On The Move Grenade

WE LIKED:
>> Front boot layout
>> Good ground clearance
>> Neat external sealing

NOT SO MUCH:
>> Tight space around extended bed
>> Tricky under-seat access
>> Poor entry door/front window arrangement.

On The Move might sound like an odd name for a caravan manufacturer but it’s a very apt description of the caravan lifestyle and so, in many ways, it makes good sense to have name like that – even if it is a bit of a mouthful!

Brisbane dealer Kratzmann Caravans believes there’s something to be said about the latest addition to its extensive stable of caravans.

“The OTM range, which is mostly designed for rough road/offroad use, nicely complements our existing caravan brands,” Clint Kratzmann said.

Built in Melbourne, On the Move caravans have interesting model names such as Storm, Hornet, Infinity, Grenade, Typhoon, No Limits and Eclipse. By the way that last one is a motorhome, not a caravan.

Made available for our review was a Grenade – which I’m pleased to say didn’t have a warlike feel about it! Instead, the grey aluminium cladding and extensive black alloy checkerplate makes the van look fit for purpose.

This is enhanced by the front boot which extends partly over the drawbar and the storage bin fitted to the rear.

Sealing around caravan joints, which is generally done quite effectively but can look very messy, doesn’t often rate a mention but, on the Grenade, it’s very neat indeed.

The Grenade is an offroad caravan and there are a few clues to this on the drawbar. The first is the Hyland 3.5 tonne coupling and the second is the stone mesh guard which surrounds the two 9kg gas bottles and the two spare wheels.

It’s probably easier to get the spares on and off the drawbar than a rear bumper, where they’re often located, but it does add to the ball weight which comes in unladen at 280kg.

MODERN INTERIOR

Stepping into the van through the Aussie Traveller security door shows that On The Move has decided on a now familiar contemporary look for the interior.

It’s mostly a brilliant white for the walls and ceiling, but nicely offset by the beige/chocolate colour of the cabinetry, overhead locker doors, benchtops and upholstery.

It’s an interesting take on the usual colour schemes and certainly makes for a bright interior.

There are front and mid-van marine-style hatches and large Mobicool windows throughout the van.

For after hours, lighting consists mostly of LED ceiling downlights, with wall-mounted reading lamps for both the dinette and bed.

The Grenade sticks to an ‘à la mode’ layout with a front bedroom, full-width rear bathroom, mid-nearside kitchen bench, and a mid-offside dinette. Located forward of the wheels, the entry door sits between the bedroom and kitchen.

One of the benefits of the forward door is that it can mean more space to walk around the bed, which sort of works here, at least for the bed’s nearside. But there’s less space on the offside because of how close the dinette seat back is to the bed when the bed is extended by the bolster.

The innerspring mattress measures 1.75 x 1.53m (5ft 9in x 5ft) but can be extended to 1.93m (6ft 4in). It sits on a contour slatted bed base which can be lifted to get to the storage space underneath.

The base has diagonal corners which create a little more foot room when negotiating the single step to the side of the bed. And there’s a reason for that step – it raises the floor slightly which creates more space for under floor storage, accessible by floor hatches on both sides of the bed.

In addition to that, there’s an arrangement of bedhead lockers, side wardrobes and bedside cabinets.

What’s not normal is the full-width compartment which runs behind the bed. This is particularly good for all those items you like to have within reach at night.

FULL-SIZE BATHROOM

There really aren’t any surprises in the full-size bathroom. It comes with a separate shower cubicle on the nearside and a Thetford china bowl cassette toilet on the other side.

In between, and running across the rear wall, is a vanity with a good selection of overhead lockers and cupboards, not to mention a very contemporary wash basin and full-width mirror.

Like many current caravans, the Grenade has a top-loading washing machine fitted into the offside corner beside the loo. Bathroom ventilation is handled by a small window and two fan vent hatches.

But one of the standout features of this van is the good-sized kitchen bench. There’s a very decent amount of benchtop working space, plus a stainless steel sink, drainer and four-burner cooktop. The latter has three gas burners and one electric, along with a grill and oven.

The size of the kitchen allows for two cupboards, three drawers and a wire basket slide-out pantry as well. Above the bench are three overhead lockers, with a fourth containing the 12V fuses, solar panel regulator and battery charger monitor.

Outside the locker, the panel is used as the mounting point for a Fusion radio and iPod holder.

There’s certainly no shortage of fridge capacity with the 258 litre Novacool fridge/freezer which sits on the opposite side between the dinette and bathroom wall. The fridge’s height does mean the microwave oven above sits at the same level as the overhead lockers.

