Regent Cruiser

WE LIKED:
>> Hand-built traditional quality
>> Very liveable layout
>> All the latest comfort features

NOT SO MUCH:
>> Would prefer larger kitchen window
>> ‘Smudgy’ kitchen splashback
>> Paltry payload unless off-road suspension fitted

Rescuing a well-known caravan brand like Regent from receivership has its challenges.

First you have to win back the confidence of the 10,000 or so caravanners out there who have already owned or sampled the brand over more than a quarter century, creating a recognisable Regent ‘point of difference’.

Then you have to please a discerning new generation of ‘vanners, who may not have grown up with summer holidays by the seaside, who are looking for value for money in an increasingly competitive market.

Finally you have to make a buck building them, which is why Regent went belly-up in April 2012 anyway.

Caravans Australia, which bought the company last year and recently re-launched the brand with a preliminary three-model range, seems to have ticked off all those boxes.

NEW OWNERS, SIMILAR STORY

The 20ft 6in Cruiser sampled here is instantly recognisable as a ‘Regent’ to those that previous knew the brand before the bean counters were called in.

The combination of conservative exterior styling, with traditional aluminium cladding, together with a glamorous interior and special Regent touches like robust piano hinges for the cupboards instead of the usual (and flimsier) dual hinges, are the things past fans of the brand like to see.

But it’s all the bells and whistles, from the rear ensuite with separate toilet and shower cubicles, top-loading washing machine in between, Ibis rooftop reverse-cycle air conditioning, microwave and separate oven, iPod/iPhone compatible sound system, 20-inch flat-screen LCD TV with signal-seeking antenna and an all-in-one power management system with a digital display that should win over new buyers to Regent.

That leaves the issue of building them without going bust.

Caravans Australia’s solution has been to use its considerable resources as the owner of Austrail RV, Legacy Caravans and as the Australian distributor of British Bailey caravans, to streamline operations.

First came the renovation of the old Regent factory in Campbellfield, Victoria, with 11.8 tonnes of rubbish taken to the tip. Then came new equipment and a combination of Regent and Legacy production on the same line, both built on galvanised Austrail RV chassis, but with significant differences in construction and fit-out.

Legacy caravans are for budget-conscious buyers and hence have CNC computer-cut ‘flat-pack’ interior furniture, which is quicker and hence cheaper to install, but allows relatively few variations or personalisation.

Regents are all about traditional values and hence are hand-built employing ‘stick’ furniture, so if you have a specific layout in mind, changes within limits may be possible.

SASSY CHASSIS

Beneath both, the Austrail RV chassis is a work of art compared with those you see on most caravans these days. 

The finish is first class, with rounded, welded ends to the A-frame and thoughtful touches, such as a guiding tube for the hand-brake cable to reduce wear, built-in hooks to hang the safety chains when not in use and even caps for the hitch/hand-brake locating bolts to stop them scratching your hands or the thread getting damaged. 

Standard rail size is 100mm X 50mm, with a 50mm rise, plus a 150mm A-frame that follows through to the spring hangers, but if you order the ‘RT’ (Rough Terrain) option, you’ll get larger 150mm x 75mm main rails.

The standard tandem suspension is leaf spring ‘Rock & Roller’, but you can also order Cruisemaster or Simplicity independent suspension, which has the added advantage of increasing the van’s load carrying capacity.

Our test 20ft 6in Cruiser had a 2320kg tare weight, meaning it could easily be towed by a Toyota Prado or any duel cab diesel ute, but its ATM of 2626kg meant that its legal load was only 306kg.

Top up the two 95-litre plastic water tanks and you’ve used up nearly two thirds of that. If that’s an issue you’ll need to stump up more money for the RT pack and/or one of the independent suspension options, to increase the caravan’s ATM to 2900kg and hence its load carrying capacity to 600kg.

SMART CASUAL DRESS

Our Regent Cruiser looked conventional, but smart, with its bright white aluminium cladding, black checker plate extending half way up the van’s front and smooth black fibreglass on its lower flanks.

The curved front window shield looks a little strange at first, but it’s shaped this way to cover the double-glazed window.

A large tunnel boot takes care of items too long to fit into the unencumbered front boot and there’s a thoughtful port in the boot’s centre, accessible from under the lift-up queen-size bed, to access all those small items that always seem to migrate to the middle.

A large standard awning and drop-down picnic table, external 240V, 12V and TV plugs, a good-sized rear-entry door with a combined heavy-duty fly mesh screen and a rear bumper-mounted spare wheel complete the Cruiser’s external features.

WOODEN IT BE NICE

‘Beautiful’ and ‘classy’ are two ways to describe the interior of the Cruiser and our van with its timber-look furniture (white is an option) certainly creates a great first impression.

One unexpected luxury touch that ‘lifts’ the Cruiser’s interior, are the indented kick boards under the cupboards, so you can get closer to the benches.

Also adding a touch of class are the recessed LED pelmet lights in the ceiling and the upper cupboards, the good-looking drawer and cabinet catches, and the fitting of more durable piano cupboard hinges, as is Regent tradition.

Then there are the thoughtful touches, like curved edges on the bench-tops, and the partitioned storage area under the lift-up bed that also serves to strengthen the base.

The layout is traditional and very functional. The rear entry, full-ensuite includes a separate toilet and shower and a standard top-loading washing machine in the cabinet separating them, next to the hand wash basin.

The galley to the left, sits opposite the café-style dinette with its bonded leather ‘mock-crock’ upholstery pattern, and there’s a the queen-size bedroom up front.

GOOD-SIZED KITCHEN

The galley is very useable, with good bench space, a microwave placed at eye-level (rather than dangerously higher), a four burner cook top with both grill and standard oven below, and a large 190-litre Dometic fridge/freezer located at perfect access height, half-way between floor and ceiling.

My only issues with the galley is that the matt-finish splashback looks as though it would require more maintenance than a modern glass-style unit, while I would also have liked the kitchen window to be larger, although the layout does not allow this.

Although the Cruiser has been designed to accommodate past Regent owners, it’s right up to the minute in many of its features, including its clever Jack electric TV antenna, that doesn’t require raising and shows you where the strongest signal is when you rotate the ceiling dial.

There’s also a master LED panel that shows you the time, temperature, battery charge rate, battery usage and the levels of the water tanks as part of the Regent’s unseen, new electrical ‘plug and play’ management system.

VERDICT

Judging by initial impressions, Regent is back, better than ever.

There's no doubt the Cruiser is a well appointed, traditionally-styled and built caravan that keeps the faith with previous Regent owners.

Priced at $60,000 in this configuration, it also opens up the brand to new caravanners because of its quality construction, thoughtful features and solid value.

REGENT CRUISER 20ft 6in

Overall length: 8.5m (28ft 9in)
External body length: 7.0m (23ft)
External body width: 2.35m (7ft 8in)
Interior body length: 6.3m (20ft 6in)
Travel height: 2.9m (9ft 6in)
Interior height: 1.97m (6ft 6in)
Nameplate Tare: 2320kg
Nameplate ATM: 2626kg (2900kg with off-road pack)
Ball weight: 100kg-360kg (maximum permissible)
Frame: Meranti timber
Cladding: Aluminium
Chassis: 100mm x 50mm Austrail galvanized with 50mm riser
Suspension: Tandem leaf spring and beam axle
Brake: Al-Ko 10in electric
Wheels: 15in alloys with 235/75-15 light truck tyres
Price: from $59,990
Supplied by: Regent Caravans, Campbellfield, Victoria