Review: Avida Explorer LX

During the depths of a Victorian winter – and if you’re from the south, you’ll know just how cold those nights can be – I was presented with the opportunity to get away for a bit in a new vehicle from Avida. I’m referring to the Avida Explorer LX, a campervan based on the medium wheelbase Mercedes Sprinter AWD. And what a beast this rig turned out to be! It’s an off-grid, offroad lifestyle machine, and it’s a beauty.

We picked up the van from Avida dealership Robert’s RV World and made a beeline for the Dandenong Ranges. The plan: spend a night in the hills, keeping warm by a campfire, before spending a day or two on the Mornington Peninsula.

The Avida Explorer LX is a dream to drive. The Sprinter is a brilliant base vehicle. I say that based on numerous recent reviews of campervans, all based on the Sprinter. It’s smooth to drive, it’s arguably more manoeuvrable than my personal 4WD, and it provides the driver a high perch from which to view the traffic ahead. It doesn’t feel like you’re driving a big rig – it just feels comfortable and car-like. If driving a large vehicle intimidates you, I would encourage you to give it a go – you might be surprised. 

But what does the Explorer LX provide in terms of touring and camping comforts? As I discovered, quite a lot…

OFF-GRID LIFESTYLE TOURER

I pulled into the first campsite for the evening and it was cold. Very cold. I don’t think I’ve ever been more grateful to have a diesel heater on board! The Truma Combi water and space heater did the job nicely – I was very warm and comfortable.

When you step inside via the nearside sliding door, you’ll be greeted by a small dining table and two-seater, leather-upholstered lounge up front – it looks very classy. The cab chairs swivel around, of course, to create a dining area for four people. With the seats all in position, the result is cosy meals area for four.

It’s worth noting, too, that the Avida Explorer LX can legally carry four passengers: two up front, and two in the rear lounge – two additional seat belts and even a couple of anchor points for baby capsules were provided as options in our review vehicle.

What else does the Avida Explorer LX offer? Actually, a great deal. There’s a bathroom between the dinette and the bed. It’s a small, space, true, but it has what you’ll need: a washbasin with a cabinet below, a Thetford cassette toilet, overhead storage, a shower and even a window, which isn’t always a given inside a campervan’s bathroom. The fit and finish looks great too.

The toilet roll holder fitted to the inside of the lower cabinet door is a nice touch. Just open the door and there’s your toilet roll! I did wonder if the timber and laminate materials used for the vanity were water-resistant and was informed that this was indeed the case and that they were also covered under the Avida five-year warranty.

The kitchen is fitted directly opposite. For a campervan, it has quite a lot of bench space, which is increased further with the addition of a flip-up extension piece at the leading edge of the bench. Fantastic. 

The kitchen is complete with a stylish stainless steel sink with a toughened glass lid, hot and cold water, and even a separate tap for filtered drinking water. the Explorer LX comes with a 125L fresh water tank and a separate 45L tank for drinking water – brilliant. But Avida has also included a 95L grey water tank, making the van perfect for exploring national parks and other places where it’s important to truly leave no trace.

The kitchen also includes an under-bench fridge. It isn’t huge but then again, space is always going to be more limited in a campervan conversion. In this case, the fridge is a slimline compressor unit. Did I mention that this is a ‘gas-less’ van? One of the key points of the Explorer LX is the off-grid lifestyle that it affords. Of course, that’s intended within reason – water, for example, will always be a limiting factor. But in terms of power, there’s two 200Ah lithium batteries, which can be optioned to three 200Ah batteries, which are kept up to charge via the roof-mounted solar panels – 400W worth of solar is standard, but it can be optioned up to 800W with the addition of a couple 200W solar blankets.

