SIZING UP
The offroad Gold Class Adventure Class vans are available in four sizes, from 16ft to 19ft. The 18- footer is a bunk van, while the others are intended for couples.
Adventure Class vans are equipped with Airbag Man suspension, allowing you to level your ride as appropriate, and level the van east-west at the push of a button once on site. These vans are also equipped with Tuson sway control, and I experienced no issues as I hauled it along the highway and around the Gippsland region behind my D- MAX tow vehicle. There were no surprises, either, when it came to hitching and unhitching. The adjustable Ark XO750 jockey wheel was a pleasure to use, as always. When camping on uneven terrain especially, conventional jockey wheels sometimes lack the necessary travel to unhitch, or pose some other challenge that the Ark overcomes simply.
Behind the DO35 coupling, Gold Class has fitted a large storage compartment to the A-frame that contains room for a 9kg gas cylinder and provision for a second, with two general storage compartments either side of that. However, in the nearside locker, you’ ll find the tank for the onboard Eberspacher diesel heater.
And this brings me to the philosophy behind these vans. The team behind Gold Class wanted these vans to be as‘ turn-key’ as possible. Essentially, because they are built in China where the ability to customise is limited, they set about creating vans that were completely ready and fit for purpose without the need for factory customisation. This includes adding features such as a diesel heater, MaxTrax recovery boards mounted to the front via factory-installed lugs, a nearside slide-out tray within the tunnel storage area to suit a portable fridge, with Anderson plug provided.
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