Roadstar Little Rippa Adventurer

Roadstar Caravans' tough little off-road model broke cover at this year's Queensland Caravan Show, and our review van is only the second example to roll off the Melbourne manufacturer's busy production line.

The second full off-road model from Roadstar, after the bigger Safari Tamer, it's also perhaps the finest example so far of the countless improvements Hitec Engineering has made since the chassis specialist took over the business about five years ago.

The ‘Adventurer’ is essentially a beefed-up version of the Little Rippa model, which in itself is reasonably handy off the beaten track with extra ground clearance and forgiving Simplicity suspension.

However, the Adventura ‘pack’ takes it up a few notches, with the sturdy Supagal chassis now riding on Cruisemaster’s coil independent suspension rated to 2.6 tonnes.

Add in even more road clearance, black 16 inch alloys shod in off-road rubber, 12in electric brakes, side-mounted scrub bars plus underbody skid bars, and a charcoal checkerplate skirt all-round, and you have a van ready for the dirt.

The ‘built for battle’ approach extends to the front, with the A-frame boasting a Hitchmaster DO-35 off-road hitch, removable jockey wheel, two 9kg gas bottles, two jerry cans, a shielded water tap, and black checkerplate toolbox, half of which contains a separate compartment with slide-out for a generator.

Protecting most of that is a big, vinyl-wrapped stone guard with two hefty mud flaps that did a good job of containing the grime spat up from the tow vehicle’s tyres when traversing muddy tracks.

Also worth noting are the adjustable, front and rear LED work lights attached to the body – handy for night-time jobs.

Another good external storage option is provided by the gal-lined tunnel boot lit up by two LED strips, while also accessible from the outside is the Dometic roll-out awning, external light, two speakers, fold-down table, and connections for the TV aerial and 12V/240V power.

The Little Rippa Adventura also comes with couple of unique selling points. It’s the first Roadstar to get the full treatment of European-sourced, brushed aluminium Dibond composite panels on all sides.

The 3mm thick Dibond weighs more than traditional aluminium cladding, so Roadstar reserves it mainly for its smaller models. But it does provide a very classy and seemingly durable finish over the Meranti timber frame.

The other point of difference is the hi-tech bonding process. The van is fully sealed with exclusive Novatio MS22 elastic sealant , also from Europe, and chosen for its superior dust and water resistant properties.

Backed by a 10 year warranty, the only downside is it adds around $2000 to the build cost, and causes a headache for repairers if they want to split apart panels after an accident!

Insulation is polystyrene in the walls and domestic-style Sisalation in the roof, which also featured a Truma air-conditioner, large Camec roof hatch, Winegard antenna and 150W solar panels.

Get down on your hands and knees and the underside also presents neat and tidy. Wiring and plumbing is mostly tucked up out of harm’s way, there’s gal protection for the two, 95 litre poly tanks, and ‘bash’ bars on rear chassis members provide further underbody protection when the going gets rough.

It’s featured packed at the rear too, with recessed LED tail-lights, optional reversing camera, and a sturdy rear bumper supporting two spare wheels and jerry cans.

Step up through the colour-matched Camec security door (after leaving your muddy boots on the checkerplate front step) and you discover an equally well presented, quality-built interior.

The industrial, silver/black theme continues inside, softened by dark woodgrain-style flooring, gloss grey cabinets, and white walls for a contemporary and appealing look.

The fresh interior design is enhanced by modern cabinetry made entirely from lightweight ply (25mm for the benchtops and 16mm cabinets), precision-cut with CNC machinery.

Roadstar hasn’t penny-pinched on the fixtures either, with sturdy latches and struts and an impressive sliding action for the soft-close kitchen drawers. If anything, they were too robust, with some muscle required to open one of the bedside drawers and an overhead locker.

Our 17ft 2in long (body) example is one of six layouts available (not including single bed options), and despite the limited space had an airy, uncluttered feel about it.

Up front is a north-south, walk-around Queen bed, with small galley and four-person, leather-lined L-shaped dinette in the centre, and full width rear ensuite with separate shower and toilet up back.

