Test: Royal Flair PD Series

For all of the flashy fibreglass caravans and heroic hybrid offroader campers on the market, there remains a place for traditional ‘stick and tin’ caravans, such as the 18ft 6in Royal Flair PD Series. In fact, if I were a betting man, I’d say they still represent the largest slice of the pie.

If it sounds derogatory, I assure you the term ‘stick and tin’ is anything but. It simply refers to how a caravan is built. I’m talking a meranti timber frame and aluminium cladding. A mid-sized version, around 18-20ft, with ensuite and a host of other onboard features, should set you back between $55,000 and $60,000, give or take a few grand depending on optional extras.

Our review Royal Flair PD Series is one such example. The PD Series has been on the market for a number of years now, but this year it has come in for a makeover. The result is the van you see here: a bitumen-bound rig for two.

STEP INSIDE THE ROYAL FLAIR

This van is in SL Edition format, which means it is fitted with a suite of additional features. These include silver cladding instead of traditional white, a 150W solar panel and regulator, a gas bayonet so that you can run a BYO barbecue off the van’s gas system, an extra 9kg gas cylinder, a wall-mounted front-loading washing machine, and a three-year manufacturer’s warranty.

The asking price for this package, $59,990 (ex-Melbourne), seems about right. There’s a reasonable amount of equipment on board but I found the layout to be particularly appealing. Sure, it’s quite traditional, with a north-south bed in the nose of the van, an offside kitchen, an L-shaped nearside dinette, and a rear bathroom. But it is nicely finished and has a distinctly modern aesthetic, from the tapware to the colour scheme.

The bedroom is home to three overhead lockers, and the wardrobes either side of the bed are particularly deep. Naturally, there’s a sufficient amount of storage space under the bed, though the gal-lined tunnel boot does intrude somewhat. I thought a window on the front wall, behind the bed, would add to the bedroom ambience but the large side windows and roof hatch let in plenty of natural light nonetheless.

The dinette is reasonably comfortable – it’ll seat two people easily. There are a couple of reading lights, overhead storage, and a drawer at the base of the ‘L’ gives access to the storage space beneath the dinette’s shorter cushion. It is a small chore to remove the table and the cushions to access the rest of the storage but, to be honest, the wheel arch takes up most of it anyway.

The kitchen is great to look at. It has a four-burner cooktop and griller, plenty of storage, including a pull-out pantry, but the bench space is on the small side. That, however, is part of the trade-off. A large kitchen would necessitate compromises elsewhere. The hinged section of bench over the cooktop helps but, naturally, only when the cooktop isn’t in use. For those who prefer a larger kitchen, the PD Series comes in 19ft 4in, 20ft, and 20ft 9in variants.

I reckon the bathroom in this van is a winner. There’s an attractive central vanity unit, offside moulded-fibreglass shower, a useable amount of storage space, the aforementioned wall-mounted washing machine, and a solid sliding door for privacy. I would personally prefer the Thetford cassette toilet on the offside – making the job of removing the cassette slightly more discreet – but nonetheless it’s neatly presented and, size-wise, it doesn’t unduly encroach on the main living space.

Obviously, the Royal Flair PD Series 18ft 6in comes with a host of other features, from the 185L Thetford three-way fridge, to the Dometic reverse-cycle air-conditioner, Winegard TV antenna, microwave, CD/MP3player and more.

AROUND THE OUTSIDE

The 18ft 6in Royal Flair PD Series SL Edition is built on a 4in SupaGal chassis with beam axle leaf-spring suspension and alloy wheels. On the drawbar, you’ll find a standard 50mm ball coupling, a 12-pin trailer plug, the switch for the emergency braking system and the second gas cylinder that comes as part of the SL Edition features. A fresh water tap on the drawbar’s nearside is protected by a small piece of checkerplate, but the gas bayonet slightly to the rear of the tunnel boot is not.

The tunnel boot represents the van’s only external storage space. It has a light to help you forage in the dark, and it’s accessible from both sides of the van.

The nearside has a roll-out awning, and 240V and 12V power points, not to mention a fold-down picnic table and entry light.

GORV’S VERDICT

The 18ft 6in PD Series is a true lightweight. I mean that in a good way. Weighing in at 1995kg Tare, it has an available payload capacity of 400kg, which is fairly reasonable for a single-axle van. I’d keep my eye on the ball weight, however. At 205kg unladen, it’ll creep up towards 250kg and beyond with the addition of a few camp chairs and other items in the tunnel boot, and 18kg worth of gas in the cylinders.

That said, this caravan is an attractive, well-finished addition to the sub-$60K market.

THE SCORE

FIT AND FINISH –

LAYOUT –

INNOVATION –

HITS & MISSES

COMPLETE SPECS