Urban Tungsten Armorlite 2021 Review

Until recently, it looked like a handful of local caravan manufacturers had the lucrative pop top hybrid market to themselves.

But now, if you’re in the market for something really tough and compact to go where no regular off-roader should, add the $73,990 Melbourne-made 16ft Urban Tungsten Armorlite to your checklist.

It’s not just the newcomer’s tough 250mm trussed Supagal chassis, fully TIG-welded alloy frame, heavily checker-plate protected honeycomb one-piece floor and over-kill 4.2 tonne-rated trailing arm independent coil spring and twin shock per wheel suspension that should get your attention.

It’s also the manufacturer’s Australia-wide and industry-leading five year factory-backed structural and chassis warranty that’s its ace card. And that’s with no limits on where you take it and how you treat it, compared with the limited off-road warranties offered by many ‘Outback’ or off-road vans.

And with dealers all around Australia, it’s a maker’s confidence that means something if you're planning serious off the grid travel.

True, it’s not as beautifully presented or finished as (say) an Australian Off Road hybrid like a Quantum, nor as stylish as a Track T4, or as impressively feature-packed as a Sunseeker Vision (which has a lithium battery, air suspension and disc brakes as standard), but then the Armorlite costs less and will do much the same job in the rough stuff.

Equipped for the rough stuff

Not that the Urban Tungsten Armorlite is missing much ‘spec’.

Included as standard kit are an A-frame stone guard and Cruisemaster DO-35 off-road coupling, along with trailing arm independent coil spring and twin shocks per wheel suspension.

Off-grid power comes from twin chassis-box mounted 120AH AGM batteries, fed by two 170W rooftop solar panels, while a reverse cycle air conditioner and twin Sirocco 12v fans are also standard.

Specific remote area survival equipment includes two 95-litre fresh water tanks, with another 60 litre tank dedicated to drinking water, plus a 95 litre grey water tank – all checkerplate shielded.

Other kit includes an A-frame-mounted toolbox with gas bottle storage and a 60-litre 12v fridge and a BBQ – both on slides – front, side, rear worklights, a rear view camera and a sturdy three-arm rear bumper holding a single spare wheel.

Tungsten has its own optional dust-suppression system that pressurises the interior by drawing air from the rear of the hybrid, but a front-mounted scupper vent is standard.

Relatively easy to tow

The surprising thing about the Tungsten Urban Armorlite is that despite its macho spec, it's relatively light for a 16ft pop-top at a Tare weight of 1931kg. With its ATM of 2700kg, this results in a payload of nearly 770kg.

This is even more impressive, considering its smooth aluminium Alucabond exterior cladding, which with its aluminium framing is heavier than a full composite wall or aluminium cladding over timber and is available in a range of more than 20 vibrant colours.

It certainly feels light and easy to tow, with its huge ground clearance guaranteeing it right of passage to just about anywhere. All this suggests that its makers have done their homework, while the narrow large 4WD body width makes it easy to navigate narrow bush tracks.

Setting up

Setting up is relatively easy despite the Armorlite’s high-riding stance. This is made easier by the infill step that fits snugly in the cavity between the floor and in rear doorway’s inbuilt lower-step. On top of that, two aluminium steps fold down, but it’s still a fair step up to the lowest one.

Unclipping the four over-centre external latches on the Armorlite’s tall walls to release the pop-top require a tad more than my 173cm frame, and I suggest those of similar Medieval dimension carry a small folding step for this purpose.

Then you switch on the power, via the wall-mounted touch-screen immediately to the left of the doorway; ensure the standard awning lock is set to ‘unwind’; open the lid of the drop-down body locker to the door’s right, rotate the compressor valve that directs air to the Armorlite’s four corner-mounted pop-top airbag lifters and then turn on the air pump switch.

The entire roof now rises about 30cm to its full height and you can clip the front lifter into the upright position to ensure it holds its erection through the night. To lower the roof, reverse the procedure.

While it’s a novel and refreshingly low-tech concept, I’d much prefer the electro-hydraulic version used by some other hybrid makers that requires nothing more than the flick of a switch.

Sensible interior layout

Inside, the Armorlite is sensibly laid out, with a north-south queen bed up front and a combined shower/toilet and wash basin the in the right rear corner.

There’s comfortable seating for two on each of two wall-mounted settees on either side of a rectangular dining table that swings out of the way on its articulated arm to allow easier bed access, with twin swivelling Sirocco 12v fans nearby for some breezes.

To the right of the bathroom, the rear wall is filled by a large 195-litre upright compressor fridge and a very narrow kitchen, filled by a slim stainless steel sink and a two hob induction cooktop. You’ll never cook up a storm here, but it’s fine for a morning ‘cuppa’ and a couple of boiled eggs.

Outdoor living

However, you don’t really need to worry, as the Armorlite is primarily set-up for outdoor living.

Both its 60-litre 12v cabinet top-loading fridge and neighbouring Thetford four-burner gas cooktop and grill with its adjacent stainless steel sink and draining board, slide out from lockers on the left hand side.

Unfortunately the Armorlite’s pull-out awning doesn’t quite cover the fridge slide, but Urban in conjunction with Queensland dealer Hinterland Caravans is working on a sail solution for this.

Other than this, the Armorlite is a well thought out hybrid that can be towed legally by even medium-sized 4WDs, which will most likely determine the limits of where it can travel off the road than the hybrid itself.

Summing up

The Urban Tungsten Armorlite is a tough, well-equipped hybrid pop-pop that, thanks to its size, weight and ground clearance will go most places its owner dares to tow it.

A five-year all-roads warranty should give owners the confidence to explore remote places.

How much does the Urban Tungsten Armorlite cost?

Price: $73,990
Travel length: 7200mm
Body width: 2100mm
Travel height: 2640mm
Tare weight: 1931kg
ATM: 2700kg
Ball weight: 183kg
Body: Alucabond aluminium cladding over a TIG-welded aluminium frame with a one-piece honeycomb floor and fibreglass roof
Chassis: 250mm trussed Supagal steel
Suspension: Independent tandem trailing arm with coil springs and twin telescopic shocks per wheel
Brakes: 12-inch electric drums
Wheels: Black 16-inch alloy wheels with 265/75-16 M/T tyres
Water: Two 95-litre fresh water; 60L drinking water, 95L grey water Battery: 2 x 120Ah AGM
Solar: 2 x 170W rooftop glass panels
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Hot water: Gas
Cooking: Two burner interior induction and four external gas hobs
Fridge:  190 litre NovaKool compressor fridge/freezer
Shower: Combined internal shower/toilet
Lighting: LED throughout
Supplied by: Hinterland Caravans, Burleigh Heads, Queensland
More info: Urban Caravans