Rick Huckstepp•27 Jan 2016

REVIEW

Zone RV Z-20.6

Queensland’s Zone RV is leading the charge when it comes to ‘bigger and lighter’ off-road caravan construction

There’s no doubt foam composite panels offer many advantages to end users and especially those who are caravanners.

Two-year-old Queensland manufacturer Zone RV has sister companies that for 15 years have been building and using this type of material in the marine, transport, aeronautical and civil industries.

They must know their stuff!

SLICK SIDES

Zone RV call their composite panelling ‘Tufflite’ which consists of a 25mm foam core with a 1.5mm fibreglass skin each side.

The front, roof and rear panels are manufactured as one piece with the walls joined and bonded in place using ‘Panelock’ bonding technology which utilises aluminium extrusion.

The Tufflite floor is constructed similarly but with perforations in the foam so infused glue holds the skins to each other; in effect encapsulating the core.

While Zone RV also dabbles in aluminium in the case of our review van, the chassis and drawbar were constructed from 125 x 50mm Duragal RHS steel and run full length; fish plating where it contours.

The chassis is unique as the drawbar slopes down from the chassis proper so that the DO-35 Hitchmaster hitch sits near tow pin height without the latter having to be raised by some sort of multi adjustment system. The ‘kick down’ in the drawbar is strengthened by a robust gusset under each side which is profile cut to reduce weight without sacrificing strength.

Running gear comprised Cruisemaster independent swing arm suspension with coil springs and twin shock absorbers. You can option this system up by including air bags, while 17-inch alloy wheels fitted to Al-ko 12-inch electric drum brakes are fitted standard.

A Dexter sway control system was also fitted along with a Breaksafe breakaway system installed into the brake actuator.

Still underneath we found a pair of 100 litre water tanks and another 100 litre tank for waste-water, while the gas bayonet close to the nearside through-boot can be optioned up with a slide-out for a BBQ or external kitchen or an extra fridge.

Why not have all of the above! The tunnel boot was big enough, that’s for sure.

Atop the drawbar, a large tool box held a slide allowing the 2.0kva generator to pull out, while a pair of 4.5kg gas bottles sat behind a nylon mesh stone guard.

Backside, the bumper bar hosted a single spare wheel with plenty of room to install another wheel and jerry can holders.

There’s also a drop down picnic table on the nearside, behind which were the external TV connections.

UNIQUE INSIDE, TOO

Stepping up into this off-road van was via a Tecno Step electric-operated fold-down step.

Inside and opposite the doorway, Waeco’s 190 litre 12V fridge/freezer was recessed into the wall unit shared by a tall cupboard designed for multiple slide out pantry drawers (although some were yet to be installed).

The furniture is constructed using Zone RV’s proprietary ‘Zone-Bond’ aluminium composite internal cabinetry system. Basically it’s aluminium box tubing constructed to the required shape, joined by Cube-Lock fittings and then fixed to the walls and floors.

Any unsightly joins are covered over by a profile-cut fascia although we found some of these a little on the sharp side on their edges (but nothing a bit of sand paper couldn’t fix in a few minutes).

The drawer systems are all aluminium, saving a lot of weight compared with timber, and cupboard doors are manufactured from Nycel, which is a PVC panel.

The bathroom is located against the rear wall and the Dometic toilet utilised the ‘SOG’ filtered cartridge system which negates the need to use toilet chemicals such as Aqua-Chem.

The freshwater filtration system is installed behind a removable panel adjacent to the toilet but you’ll be looking for somewhere else to put the dunny roll holder as it was positioned too far back to reach when on the job.

A compact Daewoo front loader washing machine was installed on the back wall and the spacious vanity bench top featured a top mounted basin.

Benchtops here and in the galley were made from a material called Samsung Staron which is an imitation stone.

Come shower time a framed acrylic door accesses the cubicle which is a one piece mould making for easy cleaning while the shower was a typical hang up, hand rose type.

BREEZY KITCHEN

Kitchen appliances were mainly Swift brand and included a full-size oven and griller with three gas burners and an electric element atop. There’s plenty of airflow over the galley bench via a wide window with the usual sun reflectors and screens fitted.

This aperture to the outside world was almost as wide as the bench itself; most likely the reason there was no need to install a rangehood.

Moving to the queen sized bed, there were foot lockers on each side on which you step up on before taking a short climb to the mattress. With two lids each side, there was plenty of room for shoes and probably clothes that were waiting to get a run in the washing machine down the back.

However, the locker lids were not held open by any spring or strut and it would be nice to have something to alleviate having to hold them open manually.

Also missing were any bedside tables, which usually take the form of a ledge on top of a cupboard of sorts. Instead, the robe sat atop a compartment that housed a single drawer with cupboard below.

Looking at this with an eye for clean and uncluttered lines, this design is probably more practical as the drawer could be used as a bedside table and closed when not in use.

WATTS UP

We found the electrical heart of the Zone RV under one of the dining seats, consisting of the DC to DC charging system, a 240V charger and solar controller hooked up on one side to three 100W roof mounted solar panels and on the other, two 120Ah deep cycle batteries.

We also liked the pedestal on which the collapsible dining table top was mounted. It had a release button activated with the foot and the spring-loaded telescopic support could be collapsed to transform the dining suite to a large single bed. So no need to pull out a pole and then find a place to store it…

VERDICT

We’re getting to like this style of build: clean cut with fine lines and insulated all-round.

There should be little fear of damage from water ingress into the internals of the structure should it happen and construction looks to be awesomely strong. And the fact there’s no timber involved anywhere in this van has to be a plus.

With this sort of building technology, ‘bigger and lighter’ will be the theme of the future.

WE LIKED:

>> Light, composite, timber-free construction

>> Sloping drawbar
>> Decent value despite six figure pricetag

NOT SO MUCH:

>> Some rough furniture edges

>> No bedside tables

>> Advanced but unproven (in RV field) build

ZONE RV Z-20.6

Overall length: 8350mm (27ft)

Internal body length: 6280mm (20ft 6in)

External body width: 2350mm (7ft 7in) plus awning

Internal height: 1980mm

Travel height: 3100mm

Tare: 2350kg

ATM: 3500kg

Ball weight: 185kg

Body: Tufflite composite panel, double sided gloss fibreglass skins with sandwiched high density XPS foam core

Chassis: 125 x 50mm Duragal, Raptor coated

Wheels: 17 x 8in alloy

Brakes: Al-ko 12-inch electric

Stability control: Dexter DSC

Cooking: Swift oven/griller/three gas, one electric cooktop

Microwave: Yes (but not fitted for review)
TV: Kogan 12V
TV antenna: Jack

Fridge/freezer: Waeco 12V 190L

Toilet: Dometic, SOG filtered cartridge

Shower: Internal and external

Air-con: Aircommand Ibis (operable by 2kva generator if required)

Water 2 x 100L (fresh), 1 x 100L (grey)

Central heating: No

Gas: 2 x 4.5kg

Lighting: 12V LED

Batteries: 2 x 120Ah deep cycle

Solar: 3 x 100W roof mounted

Price (as tested): $102,900

Supplied by: Zone RV, Coolum Beach, Qld

Zone RV Z-20.6

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