Regal Special Vehicles Desert Series 4x4 2007 Review

By Malcolm Street

What’s in a name? That is sometimes a question we ponder here at CW. Some caravan names are quite obvious and get the imagination going, others well, maybe not so.

Take the latest 19ft 6in (6m) Regal Special Vehicles Desert Series 4x4 van – it’s been designed with a beefed-up chassis and suspension system and the mind drifts a little to being out in the red centre, with not much around except the horizon. Hmm, maybe that’s a name for a van too!

The Regal Desert Series 4x4 is another design from the fertile minds at Sydney Caravans, Paul Hutchinson and Wayne Tinker. They have put together a design that isn’t an over-the-top, high-end offroad van but still something that can be used for a bit of rough road travel.

On the road it is a relatively well behaved unit – its 2000kg Tare weight puts it into the mid size 4WD tow vehicle category.

Like all Regal Special Vehicles caravans, the Desert Series 4x4 is built on a DuraGal chassis, this one with 6in (150mm) rails.

It isn’t a flat chassis either because the rear is angled up to give good clearance on undulating terrain. On each corner, stabilisers of the quick-drop variety are fitted.

Simplicity load sharing suspension is fitted to the tandem axles. Load sharing suspension works on the principle of having a central pivot with a combination of trailing arms and leaf spring suspension. The result is that each axle carries the same load, irrespective of the relative movement of the wheels.

Regal’s usual construction method has been used for the main body work – meranti timber frame and aluminium cladding, except that the lower ‘skirt’ is made from aluminium checkerplate.

Gal sheeting is fitted between the ply floor and the chassis. An additional feature on this van is the external shower, located at the offside rear corner – useful as there isn’t one inside.

Up front on the Desert Series 4x4 is a Treg hitch, two 9kg gas cylinders, a jockey wheel mounted between the A-frame and a steel box designed to be a protective cover for a generator. A slight disadvantage of the latter is its position – turning the jockey wheel handle meant scraped knuckles unless care was taken.

Our caravan came with a Treg hitch, which is designed for offroad use but on large and heavy vans they are fiddly to hitch up – the tow vehicle hitch and van coupling both have to be at the same height. The front boot is relatively spacious, with the only items already there being the battery, battery charger and 12V fuses.

Dominating the rear are two spare tyres mounted on the looped rear bumper. Behind the wheels are two jerry can holders. On any van with this arrangement, it’s worth noting the extra length if van storage area is tight because the wheels and loop bumper bar, in this case, add almost 20in (50mm) extra.

The door and windows are standard Camec items, the former being the triple lock variety, the latter being tinted hoppers. Both front and rear windows are protected by stoneguards – without the drawbar the rear one is quite high up and needs a small step to open.

An interesting addition, which some new vans are now sporting, is a slide-out barbecue mounted forward of the doorway. While it does take up some storage space, it’s a great idea for people who like to spend their time outdoors under the awning. We noted our review van did not have an awning but in due course it will be fitted with a Fiamma F45.

The gas connection for the slide-out barbecue is located underneath the van, making it reasonably accessible but vulnerable to dust and dirt.

Where You Want It

Inside the Desert Series 4x4, the layout appears to be relatively spacious, which is mainly because there isn’t that space-taking device known as the bathroom. Opposite the front door is an L-shaped dinette.

Mid van is the kitchen area, with most of it on the nearside, and right at the back is the bedroom. Dominating the interior décor is a timber finish, which looks quite good, plus a laminate finish to the horizontal surface areas and the kitchen walls.

All the windows are fitted with slimline venetian blinds.

Having an L-shape for the dinette does make it a little different from the usual style and yet it is quite easy to slip out of from either end and at least one person can stretch out with his feet up. In the comfort stakes, the leather upholstered seats weren’t too bad at all.

General lighting is plentiful, with three halogen reading lights and one overhead fluorescent, as is the storage with six overhead lockers, the usual under-seat area and a nearside corner cupboard – although part of the latter is taken up by the slide-out barbecue bin.

Part of the under-seat area is a drawer but the rest is a little awkward to get at – drawers are a little space-inefficient but much easier to get at. For laptop users, a powerpoint is conveniently located in the nearside corner.

In keeping with the dining area, the kitchen is also angled. It comes complete with a Smev four-burner cooktop with oven/grill, stainless steel sink/drainer and a microwave set in the overhead locker area above the sink.

With the sink set sideways, there’s a moderate amount of benchtop space, which is helped by the fact that the cooktop is set low enough to have a flush lid. Lighting isn’t in short supply with a fluorescent lamp above the sink, rangehood halogens above the cooktop and a ceiling-mounted fluorescent as well.

In a way the kitchen bench is quite compact but it does have a good variety of storage space – four drawers, two cupboards, two overhead lockers and one floor locker.

It’s actually a good example of space being used effectively and not just having large empty cupboard space or all drawers the same size.

On the opposite side of the van is the rest of the kitchen area with the Dometic 150L fridge, plus more storage space – two pots and pans drawers and two wire baskets in a cupboard.

The sleeping department is dominated by the north-south innerspring mattress on the 6ft 4in x 4ft 6in (1.9m x 1.4m) bed. It has the usual mirror door side cupboards, with bedside cabinet, drawer and floor locker. Part of the offside cupboard is taken by the external shower, thus limiting hanging space.

Under-bed storage comes complete with a Porta-Potti compartment.

General light and ventilation is good with windows on three sides, plus a Four Seasons hatch above. Night-time illumination is supplied by halogen reading lights plus an overhead fluorescent.

At the foot of the bed, a half-height corner cupboard occupies the offside corner, while a small wash basin with accompanying cupboard is fitted opposite.

The former has both powerpoint and antenna connection for a flatscreen TV and the wash basin comes with a mirrored shaving cabinet.

Good window area and two Four Seasons hatches supply good ventilation for the van but when that is not enough, the roof-mounted air-conditioner can be used. Overall lighting is good and powerpoints seem to be located in mostly useful places.

The bottom line

What’s most interesting about this Desert Series 4x4 van is that it doesn’t have a bathroom. Sure, many vans don’t have them but this particular van has a ‘get away from the crowd’ build to it and we presume that includes caravan parks with amenities blocks.

It is not necessarily a major minus because the Desert Series does still have an external shower and provision for a Porta-Potti, thus freeing up internal space for more living area and we are aware that some travellers prefer that.

This van is packed with features and while some, such as the leather seats, are nice comfort items, the slide-out barbecue is something that we’d be giving a good work out – it’s not hard to imagine many evenings under the stars with the steak or freshly caught fish sizzling away. For more information contact Sydney Caravans, Corner Old Bathurst Road and Smith Street,

Emu Plains, NSW 2750, (02) 4735 2044, web: www.sydneycaravans.com.au

We liked

• Timber, leather and laminate finish gives the van a quality feel

• The L-shapes – both lounge/dining and kitchen, result in a neat layout and seating that has room for just lounging around

• Overall lighting which seemed to be mostly well placed

• Slide-out barbecue by the entry door

We would have liked

• Lower microwave

• A second drawer under the lounge seat – much easier to get at

• The gas connection for the barbecue in a slightly more accessible location

• Different hitch to the Treg – it is awkward to hitch on bigger vans