Six figure pricetags all the rage

Buyers aren't thinking twice about spending $100,000-plus on the latest off-road van

Big off-road caravans costing $100,000 or much more are now the norm with cashed up retirees, who increasingly prefer to stand out, rather than blend in with the bush.

Viewed as a cheaper and more mobile alternative to a holiday home by many buyers, the popularity of heavyweight bush bashers run counter to the trend lower in the marketplace towards lighter, more energy-efficient caravans.

Rather than deter buyers because of their size and tare weights approaching three tonnes, the big off-roaders are actually fanning the market for large American utes and SUVs capable of hauling trailers weighing up to 4.5 tonnes with comparative ease.

Newcomer Aura Caravans has already hit pay-dirt with its new

Earth off-road series vans, with co-founder Steve Golding saying the company had sold 15 vans priced up to $100,000 or more in its first six months, with sales particularly strong in Western Australia.

“The people who buy our biggest off-roaders want to get away in luxury,” he said. “They are not interested in blending in and most of the Earth off-roaders we have sold to date have been bright red.”

Warranties are now keeping pace with buyers’ wanderlust, with Golding saying Aura’s three-year full off-road cover for its Earth series gave customers the confidence to take their vans further ‘off the grid’.

“We ask them to have their caravan inspected periodically, but otherwise there are few conditions,” he said.

Melbourne’s Van Cruiser has also moved into this lucrative and expanding market with its new ‘flat floor’ Cobra series unveiled at Melbourne’s recent Caravan Supershow.

Positioning the floor level with the top of the wheelboxes has allowed the Cobra’s queen bed to be sited sideways ahead of the ensuite at the rear of the van, while the front is filled by a full six-seater club lounge, with a double-sided kitchen in the centre.

The $114,990, 22ft display van exhibited at the show was filled with a ‘what’s what’ of latest self-sufficiency options including Dometic’s new built-in 2.6kW,

TEC29 generator system, which starts at the push of a button to supplement the van’s 300W of roof-mounted solar panels and 3 x 105Ah AGM batteries in remote areas, while 2 x 95l fresh water tanks, a separate grey water tank, a monster 214l Waeco compressor fridge/freezer and a separate 30l refrigerator drinks drawer were part of its specs, as was Dexter’s compact all-road Torflex suspension.

Van Cruiser’s Tania Costanzo said the company had sold three similar caravans since the show – a 22ft with twin single beds and two 23ft vans – all with tare weights in the 2800kg-2900kg range, putting them within Land Cruiser 200 series towing capabilities.

Meanwhile one of Australia’s oldest nameplates, Roma, has returned to the off-road market after an absence of some years with its new 19ft x 7ft 8in Razorback that debuted at Victorian Supershow.

The composite walled and one-piece fibreglass roof prototype had a tare weight of 2600kg and came equipped with a number of innovative features including twin non-explosive 7.5kg

Sprint Gas composite gas bottles on its 150mm A-frame, 240W of roof-mounted solar panels, two 120Ah AGM batteries, a full Redarc power management system, 190l of fresh water, grey water tanks, Control Rider independent coil spring suspension with twin shock absorbers per wheel and rock sliders for slide protection.

The sticker price of the display van was $98,000. However, lithium batteries and other options for increased self-sustainability would push it well into six figure territory.

Roma’s Mark Palmarini said the company had recommenced building the off-road Razorback to meet demand from customers seeking to get away longer with their caravans without sacrificing comfort features.

“If they want it all, we can give it to them!” he said.

Meanwhile, few custom-built off-road caravans like Bushtracker and the larger Trakmasters leave their respective factories these days without six-figure plus price tags but size is often not necessarily a reflection of cost.

At the Victorian Supershow, Bushtracker displayed a compact 15ft full height van with a base price of $91,500, but with an optioned-up show price including lithium power of $124,690.

Six figure pricetags all the rage

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