Serenity Sunrunner 2021 Review

While things like weight, build quality, internal amenities and off-grid capabilities are all important considerations for caravan buyers these days, when it comes to signing on the dotted line, price is often the deciding factor.

It’s the reason Jayco builds as many as 50 per cent of all caravans sold in Australia, and cut-price Chinese vans are making serious inroads in the booming adventure RV segment down under.

Enter Serenity Caravans, a new value-for-money range of large, full-height caravans built in Campbellfield, Victoria and distributed by Rosebud, Victoria-based dealer Our Van RV.

While already a dealer for the popular Atlantic caravans, the Victorian retail outlet had room for a budget range that delivered most of the wanted caravan features but at a more enticing entry point.

On display at Our Van RV when we visited recently were three 18ft-22ft bitumen and dirt road-ready Serenity models, suitable for couples or families. All had starting prices below $60,000; under-cutting similar-spec Atlantic vans by a few thousand dollars in some cases.

For this review we looked at a single axle 18ft 8in Serenity Sunrunner couple's touring model, priced from $59,990 but fitted with the optional Trailrunner off-road pack that boosted the asking price to a still competitive $66,990 plus on-road costs.

Dirt-ready package

Like the Atlantic vans, the 18ft 8in Serenity Sunrunner 'Trailrunner' is built with a Meranti timber frame, with a combination of ribbed and smooth aluminum external panels cloaking the insulated body.

ARV supplies the 150mm box section steel chassis and A-frame (enamel painted rather than galvanized to provide some rust protection), along with the Alpha independent trailing arm suspension with coil springs and dual shocks.

With its emphasis on dirt road travel, the Trailrunner upgrades include a Cruisemaster D0-35 coupling, together with 16inch alloys with all-terrain rubber and 12in electric brakes.

There’s plenty of black checker plate protection surrounding all four lower body sides, with the same material used for the large A-frame mounted toolbox and side-mounted jerry cans, and chassis mounted offside box for the 100Ah AGM battery.

The A-frame tap is also protected from stone strike, as are the two 95 litre freshwater tanks located in front of the axle. If you plan to do extended ‘off-grid’ camping, there’s the option to fit a second battery box and rear-mounted grey water tank, and perhaps another solar panel on the roof (it comes standard with a 160W glass panel).

Also befitting a rough road van is the gal-lined tunnel boot with internal light, big enough for bulky 'wet' gear items like camp chairs and a small portable BBQ (a gas bayonet for the two 9kg gas bottles is also standard).

More outside equipment

Also part of the Serenity Sunrunner Trailrunner external equipment list is an Aussie Traveller roll-out awning, LED grab handle and awning light, picnic table, external speakers, and a handy reverse camera, located high on the rear wall above the three arm bumper bar holding the spare tyre.

The Sunrunner also comes with another good-sized, gal-lined external storage locker, located on the rear offside, along with all the sockets needed to watch the supplied 24in TV outside.

Entry is via a pull-down step and a screened security door that features internal night curtains, while the checkerplate-covered entry recess will help keep dirty shoes out of the main living area.

Aside from the sheer size and bulk of the van, one factor limiting how far you should head off the beaten track is some exposed underbody piping and hosing, which could be damaged in more rugged terrain.

Also missing on the review van was a mesh stone guard to protect the front of the van when travelling on loose gravel and dirt roads, particularly at higher speeds.

With both water tanks filled, lifting the van's weight to around 2300kg, the Sunrunner was relatively easy to tow behind a V8 petrol-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee. Even loaded to its 2600kg ATM, the Jeep with its 3500kg tow rating would be a good match for this type of van.

Room to spread out inside

In many ways, the couples layout and neutral colour palette featured inside the 18ft 8in Serenity Sunrunner review van is similar to many Melbourne-built touring caravans. However, the addition of a few upmarket extras like a filtered water tank and full-size oven help lift the Serenity above some similarly-priced rivals.

Step inside and there’s a feeling of space and stretch-out room, partly due to the lighter décor and the use of some large Aussie Traveller Eurovision windows plus a roof hatch above the front bed to let in plenty of natural light. Interior headroom is generous too, although this is a tall van at more than 3.0m high.

