Windsor Genesis 2020 Review

What’s in a name? In the case of Windsor Caravans, quite a lot.

It’s a once-proud Victorian brand dating back to the mid-1970s that our parents knew and trusted. In its hey-day Windsor epitomised the best in mid-priced touring caravans - the sort of van you'd be proud to take on holiday, behind the new Holden, Falcon or Valiant that probably towed it.

But Queensland’s Apollo Tourism and Leisure, which is now building Windsor caravans at its 20,000sqm manufacturing facility in Brisbane, expects the new six-model Genesis range to be a top seller on its features and value, rather than reputation.

Back from the wilderness

Under previous owners, West Australia’s Fleetwood Group, it’s probably fair to say that the brand was bit neglected, with the Windsor name scattered across a range of RV products from camper trailers to hybrids, effectively vacating the brand’s previous core caravan market.

Prominence at Fleetwood instead was given to its home-town Coromal brand. But while Apollo now builds both brands in Brisbane since its purchase of Fleetwood’s RV business in early 2018, that pecking order has changed with the launch of the all-new Apollo-built Windsor Genesis range at the ‘Go Brisbane Caravan & Outdoor Sale’ last October.

There, despite just two models on display – the 19ft 6in Genesis 196RD ‘couples caravan’ reviewed here, and the larger Genesis 220 MD ‘Family’ three-bunk van – Queensland dealer Kratzmann sold eight new Windsors at the show and a few more since out of their Burpengary yard on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Now also owned by the Apollo Group, Kratzmann is Queensland’s largest multi-franchise caravan dealer, with a wide range of brands and models making them a popular one-stop shop for potential buyers. They were also a Windsor agent until 2006 and know the brand and its history, but their confidence in its potential is based on what it is now, rather than what it was then.

Market sweetspot for Windsor

In a nutshell, Windsor under Apollo will go after the large middle ground and Coromal will primarily appeal to budget buyers.

The principal attractions of the new Windsors are their full foam insulation-filled composite walls and one-piece composite floor and roof, full length, 150mm x 50mm RHS hot-dipped galvanised steel A-frame and chassis, combined with a generally higher level of finish and equipment than most of their rivals – things you generally don’t find on a sub-$60,000, full-size caravan.

There’s nothing really remarkable about the new Windsor’s blunt styling, with its windowless front and rear panels and twin ‘naked’ 9kg gas bottles up front, ahead of waist-high Raptor stone protection, although buyers can add a separate A-frame shield and toolbox as dealer-fitted options, if they wish.

A toolbox would be handy for the storage of hoses and cables, as otherwise they would need to be stuffed into the large through-body front locker. Alternatively, this locker could also be occupied on the door-side by a slide-out kitchen, if you option it. This would still leave reasonable storage space on the opposite side, but you would then want an A-fame toolbox for extra storage.

The only gripe with the existing tunnel locker is that it houses the Windsor’s single 120Ah deep cycle battery in a box, limiting storage space on the right hand side.

Underneath, the one-piece composite floor is mainly flat, broken only by the two 82-litre fresh water tanks and the compact transverse tubes that house the Windsor's Al-Ko tandem independent rubber torsion suspension.

There was also some rather untidy wiring there on our review Genesis 196RD, but as this was a first-build van, we hope things get tidied up on later production models. There's minimal stone shielding underneath, but this is an on-road touring caravan that’s not really designed for major off-road trips, despite the capability of its standard light truck-rated 235/75-15 tyres.

Insulation properties

Step inside on a hot day like the 43-degree one of our review and you’ll soon appreciate the thermal benefits of the Windsor's one-piece composite and insulated body construction.

Apollo is very proud of the new Windsor’s interior, which is quite different to what you’ll find on the Coromal and Winnebago caravans they also build at Nudgee.

The first thing you’ll notice is the huge headroom, as the Genesis has one of the highest ceilings of any caravan we’ve reviewed at 2035mm (6ft 8in).

The gel-coated fibreglass inner walls are white; the solid ply cupboards are finished in satin black; the benchtop is timber-look laminated ply; while the dinette upholstery is light grey faux leather, all of which blends in well with the timber-look vinyl flooring.

