Review: Nova Caravans Vita 680 Limited Edition

Nova Caravans has been a fixture of the Australian RV landscape for more than 20 years. The company has built small vans, large vans, offroad vans and everything in between, all while being a good corporate citizen and winning numerous prestigious industry awards.

To celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary, Nova relaunched one of its most popular models, the Vita, as a special limited edition variant. In fact, only 20 will be built… though I’m willing to bet that if you liked it, Nova would build you something just as special after this limited production run.

So what sets the revised offroad Vita apart? Not long ago, I had the opportunity to climb through and under the Nova Vita 680 (6.8m/22ft) to see what made it tick. Let’s start inside – there’s a lot to look at because this van does not do things by halves.

LOVE THE LAYOUT!

Obviously, being about 22ft in length means there is a substantial amount of internal living space and plenty of options for the layout design. When I stepped inside, I was taken by the layout in particular. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen a front kitchen in a large van that doesn’t also have a slide-out.

That kitchen, by the way, is not small. It offers loads of room, bench space, storage space and the features you’re used to. Nothing here looks cheap or flimsy – which is, really, a sentiment you could extend to the entire van. The kitchen is equipped with a Thetford three-burner cooktop (two gas buyers and one induction hotplate) but no traditional oven. Instead, it has an NCE 4-in1 microwave that also functions as a convection oven, an air-fryer and a griller. How we cook in caravans sure has changed in recent years. A generous 274L compressor fridge-freezer is provided too.

Still in the kitchen area, Nova has placed an L-shaped dinette to the offside complete with reading lights, a footrest, and a table on a telescopic leg. Between the dinette and the kitchen, you’ve got a dedicated cooking and dining area that feels separate to the rest of the van. 

The bedroom comes next. The bed is positioned east-west, with a couple of 12V fans mounted to the roof, reading lights, a large-screen TV (a 28in and a 32in smart TV are included), overhead lockers, under-bed storage space, wardrobes and more. The ambient lighting above the lockers looks great, and there’s plenty of room to walk around the foot of the bed – this is a large, lovely space. Nothing looks or feels piecemeal.

That goes for the bathroom, which stretches across the rear of the van. There’s an offside cassette toilet, a top-loader washing machine hidden beneath the vanity benchtop, a washbasin, mirrored-door overhead cabinets, and a fibreglass shower cubicle. The design and decor blend seamlessly with the rest of the van.

Let’s talk features. Inside the Nova Vita 680, you also get speakers, a weatherproof through-the-wall connection data point for an internet dish – the van comes standard with the RV-Wifi DishyDock 6, which allows for easy Starlink connection and enhanced wi-fi range – reverse-cycle air-con, USBA and USBC points in the wardrobe niches, and a 7in LCD display linked to the van’s electrical system, giving you instant data concerning the battery and water levels, and allowing you to control various aspects of the van. There’s even a diesel heater on board.

The Nova Vita used an Arizona battery management system and has a 3000W inverter connected to the single chassis-mounted 300Ah lithium battery provided, allowing you to run most of your 240V appliances. The solar setup includes three 210W panels on the roof of the van. Overall, it’s an effective setup for free-camping. And what’s more, it’s a great looking van with that classic Nova styling inside. A shout-out to the decorative timber panelling on the bathroom wall. It just adds that extra touch of sophisticated styling.

BUILDING THE NOVA VITA

The Nova Vita is built upon a 6in truss chassis with a 6in RHS drawbar. The van uses full fibreglass composite construction. These one-piece panels, known as Eco-Tuff, are comprised of an inner and outer layer of fibreglass, with a core of XPS foam. This foam provides structural strength and insulation.

The walls are 28mm thick, while the roof is a 38mm one-piece panel stretching from the very front to the very rear of the van. The floor, however, is not the polypropylene ‘honeycomb’ material in wide use in the industry. Instead, Nova has opted for a 16mm fibreglass sandwich panel. No timber is used in the construction of the van; instead, around apertures and other areas in need of reinforcing or a place to screw into, PVC has been added to the core of the walls.

The Vita rides on independent trailing arm coil suspension with dual shock absorbers on each wheel, while underneath you’ll also find two 95L water tanks and a rear-mounted 110L grey water tank, each protected by checkerplate sheeting.

There’s a picnic table on the nearside with built-in storage module, an entertainment box where you can mount a TV to watch under the roll-out awning, a tall storage compartment (lined in marine carpet) towards the rear, with yet another similar compartment on the offside… and this is the first van that I’ve seen with an actual front boot in many years! Lined with galvanised sheeting, it offers a decent amount of storage space.

The A-frame is home to a checkerplate box complete with a central compartment to house the van’s supplied gas cylinders (2x9kg), while side compartments can be used for general storage. It’s a small touch but I appreciated that the gas regulator, which protrudes on its stalk from the storage compartment, was also protected by checkerplate, as is the tap on the A-frame.

You might be wondering what all of this weighs. Our review van tipped the scales at 2808kg Tare, with an ATM of 3500kg. That’s a payload capacity of nearly 700kg – more than enough. Unladen, the ball weight sits at 273kg. Clearly, this van is no light-weight – it will require a substantial tow vehicle – but it is unequivocally built to go places and keep you there in comfort. 

SUMMING UP

As you can see, Nova Caravans has specced-out this van with a wide range of features… but for me, the appeal goes beyond the equipment list. I saw a van with a spacious, thoughtful layout and a refined finish. I’m told that a a great deal of thought went into this van’s layout, and it shows. 

Finally, Nova Caravans makes a policy out of fitting each van it builds with sway control. This Vita is actually fitted with the Al-Ko Tow Assist suite of features, which includes a sway migration system and ABS – after all, your caravan is at its most vulnerable when you’re underway, and Nova sees sway control as relatively cheap protection.

So is the limited edition Nova Vita 680 worth your time? Absolutely. I mean, can you imagine being parked up in the middle of nowhere, under a million stars, with this as your home base? I can. In fact, I’ve been imagining that since I first stepped inside…

THE SCORE 

FIT AND FINISH –

LAYOUT –

INNOVATION –

HITS & MISSES

NOVA CARAVANS VITA 680 LIMITED EDITION