The conventional layout includes a queen north-south bed at the front, central dinette/kitchen area and full width rear ensuite, but the decision to use a more relaxing L-shape lounge rather than café dinette, frees up some space around the busy kitchen area. The dining table can be adjusted but shouldn’t need to be with sufficient space on all sides to move around.

The dark grey leatherette upholstery should prove easy to clean, and the same material is used for some wall-mounted magazine pouches and the padded, windowless bedhead.

The kitchen is well-equipped with a stainless sink with drainer, flick mixer and filtered water tap, a 190 litre three way fridge/freezer, four burner gas/electric cooktop, grille, oven, microwave and rangehood.

If you're worried about available benchspace for food preparation, there's a lid over the cooktop to create another chopping board as required, plus a shelf to the right of the benchtop that would take a plug-in coffee machine. The only other issue might be the position of the microwave, located head-high above the fridge.

The Sunrunner also ticks the boxes with a Bluetooth audio unit with external and internal speakers, roof-top air conditioner, and a mounted swivel arm so you can watch TV from the bed or lounge.

There's plenty of ceiling lights plus reading lights around the dinette and bed, and sufficient 240V/12V/USB sockets for keeping all the appliances and mobile devices running.

Storage options galore

There are also plenty of storage options inside, starting around the bed with overhead cupboards and a storage nook, robe and drawers on both sides, plus a big space under the innerspring mattress.

There are additional small cupboards near the corner ends of the bed, which do cut into some access space. One of these cupboards contains the BMPro battery manager and charger, with a touchscreen to monitor water and battery levels near the entry door.

There’s also some easily accessible storage space under the dinette, and decent storage in the kitchen including a slide-out pantry and space for larger pots. There's also a couple of good-sized cupboards and drawers in the ensuite, for storing towels, bedding and toiletries.

While floorspace is at a premium, the ensuite has all the essentials covered including a solid sliding, lockable door with built-in towel rack and toilet roll holder, a swivel cassette toilet, vanity with ceramic bowl sink, mirror and 3.2kg top load washing machine, and a fibreglass shower cubicle with glass door, shower rose and shelves for the shampoo and soap.

Not to mention two 12V fan hatches in the ensuite to help keep the steam and odours to a minimum -- a good thing as there's no bathroom window for additional ventilation.

Summing up

The sub-$70,000 Melbourne-built caravan market is super-competitive and while the new Serenity vans don't break the mould, our review van appeared well designed and solidly built and importantly, came jam-packed for the price.

As Our Van RV sales manager Mark Hawkins put it: “You’re getting huge bang for your buck.”

Being a newish brand, the other good news is if you order one now, delivery time is about three months – that’s a quick turnaround in these COVID-19 times when waiting lists for many new and custom-built vans have stretched out to 12 months.

How much does the 18ft 8in Serenity Sunrunner with Trailrunner Pack cost?

Price: $66,990
Travel length: 8100mm
Body length: 5690mm
Body width: 2450mm
Travel height: 3060mm
Tare: 2100kg
ATM: 2600kg
Ball weight (Tare): 200kg
Body: Meranti timber frame, aluminium stucco and aluminium composite cladding
Chassis:  150mm A-frame and chassis, enamel painted steel
Suspension: Trailing arm independent suspension, with coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers
Brakes: 12in electric drum
Wheels: Alloy with 245/75R-16 AT tyres                                         
Water: 2 x 95L fresh water tanks
Battery: 1 x 100Ah AGM
Solar: Roof-mounted 160W glass panel
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Hot water: 28L Swift gas/electric
Cooking: 3+1 gas/electric cooktop, grille, oven
Fridge/freezer: Dometic 190L three-way
Microwave: Yes
Toilet: Dometic cassette
Shower: Full-height one-piece moulded fibreglass
Lighting: LED
Air-conditioner: Dometic Ibis 4 roof-top
Washing machine: NCE 3.2kg top-load
TV: 24in HD LED with built in DVD player
Audio: NCE Bluetooth with internal/external speakers
Supplied by: Our Van RV, Rosebud, Victoria
More info: Serenity Caravans