Rick Huckstepp•22 Aug 2016

REVIEW

Spinifex Epix

Want to get remote? You’ll do it in comfort with this rugged 20ft van packed with features

Spinifex has been on the Australian scene for just short of a decade now and this writer looked at their first offering when it made its debut. That one was a real eye catcher and this latest model, the Epix, ticks all the old boxes and then some.

Sporting the typical rugged look of Australian-built off-road vans, there’s a heavy emphasis on polished propeller plate all round to ensure the constant hammering from gravel and rocks (mostly up front) is less likely to be noticed.

Also fitted is a big shade cloth deflector, angled so any rocks bouncing off shoot downwards with less chance of ricocheting into the rear window of the tow vehicle, with a pair of truck-sized mud flaps to pick up any escapees from the top guard.

Up front, the McHitch Uniglide rated to six tonnes also fits the bullet-proof theme, attached to an extended 150mm x 75mm drawbar for easier reversing. This bar also has a strengthening rib underneath to reduce flex under stress.

Atop the drawbar is a pair of 9kg gas bottles mounted forward of a large front toolbox, with jerry can holder on each side. The diesel heater fuel reservoir has its own propeller plate protective housing, with lockable cover over the cap as well.

The beefy build continues underneath, with the hot dipped galvanised chassis comprised of dual beam 75mm, 350 grade Australian steel. Get bogged and there are two upswept extensions at the rear, that can be used recovery.

The Cruisemaster XT independent suspension features twin shocks and air bags for a plush, off-road ride.

The three underslung poly tanks have 6mm thick walls, negating the need for protective stone guards. There are two, 200 litre tanks and a 65 litre tank dedicated to filtered drinking water, and each tank is individually pumped with its own level gauge inside the van.

An external tap is fitted to the drawbar and on the offside a hot and cold shower is mounted in a locker. Also underneath is an 80 litre grey water tank that can be bypassed if you’re in an area where letting it run on the ground won’t be an environmental issue.

Still outside, the front panel has two doors that open fully and clip back against the body. One of these was loaded with three 100Ah AGM batteries and associated equipment to keep them topped up.

An offside front hatch opens to a 2kVa Honda generator strapped to a pull out slide, with the corresponding nearside door opening to a three quarter width storage boot.

Just to the rear of that is another door than reveal a slide-out fridge with a drop-down outdoor table in the wall nearby. There’s also an entertainment locker with TV mounted on a pivot arm inside while a large pull-out awning shades the length of the van.

Another storage option can be found at the rear between the twin spare wheels; a tall narrow storage box suitable for carrying outside tables and chairs. Accessible from each end, it extends full width of the van and makes practical use of a space usually wasted on most vans.

The entrance door is serviced by a single, manual pull out step; about the only basic thing about the Epix! The typical vent across the bottom of the door has a press-studded dust cover which would be handy out bush.

Stepping inside, there’s a full internal height, double door pantry with six shelves alongside an upholstered key board and magazine caddy.

The bathroom runs off to the right with the shower cubicle in one corner, and it’s a nice touch that the door angles away to increase turn-around room.

There are plenty of overhead cupboards, finished in black high gloss to contrast nicely with the lighter coloured laminate on the vanity unit surface.

The basin sits on top of the bench and a flush mounted lid to the left hosts a 2.5kg top load washing machine. Thetford’s ceramic bowl toilet is attached to a cartridge featuring the SOG ventilation system.

The Vitrifrigo fridge/freezer has a 230 litre capacity – bigger than many domestic units! -- and sits in a wall unit with a large cupboard below housing the 22.6 litre Suburban gas hot water system along with water pumps and associated plumbing. A drinking water filter is located under the sink.

Having all this gear concentrated in the one spot rather than scattered around various seat and bed compartments is a good idea and makes servicing and maintenance easier to facilitate.

The dining suite is café style with the usual tri-fold table top to free up space when you want to kick back and relax. The drawers located below the leather lounge are accessible via a hatch in the top of the base.

Opposite, the kitchen module houses a Swift cooker with three gas burners and one electric element, together with a griller and fan forced oven, so you won’t be short of cooking options.

The single bowl sink sits midway in the bench top, with four large drawers nestled among the 20 litre microwave oven.

There are more overhead cupboards here and over the dining area; one of these containing the controls for the satellite TV antenna equipment with battery management appliances in another.

Bed wise, the innerspring queen mattress sits on a slatted base armed with gas struts, so nothing unusual there. However, the box below has been cleverly divided up with two large drawers that pull out from the front, with the larger rear void reserved for tall or bulky items.

The bed head sits over the front storage boot, so the path on each side of the bed is stepped accordingly, and a small bedside drawer sits under a short hanging robe on each side.

And when the heat is on the Ibis 3 air conditioner with remote control ‘soft start’ can be kicked into gear using a 2kVa Genset, with the back-up of the onboard inverter if required.

VERDICT

There’s a lot to like about this heavyweight contender. On first impressions it’s a quality, off-road product with all the right gear to get the job done, whether for a week away or full-time living; the latter becoming more popular these days, it seems.

The heavy-duty poly water tanks make for a simple, clean undercarriage and good use of drawbar and rear wall space create extra storage options. We also like the thoughtful plumbing, resulting in mostly clutter free compartments.

At $150K, it’s right at the pointy end of the market but suffice to say you get plenty of bang for your well-earned bucks…

SPINIFEX EPIX

Overall length: 9.5m

Internal body length: 6.09m

External body width: 2.49m

Internal height: 1.98m

Travel height: 3.1m

Tare: 2880kg

ATM: 3500kg

Ball weight (Tare): 160kg

Body/frame: Fully interlocking aluminium wall frames and roof/fibreglass panels/poly board wall insulation

Chassis: 75mm dual beam hot dip galvanised

Wheels: 275/65R17 with AT tyres

Brakes: 12in electric

Stability control: No

Cooking: Swift three gas/one electric cooker, grille, fan forced oven

Microwave: Panasonic 20L

Fridge/freezer: Vitrifrigo 230L plus 32L Engel

Toilet: Thetford ceramic bowl with SOG cartridge

Shower: Internal and external

Air-con: Air Command Ibis 3

Central heating: Dometic diesel

Gas: 2 x 9kg bottles

Lighting: LED 12V

Batteries: 3 x 120A AGM

Solar: 4 x 150W panels

Washing machine: 2.5kg top load

TV: 23.6in LED TV/DVD

Price: $149,000

Supplied by:

Spinifex Caravans, Deception Bay, Qld

Spinifex Epix

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