Kimberley Karavan 2020 Review

There are not many iconic shapes in the caravan and camper trailer business that others wouldn’t be game to copy for fear of an invidious comparison.

Examples include America’s sleek polished aluminium Airstream, Track Trailer’s mould-breaking Tvan, Moruya’s aerodynamic fibreglass Ultimate and Kimberley’s novel pop-up Karavan.

The Karavan is particularly relevant here, as its unique design has attracted a loyal following of current and would-be owners who together have been a driving force behind the Ballina, NSW-based manufacturer’s resurrection against formidable odds.

Even when the liquidator’s hammer was falling on moulds, tools and other components at the factory just over a year ago after two successive management failures to keep the once-proud business afloat, former south-east Queensland dealer, James Cockburn and former General Manager, Brett McLaren were confident that staunch owner loyalty would be the business’s saviour.

Foremost among them were fans of the novel caravan, which was introduced in 2006 and apart from gaining additional equipment over the years, has largely been unchanged since.

Original hybrid camper

The Karavan’s party trick that has endeared it to thousands of well-heeled owners since, and made it the favourite of the Kimberley range, is it ability to emulate a camper trailer when towed into remote areas before unfolding to reveal the comforts of a compact caravan once there.

It does this with a unique mechanism that lowers the top half of the caravan over the lower section for travelling and then raises it again on site, with the queen-size  bed sliding out into its own hard-lid compartment once there.

A generous-sized internal kitchen and combined shower/toilet internal bathroom also enhance its appeal to many travellers, particularly those who have grown up with tents and camper trailers, and now want their adventures with more all-weather comfort.

With its clear popularity edge over Kimberley’s long-established hard floor canvas Kampers and more recent larger single and tandem-axle Kruisers, Cockburn and McLaren decided to focus their reborn company’s energy and resources on the Karavan, bringing it back to the market with enough enhancements to justify calling it a 2020 model.

Spot the differences

Externally, it’s largely unchanged, protecting its distinctive design DNA, but the sliding canopy’s walls are now made from vacuum-infused 30mm-thick closed-cell composite panels instead of fibreglass-clad welded aluminium frames.

Kimberley was also looking at replacing the Karavan’s cable body-lifting mechanism with hydraulic actuators, but decided against them as they would intrude into the Karavan’s interior space and spoil its aesthetics.

Underneath, you’ll no longer find steel springs on any 2020-model Karavan, with air bag suspension standard on both Classic and Eco Suite models, rather than just fitted to the latter.

Meanwhile, up on the roof you’ll now find new American designed and made Merlin flexible solar panels that are claimed to be as efficient as glass panels, but significantly lighter.

Those currently being fitted by Kimberley are each rated at 80W, but new smaller 60W panels will soon be used, with the potential of fitting up to 10 panels to a Karavan’s roof in the near future.

Combined with the Karavan’s standard weight-saving Enerdrive 200Ah Enerdrive B-Tec lithium battery with a Simarine BMS and Enerdrive DC-DC charger, a 2600W inverter, 120 litres of fresh and an additional 70 litres of dedicated drinking water, and Karavan owners can expect to enjoy a long time away from a 240V power point.

Plus there’s an additional 45 litres of grey water tank storage, so you can also leave no trace.

Biggest changes inside

The real changes are inside, where Kimberley have solved the Karavan’s previous problem of its ultra-compact combined shower and toilet bathroom just to the left of the entry door, by attaching the toilet to a separate swing-out floor.

This not only overcomes the space problem and getting wet feet from the shower floor during toilet-only visits, but potentially allows the toilet to be used while someone is showering.

There have also been some notable décor changes, with new flooring saving 8kg, sustainable bamboo cabinetry instead of ply shaving off a little more, and a new white benchtop and sink and matching slide-out white table brightening the interior and making it look larger.

A diesel hot water service and diesel space heater are now standard on both Karavan models too, while a new shorter and lighter standard wiring harness has also simplified the Karavan’s electrics and saved more weight.

James Cockburn said the target for 2020 is to shave 50kg off the Karavan’s 1650kg Tare weight and so far they have saved 38kg. “It’s a work in progress, but we’ll get there,” he assured us.

