We took the 18ft 6in Regent Cruiser single-axle van out to the southern Flinders Ranges to see how this Aussie-built beauty would handle the tough stuff. The single-axle Cruiser is the shortest model in the seven-model Regent range and less is definitely more with this van.
SUSPENSION
One of the highlights of the Regent Cruiser is the all-new Cruisemaster CRS (Country Road Suspension) system. The Cruiser is the first and only single-axle Regent built and also the first caravan in Australia to be equipped as standard with Vehicle Components’ new Cruisemaster CRS as standard, with buyers given the option to upgrade to the Cruisemaster XT offroad independent suspension if they are planning to spend a lot of time on badly corrugated surfaces.
LAYOUT
The Cruiser boasts an expandable dinette to seat four, a large 195L gas/ electric refrigerator, three gas burner stove with one electric hotplate, grill and oven and a generous sink. The only drawback in the kitchen space is the slightly small work area, however this is easily solved by using the flat cover over the hotplate when the stove is not in use.
The luxury features continue in the modern and spacious full separate shower/ toilet ensuite which also boasts a concealed top-loading washing machine as standard. The positioning of the queen size bed is a nice touch: it is island style, meaning it can be accessed from either side– no need to climb over your partner to get up in the mornings!
TOWING
The van weighs in at just 1940kg, meaning it can be towed behind a large variety of vehicles. The Cruiser towed very confidently behind our Nissan Pathfinder 550, sitting squarely in the road and riding the bumps with no tendency to hop or skip on corrugations or cattle grids. The independent suspension and single axle allow the van to travel even more smoothly and makes it more versatile in different road conditions.
THE CARAVAN WORLD VERDICT
At about $63,000 the Regent Cruiser is a competitively priced caravan, but no luxury has been spared. It is an adjusted version of Regent’s top of the range Monarch, and is stylish throughout.
It’s a smart, albeit traditional-looking caravan that requires a second take and some quick axle-counting to distinguish it from its tandem-axle brethren, but Regent’s loyal band of around 10,000 former and current customers will be impressed.