Interestingly, there’s leather lining above the bed in lieu of a front window, but big, tinted Dometic windows throughout the rest of the van make up for that (although we question the placement of cosmetic stickers on the lower edge of the side bedroom windows, blocking some of the view).

For tall types the 1.98m interior height is marginal, but Roadstar will increase it by 15cm for an extra $1500. Likewise, the double bed just accommodated my 190cm frame, even with it fully extended.

There’s the usual under-bed storage, along with more decent-sized storage options under the lounge seats, although the continuous hot water heating unit, 120aH battery and battery charger cut into some of the space.

Not surprisingly, kitchen benchspace is limited, as is overall storage space, with plenty of cutlery drawers and overhead cabinets for smaller items but no place really for bigger pots or frypans.

But it’s all nicely done, with a stainless steel sink with fancy chrome tap and separate filter tap, Swift four-burner cooktop and grille (under which sits the microwave), a rangehood and LED strip light, and Thetford 184 litre three way fridge.

The little Roadstar is also equipped with battery and water monitors, touchscreen audio unit with iPod docking station and two internal speakers, and more than enough 240V sockets, reading and overhead lights. A TV is designed to be placed on a swing arm mounted on a wall facing the bed.

Like the kitchen, space is limited in the rear ensuite, in an attempt to get everything in. But it’s all quite workable for a couple, with a Thetford swivel toilet, ceramic sink and vanity, massive mirror and separate shower cubicle with 12V fan hatch.

The bathroom has plenty of of storage areas, but most feature open shelving, which isn’t ideal when bouncing around on off-road tracks.

There’s little room for a conventional washing machine, but from 2015 Roadstar will be allowed to fit the mini wall-mounted washer currently only available on New Age caravans.

VERDICT

Although we tried, we could find little to fault the Little Rippa Adventura in regards to build quality, finish, design or equipment fitted. 

If anything, our single axle van, which was on its way to the Western Australian dealer, suffered from overload, with its 2600kg ATM pushing it beyond the limits of Australia’s favourite tow vehicle, the Toyota Prado.

As it was, our Prado tow tug struggled with the 2220kg Tare, quickly running out of breath up steeper hills and recording a thirsty 17.5L/100km as a result.

The 380kg payload was also a bit light on for a van designed for extended free camping. Fill up all the tanks and carry a generator and you’re left with around 80kg for the rest of your gear and food.

And fully equipped, as our review van was, you’ll be unlikely to get change from $75,000, which will deter budget buyers. 

But rock solid construction and attention to details doesn’t come cheap, and on first impressions this looks like a van that will go the distance in style as well as comfort.

WE LIKED:
>> Slick Dibond exterior
>> Rock solid construction
>> Fully equipped for off-road travel

NOT SO MUCH:
>> Premium pricing
>> Limited payload
>> Prado unfriendly ATM

ROADSTAR LITTLE RIPPA ADVENTURER

Travel length: 8.1m (24ft 6in)
External body length: 5.15m (17ft 2in)
Interior height: 1.90m (6ft 4in)
External body width: 2.4m (8ft)
Travel height: 2.9m (9ft 8in)
Tare: 2220kg
ATM: 2600kg
Ball weight: 180kg
Body: Meranti timber frame/Dibond aluminium cladding/polystyrene and Sisalation insulation
Chassis: Supagal/150mm A-frame and 50mm hangers
Hitch: DO-35 off-road
Suspension: Cruisemaster independent coil with twin shock absorbers
Brakes: 12-inch electric
Stability Control: Optional
Wheels/tyres: 16x7in alloy/General Grabber AT2 265/75R16
Water: 2 x 95 litre (fresh)
Battery: 1 x 120Ah deep cycle
Air-conditioner: Truma Aventa
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Cooking: Four-burner gas/electric cooktop, plus gas grill
Fridge: Thetford 184-litre three-way
Microwave: Standard 
Toilet: Thetford cassette
Shower: Separate fibreglass cubicle
Lighting: LED
Solar: 150W panel
Hot water: Continuous
Price: $73,000 approx. (depends on options fitted)
Supplied by: Roadstar Caravans, Coolaroo, Victoria