Adria Australia is on the right track with the Adiva 532 UP. It's a throughly enjoyable touring caravan and well-suited to smaller tow vehicles like the Subaru Outback

For a long time Australian, American and European caravans were pretty much just carbon copies of one another. They were big and boxy, but they did the trick. Then in the late 1980s European caravan builders, like Adria, started experimenting with designs and styling. The look and feel of caravans changed forever.

Based in Slovenia, Adria has been designing and building caravans and motorhomes for more than 40 years. Indeed, in 2004 it churned out more than 13,000 caravans - that's almost more than the total number of new caravans sold in Australia each year. As such, the R&D that goes into these vans is phenomenal.

One of Adria's star performers in Europe, and now Australia too, is the Adiva 532 UP. With a compact body length of just 5.8m (total length, including the drawbar, is 7.3m), the Adiva manages to fit a queen-sized bed, full kitchen, full shower and toilet, a club-style dinette and much more besides. And there's loads of room and storage space, too.

Priced from $49,990 the Adiva isn't cheap, but compared to its Aussie-built rivals its quality and styling puts it miles and miles ahead of all but a tiny few. This van is perfect for weekends away as well as long- and short-haul trips, and it tows beautifully.

Technically talking

It's the styling of Euro-built caravans that gets you first. They have a sleek, modern, almost space shuttle-esque look to them. Indeed the Adiva 532 UP, with its funky-styling and its smooth body is easily one of the best-looking caravans on the Aussie market.

The Adiva 532 UP sits on an Al-Ko wide-track chassis which has been hot-dip galvanised to prevent rust from taking hold. The body is built around a skeleton of square-section aluminium tubing with an outer layer of fibreglass-on-ply, an inner ply lining and insulation sandwiched in between. Suspension is the awesome Al-Ko independent rubber suspension package, featuring Al-Ko's unique hexagonal rubber suspension system. Wheels are sporty looking 15-inch alloys, and braking is via the new-generation Al-Ko braking and coupling system which incorporates dual hitch locks and inertia brakes with automatic reverse detection. Clever, and much safer than a standard 50mm ball coupling.

The front boot, and one key operates all locks, houses a 9kg gas bottle with room for other odds and ends, while the house battery sits in a fully-sealed and lockable box and there's also access to the Thetford cassette toilet, too.

Thanks to the single-axle layout, low towing weight (1500kg max) and the grab handles on each side of the van at the front and the back, the Adiva is a cinch to manoeuvre by hand.

The inside story

Unlike most Aussie-built 'vans which offer almost infinitely configurable interior layouts, the Adiva 532 UP is only available with one layout. Don't let that put you off, though.

A front club-style dinette means the front door is pushed back towards the middle of the 'van, a centre kitchen separates the dining and sleeping areas and, being right next to the kitchen it's both practical and convenient. At the back, the bed is pushed to one side offering a walkway to the shower and toilet.

The dinette (the fabric used is fire retardant) will easily accommodate five and the table can be removed to make even more room. Come the evening, it can be converted into a second bed which is perfect for the kids.

Lighting runs on 12V or 240V which runs on mains or battery power. The same goes for the Truma split-system air-con which is mounted under the dinette and provides heating for cooler weather.

The kitchen is well equipped, with a flick-mixer tap offering hot and cold water via mains or the on-board 50-litre water tank. There's a four-burner gas cooker, a grill and even an oven. There's loads of storage space, thanks to a handful of drawers, cupboards, overhead lockers and shelves, and a 97-litre three-way fridge/freezer combo. A microwave is a cost option.

Down the back, the main bed - a double - is cut off on one side to form a walkway to the hand basin at the foot of the bed and the shower/toilet beyond. Speaking of being cut off, the bedroom can be closed off from the rest of the caravan thanks to a sliding door. The bed is a combination of foam and innersprings and features antimicrobial protection, preventing the bed from becoming mouldy and ensuring the bed bugs don't bite.

Sitting at the foot of the bed is the hand basin which, like the kitchen, features a flick mixer tap and a deep basin. There's plenty of storage space for soap, shaving odds and sods, shampoos and tooth paste, etc. The toilet/shower is fully sealed and offers a large window and a couple of shelves for soap and shampoo. Indeed, this is probably the most practical, and well-built, bedroom and en-suite package we've ever seen in a caravan.

In the end

There's plenty to like about the Adiva 532 UP, not the least of which is the low towing weight and the sleek design. Thanks to its Al-Ko chassis and suspension the Adiva is both agile and easy to tow, there's no snatching and no snaking. The low towing weight means it can be easily towed by vehicles like Subaru's Outback.

Filled with goodies like air-con and a shower and toilet the Adiva really is a lot of 'van for the cash. Indeed, it's the perfect caravan for those looking to see the country in style.

Thanks to Stefan at Global Caravans, Mt Barker Road, Mt Barker, SA 5251. Tel: (08) 8391 6044.

Article published in Caravan + RV magazine, Autumn 2007. Words Isaac Bober, photos Guy Bowden.