On The Move Caravans gave a taste of its latest lightweight composite touring range earlier this year with the display of its new compact and airy Galaxy caravan, and now it's rolling out a full line-up of larger on-road variants with its new MY25 Infinity entry-level caravan range.
Priced to please, with lighter weights but similar floorplans and full composite construction as its more off-road ready models, the OTM Infinity is a direct competitor to big-selling Jayco and Snowy River budget models in the more affordable, circa $60,000-$80,000 luxury touring van category...
For this review we’re taking a close look at OTM's range-topping Infinity 7.2; a large 23ft 6in tandem-axle fixed-roof model that comes with an appealing apartment-style layout including front 'master bedroom', central ensuite and rear club lounge.
The Infinity 7.2 is priced competitively at $82,990 RRP (although it is currently being offered at dealers for $79,990), and there are five other smaller, and cheaper Infinity models to choose from, including three with family bunk layouts, ranging from 5.5m to 6.9m body lengths and with recommended pricing from $66,990 to $75,990.
If you want to go smaller, lighter and even more affordable, there’s also the single axle Galaxy 4.8 (RRP $54,990) with its breezy layout, with an even more compact Galaxy 4.2, with slightly different couple’s ensuite layout, on its way to On The Move dealers soon, priced at $49,990 RRP.
Like the attention-seeking Grenade, the Infinity revives a model name previously used by On The Move Caravans. It's designed for tarmac roads and caravan parks and while not loaded up with equipment, has just about everything you expect including a rooftop air-conditioner, washing machine, contemporary finishes and, to top it off, plenty of storage space, both outside and in.
If you want more, there are a number of factory-fitted options available including 12V fans ($400 each), additional 100L fresh water tank ($1200), external pull-out kitchen ($2500), external shower ($750), additional 120Ah AGM battery ($750) or lithium battery upgrade ($3850), 800W rooftop solar upgrade ($1600), diesel heater ($3000), and four-way camera upgrade ($1100).
Like OTM's off-road Adventure series, the Infinity models are largely built in China and boast ‘timber free’ full composite construction.
In the case of the Infinity touring range, there are slightly slimmer, 26mm thick, one-piece fibreglass sandwich panels with XPS foam insulation for the walls and roof, along with a 28mm honeycomb composite floor.
The panels are joined together using an aluminium 'lock and block dovetail' method, plus there are flat double-glazed RV windows and black, 500mm tall 'high strength' body jacketing for the sides.
The Infinity also gets a Desert Master A-frame, made of C-section 550 grade steel, that's huck rivetted to a welded six-inch box steel tube chassis. The galvanised chassis gets a special powder coat protective finish, while the dimple pressed holes help reduce weight while retaining chassis strength.
The touring-spec towing equipment includes a 50mm ball coupling and removable jockey wheel, torsion suspension with shock absorbers, 10in drum electric brakes and alloy wheels with all terrain rubber.
One thing that really stands out on the Infinity 7.2 is the above-average amount of external and internal storage, to go with an impressive plated payload of 1044kg on the review van.
The A-frame toolbox has a small locker for the twin 4kg gas bottles, with the rest of the storage space accessible from a door on the other side. There's also a full tunnel boot that misses out on an LED light but contains a torque wrench among other items, and is big enough to swallow larger goods like camp chairs and fold-out tables.
There are also three storage lockers located on both sides of the van towards the rear, that allow you to access some of the space underneath the rear club lounge, although some of it might be difficult to reach if you don’t have long arms!
Also standard on the Infinity 7.2 is a full-width roll-out awning, a picnic table, security door with flyscreen and an entry step, external audio speakers, and twin awning lights with ‘bug-free’ amber and white LEDs, while up back a three-arm rear bar holds the spare tyre.
Designed mostly for caravan park living, the Infinity 7.2 comes standard with a single 95 litre fresh water tank and low- and high pressure water inlets, along with one 100Ah AGM battery and twin 100W rooftop solar panels (although our customer-order review van had just the one solar panel and a second, chassis-mounted battery fitted, along with a rear camera.)
It comes as no surprise given its size that On The Move has packed quite a lot inside the Infinity 7.2, including an increasingly popular front bedroom/central ensuite/rear club lounge layout with its separate 'rooms'.
The front bedroom gets a walk-around, queen-size memory foam mattress and extendable bed frame, and a padded leatherette bedhead on the wall behind, along with a solid sliding privacy door to block off the sleeping area from the rest of the van.
Directly on the right as you exit the bedroom is the shower room with its smoky perspex door, black tapware, wall mounted soap, shampoo and conditioner dispensers, towel hooks, and a 12V roof hatch and opening window.
While the ‘powder room’ directly opposite, across the walkway also gets an opening window and 12V roof hatch, along with a fixed cassette toilet, vanity with bowl sink and mixer tap, an LED-lit mirror and a cupboard. There's also a larger mirror fitted on the inside of the door.
The kitchen appliances are located on both sides, including a 3+1 cooktop and grille, a rangehood, large sink with drainer and mixer tap, and a 185L compressor fridge-freezer, with the microwave located near the floor under the cooker.
The large club lounge at the rear is covered in custom leatherette upholstered cushions and features a large adjustable tabletop.
There are double 240V powerpoints in the lounge, kitchen and bedroom (both sides), to go with USB-A and USB-C sockets in the bedroom and lounge. Add to that ceiling, front and rear sets of reading lights, and mood strip lighting throughout the van.
The audio unit, various switches and Projecta water and battery monitor are on a head-height panel near the entry door (the Projecta PM100 Intelli-RV power manager is located in a bedside cupboard), while there's a mounting arm and connections for the 24in TV directly opposite, allowing TV viewing from the club lounge.
