Option RV Traction

WE LIKED:
>> External storage capacity
>> Weight saving in the chassis
>> Light and breezy interior

NOT SO MUCH:
>> Kitchen could be bigger
>> Black checker plate overdone
>> No 5V socket for charging

I’m always happy to visit the Woombye-based dealership Caravan World on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. One of the reasons is that the Caravan World team usually has my review caravan clean, hitched up and ready to go.

The second is that proprietor Brad Pendleton often has something interesting to tow it with. In this case, it was a Jeep Grand Cherokee which has a great, luxury feel about it. It came with a V6 3.0-litre turbodiesel that delivers a maximum power of 184kw and 570Nm of torque and drives through a very smooth eight speed gearbox.

The big Jeep also boasts a 3500kg towing capacity which was well and truly suited to the review van, an Option RV Traction. Given the Traction has a tare weight of 2420kg and an ATM of 2920kg, I didn't expect the Jeep to have any problems and it didn't – neither on-road nor on the short piece of offroad driving that I tried.

With an external body length of 5.64m (18ft 6in), the Traction’s length means it’s sure to have most of the expected fittings and comforts with, perhaps, the odd compromise to fit everything in.

A CLOSER LOOK…

Underpinning the Traction is a hot-dipped galvanised chassis and a look underneath the van reveals it's been constructed with 150 x 50mm (6x2in) main rails and drawbar but the cross members are mostly made from punched hole 100x50mm (2x1in) C-section steel to keep the weight down.

Conventional water tanks are located either side of the axles and fitted with galvanised sheet protection. Most of the chassis looks well put together, includes all the piping and cabling, which is mostly strapped up out of the way.

The house battery storage box is attached to the chassis rail behind the offside wheels.

On the subject of wheels, the Traction rides on Simplicity tandem axle suspension and is shod with 16in alloy wheels and 245/75R16 tyres, of which there are two spares mounted on the rear bumper.

At the business end of the caravan, the coupling is a Hyland 3500 with handbrake. The rest of the drawbar is busy with a centre-mounted jockey wheel, two 9kg gas cylinders and a large checkerplate toolbox with jerry can holders on each side.

In keeping with the current trend, most of the lower parts of the timber framed, fibreglass composite clad caravan body are covered with satin black propeller plate. The only exception to this is the rear wall, which just has a black moulding for the tail lights.

Along the offside, there are plenty of external storage bins. Some have a purpose, such as housing the Thetford toilet cassette, the external shower and electrics panel with battery charger and fuses.

Others, like the front tunnel boot and rear bin right, are just for general storage. On the nearside, there's also a picnic table and entertainment unit.

CENTRE ENTRY

The Traction is a mid-door van, so it's no surprise to step inside and find the bedroom at the front and dinette and kitchen to the immediate right, leaving space for the bathroom across the rear. In other words, it’s a fairly standard contemporary layout.

The colour scheme is certainly contemporary – a blend of white, grey, beige and black, which isn't too hard on the eyes.

One of the benefits of the mid-door van is that there’s no partition of any sort between the bedroom and living area, so the interior feels quite open and spacious. That feeling is aided somewhat by the large Seitz windows and roof hatch towards the front.

Bright by day, the van is almost as bright by night when the prolific LED ceiling-mounted and reading lights kick in. But I'm sure you won't need to have them all on at once!

If we start our tour in the rear, you’ll see that the bathroom comes complete with a nearside shower cubicle, offside Thetford cassette toilet and a rear wall vanity cabinet with a wash basin, adjacent top-loading washing machine, two good sized cupboards above and below, two overhead lockers and a mid-sized drawer. Other useful items include a large wall mirror and towel rails.

There are at least of couple of design debates about where best to locate a washing machine – centre stage in the bathroom, or tucked away in the corner. I suspect regular users prefer the central location, which usually means a bit more elbow room around the loo, too!

Step out of the bathroom and you’ll find the dinette to the left. Designed comfortably for two people, it's upholstered in leather and comes with hinged footrests on each seat, a tri-fold table and a small cupboard underneath. A slightly novel feature of the cupboard is that it's connected to the external entertainment unit. Between the tabletop and the window are 240V and 12V power sockets.

Fitting a full-width bathroom and more in a van this length means something else needs to be squeezed a bit and, in this, that something is the kitchen. It still comes fully-equipped, including a four-burner cooktop/grill/oven, stainless steel sink and drainer, 190L three-way fridge and Daewoo microwave oven and, while bench space is limited, the cooktop does have a flush lid to help matters.

In a change from the norm, the microwave is mounted in the overhead lockers, slightly lower than the cupboards, instead of in its more common spot above the fridge. One of these lockers contains controls such as the solar panel regulator and hot water switch and is also the mounting point for the radio/CD player.

Below the bench are several drawers and a large cupboard. I should mention the cupboard latches as they can be mounted either way and are large enough for arthritic fingers to use without too much trouble.

Up front, the island bed measures 1.8 x 1.55m (6ft 2in x 5ft 1in) and is surrounded on three sides by windows. Around the bedhead is the usual array of overhead lockers, side wardrobes and bedside cabinets with a reasonable shelf. Underneath, the posture slat bed base is a very large storage space.

Instead of the usual diagonal cupboard tucked into the corner at the end of the kitchen bench, there’s just a small shelf with a couple of magazine pockets underneath. Another asset of the mid door layout with the bedroom at the front is that there is plenty of room to walk around the bed.

VERDICT

In many ways, the Option RV Traction is a neat little package. At 5.6m (18ft 6in) long, it's not oversize but it has enough living space inside to be comfortable. With a maximum loaded mass just under 3000kg, it’s heavy but not so much that something like a Jeep Cherokee can't handle it with ease.

It's obviously been built with rough road/offroad travel in mind, so can be used in a variety of destinations around Australia.

OPTION RV TRACTION

Overall length: 7.8m (25ft 7in)
External body length: 5.64m (18ft 6in)
External body width: 2.42m (8ft)
Travel height: 2.96m (9ft 9in)
Internal height: 1.97m (6ft 6in)
Tare: 2420kg
ATM: 2920kg
Ball weight: 200kg
Frame: Meranti timber
Cladding: Fibreglass composite
Chassis: Hot-dipped galvanised
Suspension: Simplicity independent
Brakes: 10in elec
Wheels : 16in alloys
Fresh water: 2 x 95L
Battery: 2x110 Ah
Solar: 1x130W
Air-conditioner: Aircommand Ibis
Gas: 2 x 9kg
ESC: Optional
Cooking: Swift 500 four- burner/grill/oven
Fridge: Dometic RM 8551 190L
Microwave: Daewoo DC
Toilet: Thetford cassette
Shower: Separate cubicle
Lighting: 12V LED
Hot water: Suburban 23L gas/electric
Options fitted: None
Price as shown: $69,990 (on road, Qld)
Supplied by: Caravan World, Woombye, Qld
More info: Option RV