MOST POPULAR CARAVAN

With more than half the total Australian recreational vehicle market, it’s not hard to guess that Jayco makes Australia’s most popular caravans.

Once amongst Australia’s cheapest when they first hit the market 30 years ago, Jaycos have moved upmarket with their customers over the years as caravanning has gained renewed social acceptability and their wide range includes models that are more like hotels on wheels than the basic vans of a few years ago.

The country’s most popular fixed-roof caravan is the 21ft. Sterling, which for around $50,000 depending on state taxes and options comes fully loaded with a comfortable double bed, full en-suite with toilet and shower, a gourmet gallery with four-burner gas griller/oven, microwave, LCD TV and CD/DVD player and a 12 volt wind-up antenna, amongst other features.

And you don’t have to take the kitchen sink – along with a pull-out pantry and plenty of cupboard space, it’s already built in.

Optional are air conditioning, an electric slide-out lounge to expand your living area, an electric awning and a slide out external BBQ.

Apart from their value for money, the other good things about Jaycos are their Australia-wide dealer and service network and their re-sale value. Given reasonable care and maintenance, there’s a good chance you’ll get close to what you paid for your Jayco in years to come, as demand often outstrips supply and many buyers are hungry to purchase in time for holidays.

Jayco Sterling

The Jayco Sterling range consists of a mind-boggling 19 different models and over 200 possible layouts, so there’s a fair chance you can specify just what you want if you are prepared to wait a few months while it is built.

Like all Jaycos, it’s also available in an ’Outback’ spec, an option box which today is ticked by an increasing number of Jayco purchasers. The spec includes a beefed-up Millennium 150mm x 50mm section chassis, Al-’s Rocker Roller suspension chassis, increased ground clearance, longer Al-Ko drop-jacks, protective aluminium checker-plate finish and a supplementary external shower. The Outback pack adds about 200kg to the 21ft Sterling’s average 2100kg tare weight and jacks up the price by around $2,000.

Towing

All models in the Jayco Sterling range can be towed behind most medium and large 4WD vehicles, although ideally you should choose one with a listed towing capability of 2700kg upwards. Towball weight is listed as 154-200kg, depending on the model.