dog’s bed that wouldn’t fit into the ute, were stored on the van's floor or dinette seats in transit.

Other standard features on the Jindabyne that were well used included the external LED light and Carefree roll-out awning, although an optional gas bayonet would have been handy if fitted.

CHARGED AND READY

The 80Ah AGM battery and battery charger slot into the storage area under the dinette seats, and there’s a very handy shelf between the fridge and microwave where electrical items like a water tank monitor are located as well as 240V/12V/ USB points for recharging mobile devices.

There are also connections for an optional TV and aerial here, albeit limited room to display one.

Two central LED ceiling lights, switchable from white to blue, along with reading lights around the queen bed and lower bunk, were sufficient for night-time activities.

The Finch radio and CD player with Bluetooth connectivity and two speakers, located directly above the bed centre, worked well, at least inside as there were no external speakers fitted.

Also much appreciated was the standard Finch under-bed air-con. Taking up about a third of the under-bed storage space, it has three outlets around the beds, with the only concern damaging the hoses in the front compartment with any heavy items stored there.

Although not as powerful as a roof-top unit, it proved surprisingly quiet and efficient, cooling down the interior on hot days within 10 minutes. Running on a low setting overnight, it also served as pleasant background ‘hum’ to drown out our late-night rowdy neighbours breaking the caravan park curfew!

WE LIKED:

>> Solidly built and nicely finished

>> Easy to tow and set up

>> Clever design to maximise space

>> Quiet underbed air-con

NOT SO MUCH:

>> Bunk bed design needs some tweaks

>> Would have liked another kitchen powerpoint

>> Pop-top roof tricky to close

VERDICT

Priced under $40,000, the new bunk bed Jindabyne is an attractively priced option for fussy families with smaller tow vehicles and would even suit grey nomads wanting to holiday with the grand kids.

It's much quicker to set up than a camper trailer and has similar towing advantages.

It’s not perfect – the bunks beds are more cramped than a larger family van's and it lacks an ensuite – but if you can live with that there’s a lot to like.

JURGENS JINDABYNE PT2270

Overall length: 6.34m

Internal body length: 4.92m

External body length: 5.52m

External body width: 2.35m

Travel height: 2.26m

Internal height: 2.03m

Tare: 1400kg (approx.)

ATM: 1700kg (approx.)

Ball weight: 150kg (approx.)

Frame: Composite sandwich

Cladding: Sandwich Duratherm walls with aluminium outer layer, one-piece moulded fibreglass ends and roof

Chassis: Optima galvanised steel

Suspension: Al-Ko independent rubber

Brakes: 10in ALKO electric

ESC: No

Wheels: 15in alloy with light truck tyres

Fresh water: 1 x 60L

Battery: 80Ah AGM

Solar: None fitted

Air-conditioner: Finch HB 9000 reverse-cycle

Gas: 2 x 4.5kg

Cooking: Thetford Minigrill MKIII three gas/electric hot plate and grill

Fridge: 93 litre Thetford three-way

Microwave: Daewoo

Shower/toilet: No

Lighting: LED

Options fitted: Flojet 12V water pump, USB internal point

Price: from $38,990

Supplied by: Amazing RVs, Seaford, Victoria

More info: Jurgens Caravans

Jurgens Jindabyne PT2270

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