Nova Metrolink

Nova is a brand that has evolved around a luxury caravan range that culminates in the Pride Platinum slide-out. But while it’s easy to think of the 10-year old Melbourne company as a premium caravan manufacturer, Nova does offer more prosaic models in its eight-model line-up.

The Metrolink is a good example; while not a cheap caravan, it serves as the entry level in the Nova range. Here we take a look at the mid-spec 17ft 6in long body variant with front queen bed and full rear ensuite.

SOLID BASE

Underpinning the Metrolink’s frame is a galvanised Preston Chassis with 6 x 2in RHS rails and 2in C-channel lateral and longitudinal rails in between.

The drawbar is 4 x 2in RHS steel with a truss bar underneath and the coupling is the standard AL-KO 50mm ball coupling with handbrake. Behind the coupling is the centre-mount jockey wheel, supported with two clamps, while further back again and adjacent to the body are the two 9kg gas bottles.

Four conventional AL-KO drop-down stabiliser legs are fitted at the corners of the body, and suspension is the conventional leaf spring tandem axle roller-rocker design.

Moving up to the body, the frame is the traditional Meranti timber insulated then clad in aluminium sheeting.

A gas bayonet sits on the nearside front and further down the nearside is a picnic table, external TV aerial jack and 12v socket and 240v outlet. The ubiquitous Dometic awning is secured above.

The Metrolink has a deep tunnel boot, albeit with just one lockable hatch access on the nearside front.

At the rear a bumper bar is secured to the chassis with four U-brackets and mounted on the bar is the 15in alloy spare wheel. The rear bar and wheel extends 450mm from the body.

EASY ENTRY

The access door (with security mesh inner door) is on the nearside rear with a recess obviating the need for an external fold-out step.

On the left as you step aboard is the main power switch — a neat signature Nova feature that makes powering up or shutting down on-board power easy.

This is quite a conventional layout, with the front island bed, centre kitchen/dinette and rear ensuite. Yet it works well, with generous walkway room and sufficient space around the bed and at the cafe dinette.

The interior presentation is very simple, clean and bright. In this case pale grey cupboard facings and dark grey fabric dinette upholstery lightly contrast the white ceiling and walls.

Double-glazed hopper windows surround the external walls and a large screened and shuttered ventilation hatch is incorporated in the ceiling above the entry hall. A conventional aluminium window shield is fitted externally on the hopper window in the front wall of the van.

The bed has a small wardrobe on each side and below those are small bedside tables with a cupboard underneath. Above the bed are three small storage lockers, and there’s also a 12v LED reading light on each side .

The bed lifts on gas struts to reveal storage space; though the tunnel boot walls and the fitment of electrical equipment such as the battery charger and fuse box encroach upon this area.

Having a centralised location for electrical equipment is a great idea, but access could be better given the location low and far back in the storage area.

There’s a TV mount on the offside front wall of the fridge cabinet, and small cupboards at the corners near the base of the bed and one at the ceiling on the offside.

LIMITED BENCH SPACE

The kitchen at mid-point on the offside is limited in bench space, and book-ended on one side with the fridge and the ensure wall at the other. Once the stainless steel sink and the cooktop have taken their share of the bench, there’s only a narrow amount of free bench space.

However, with the cooktop cover down and the hinged cooktop bench top cover also folded down, food preparation space is much improved.

It’s just a matter of compromise; you can’t prepare a large amount of food and cook on the hob at the same time (unless you use the dinette table).

The deep sink has ample drainer space to the side, a mixer tap and a filtered water dispenser.

There’s plentiful kitchen storage space with three cupboards above and two below the bench. However, the microwave’s position — integrated within the cupboard structure above the bench —isn’t ideal for when retrieving hot liquids out of the microwave.

Below the bench is also a slide-out pantry — surely one of the most practical items to have in a caravan kitchen — and two deep storage drawers and a cutlery drawer. There’s also a small storage cupboard below the fridge, which also houses the water pump.

On the rear wall of the rearmost upper kitchen cupboard are housed the battery SOC monitor, water level readout, hot water switches and the water pump switch.

Opposite the kitchen there’s the cafe dinette, with a tri-fold table and plenty of storage space. There are also five cupboard above the dinette, plus a storage drawer below the forward dinette bench.

The on-board battery is housed underneath the rear bench.

SPACIOUS SHOWER

The bathroom at the rear is not endowed with much room in the main floor area but the separate shower is quite spacious. There are five open shelves and one cupboard below the vanity and a locker abutting the ceiling on the offside rear wall.

A ceramic basin with mixer tap, a large mirror and a towel ring cap off the bathroom fixtures and fittings.

VERDICT

The Metrolink is a conservative design but one that has been executed well, offering a couple decent living space and comfort when on tour.

Its logical approach to grouping key controls and switches is a bonus although more thought could be given to providing easier access to them.

WE LIKED:
>> Ample living space
>> Quality of fit and finish
>> Grouped controls and electrics

NOT SO MUCH:
>> Lack of kitchen bench space
>> High microwave position
>> Access to grouped controls

Nova Caravans Metrolink 17ft 6in

Travel length: 7440mm (24ft 5in)
Body length: 5880mm (19ft 3in)
External body width: 2455mm (8ft 1in)
Travel height: 2884mm 9ft 6in)
Interior height: 1950mm (6ft 5in)
Bed size: 1870mm x 1550mm
Tare: 2004kg
ATM: 2404kg
Ball weight: 183kg
Body: Aluminium clad, Meranti timber frame
Chassis: 150x50mm galvanized steel
Suspension: Roller-rocker tandem leaf springs
Brakes: 12in electric
Stability Control: AL-KO
Wheels: 15in alloy with 205/70R15C tyres
Fresh water: 2x80L
Battery: 1x105a/h
Solar: optional
Air-conditioner: NCE Gree
Gas: 2x9kg
Hot water: Swift elec/gas
Cooking: Thetford MiniGrill MkIII 3+1/grill
Fridge: Thetford 3-way fridge/freezer 185L
Microwave: Daewoo
Toilet: Thetford cassette
Shower: Separate cubicle
Lighting: 12v LED
TV: Tecovision 23.6in LED TV/DVD
Price: $60,290
Options fitted: None
Supplied by: Sydney RV Group, Penrith, NSW
More info: Nova Caravans