Philip Lord•2 Aug 2017

REVIEW

Nova Vita

If you need to carry lots of stuff this roomy fibreglass couple’s van is just the thing

In 11 short years Melbourne’s Nova has become an established caravan brand and for 2017 it has refreshed its nine-model Vita large caravan range, including new interior colour schemes, new laminates and inclusions such as USB ports and a RV Wi-Fi hub now standard.

The Vita’s eye-catching body incorporates signature Nova features, such as a moulded plastic one-piece front, one-piece fibreglass composite roof and tail section although this particular 23ft 8in tandem axle van – one of the largest in the range -- features composite sides instead of the standard aluminium cladding.

Black checker plate adorns the lower sides of the van, giving a nice contrast to the white body while providing some stone damage protection.

What's more, our review van was specced for Nova dealer Sydney RV and included a 50mm chassis raiser, alloy pull-out step (instead of steel), composite sides and a reversing camera bundled into its $79,990 price.

The A-frame is a clean design that allows plenty of room on the rails for Weight Distribution brackets and with its centre-mount, there’s no worries about wrestling with the jockey wheel to get it on and off with a WDH as there would be with a side-rail mount.

STAND-OUT STORAGE

Most new caravans these days offer plenty of storage but this Vita is a standout. Up front on the A-frame there’s a checker plate aluminium lockable toolbox (which houses two 9kg gas bottles as well as offering enough space for bulky items likes a generator) with a small jerry can holder attached to each side.

Then there’s the front boot, which is quite a narrow space but has plenty of height and width to store gear, as well as housing the 12V electricals board.

Then on the offside there’s a lockable hatch that reveals a space that might not be deep but is a relatively tall. Another storage locker on the nearside rear comes lined with marine grade carpet.

On the nearside front, another hatch opens to reveal a small gas BBQ, bolted to a slide-out drawer. However, the slide-out doesn’t extend quite enough to open the BBQ lid.

There’s also a lockable, fold-down picnic table, 240V outlet, a 12V port and two USB outlets plus a TV antenna connection on the nearside.

SOLID UNDERPINNINGS

Underneath the Nova is a solid affair: six-inch galvanised chassis rails with two-inch risers to which are attached a pair of leaf-spring beam axles.

The interesting components here are the lateral rails, which all feature cut-outs to save on weight. This feature also allows wiring and plumbing to be threaded through the cut outs, keeping the components clear of stone damage.

There are also two water tanks: one fitted between the axles, the other just behind for good weight balance. The spare wheel is mounted to the rear bumper.

Being a large, solid van with a heap of standard gear, the Vita isn’t light – fully loaded it weighs 3220kg (ATM) so you’ll need a highly capable tow vehicle, like a LandCruiser 200 or one of the better one-tonne utes like a Ford Ranger or Mazda BT-50.

Payload is pretty reasonable, at 500kg.

INSIDE COMFORTS

The step up into the Nova’s interior reveals bright, open living quarters with plenty of room to move.

The double-glazed acrylic hopper windows are not particularly large over the centre dinette and kitchen area, so you don’t get a lot of natural light coming in from the sides of the van, but the large roof hatch at the rear of the living area makes up for it. The gloss-white ceiling and walls also do their bit to lighten up the interior.

While Nova offers plenty of other colour options, the choice of black cabinet facings in this van together with the white ceiling/walls might otherwise seem spartan, if not for the bright red splashbacks in the kitchen and bathroom.

SPACE TO SHOWER

Like the exterior, this van doesn’t lack storage space inside – there’s mountains of it, everywhere.

Starting in the rear ensuite, there are soft-closing cupboards below the benchtop as well as racks and cupboards above.

Tucked under the bench (with access via a hinged section of the bench top) is a Sphere top-loader washing machine.

The shower cubicle is a generous size, although not everyone is going to like the entry to the shower. The door is cantilevered so it pivots clear of the vanity unit top, so elbow room getting into the shower recess is a little tight.

As mentioned, the test van’s ensuite rear wall was a bright red, which is a not-so-subtle contrast to the black/white theme elsewhere. It either works for you or it doesn’t – but again there are other colour options available.

BIG KITCHEN STORAGE

In the kitchen area, you’re again presented with a stack of storage options, with three large cupboards above the kitchen and two below, plus four drawers. While the rear-most lower cupboard houses a small slide out pantry.

The beauty of this kitchen is not only the storage available, but also the bench space it offers. With the laminate top lowered over the cooker, you’ve got more than enough space to prepare meals.

The cafe dinette provides comfortable seating for two, and has storage lockers above and one small cabinet under the table.

Luckily the table is a tri-fold unit, because you’ll have to fold it to more easily access the two-pole 240v outlet and two USB and one 12v socket outlets tucked inside the cabinet.

BEDTIME STORY

The bed is the usual 1550mm x 1900mm size but unusually it’s an east-west configuration, albeit one you can walk around on both sides.

There’s also a side table on both sides and a two-pole 240v socket each side (plus another on the bed base to the rear of the van). Two USB outlets and a 12v outlet are housed on the bedside wall to the front of the van.

If you like to take your whole wardrobe with you – you never know what the temperature is going to be where you’re going, after all – you’ll love the Vita’s bedroom wardrobes.

They cover the whole front wall of the van, with two hanging wardrobes as well as numerous shelved cupboards and drawers. There’s also storage space under the bed.

The two 100Ah batteries are stored under the rearmost dinette seat, while all the 12V electricals, including a really neat, clearly marked fuse panel, are in the front boot.

VERDICT

The Nova Vita is a well-rounded caravan with what appears to be good quality fittings and, in this instance, oodles of storage space.

It's not light nor cheap but considering all you get, represents decent value for the long-range touring couple who don't plan to head too far off the bitumen.

WE LIKED:

>> Massive amount of storage

>> Well-marked 12v fuse panel

>> A-frame easily suited to WDH fitment

NOT SO MUCH:

>> Shower access narrow

>> Charge points hard to access at dinette

>> BBQ slide doesn’t extend quite enough

NOVA CARAVANS VITA 216-17R

Travel length: 9210mm

Body length: 7140mm

External body width: 2460mm

Travel height: 2890mm

Interior height: 1880mm

Tare weight: 2722kg

ATM: 3222kg

Ball weight: 221kg

Body: Fibreglass composite

Chassis: Galvanised 150mm x 50mm

Suspension: Roller rocker leaf springs

Brakes: 12in electric drums

Stability Control: AL-KO ESC

Wheels: 15in alloy

Fresh water: 2 x 95L

Battery: 2 x 100Ah deep cycle

Solar: 1 x 120W

Air-conditioner: Dometic

Gas: 2 x 9kg

Hot water: Suburban 22.6L gas/electric

Cooking: Swift 500 series 3 gas/1 elec hotplate, grill and oven

Fridge: Thetford 184L three-way

Microwave: Sphere

Toilet: Thetford cassette

Shower: Separate cubicle
Washing machine: Sphere 3kg top loader

Lighting: 12V LED

TV: 66cm LED TV/DVD

Options fitted: 50mm raiser, alloy pull-out step, flat sides, reverse camera

Price: $79,990 (drive away, NSW)

Supplied by: Sydney RV, Penrith NSW

More info: Nova Caravans

Nova Vita

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