Urban X-Terrain 2024 Review

If you rarely leave the blacktop, or prefer coastal cruising, the Urban range of caravans probably isn’t on your radar. Hardcore vanners, however, will be well acquainted with the Melbourne-based brand, known for producing some of the most capable off-road caravans on the market.

We visited Hinterland Caravans at the sunny Gold Coast, a dealer with close ties to the Urban brand and a long history selling its high-end products, to take a closer look at its most popular off-road model - the 20ft X-Terrain Club.

The X-Terrain is the brand’s mid-range option, slotting in between the Tourer and hardcore X-Treme models, and striking a happy medium between luxury and serious off-road ability.

A private site at nearby Tallebudgera Valley, via a rather precarious trail that offered the Urban a chance to flex its muscles and even drop a tyre off the tight track, provided a picturesque setting to see whether the latest iteration of the X-Terrain lives up to the hype.

The Urban range doesn’t come cheap, but many buyers won’t need to further customise their caravan because they’re very well equipped right out of the box. The 20ft Urban X-Terrain Club starts at $128,990 before any extras are ticked.

Our tester came in at $141,590 due to the addition of the optional X-Treme toolbox, Victron X-grid power management package, black pack, double stacker windows (around the bed) and higher checker plate around the exterior (900mm).

For the money the Urban X-Terrain comes equipped with serious off-road gear like the new 4.5-tonne Terraglide coil suspension set-up, 17-inch wheels shod with Mudzilla all-terrain tyres, a recessed Cruisemaster DO-35 hitch, and Urban’s high-end 12-volt dust suppression system.

The Urban X-Terrain also comes standard with checker plate underbody protection, a stone guard up front, reverse camera, LED lights around the van, external shower, drinking and grey water tanks, 880 watts of solar, an entertainment hatch and top quality Dometic appliances throughout.

As of July, all new builds also feature a new 2mm-thick X-Treme polyurea chassis coating, two 200AH lithium batteries, and Victron’s cloud-based management system.

The batteries are actually Baintech units, out of Brisbane, which come with a five-year warranty and an expected life of around 10 years. The Victron unit is also top of-the-line, with all the features you could want like 120 amp AC charging, a 3000 watt inverter, two 30 amp DC-DC chargers, a 50 amp MPPT solar regulator and another 15 amp MPPT for portable solar panels.

A huge range of colours and graphics are available too, with the olive green proving popular but around 20 others to choose from. The sticker colours can also be changed, allowing buyers to make their Urban caravan their own.

It should come as no surprise that the Urban caravans are built tough, but the manufacturer takes it one step further opting to TIG weld the aluminium box-section frame. There isn’t a rivet in sight and it's even neater than MIG-welded options.

The one-piece fibreglass roof with built-in insulation features a plastic walkable surface, allowing owners to walk up top if needed. This makes the Urban X-Terrain immensely weather proof, even in the event of bad storms.

Outside the van, checker plate features heavily and is 900mm high on the sides. The underbody is also shielded, with checker plate keeping components protected and clean, and tucked high with the truss chassis eliminating wheel arches and allowing a flat floor. The truss chassis also allows Urban to fit deeper water tanks that don’t hang lower than the chassis itself.

Inside, you'll find fibreglass and marine-grade interlocking furniture that's screwed, not stapled, and with no chipboard in sight.

The review van was fitted with the new Melbourne-designed and built TerraGlide suspension, which is a semi-trailing arm coil-spring setup that features tubular arms and improved geometry, plus it’s the first of its kind with proper sway bars. The upside is a safer, better handling caravan that’s also more capable off-road. We’re told a lot of customers option airbags with the TerraGlide setup, too, allowing ride-height adjustability and even greater comfort.

All X-Terrains come standard with a DO-35 hitch, but buyers can go up to a DO-45 if required, and they’ve all got longer draw bars with a mounting point for bike racks.

There's a massive toolbox up front - our tester had the larger unit - that comes with a double slider and gas storage in the middle. A stone guard and Urban mud flaps are also standard fare.

Wakeboard boat-style speakers feature outside too, accompanying the Fusion system inside, which provides more sound than most campsites will permit. Although, if you’re far enough away from civilisation, they’d be great for a party.

There are two 110L water tanks tucked up under the caravan, with a 65L drinking water tank and 95L grey water tank as standard.

How far do you want to go? The Urban X-Terrain will go just about anywhere, limited only by its length, weight, clearance and maneuverability. Of course, the tow vehicle will also play a part, given the hefty 2896kg Tare weight of this van. Suffice to say serious Outback tracks like the infamous Oodnadatta Track are well within reach...

The new TerraGlide suspension seriously elevates the X-Terrain caravan, arguably nudging it closer to extreme (and very expensive) bespoke builds like those from Brisbane based BruderX.

While the pricier Urban X-Treme offers even more impressive off-road ability, it's probably overkill for all but the most adventurous off-road explorers.