The 12V system is managed by the onboard Victron power management system… and what would an off-grid lifestyle camper be without an inverter to power your 240V appliances, including the Webasto reverse-cycle air-conditioner that’s supplied. Our review van came with a 3000W inverter. Suffice to say, there’s plenty of juice to run almost any appliance off-grid. The package even includes a 50A DC-DC charger, a 120A mains charger, an external Anderson plug allowing you to plug in an auxiliary solar panel… there’s a great deal here. Avida has even pre-wired the Avida Explorer LX for Starlink. This seems like a great move, especially considering this vehicle is intended for remote areas.

When it comes to campervans, storage space can be a challenge. Avida has solved this somewhat by elevating the east-west bed. This has created a large space beneath in which you could secure various storage tubs, keeping things nice and organised. There are storage pockets on the rear barn doors and here’s a touch I loved: a full insect screen. Just unroll it from the roof, zip up the sides, and lay in bed and enjoy the view, free from the mozzies! It’s a great setup. Avida has also included a 12V fan at the foot of the bed, so you’ll have some air circulating as you put your feet up.

In terms of entertainment, there’s a flatscreen smart TV on a swivel arm towards the rear of the kitchen, allowing the TV to also be watched from outside, as well as a Fusion sound system.

At this point, you might be wondering about the cooking facilities. As mentioned, it’s a gas-less van. To that end, Avida supplies a portable induction hotplate, which fits nicely in a drawer in the entryway, just below the Fusion speaker. The beauty of this system is its flexibility. If it’s cold outside, simply plug in the hotplate inside and power it via the inverter if you’re off-grid. Or if you want to cook outside, simply lower the special table that flips down from the kitchen unit. This table results in a perfect outdoor cooking space that I found particularly useful.

AVIDA EXPLORER EXTERIOR FEATURES

I could see the Avida Explorer LX in goldfields, or exploring remote areas up north… that’s what it’s built for. Therefore, its equipped with protected external side steps, a winch (optional), rated recovery points, an LED light bar up front as well as rear spotties. Our van was also equipped with optional driving lights on the nudge bar. The snorkel seen in the images is an option too, but it would be a great addition, especially if you’re the adventurous type.

I particularly appreciated the rear ladder so that you can easily access the roof. With the solar panels, AC and antenna up there, there’s not a great deal of space for rooftop storage, but at least it’ll be easy to give the panels a clean!

A full wind-out awning is supplied, and it came in handy during my first evening with the van. Soon after lighting the campfire, the heavens opened. So out came the awning, quick smart! The Fiamma units are quite easy to operate.

I’ve commented on the drivability of the Sprinter already, but I’ll point out that the cab features a full infotainment system, and the transmission selector makes things easy. The four-cylinder two-stage turbodiesel engine puts out 140kW at 3800rpm and as a side note, the vehicle can tow up to 2000kg, which might be handy for towing a tinnie.

There are some other benefits to this vehicle that are worth considering. For example, Avida has more than 100 authorised service centres around the country, a five-year/250,000km roadside assistance program on the chassis as well a chassis warranty for the same period, a five-year warranty on other components, and five-year capped-price servicing. The van is also RVMAP-certified, and comes with a weight certificate.

GORV’S VERDICT

The reality is, Avida builds a great motorhome. There’s decades of experience behind this brand, and it shows in the Explorer LX.

I haven’t mentioned every feature and benefit of the Avida Explorer LX, but I will say that the van has an overall sense of cohesion – everything works together to create a liveable and reliable off-grid touring machine. I like that it comes with a winch to complement the van’s AWD capabilities.

The Avida Explorer LX is a terrific getaway machine. Although I only had it for a couple of days and nights, I could well and truly see myself making it my home in the outback, perhaps doing some gold-detecting or camping by a river in the Top End. There’s nothing about this vehicle that’s difficult or unintuitive – highly recommended, if what you’re after is a go-anywhere campervan that is about as self-contained as it gets. In fact, almost everywhere I went, people approached to have a sticky-beak, and I don’t blame them!

THE SCORE 

FIT AND FINISH –

LAYOUT –

INNOVATION –

HITS & MISSES

C0MPLETE SPECS