Otron Caravans Signature Series 3

WE LIKED:
>> General construction
>> Spacious pantry and external bin storage space
>> Plenty of powerpoints and lights

NOT SO MUCH:
>> Table mounting design
>> It's long...
>> And a bit pricey!

What makes an offroad caravan an offroad caravan?

Ask any number of industry people and you will get differing views. Otron Caravan’s Otto Tuza has his own answer: “I don’t make offroad vans. I build a van that will go anywhere!”

One of the newest vans to emerge from Otron’s factory is evidence of this. The Signature Series 3 is made like any other Otron van, with no distinction between offroad and on-road in its construction.

The Signature we reviewed was so new, in fact, that it didn’t have any decals on it as they were being made to match the customer’s tow vehicle.

WHAT’S UP DOWN UNDER?

But back to construction – supporting the Signature is a 150 x 50mm (6 x 2in) SupaGal chassis that comes with a 1.8m (6ft) drawbar and a 3500kg coupling.

Al-Ko drop down stabiliser jacks are fitted to each corner of the chassis, while up front is a Trail-A-Mate jockey wheel. A holder for two 120A deep-cycle batteries is fitted to the offside front chassis rails.

The Signature rides on Aero Flex independent suspension and there’s a full-sized working model in the Otron showroom if you’d like a demonstration of exactly how it works. A peek under the van reveals coil springs, shock absorbers and a different trailing arm set-up.

Like many vans, the Signature comes with a timber frame; in this case made with treated loop pine with a waterproof seal. The cladding is a 2mm Cormat membrane which has insulation and a UV rating.

There’s plenty of external storage space including a front boot, large front tunnel boot, drawbar-mounted pole holder and two smaller bins – one on the front offside and the other at the nearside rear. All the bins have internal lights.

Two other bins store the toilet cassette tank and the caravan electrics including the battery charger and 12V fuses. In a rather radical move, Otron has labelled the fuses, taking the guesswork out making electrical changes and fault-finding.

The Signature is well-appointed for al-fresco living, including an awning with a modified roof mounting which comes fully-fitted with walls. In addition, there’s a picnic table, a barbecue that slides out from the front boot and an entertainment unit.

A door grab handle light, two lights on the nearside wall and another light mid-offside makes things easy to see in the dark.

BLACK AND WHITE DECOR

Stepping inside the Otron Signature through the rear door reveals a striking black and white interior finish. It might not be for everybody but it certainly catches the eye and is a very contemporary look.

There’s a full-width rear bathroom to the right of the entry door, a big Dometic 184 litre fridge directly opposite, a kitchen bench along the nearside wall that faces a club lounge and a bedroom with an east-west island bed up the front.

Energy-saving LED lights are fitted throughout, giving good illumination through the van.

And a look inside the cupboards reveals everything finished off nicely, including raw timber which is well-sanded.

EAST-WEST BED

Positioning the bed across the van with the bedhead against the offside wall is a bit different but it allows for a full set of wardrobes across the front wall.

There are five wardrobes in total, all with mirrored doors and large drawers underneath. They’re not quite full-height because of the tunnel boot underneath but still offer a very generous amount of storage space.

It almost makes the overhead lockers above the bed a superfluity, especially as there’s under-bed storage too.

This van has a large bathroom which comes with the full kit and caboodle – nearside shower cubicle, offside Dometic cassette toilet, vanity cabinet across the rear wall and Lemair top-loading washing machine in the corner.

On either side of the vanity and in each corner are benchtop to ceiling cabinets, so there’s absolutely no shortage of places to stash things.

There are also some interesting touches – not only does the shower cubicle have a flex hose shower but it also has a towel rail and two grab handles.

The sliding door appears to be fitted better than most I’ve seen, including one or two which bounced off their tracks; not necessarily under offroad conditions.

With the fridge located on the opposite side – it’s off the floor with a large drawer underneath – there’s plenty of space for a functional kitchen bench.

At the door end, the Stoves four-burner cooktop, grill and oven has a flush lid which matches the benchtop. The stainless steel sink with drainer sits mid-bench, leaving a generous working area at the forward end.

The microwave oven is located in the overhead locker space above this, but it’s set lower than the adjoining lockers – at a user-friendly height for most people.

The radio/CD player is also in the overhead lockers not above the cooktop where it’s often placed. Instead, it’s further along where still convenient to use but away from steam and fumes.

STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Given the length of the kitchen bench, there’s plenty of good-sized drawer space, five in all, as well as a cupboard and a wire basket pantry.

There’s also a multi-shelved floor to ceiling cupboard fitted to the bathroom wall by the entry door. Have I mentioned that well-thought out storage is not a problem in this van!

Opposite the kitchen, the black upholstered club lounge looks very inviting to sit down and relax, and there’s plenty of room to stretch out.

Both seat ends have foot rests, and these aren’t the usual hinged variety but instead small slide-outs, with the cushion stored against the seat end when not being used. That arrangement also allows for an under-seat drawer.

The table is designed to fold down easily to make up a bed but I did wonder whether, given how everything else is put together in this van, something a bit more sophisticated than a single pole mount could be used.

The corner shelves above each end of the dinette are a nice touch and there are three, yes three, powerpoints and one 12V socket behind the dinette. I’ve been known to lament about a shortage of powerpoints in many vans, but that’s almost over the top!

Being 7.31m (24ft) and having a tare weight of 2960kg means the Signature isn’t a small van but that doesn’t mean it’s a difficult tow. Naturally, a large tow vehicle (with a tow rating of at least 3500kg and max ball weight 250kg) is needed, but once on the road, the van travels along in a well-behaved manner.

That might sound like an inane statement, but if a van doesn’t travel well on-road, then it’s not going to be good offroad.

The owners have opted for a dual-cab Iveco Daily with a custom-built storage bin on the back. It’s an interesting choice but not that unusual – the fifth wheeler set are very familiar with Ivecos as tow vehicles and there’s certainly nothing wrong with them, but it does make for a long towing combination – 16.4m (53ft 10in) in total.

Given the capacious storage and 200 litre water tank capacity, I suspect there’s a danger of overloading.

VERDICT

You’d expect a lot in terms of layout, space and components in a caravan the length (and six-figure price) of this Otron Signature Series 3. And the good news is: that's exactly what you get.

It’s a well-built van with copious amounts of storage and ready for the long haul – in style, of course, with just about everything necessary for comfortable travel.

Not everyone is going to want a van this long but it’s a good indicator of what else might be available in the Otron range.

OTRON CARAVANS SIGNATURE SERIES 3

Overall length: 8.4m (27ft 7in)
External length: 7.31m (24ft)
External width: 2.35m (7ft 9in)
External height: 3.0m (9ft 10in)
Interior height: 1.96m (6ft 5in)
Nameplate ATM: 3490kg
Nameplate Tare Weight: 2960kg
Ball weight (advised): 180kg
Frame: Loop pine timber
Chassis: Supagal
External finish: Cormat
Suspension: Aero Flex independent
Cooktop:  Stoves four-burner, grill and oven
Fridge: Dometic RM4605 186 litre
Microwave: Sanyo
Shower: Separate cubicle
Toilet: Dometic
Lighting: 12V LED
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Hot water: Suburban 23 litre gas/elec
Fresh water: 2 x 100 litres
Grey water: 1 x 100 litres
Price: $102,000 (on road, Qld)
Supplied by: Otron Caravans, Caboolture, Qld