Opposite the kitchen bench, the dinette with its wall cushions and hinged leg supports will seat four, but it’s designed for two to sit comfortably and the large adjoining window makes it easy to observe the world going by outside.

Between the seats, the tri-fold table is ideal for both a drinks and nibblies stand, as well as a full-sized table. For power operated devices, the power point towards the front of the van is handily located but, given this is an offroad van, a 12V socket might be useful. 

In addition to the overhead lockers, there’s under-seat storage but it’s a little fiddly to get at as you have to get the seat cushions out of the way

SUPPORTING CAST

The Grenade is supported by a chassis which has a substantial amount of RHS DuraGal steelwork with 150 x 50mm (6 x 2in) for the main rails and the sub chassis structure which connects with the drawbar. To keep the weight down a bit, punched-hole C-section steel is used.

The Grenade runs on Control Rider independent suspension with the usual trailing arm and coil spring setup but with the shock absorbers inside the coil. The 16in wheels are fitted with 12in brakes.

Ground clearance on this van is great, with all the pipework well-strapped and the rear section chamfered up for sharply undulating terrain.

Given the unladen weight of this van, a large tow vehicle is required. In my case it was a Toyota LandCruiser 200 series, which as always proved to be a very capable vehicle.

On this occasion, I was running without a weight distribution hitch (WDH) and, generally speaking, the van was well-behaved. However, on one leg of my travels, it was quite windy and on several occasions on the freeway, the van was a bit twitchy. I’d therefore be recommending a WDH for any long-term touring. 

On that subject – long term touring, that is – any prospective owner should do a few short term test trips to ensure the battery and solar panel capacity are matched well enough, given the fridge is a 12V compressor unit and relatively energy efficient.

WEIGHTY MATTERS

This particular van has a Tare weight of 2640kg and an unladen ball weight of 280kg. When I asked about the ATM, the answer was that On The Move lets its customers nominate their own ATM – anything up to 600kg above the tare weight.

There’s nothing wrong with that but it’s an odd way of doing things and I think it’s done to avoid confusion over the ATM figure. The ATM is usually set by the caravan manufacturer and is taken by many to be the figure that a vehicle’s maximum tow rating must not exceed. That perception is not correct.

What matters is the actual loaded weight of the caravan, particularly when the load capacity is much greater than the usual 400kg. 

Let’s say this van has a manufacturer’s specified ATM of 3240kg, a Tare weight of 2640kg and a load of 360kg. Therefore the actual fully-loaded weight is 3000kg. Which would mean a tow vehicle with a maximum tow rating of 3000kg is perfectly legal even though the van’s ATM is 3240kg.

Oh, and don’t forget the ball weight too – with that already at 280kg in this case, a visit to a weigh bridge to check both loaded weight and ball weight would be a good precaution.

VERDICT

At 6.2m (20ft 4in) long, the Grenade isn’t a particularly large van but does have all the contemporary essentials and that, to some degree, is reflected in the van’s weight. This is just something to be kept in mind, because there’s plenty of storage capability, both inside and out.

It has a few nice touches such as the diagonally-cornered bed base, under-floor storage and Fusion entertainment system which all make a difference to the travel experience, and there’s nothing wrong with the van, either inside or out – it’s certainly well-fitted out. 

ON THE MOVE GRENADE

Overall length: 8.1m (26ft 7in)
External body length: 6.2m (20ft 4in)
External body width: 2.4m (7ft 10in)
Travel height: 2.9m (9ft 6in)
Internal height: 2.0m (6ft 7in)
Tare (kg): 2640kg
ATM (kg): 3240kg (variable)
Ball weight (kg): 280kg
Frame: Meranti timber
Cladding: Aluminium cladding
Chassis: G&S DuraGal
Suspension: Control Rider independent
Brakes: 12in
Wheels: 16in
Fresh water: 2 x 95 litres
Battery: 2 x 100Ah
Solar: 2 x 130W
Air-conditioner: AirCommand Ibis
Gas: 2 x 9kg
ESC: No
Cooking: Swift four-burner/grill/oven
Fridge: Novakool 12V comp 258 litre
Microwave: Yes
Toilet: Thetford china bowl
Shower: Separate cubicle
Lighting: 12V LED
Hot water: Truma 14 litre
Price:  $88,990 (on road, Qld)
Supplied by: Kratzmann Caravans, Burpengary, Qld
More info: On The Move Caravans