Windsor Caravans Genesis GC 358s

The little things

Windsor Caravans is an established name in the RV business, having been around for about 35 years. The manufacturer has an extensive range of vans, everything from its entry level Genesis to the top-line Royale range. Fitting in between are the Rapid pop-tops with expanding ends and the Sunwagon camper trailers.

Qld dealer Ipswich Central Windsor doesn't have such a long a pedigree, at least in the caravan business, but it can rightly claim to be Windsor's largest volume dealer for 2007. This is due, in part, to the subject of this review - the Genesis caravan - being a real mover available in a multitude of lengths and layout designs.

USE OF SPACE
Interior layout choices are very much based on the give-and-take principle - unless a caravan of considerable length is involved (which is a compromise in itself). Take this compact Genesis GC 538s. It features a front bedroom, mid nearside dinette, rear offside corner bathroom and a kitchen split across the rear and along the offside. Some cooks don't like split benches while others do. Why? Well, the split-bench arrangement gives more kitchen storage space and benchtop area than a single kitchen bench setup. Of course, this results in a relatively small corner bathroom but that's okay for travellers that use theirs less frequently than others.

In this van, the rear section of the kitchen bench comes with a four-burner Spinflo cooktop and grill, with a stainless steel sink alongside. Having them side by side is convenient for most cooking operations but it's a tight squeeze if two are washing and drying up at the same time.

The internal decor is very much the timber look, including the cabinetry and walls. With a double cupboard, two wire basket drawers and three overhead lockers, storage space is adequate. On the other side of the bathroom, on the mid offside, is the rest of the kitchen bench, where you'll find a 150L three-way fridge (mounted off the floor, meaning there's less bending over involved).

A microwave is situated in a niche next to the overhead lockers, only set lower for easier access.

There is more storage as well - a cutlery drawer, cupboards, the aforementioned overhead lockers and a small, wire, tray-style slide-out pantry that makes good use of a small space.

Dinettes come in several styles. There's the cafe two-seater or the L-shaped ones, such as this van's. The main advantage of L-shaped seats is they take up less walkway area.

When it comes to onboard bathrooms, I'm happy to have a smaller one such as you'll find on the Genesis GC 538s. It contains all the essentials - a Thetford cassette toilet, fixed-height flexible hose shower and a small corner wash basin. A fan hatch supplies the ventilation.

The preferred bed for most couples these days seems to be an island double, either facing north-south or across the van (east-west). This Genesis has a north-south bed with the bedhead set around the van's front window.

Wardrobes, small drawers and overhead lockers are built into the bedhead. There is a very small shelf on each side of the bed. These are supplemented by shelves above and below the front window. The reading lights, the same style as those at the dinette, are set into the overhead lockers, and it's a bit of a stretch to turn them off when lying in bed.

STYLE ON THE OUTSIDE
The Genesis is built conventionally, with a DuraGal box section chassis, timber frame and aluminium cladding all round. Windows are tinted hopper items, except for the slider behind the Camec security door.

The front end is standard, too, and has a galvanised sheet-lined boot, two 9kg gas cylinders on the drawbar and a mains pressure tap. We note with interest the quick-drop corner stabilisers underneath the van. These are much easier than the wind-all-the-way variety.

Fitted between the chassis rails are two water tanks (with a combined capacity of 140L), and behind the van is the 2in x 2in (50x50mm) bar that supports the spare wheel.

In the technical department, the 12V system comes with a 12V battery in the boot, a Winegard antenna and connections, and a roof-mounted Aircommand air-conditioner.

The powerpoints at the bedhead are hidden in the side wardrobes - a plastic grommet in the cupboard enables the electrical cord to pass through. Water is heated in a 23L Suburban gas-fired heater.

On the road, the ATM of 1855kg makes the Genesis ideal for a substantial number of tow vehicles, including several sedans.

That's certainly a plus for many potential caravanners who may already have a Commodore or Falcon in the driveway.

THE BOTTOM LINE
One of the advantages a large manufacturer has is the wide range of layouts it can offer standard, reducing the associated costs of custom building.

We note with interest that the Windsor brochures have a great deal of detail on them, making the job of comparison much easier for customers.

We've seen the style of layout that the Genesis GC 538s has adopted before, so it is obviously popular with couples doing their pre-retirement or retirement travels.

Windsor has also added a few touches to this entry level van, such as the innerspring mattress, bedhead shelves, standard 12V battery and AM/FM radio, which are bound to make a difference with those looking forward to some well-deserved recreation.

I WOULD HAVE LIKED:

Ipswich Central Windsor
21 Limestone Street
Ipswich, Qld 4305
Phone (07) 3454 4112
www.ipswichcaravans.com.au

For more information, including your nearest dealer, visit www.windsorcaravans.com.au