Snowy River SRT-20 2023 Review

It’s taken less than eight years for the Snowy River brand to go from a start-up to one of Australia’s biggest RV brands, with current annual sales in excess of 2000 caravans across Australia and New Zealand.

Snowy River Caravans hit the ground running in 2015 with an impressive range of imported touring models, that not only looked good and were priced competitively but also raised the bar in terms of quality and design for Chinese-made caravans.

Now to coincide with a bold move to fixed towaway pricing, Snowy River has added a range of tougher-looking Multi-Terrain models to its popular 12-variant SRC Touring caravan line-up, in an attempt to steal more sales from the increasing number of Australian manufacturers focusing on off-road as well as off-grid caravan models.

Not surprisingly, the new four-variant SRT Multi Terrain caravan range has a lot in common with many of its Melbourne-built rivals, albeit under-cutting many of them with prices starting at $83,990 for the cheapest 19ft SRT-19 couple’s ensuite van, up to $89,990 for the range-topping 22ft SRT-22F family bunk model.

Here we’re reviewing the 20ft SRT-20 couple’s van, which comes with an impressive list of standard features for its $85,490 tow-away pricing.

Like the other Snowy River models, the new SRT Multi Terrain vans arrive in Australia from China in shipping containers about 70 per cent complete, before final fit-out takes place at Snowy River’s Somerton (Melbourne) headquarters, where the latest Regent as well as NewGen caravans are also finished off before heading out to dealers.

It’s an impressive facility, with two large assembly plants that Snowy River Caravans Marketing Manager Yathin Balgobind said are gearing up to roll out as many as 3000 units in 2023, bolstered by new pop-top and hybrid models joining the range shortly.

Apart from their value-for-money proposition, one of the main selling points of all Snowy River vans is their full composite construction, which delivers not only a sleek finish but superior insulation compared to many of their timber-framed Aussie-built rivals.

This includes 32mm-thick, fibreglass-reinforced composite panels on an aluminium frame with XPS insulation foam for the walls, which are bonded and fixed to a single-piece 42mm composite floor and 32mm composite roof to form a stable monocoque body.

The beefy, high-riding 6in galvanised steel chassis features a gusseted chassis A-frame incorporating a drop nose to bring its coupling down to within normal ball or pin height range, and there’s a black protective coating to go with side checker plate, a mesh stone shield, mud flaps, underfloor brush and other underbody protection to help limit off-road damage.

To further cope with the lumps and bumps, there’s a Cruisemaster DO-35 coupling and 16in alloys with chunky mud-terrain tyres, along with a removable jockey wheel up front and two rear recovery points. Standard suspension is an independent trailing arm coil set-up with twin shocks per wheel, with Tuffride off-road suspension available as an option.

Also up back is a spare tyre mounted on a four-arm rear bar, along with a high-mounted wireless reversing camera and an LED barlight (there’s another one at the front) and two recovery points.

It’s worth mentioning that the new Multi Terrain models also benefit from build quality improvements made to the latest MY2023 SRC models, in response to warranty issues and customer feedback, which include new aluminium instead of plastic framing around the windows, entry door and drop-down picnic table.

The Snowy River SRT-20 also comes equipped for some ‘unplugged’ time away from caravan parks, with 190L fresh and 100L grey water storage and a 200Ah lithium battery system with 540W rooftop solar power and a Projecta PM300 monitor.

As far as external storage goes, there’s an A-frame-mounted toolbox with slide-outs for the twin 9kg gas bottles and an optional fridge, BBQ or generator, along with twin jerry can holders and a large LED-lit tunnel boot for storing the camp chairs, hoses, cords, etc.

Other external features include a roll-out awning and a picnic table with nearby TV connection points, plus an outside hot-cold shower hatch located on the offside wall.

The rear entry door with internal pull-down blind is accompanied by twin pull-out entry steps and both outside and inside grab handles – essential items for getting in and out of a high-riding van that measures 3.11m tall, so you’ll need to keep an eye out for low-hanging branches when backing into bushy campsites.

There are no surprises inside the SRT-20, with a familiar and relatively spacious couple’s layout including the all-important walkaround front queen bed and full-width rear ensuite, together with most of the features you expect in a modern mid-range Aussie van.

While we can’t attest to the sturdiness of the furniture over corrugated roads, the overall fit and finish passed our ‘open and shut’ test, highlighted by the piano hinges and double positive catches on a couple of cupboard doors to help prevent any off-road ‘spills’.

We also liked the fresh contemporary decor in the review van, including the latest pale timber bench and table tops and contrasting black tapware, handles and upholstery, although there are other colours and finishes available if you prefer a different look.

