Tow Vehicle

With an ATM of just 1450kg and a towball download weight of 90kg, the Jayde MkII can be towed by just about anything. It's well within the range of cars like the Renault Koleos, Nissan X-Trail, Kia Sorrento, Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore.

On the Outside

A'Van is one of the most innovative caravan manufacturers in Australia, its vacuum bonded sandwich construction walls are closely related to the type of walls used on Euro brands. The construction of the walls sees a thick sheet of polystyrene layered with plywood on both sides with a sheet of aluminium (on the outside) bonded to the wood, on the inside a layer of veneer is bonded to the plywood. This makes the walls incredibly tough and very well insulated. This is pretty much how it's done in Europe.

Indeed, A'Van as a brand is closer to the Euro brands than to any other product manufactured in Australia. Don't believe me? Take a look at the doors then, they'd fit straight onto a Geist.

The smooth flanks and the blistered grey guards give the Jayde a sleek, Euro chic look. But that front boot is a pain, you've got to lean right over the drawbar to get into it and then you'll probably bang your head on it as the boot lid doesn't lift up high enough.

Day into Night

Step inside the Jayde and you'll see the kitchen running along the front wall, the stove/grill is closest to the door with the round sink and flick mixer-style tap sitting in the middle. Next to that and tucked away in the far corner, is a drop-down vegetable holder.

Hot and cold water is supplied courtesy of 240V hot water system. The fridge is raised off the ground which makes getting into it a cinch. Directly opposite that is a café-style dinette with room for two and no more. There's storage under the seats, but the seat back sits perilously close to the sink, and if you wash up anything like me you'll end up splashing water over the seat.

Down at the back of the 'van are two single beds separated by a hanging wardrobe. This is a very typical 'Australian' layout, but it's important you try out the beds for size. Occasionally one of the beds is bigger than the other.

The interior colour scheme and fabric choice is a fairly neutral affair, there are certainly no frilly curtains, indeed the blinds are full block-out and the windows are double-glazed. All in all, the Jayde puts up with the heat admirably, and on the day I looked at this caravan the mercury touched 36.6 degrees Celsius.

Australian Caravan+RV magazine, Issue 8.