Speedy set-up

Erecting the 2020 Karavan is as  quick and simple as ever. Open the lower half of the split barn entry door, undo a few body clips, unfold the rear body panels ready to accept the bed and press a button behind the rear drop-down.

The roof then rises and you step inside via a new-design tri-level aluminium folding step, slide out the bed to meet its rear panels and you're nearly finished.

All that’s left to do is fit a protective metal cover to the slide rails behind the kitchen bench and place sausage cushions over a couple of potential midge entry points around the bed head, and you’re done.

Sealing the two-piece barn entry door from insects while providing easy access remains an issue on the latest Karavan. True, there’s a drop-down Velcro-sealed insect screen that works as designed, but you need to break the seal every time you go in and out of the Karavan, which is tiresome with its indoor fridge and indoor/outdoor cooking options.

Jayco managed to solve the problem with its two-part door on its camper trailers years ago, so it’s hard to see why an innovator like Kimberley couldn’t do something even more inventive.

Cooking outside preferable

Inside, the Karavan seems amazingly spacious for its modest external dimensions, which has always been its strength, but with its standard two-burner slide-out exterior stove and adjacent stainless steel sink, it's likely that most Karavan owners will want to spend time outside.

An awning that unfurls from the Karavan’s roof provides shelter here, but I’d prefer a simpler and faster wind-out awning. There's no outside fridge or cool box (there is simply no room), so you'll be going in and out of the Karavan getting food and drink if you're cooking outside.

It’s a pity, as it looks like there could be room for a small portable fridge if the front tool box was redesigned and the twin gas bottles were relocated.

Easy towing

As you would expect from a company that built its reputation on the strength of its ‘King of the Off Road’ hard floor campers, the Karavan is easy to tow into tight places, with its standard dual-wheel ARK 750 jockey wheel making it easy to manoeuvre once unhitched from its standard McHitch off-road coupling.

A new fan-assisted rooftop hatch pressurises the Karavan’s interior to keep dust at bay.

With its fat 265/70-17 tyres mounted on wheels matched to your tow car and its air suspension, the Karavan floats over corrugations in a way no conventionally-sprung caravan or camper could and gives you confidence to explore further.

Its lack of storage space means that few travellers will test its modest ATM of 2400kg, with Cockburn saying that the average Karavan with water tanks full and ready to travel weighs in at 2100-2200kg.

Having brought the Karavan up to date,  Kimberley's new owners are now rolling out Kruiser models, with several seen on the line during our visit, plus a Kamper, all being built to order.

Summing up

The Kimberley Karavan in 2020 is as appealing to adventurous couples as it was when introduced in 2006, offering many of the comforts of a caravan with the off-road versatility of a camper trailer, with the latest refinement further enhancing its attraction.

2020 Kimberley Karavan

Travel length: 5700mm
Body length: 4600mm
Body width: 1850mm
Travel height: 2100-2300mm with variable air suspension
Tare weight: 1660kg
ATM: 2200-2500kg
Ball weight: 200-250kg
Body: Insulated aluminium main body with fibreglass canopy and smooth gel coat finish both inside and out
Chassis: Hot dipped 150mm x 50mm galvanized steel and A-frame
Suspension: Independent trailing arm with telescopic shock absorbers and airbag springs
Brakes: Electric/hydraulic 12in disc
Wheels: Matching wheels and tires with matching offset to suit your tow vehicle
Water: 120L fresh water and separate 70L dedicated drinking water tank, plus 45L grey tank
Battery: 1 x 200Ah Enerdrive B-Tec lithium (2 x 200ah lithium batteries optional) with 2600 Watt inverter
Solar: 280W-700W Merlin rooftop panels
Gas: 2 x 4.5kg
Hot water/air heater: Diesel
Cooking: Webasto diesel cooktop or induction cooktop inside and two-burner gas grill, BBQ or Weber cooker outside, plus gas wok burner
Fridge:  130L,12V compressor fridge/freezer
Shower: Internal shower and swing away waterless toilet system
Lighting: LED throughout
Price: From $89 990 for Karavan Classic. Eco Suite premium model as reviewed: $114,000.
Supplied by: Kimberley Kampers, Ballina NSW