This might just be the cutest caravan in the world. It's certainly one of the fastest; an on-road version of this rough-track capable T@B was recently hauled by a Porsche Cayenne to 240km/h to claim a world speed towing record.

Sure it's not often you'll tow a caravan at that sort of jail-speed, but that's not the point.

It's that the T@B is stable at that speed that's important. And the same boffins who designed the T@B to be stable at such high speeds also worked on the rough-road Safari variant ensuring it would be just as competent off the bitumen as it is on it. Indeed, it's easily one of the most stable and confidence-inspiring units I've ever towed.

A lot of that stability is down to the T@B Safari's brilliant AL-KO chassis and independent suspension package. But more of that later.

The T@B Safari is a basic little 'van that's best suited to 'younger' couples who are keen to spend as little time indoors as possible. It's the sort of van that lends itself to being towed on short breaks at the beach or that fave spot in a national park where you might need to tackle a dirt track but nothing too gnarly. That it weighs just 580kg means it's well within the means of smaller soft-roaders; it was perfectly matched to the Forester XT (link to tow test). Its light weight means fuel consumption won't suffer either, and that's great in these days of yo-yoing fuel prices.

Talking technically

In the same way that the new MINI pays homage to the original Mini, the T@B is reminiscent of the ol' teardrop campers of yesteryear. It presses the nostalgia button. And just like the new MINI, the T@B Safari is a real looker. Indeed, I've never towed anything that gets as many looks as this thing.

Like a lot of four-wheel drives the T@B features an independently constructed body which is fitted to the chassis (body-on-frame) providing incredible insulation and strength.

The body (which is 304cm long and 204cm wide) is built around a skeleton of wooden framework with an outer layer of smooth, and
seamless, aluminium-on-ply, an inner ply lining and foam insulation sandwiched in between.

It makes it light and incredibly strong, and because the whole unit, including the floor is insulated it's easy to keep warm or cool depending on the season.

This sits on a beefed-up AL-KO chassis which is galvanised for rust protection, and suspension is courtesy of AO-KO's excellent rubber-torsion independent suspension. A set of 15-inch alloys wrapped in 205/75 Fulda rubber rounds out the rolling stock. Like most European-built caravans, the T@B Safari features an inertia-based override braking.

While we had no trouble on the tracks we dragged the T@B down, the aluminium and the double-glazed windows are susceptible to scratching and we'd recommend some sort of protection.

The inside story

I won't kid you by saying the T@B Safari is like Doctor Who's Tardis. But there is more room inside than you initially give its diminutive
dimensions credit for. Most of the floor space is taken up by a u-shaped dinette that easily and comfortably seats four, the table, which can be moved out of the unit altogether, folds down to become the base of the bed. The cushions are then repositioned jigsaw-style to form a queen-sized bed.

It makes a lot of sense to save on space by only setting up the bed when it's needed.

And the annoyance involved in setting up the bed only lasts a moment - it takes less than a minute to convert the dinette into the bedroom. Oh, and the seats are covered with fire-retardant fabric, just in case.

The kitchen is pretty basic, but it has everything you need. The cooker, which is a simple two-burner set up, sits by the door and there's a baffle that unfolds to keep flames and heat away from other parts of the kitchen.

There's a sink beside the cooker which is fed via a 20-litre water tank with a floating pump which means no hand-pumping required. Sure
20-litres doesn't sound like a lot, but with almost 500kg of payload, you can carry extra water and simply top up the main tank as needed. A small fridge sits below the cooker; it's about the same size as the average bar fridge.

There's loads of storage space for all the necessary kitchen gear and there's also a wardrobe for hanging shirts, skirts, jackets and the like. Don't forget there's plenty of room to stash odds and ends under the dinette seats and there are cargo nets around the roof line for storing lightweight gear.

The large windows at the front and the sides allow loads of natural light into the T@B Safari and there are a couple of down-lights scattered around the place for night time. As stated earlier, all of the windows are tinted and fitted with flyscreens and block-out blinds.

It's the quality of the T@B Safari that really staggers you; everything fits well, feels good to the touch and looks modern.

This is a ripping little unit and for a couple that want to get way from it all, but not too far away from it all you'd be hard pressed to find a better caravan. You certainly won't find one that looks even half as good.

In the end

I really can't rave about the T@B Safari enough, it's just great. It's light enough to be towed by just about anything capable of towing and yet it's rugged enough to handle the rough and tumble of life off the bitumen.

And with a few extra odds and ends it'd be the perfect fast-escape machine.

It's not for those caravanners who want to spend all their time indoors; it's just too small for that. But if you love the great outdoors, and are after an equally adventurous little caravan then the T@B's for you.

Article published in Caravan + RV magazine, Spring 2007. Words Isaac Bober, photos Cristian Brunelli.