OTM Adventure 5.5 2023 Review

On The Move caravans started off as a boutique caravan builder around 16 years ago, offering something a bit different for outdoor adventurers from floating caravans, to compact hybrids and techno-laden off-grid caravans.

Now, after a change of ownership, On the Move is heading in a new direction with a fresh line-up of both Australian-made and Chinese-built off-road caravans designed to appeal to a broad range of buyers.

Related: Bold new OTM caravans break the mould

Sold at Caravan HQ retail outlets around the country, the new Vortexx and Explorexx range of couple and family models from On The Move are produced by big Melbourne manufacturer Network RV, whereas the latest OTM Adventure range of composite body, off-road vans are largely constructed in China, with final assembly at Caravan HQ's head office near Brisbane.

Here we're looking at the 5.5m (18ft 6in) body length, Adventure 5.5 two-berth model; the smallest and cheapest of four different length, single or tandem axle Adventure variants with couple or family layouts; all sharply priced in the $80,000-$90,000 bracket.

The first thing to point out about the new OTM Adventure 5.5 single axle off-roader, apart from its eye-catching looks, is it comes loaded up with quite a lot of off-road, off-grid and comfort features for its $79,990 drive-away pricing.

The long list of standard features is one you'd expect to find on an Aussie-built off-road van with a higher price tag, and includes an automotive-inspired rivetted chassis with airbag suspension and timber-free composite body, a 200Ah lithium battery system with 400W rooftop solar and 2000W inverter, and a swag of appliances including an 188L compressor fridge, microwave, 5G Wi-Fi booster, rooftop air-conditioner, TV, stereo and a front-load washing machine.

Also included in the price is an external hot-cold shower, a reversing camera, and extensive mood lighting, although it's clear OTM has kept a lid on pricing by leaving off a few wanted features like outside TV connections, a filtered water tap in the kitchen, and a 12V fan or two around the bed.

Another major selling point is like many Chinese-built caravans sold in this country, the Adventure 5.5 boasts a timberless, full composite body construction, with single piece fibreglass sandwich panels used for the walls (30mm thick) and roof (55mm), together with a 40mm honeycomb floor. This makes the OTM’s body construction well-suited to off-road all-temperature travel, thanks to superior thermal and sound insulation properties.

The first batch of Adventure vans displayed at the 2023 Queensland Supershow featured 900mm high black thermal paint, but OTM is in the process of changing that to a more durable and aesthetically pleasing Raptor protective coating on all sides of the van.

There's some additional protection up front from a solid stone shield attached to the toolbox, along with some underbody protection although this doesn't extend to metal 'bash plates' on the three poly water tanks, as you often see on off-road vans.

The galvanised chassis gets a smart black coated finish, as do the matching bolt-on scrub bars, although it was annoying to find a section of the hollow tubing interfered with the manual winding process of one of the drop-down corner stabilisers.

Also making the imported OTM Adventure 5.5 van stand out from the crowd is its unique and brightly painted chassis and suspension set-up.

Designed and engineered in Australia, the chassis components are made from Australian 550 grade high tensile steel and mostly rivetted and bolted together rather than welded, while the novel Esy-Tow Sport X Rally suspension (last seen on the Fleetwood-built Coromal Pioneer Evolution) employs twin long-travel, centrally-pivoting tubular steel wishbone A-arms to locate the single wheel per side, with twin Chinese-made air bags and twin telescopic shock absorbers per wheel providing the suspension.

It's a basic manual airbag system with the suspension height pre-set, and a separate portable air compressor used to inflate the bags to match the road conditions.

Other all-terrain hardware fitted includes a Cruisemaster DO-35 coupling, a heavy-duty jockey wheel, 10in electric drum brakes and 16in alloy wheels with mud terrain tyres.

There are quite distinct cut-outs in the chassis and OTM says that contributes to weight savings of up to 130kg compared to a more conventional welded chassis. The end result is a relatively light Tare weight of 2148kg for the Adventure 5.5, which allows for a very decent payload of 732kg.

The long suspension travel is designed to deliver excellent ground clearance and shock absorption, and while we mainly towed the OTM at highway speeds on bitumen, it felt stable and well behaved behind our Isuzu MU-X tow vehicle, albeit with the occasional jitteriness you expect with a large, full height van riding on a single axle.

You'll have to pay extra for a drawbar-mounted ESC unit to help deal with any trailer sway and provide additional peace of mind when towing.

The nicely designed front toolbox has side compartments for the twin 4.5 gas bottles, and a slide-out for a generator or some jerry cans. There are also some narrow front compartments and a full-width shelf for storing various poles, hoses, cords, etc, and tracks and tie-downs on top to mount a bike rack.

As is the trend these days, the OTM 5.5 gets two wall-mounted picnic tables along the onside wall, so you'll never run out of space for your snacks and drinks while sitting on camp chairs and enjoying some protection under the full width roll-out awning.

Otherwise, it's a bit bare on the awning side wall with just a single 240V outlet and a couple of external lights and speakers. A gas bayonet wasn't fitted to the review van but it's listed as standard on the brochure.

Also missing is an 'entertainment locker' for watching TV outside, and a fixed light to see what you're doing at night in the tunnel boot, but OTM said it's considering fitting some of these items as standard on future production vans.

Up back, there's a stylish and practical rear platform bar that neatly secures two spare tyres, along with a couple more small storage compartments and some space on top to carry some firewood.