For what it's worth, Urban’s team gave the Tough Tested Australia guys one of the X-Terrains for hardcore testing shown in a video on their Youtube channel. The footage shows the X-Terrain, pulled by a Chevrelot Silverado, absolutely barrelling up tough climbs and across sandy whoops. The video was, not surprisingly, playing on loop outside the Hinterland Caravan office when we dropped by.

The 20ft X-Terrain is roomy inside, but it’s the quality of the fit-out that first grabbed our attention.

The couple's layout features a queen-size bed, separate shower and toilet, and a spacious dining and kitchen area featuring almost every appliance you could want. Of course, there are infinite interior layout options, from family-friendly variants to various trim and colour options.

A cooktop with three gas burners and one electric plate, plus mini grille, is accompanied by a 23L flatbed microwave in the kitchen, with plenty of sturdy drawers with positive locking latches. A 224L Dometic compressor fridge sits off to the side, next to the lounge area.

The various overhead compartments are on gas struts, with beefy hinges that are free of any side-to-side play you sometimes see in locally-built caravans. In fact, the panel gaps were also perfect throughout, as we tried our best to spot any imperfections.

The bathroom is reasonably roomy, with its separate Dometic cassette toilet and simple shower cubicle, without taking up too much space within this layout. A 3.3kg top loader washing machine is also tucked away back here. While there are far bigger ensuites out there, including from Urban themselves, this is an ideal compact option for couples.

Interior trim is seriously good, with loads of cushioning and a marine-quality finish to the club lounge-style cafe dinette, along with a storage compartment underneath. The seating has a frame underneath, as opposed to foam stuck to a backboard, so it shouldn’t sag or lose its shape.

A queen bed with a quality innerspring mattress sits against the front wall, with loads of space around it, and a Dometic rooftop air conditioner sits above the bed, to help keep occupants cool during hot Aussie summers.

The Urban dust suppression system is top-tier, offering a genuine pressurised cabin even when stationary - much like you’d find on heavy earthmoving machinery. A marine-grade air pump under the fridge pushes 3000 square inches of air per minute into the van, which will apparently pressure the cabin to around 13psi.

The 20ft Urban X-Terrain might prove a handful squeezing into remote camps, but once you get there you'll have little reason to complain thanks to the quick set-up and luxury appointments.

The amount of storage and well-thought out interior layout makes this caravan feel larger than it is, with no haphazardly placed appliances or design flaws that we could point a finger at. It’s a familiar layout style too, with the bed at one end, ensuite at the other, and dining and kitchen area in the middle.

Ultimately, this layout lends itself to a couple or even a solo camper that doesn't want to compromise too much, with a kitchen and living area that could comfortably accommodate up to four adults if you wish to invite visitors.

The bed is particularly comfortable, with Urban opting for a quality mattress over some of the cheaper options in the market, which adds to the premium experience.

The 20ft Urban X-Terrain Club is not a cheap caravan, but the quality is top shelf and it's clearly built to last. So confident is Urban that it offers a 10-year transferable structural warranty and five-year chassis and suspension warranty. Peace of mind for those who wish to go further, if you will.

Of course, you do pay for quality but the array of Australian-made parts, from the chassis to the battery management system, even the hardy latches used throughout the interior, is mighty impressive.

For serious tourers, the mix of comfort, quality and peace of mind makes the Urban X-Terrain a sensible choice. They look great, too, in our opinion, which always helps!

How much is the 20ft Urban X-Terrain Club couple's off-road caravan?

Price (as tested): $141,590
Travel length: 8450mm
Body length: 6100mm (20ft)
External body width: 2450mm
Travel height: 3220mm
Internal height: 2030mm
Tare weight: 2896kg
ATM: 3500kg
Ball weight (Tare): 238kg
Body: Fibreglass over TIG-welded aluminium frame with one-piece fibreglass roof and floor, and smooth side aluminium exterior cladding
Chassis: 150mm Supagal with 400mm extended A-frame
Suspension: 4.5T Terraglide coil suspension with recessed DO-35 hitch
Brakes: 12in electric drums
Wheels: 17in alloy with Mudzilla 265/70/17 all-terrain tyres
Water: 2 x 110L (fresh), 65L (drinking), 1 x 95L (grey)
Battery: 2 x 200Ah lithium
Solar: 4 x 210 watt rooftop panels
Air-conditioner: Dometic Ibis 4 rooftop
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Hot water: Gas
Cooking: Thetford four-burner cooktop, grille
Fridge: Dometic 224L compressor
Microwave: NCE 23L flatbed
Toilet: Dometic cassette
Shower: Separate cubicle
Lighting: 12V LED
TV: 24in TV
Audio: Fusion with internal/external speakers
Supplied by: Hinterland Caravans, Burleigh Heads, Queensland
More info: Urban Caravans, Epping, Victoria