There’s no window above the island bed with its innerspring pillowtop mattress (just some padding) but the two bedside windows are huge, and together with other double glazed windows and two large roof hatch/skylights, allow some nice breezes and natural light to filter through when desired.

We’d have to say that internal storage options are above-average for a van of this size, with plenty of cupboard and other enclosed spaces throughout the van to help make the most of the also above-average 743kg payload.

There are all the usual side robes and overhead lockers around the bed, as well as an extra-large under-bed space, and a couple of small corner cupboards near the base. Other storage standouts include a large kitchen pantry with twin slide-outs next to the fridge, and a full-height wall cupboard near the entry door.

Lighting is largely taken care of by a mix of rooftop LEDs and some nice dimmable cabinet strip lighting, with 240V sockets in all the required areas along with some wireless phone chargers and reading lights near the bed.

There are no 12V fans fitted but the roof-mounted air conditioner will keep the interior at a pleasant temperature when running off mains power at a caravan park.

Speaking of weights, the SRT-20 is a lot heavier unloaded than the similar-size Snowy River SRC-20 Touring model (2757kg Tare versus 2225kg). That’s the price you pay for all the extra off-road and off-grid gear on the Multi Terrain version; not to mention a $14,000 price differential!

Another desirable feature for an off-road van and one you don’t always see included as standard at this price point is a Dometic DRS – an unpowered, roof-mounted filter that reduces the amount of dust entering the van on unsealed roads and usually costs around $650 on the aftermarket, not including fitting.

The offside kitchen in the SRT-20 is a decent size and includes an opening window and a rangehood to remove the cooking smells, a large black square sink with both mixer and filtered water taps, a four-burner cooktop and grille, a 20L microwave, a 175L compressor fridge and freezer, as well as a few cupboards and drawers and some dedicated space on the postform benchtop for food prep.

The lounge-dinette comfortably seats two on its leather upholstery, with the tri-fold table allowing for some more lounging room when reading a book or watching the 24in TV mounted on the left side of the kitchen. You can opt for an L-shape rather than cafe-style dinette if you prefer.

The rear ensuite is a busy little area, with just about everything you’d expect including a solid sliding privacy door and an opening side window and 12V fan hatch above the ceramic cassette toilet, along with a toilet roll holder and towel rails, a vanity with black sink, tap and mirror, and a few storage options and powerpoints.

You won’t be able to sit on the toilet when using the benchtop that slides out to access the 3.5kg top-load washing machine, but that shouldn’t pose a problem.

Like the kitchen and vanity, the large shower cubicle also gets the latest matte black tapware, along with a shelf for your shampoo and soap, a 12V fan hatch and a smoky glass door.

The all-new Snowy River Multi-Terrain caravan range doesn’t break new ground in the semi-off-road caravan market, but it ticks most of the boxes for buyers and will appeal to the growing number of caravanners who want to go further and spend longer off the beaten track.

While there are a few noteworthy items either not available or optional extras on the SRT-20 couple’s van, like 12V fans, an inverter, electronic stability control and perhaps a purpose-built off-road jockey wheel, its otherwise impressive standard equipment list, very attractive pricing and desirable full composite construction, should make it another winner for the fast-growing Snowy River brand.

Price: $85,490 tow-away
Travel length: 8520mm
Travel width: 2390mm
Body length: 6060mm
Travel height: 3110mm
Tare: 2757kg
ATM: 3500kg
Payload: 743kg
Ball weight (Tare): 175kg
Body: Fibreglass composite walls, roof and floor
Chassis: Duragal 150mm x 50mm with gusseted drop nose drawbar
Suspension: Trailing arm coil independent suspension with twin shocks per wheel
Brakes: 12-inch electric drums
Wheels: 16x8in alloy with 245/75-16 mud terrain tyres
Water: 2 x 95L fresh and 1 x 100L grey water tanks
Hot water: Fogatti Instant
Battery: 2 x 100Ah lithium
Solar: 3 x 180W roof-mounted flexible panels
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Cooking: Four burner (3 gas + I electric) Dometic cooktop, plus grill
Microwave: Captivating 20L
Fridge/freezer: 175L Thetford T2175C compressor
TV: Captivating Smart 24in and Dometic antenna
Audio: Captivating head unit with internal/external speakers
Air-conditioner: Telair Ice S2800 roof mounted
Bathroom: Separate shower, toilet and vanity rear bathroom
Washing machine: 3.5kg top-load
Lighting: LED throughout
Supplied by: Snowy River Caravans, Somerton, Victoria