Oh, and the eye-catching roof-mounted 'spoiler' is not just for looks; OTM says it also provides downforce to increase stability, and re-directs dust thrown up at higher speeds.

The van comes standard with a single pull-out entry step, but at its pre-set travel height OTM supplied a portable step ladder to help climb up inside. An alternative would be to have a twin or triple entry step fitted instead, particularly if you didn't want to manually lower the ride height every time you wanted to get inside.

The OTM Adventure 5.5 might be the smallest Adventure model in the range, but there's enough interior space to fit a 'north-south' walkaround queen bed, a well-equipped kitchen, comfy dinette/lounge, and a full width rear ensuite including separate shower and toilet, without it all feeling too cramped or crowded inside.

The biggest compromise is probably a reduction in floor space around the corners of the bed, although the memory foam mattress has chamfered edges to make it easier to access both sides.

There are multiple storage options around the bed, including a skinny robe on each side and a storage nook with electrical sockets, and some handy compartments including slide-out drawers under the bed.

While there were no 12V fans fitted, getting some ventilation and natural light in around the bed isn't a problem with a large double glazed window on both sides and a big overhead roof hatch/skylight, while the rooftop air conditioner can be fired up when you're plugged in at a caravan park.

The inviting V-shape lounge gets a sturdy table with telescopic leg for dining and is a pretty roomy and comfy arrangement for two people, thanks to some soft cushioning and leatherette upholstery. There's a slide-out base at one end for placing a supplied foot rest cushion, so at least one of you can stretch out.

While there's not a heap of bench space for food prep, the kitchen comes well equipped with a one electric/three gas cooktop, grille and oven, a rangehood, 34L convection microwave, and a 188L compressor fridge/freezer.

There's also a large sink with drainer for washing up, a few cupboards and drawers, and a fancy commercial-style mixer tap with flexible sprayer if that's your thing.

The bathroom isn't missing much either, with a solid sliding door, towel rails, a toilet roll holder, an illuminated mirror and wall-mounted washing machine, along with cupboards and some shelving for toiletries. There's no 12V fan hatch above the toilet but you can open up the nearby window to let out any unwanted smells.

The shower cubicle is a decent size and comes fitted with a 12V fan hatch and more black tapware, as well as some handy wall-mounted dispensers for your liquid soap, shampoo and conditioner.

The review van was finished in a pleasant éarthy decor, with a few ways to brighten things up including plenty of mood lighting around the cabinetry and floor; not to mention a triple light mode for the bathroom mirror.

Adding to the contemporary feel is overhead cabinetry made of lightweight ply with a 'skin touch' surface and and hidden catches, soft-close drawers with metal runners, and a leather-look door-side pocket with coat hooks.

The switches for the lights and other electricals are conveniently located below the Projecta battery display panel near the entry door, although it was annoying to find a couple of the back-lit push-button switches didn't work properly.

The 5G RV Wi-Fi unit is located in a separate cupboard, not far from the Fusion head unit that connects to inside and outside speakers, and the 24in TV on its adjustable arm that faces the bed.

There's a compression dust-reduction roof hatch fitted above the toilet, but keen off-roaders might want to consider fitting a bigger and more expensive unit if they plan to do a lot of dusty driving.

Other cupboards not far from the bed hold the Projecta battery components including the PM300 Control System, DC-DC charger and 2000W inverter, although the backboard holding the inverter in place and secured by a couple of screws had come loose in the review van.

OTM said that the review van was one of the first to arrive in the country and had clocked up plenty of hard miles travelling to shows and other events, and it was in the process of making a few tweaks across the Adventure range to address some minor issues.

First-production run niggles aside, the OTM Adventure 5.5 off-roader shapes up as a well-equipped, entry-level off-grid caravan for couples who want to head a bit further off the beaten track.

Pricing is very competitive, although we imagine many buyers will end up paying a bit more than $80K after adding a few smaller items missing off the standard equipment list.

All up, the new OTM Adventure range is a welcome addition to the growing list of imported off-grid caravans, and delivers plenty of 'bang for your buck' if your luxury off-road caravanning budget doesn't quite stretch into six figures.

Price: $79,990 driveaway
External body length: 5606mm
External body width: 2425mm
Travel length: 7728mm
Travel height: 3195mm (unladen)
Internal height: 1980mm
Tare: 2148kg
ATM: 2880kg
Ball weight (Tare): 173kg
Construction: 30-55mm thick fibreglass sandwich panels for walls and roof, 40mm honeycomb floor, 150mm Supagal steel chassis
Suspension: Single axle independent wishbones, airbags, twin shocks
Brakes: 10in electric drum
Wheels: 16in alloy with 265/75-16 M/T tyres
ESC: Optional                                        
Water: 2 x 100L fresh, 1 x 100L grey
Battery: 200Ah lithium-ion with Projecta PM300 Control System and 2000W inverter
Solar: 4x 100W roof-mounted panels
Gas: 2 x 4.5kg
Hot water: Fogatti Instant continuous
Cooking: Dometic 3+1 cooktop, grille, 34L microwave
Fridge: Dometic 188L upright compressor fridge-freezer
Shower: Internal cubicle and external hot/cold
Toilet: Dometic cassette
Air-conditioner: Dometic Harrier Lite rooftop reverse-cycle
Lighting: LED
Audio: Fusion Bluetooth with internal/external speakers
TV: 24in
Washing machine: 2.5kg wall-mounted front load
Supplied by: Caravan HQ, Yatala, Qld
More info: On The Move Caravans