Also standard is an on-demand hot water unit, a 2kg wall-mounted washing machine and a 2400W roof-mounted reverse-cycle air-conditioner.
The Infinity 7.2 is pretty light for an extra-large, tandem-axle caravan, with a plated Tare of 2456kg and ATM of 3500kg, so it's relatively easy to tow behind a dual-cab ute like the Ford Ranger we used, at least when not fully loaded.
While we we didn't get to test it out at highway speeds, On The Move Caravans says it goes to great lengths to ensure a balanced set-up, at least when unloaded; while also aiming for a 'seven per cent' ball weight to allow for heavier items loaded towards the front when travelling. The coupling load at Tare mass was listed at 168kg on the review van.
There's limited ground clearance and an unprotected underbody so you wouldn't want to take it too far off the beaten track, although we were impressed by the rig's tight turning circle.
Our main concern, like with any tall, long, slab-sided van, is the propensity for it to be pushed around in strong cross-winds or by passing trucks, so we’d probably want to add an electronic stability control unit of some sort, for peace of mind when towing around 90-100km/h.
As far as hitching up goes, the OTM Infinity 7.2 is pretty much like any other Aussie touring van, although we did notice some user-friendly features like eyelet holders on the drawbar for the safety chains, and some over-size shackles.
It's worth pointing out the customer-order review van was also fitted with shorter Galaxy-style wind-down stabilisers, rather than the longer black-coloured corner units that usually come with the Infinity.
I spent a couple of nights sleeping in the Infinity 7.2, and found the lightweight foam mattress on the firm side, so some buyers may want to add a pillow-topper for added comfort. Otherwise the bedroom area has just enough floorspace to move around the bed, while the side windows and roof hatch when open during the day make the area feel roomier than it is.
I also liked the padding on the sloping bedhead and dimmable reading lights, but would have liked a 12V fan or two to create a cooling breeze during a sticky Queensland summer.
Interestingly, there's just the one sliding door to separate the bedroom from the bathroom and living areas which On the Move says is what most of its customers prefer. Other centre ensuite layouts I've seen feature a second sliding door to create a private ‘change room’ between the shower and toilet, or additional 'sound barrier' when sleeping.
There's not much else I'd change as far as the separate shower and toilet/vanity rooms go, although you'd probably want to keep splashing to a minimum around the frame of the RV window inside the fibreglass shower cubicle.
The kitchen is well set up for cooking and washing up, along with some benchspace for food prep, and the microwave is at a nice safe position down low to the floor. The Arana BFC 185L compressor fridge also did a good job of keeping the drinks cold, and its top freezer section is almost as large as the fridge's, so will appeal to those who like travelling with plenty of frozen food items.
My favourite spot in the van is the club lounge, with plenty of space to spread out on the comfy leatherette lounge or do some work on the laptop on the large, mostly square tabletop. It's perfect for movie nights for two, or you could squeeze up to eight people around the table for Happy Hour.
On The Move says the Infinity 7.2 boasts “endless storage", and they're not wrong! I counted 31 cupboards, drawers, robes and other storage nooks inside, including an extra-large floor-to-ceiling set of drawers and cupboards between the fridge and shower, and a full array of overhead cupboards surrounding the club lounge.
For some potential buyers, it might be storage over-kill; personally, I'd prefer a larger top-load washing machine (like that fitted to some other Infinity models) in lieu of one of the cupboards. On the other hand, you can probably store so many clothes and towels you would rarely need to do a load of washing anyway!
I also like the contemporary decor including the raw-timber style surfaces, matte black sink and taps and classy embroidered upholstery. The review van wasn't perfect though, with some 'sticky' soft-close drawers and untidy inner cabinetry plumbing taking some of the shine off.
While I'm complaining, the Houghton Belaire 2400 roof-top air-conditioner was fairly quiet but worked over-time to keep the interior at a relatively undemanding 24 degrees overnight, so an air-conditioner with more grunt might be a better option for a van with this much interior space to cool down or heat up.
I'd also like a built-in privacy blind on the entry door window for night-time (the Sanjo two-part security door fitted didn't have one).
While there's a lot of competition in the sub-$85K luxury touring caravan market, and the list is growing, the latest OTM Infinity range available from Caravan HQ dealers around the country is a good one to check out.
There's something for just about everyone, from smaller couple and family vans to extra-large, long-range tourers like the Infinity 7.2, and you certainly get plenty for the money, including a relatively lightweight, well-insulated caravan designed for all-seasons travel.
Price: From $79,990
Travel length: 9370mm
Body length: 7240mm
Body width: 2425mm
Travel height: 2980mm
Interior height: 1980mm
Tare weight: 2456kg
ATM: 3500kg
Ball weight (at Tare): 168kg
Body: Fibreglass sandwich panels (walls, roof), honeycomb composite floor
Chassis: Six-inch galvanised and powdercoated steel
Suspension: Torsion beam suspension with shock absorbers
Brakes: 10in electric drum
Stability control: NA
Wheels: 16in alloy with Wanda Terrapass A/T 265/75R16 tyres
Fresh water: 1 x 95L
Battery: 1 x 120Ah AGM
Solar: 2 x 100W rooftop panels
Gas: 2 x 4kg
Air-conditioner: Houghton Belaire 2400 roof-top
Fridge/freezer: Arana BFC 185L compressor
Microwave: Chobo 20L
Cooktop: Thetford three gas/one electric and grille
Hot water: Orana instant gas
Washing machine: Chobo 2kg wall-mounted
Toilet: Freucamp electric cassette
Shower: Separate cubicle
Lighting: 12V LED
TV: Autobacs 24in with roof aerial
Audio: Bluetooth radio with internal/external speakers
Supplied by: On The Move Caravans, Yatala, Queensland