New Caravan Review:
Jayco Sterling
Posted: 17 March 2009

When planning to build a new caravan, manufacturers have, in essence, two choices: design a completely new caravan or refine and improve an existing product. A brand new caravan creates a great deal of interest but there is nothing wrong with refining/improving, particularly if the original product was good to start with.

The latter is what Jayco has done with its 2009 Sterling model, with changes inside and out. I was able to get my hands on one of the first models out of the factory door, a 6.65m (21ft 10in) tandem-axle van with a full-width rear bathroom.

From the outside, the most obvious changes are the new front and rear mouldings that provide a much more streamlined look. The new Sterling also comes with external speakers as a standard feature.

Some things, though, haven’t changed, such as the hot-dipped galvanised Millenium chassis, rocker leaf spring suspension for the tandem axles, Al-Ko corner stabilisers and dual 82L water tanks.

Above the chassis, the aluminium framed sandwich wall construction is still the same, with its bonded layers of fibreglass, ply and polystyrene foam providing strength and insulation. Windows are tinted hoppers, and the door is the usual Camec triple-locker with rounded top corners. Up front, the boot is quite large (it contains two 9kg gas cylinders) and has been designed so that you can get things in and out without bending. At the rear, the spare wheel is mounted on the bumper under a colour-coordinated cover.

The interior layout features a full-width rear bathroom, bedroom with east-west bed, front kitchen and lounge/dining area between the kitchen and bedroom. The decor has updated styling on the cushions, curtains and pelmets. Not so obvious are the curved aluminium corners on the cupboards, which look good and should minimise wear and tear.

Large windows and two roof hatches provide a good level of natural light and ventilation, and there’s a mixture of ceiling-mounted incandescent fittings and halogen down/reading lights.

The bathroom has a circular shower cubicle in the nearside corner and a Thetford cassette toilet on the offside. The washing machine, which was previously in the rear offside corner, is now centre stage. Cupboard and locker space has been rearranged accordingly.

Taking up most of the space in the bedroom is the 1.83x1.32m (6ft x 4ft 4in) double bed, which comes with a doona and matching pillows. The bedhead has a window behind and is surrounded by cupboards, a shelf, overhead lockers and small wardrobes, with shelves in the sides of the lower cupboards. It’s quite a neat idea, as are the small drawers also built into the lower cabinet. If needed, the bedroom can be closed off from both sides.

The lounge is more comfortable than the previous model, with a raised seat-back height and the same for the dinette. The lounge and dinette will each seat two people without trouble. Part of the under-lounge area is occupied by the power supply and the 100Ah deep-cycle battery.

Up front the L-shaped kitchen bench features all the necessary items for happy caterers – a Smev four-burner cooktop/grill/oven, stainless steel sink/drainer, Dometic 150L fridge and an LG microwave above. One of the benefits of an L-shaped design is the reasonable amount of benchtop area and cupboard space, although making effective use of the corner area is sometimes problematic. But Jayco has fitted a wire basket under a benchtop flap to improve its usability, and there’s a selection of cupboards, overhead lockers and a small slide-out pantry.

With a Tare of 2060kg and an ATM of 2535kg, the Sterling has plenty of load capacity.
The new Sterling has a number of changes, some from customer feedback and others from operating experience, that should make it a winner in 2009.

Thanks to Brisbane Camperland for supplying the Jayco Sterling for this review.
For more information, including your nearest dealer, visit www.jayco.com.au.

Independently reviewed by Malcolm Street, Caravan World

For more RV reviews, news and online video, visit www.caravanworld.com.au

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