It’s smart looking decor that won’t offend anyone, although there are other colour choices available.

The layout is conventional – an island queen bed up front with half-length hanging robes and a nest of drawers on each side and two large top-hinged cupboards above an angled mirror.

I’m not naïve about bedroom mirrors, but I’m not sure what this one is for. Anyway, the skinny double-sided tape holding it to the front wall gave up in the heat and it needs something stronger to hold it in place if you ever go on a corrugated road!

Kitchen credentials

The centre of this 19ft 6in Genesis model was occupied on the door side by the galley, with its 3 +1 Thetford Minigrill Mk3 cooktop with 12v grill below, and a separate 25 litre microwave oven recessed into the nest of cupboards above. There’s a large stainless steel sink, with a companion stainless steel drainer, but otherwise preparation space is not large, unless you drop the ply bench-top lid on the cooktop.

The faux-leather covered dinette lounge opposite with its upholstered returns on the wall, is comfortable, with its tri-fold table giving you the option of kicking back to watch TV, or sit more upright for dining.

There‘s excellent storage room under the bed and under each seat of the lounge, but to access the latter you must remove the seat cushions and backrest. A simple access hatch under each seat would be much better to utilise this space and a simple lip on the storage shelves beneath the table would stop books, pens and the like from tumbling off when travelling.

Travellers will also be pleased to find Dometic’s latest slim 188 litre, three-way absorption fridge/freezer in the Genesis, along with plenty of pots and pans space under the sink and an adjacent slide-out pantry.

Box-ticking bathroom

While not large in size, the Windsor’s rear bathroom also ticks most boxes.

A cassette toilet is flanked by a large front-loading Daewoo Mini washing machine, while a large mirror fronts the central vanity, with its handy-sized basin with mixer tap. The separate shower cubicle, with its frosted glass door, is on the right.

It’s all standard in the Genesis 196, but wait, there’s more, lots more...

• double-glazed windows
• a 3.2kW Ibis Aircommand reverse cycle air conditioner
• a separate filtered drinking water tap in the kitchen
• a handy water tap on the A-frame
• a large 8-inch swing-up jockey wheel
• a drop-down exterior picnic table
• a Carefree roll-out awning
• kickboards and concealed footwell LED strip-lighting
• plenty of internal and external 240v and 12v power outlets
• a wind-up King Jack TV directional antenna and standard 24-inch (60cm) HD 12v TV
• a stereo/CD player with Bluetooth connectivity for your music
• a 25AH Projecta battery charger and water tank level monitor.

All Apollo has to do is keep the quality up.

Summing up

The reborn Windsor by Apollo is a true value-for-money Australian touring caravan that comes loaded with virtually everything that an adventurous couple will need to head off and explore Australia, including the off-grid electrical and water capacity to enjoy a few nights of free camping along the way.

And as for the long-standing Windsor nameplate, the Genesis is a worthy successor and that shouldn't hurt resale one little bit.

Specs: 2020 Windsor Genesis 196RD

Travel length: 7310mm
Body length: 5890mm
Body width: 2500mm
Travel height: 2690mm
Interior height: 2035mm
Tare weight: 2069kg
ATM: 2500kg
Ball weight (Tare): 215kg
Body: Fibreglass composite walls, composite floor and roof
Chassis: Hot dipped 150mm x 50mm galvanized steel
Suspension: AL-KO independent rubber torsion tandem
Brakes: AL-KO 10-inch electric drums
Wheels: Alloy 15-inch with 235/75 LT tyres
Fresh water: 2 x 82L
Battery: 1 x 120Ah AGM
Solar: 150W rooftop panel
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Hot water: Gas 20L
Cooking: Thetford Minigrill Mk3 3 gas burner and one electric hob cooktop. grill
Fridge:  Dometic 188L 3-way
Air-conditioner: 3.2kW reverse-cycle Dometic Ibis Aircommand
TV: 24in HD LED/DVD
Shower: Separate internal
Toilet: Dometic cassette
Washing machine: Daewoo Mini front load
Lighting: LED throughout
Price: $59,990
Supplied by: Kratzmann Caravans & Motorhomes, Burpengary East, Queensland
More info: Windsor Caravans