New Caravan Review:
Adventura Radiance
Retail price: $89,000 (plus on roads)
Posted: 17 March 2009
Adventura Caravans is one of the newer manufacturers. The Ritzau family business was launched in early 2007 from its showroom in Salisbury Plain (on the outskirts of Adelaide), where each caravan is hand-made onsite by a skilled team.
The family make a point of using the latest European design and technology, but they source their products and services from local businesses where possible and have a real can-do attitude when it comes to individual needs and custom requests.
According to Adventura Radiance owners, Nick and Debbie Handy, who recently collected their new caravan for a major Australian trip, Adventura has got it spot on.
“We lost a caravan last year in an accident,” Nick explains, “and set out to find someone to build us a true custom replacement. We liked what we saw on Adventura’s website and were soon talking with Michael and Gwen.”
Whatever Nick and Debby asked of Michael, he said he could do it. “After all, it’s our home and we wanted it to be perfect,” says Nick.
Adventura produces vans with interior sizes ranging from 5.3m (17ft 6in) to 6.85m (22ft 6in), so Nick and Debbie’s 6.5m (21ft 6in) purchase is one of the larger offerings. With a Tare of 2700kg and an ATM of 3380kg it is only towable by the bigger 4WDs, but the trade-off is a large living space and room for the appliances desired for a life on the road.
It’s built on a SupaGal chassis with load sharing leaf spring suspension (Simplicity suspension is an option) and alloy wheels with light truck eight-ply tyres. The Mabel fibreglass wall panels include thermal insulation, while double-glazed windows and a very low, aerodynamic-profile Dometic reverse cycle air-conditioner further enhance traveller comfort.
Inside the Adventura you’re hit with the quality and sense of style. The likes of curved overhead and bathroom cupboards make you feel like you’re in a swish hotel rather than a caravan.
The kitchen area is a delight, with the work surface offering plenty of space when the hatch is put over the Smev four-burner cooktop and oven. The fridge is a large three-way Dometic AES 225L, the microwave an 1100W Sharp Carousel.
The dinette struggles to seat four for dinner due to its location above the invasive wheel arch, but for a travelling couple, this isn’t a major issue.
As mentioned before, adding custom elements – as Nick and Debbie have – is welcomed by the manufacturer. For instance, there’s a slide-out ironing board that emerges from one of the kitchen drawers, and with the extra wardrobe space beside the fridge, the shirts and dresses can easily be ironed and stored.
The large shower is more like one you’d install in a house, and is part of a very appealing bathroom with ample storage and a large mirror. The basin is a ceramic round top with a Novelli flick mixer tap that oozes style, while the toilet is a Dometic vacuum item, so no chemicals are required. There’s also a Dometic front loader washing machine.
The bedroom area continues the style of the rest of the caravan, with a queen-size bed that can be raised on gas struts.
As is expected of a van to be lived in year-round, there isn’t much more to wish for. Adventura may be relatively new, but with the Radiance we sampled, first impressions are very positive and Nick and Debbie seemingly couldn’t be happier.
It has all the features you’d expect from an $89,000 van, and the scope for personalisation and true bespoke work really adds to its appeal. As a small, family-run business, Adventura allows a more personal approach and is very much a company to look out for.
Independently reviewed by Iain Curry, Caravan World
For more information, including your nearest dealer, contact Adventura Caravans on (08) 8285 8380.
For more RV reviews, news and online video, visit www.caravanworld.com.au
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