Review: Retreat Caravans Fraser 180B

It had a been a long time since I’d hitched up a van from Retreat Caravans. This company has long embraced innovation. It was the first caravan manufacturers in Australia to offer ‘gas-less’ caravans. When OzXCorp released its revolutionary DCX system, Retreat jumped on board quickly. And the company has upped the ante once again with its wall construction, known as RXP 2.0.

Retreat says its RXP 2.0 walls are the strongest sandwich panels on the market, so obviously we needed to take a look for ourselves.

The van we hitched up was the Retreat Fraser 180B, the smallest rig in the Fraser range. The Fraser range is available in bunk and couple’s layouts up to 24-plus feet in length. Our 180B, an 18-footer bunk van, offered a a great deal of value, taking into account all that it offered for the price, including Retreat’s special optional 20th Anniversary Pack. If you’re intrigued, I don’t blame you… 

SMART CONSTRUCTION

Let’s start with the RXP 2.0 construction. There are a few key facts that set it apart. The walls are fabricated from 25mm of XPS foam, a closed-cell structural material that gives the walls their rigidity and insulative properties. The inner surface is lined with fibreglass, while the outer surface is lined in continuous fibre reinforced thermoplastic, a material that provides the panels with additional structural strength and adhesion for the final outer layer of Probond aluminium, and there are a number of colours from which to choose.

The result: composite wall panels that you can actually screw into. This means that you could screw an accessory to the walls wherever you liked, without being limited by the location of studs. Provided you stay away from the channels routed into the panels for the van’s wiring, you can place screws anywhere you like.

No timber is used in this van’s wall structure. Retreat Caravans even goes a step further with its flooring system. While most manufacturers these days employ a ‘honeycomb’ polypropylene matrix in their timber-free vans, Retreat Caravans has developed an 18mm high density composite floor skinned in fibreglass either side. The inner skin, though, has a special keyed surface to prevent the linoleum flooring from bubbling or lifting. The roof, meanwhile, is a 40mm continuous, one-piece fibreglass sandwich panel that runs from the very front to the very rear of the van.

You’ve no-doubt noticed the laser-cut aluminium corner capping. This capping, along with the raised laser-cut Retreat logo on the front of the van, special anniversary decals and a laser-cut panel with the van’s model name, are part of the 20th Anniversary Pack. ‘Monster’ brand access doors to all external lockers are included too, as is the rear spoiler with floodlight and side protection. Finally, the Retreat Caravans Fraser 180B is finished with black DuraPlate, a special protective sheeting fixed to all sides, which is also part of the 20th Anniversary Pack.

The result: an inherently durable van that looks modern and clean in design that also takes advantage of some of the best technology available to caravanners. The DCX battery system is a case in point. Retreat Caravans refers to it as the ‘safest battery system in the world’. What makes it so safe? Well, let’s not forget that lithium batteries, though its rare, can be the source of fire (thermal runaway) in specific scenarios.

The DCX battery is certified to UL 1973, a North American safety standard for batteries that is designed to ensure overall safety. The DCX battery, which is mounted centrally beneath the van, between the chassis rails, is cased in a fireproof enclosure. Inside the van is an alarm that will sound if it ever detects too much heat build-up inside the battery. There is a host of other safety features built into this battery system, too, located in an external locker, accessible from the outside of the van, behind the fridge, keeping the internal cupboards free for storage.

While it is available in numerous sizes and capacities (including 48V), the Retreat Fraser 180B is equipped with a 628Ah 12V DCX battery, though you could option it up to the 942Ah unit instead, if you wanted more electrical grunt.

There’s a 3000W Projecta inverter with Intelli-Grid power management system, too, or you could option up to Victron gear if you wished. To keep the DCX system charged, the Fraser 180B gets an 880W solar array on the roof.

While the battery system is indeed a powerful unit, the Fraser 180B isn’t gas-less. There are two 9kg cylinders sitting on the A-frame to power the instant hot water service, so with your power consumption split between 18kg worth of gas for hot water (and any gas-fired barbie you might pack) and that DCX 12V system, this van has energy to spare.

The Retreat Caravans Fraser 180B is built on a flat-floor truss chassis. Retreat has given the van Titan X Plus independent trailing arm coil suspension rated to 3.7 tonnes. The van itself has an ATM of 3500kg, so the suspension is well within spec. 

I found the van to be a pleasure to tow, too. However, I should point out that the first generation MU-X that I used for my tow test isn’t the ideal tow rig, given it’s limited to 3000kg. Given the van’s Tare is under that, and we weren’t loaded up, the exercise was legal, but you’d want a vehicle rated to 3500kg in order to make full use of the Fraser 180B’s load capacity.

Other external features include a drawbar-mounted storage box complete with slide-out trays and a firewood box on top, nearside speakers and a picnic table (I loved the map of Australia on the wall behind the table), a roll-out awning, a reversing camera and more. It’s quite a high-riding van with decent ground clearance for offroad work, and as such there’s a double pull-out step to climb inside. Speaking of the interior, I think you’ll like it…

INSIDE THE RETREAT CARAVANS FRASER

As expected, given the compact nature of this van, there’s a forward east-west bed with a corner wardrobe and overhead lockers. I appreciated that the bed base was upholstered – it gives a warmer, more homely feel than laminated ply. I also liked that Retreat had fitted two drawers to the bed base, so that you don’t have to lift up the bed base and mattress to gain access to the space beneath.

The dinette, however, is on the small side, which is to be expected in an 18ft van that also contains a separate rear kids’ bedroom. But that’s not to say the dinette lacks functionality – two people could sit comfortably here and plug their devices into the integrated USB points of the nearby reading lights.

You’ll notice that the kitchen has no permanent hotplate, griller or oven. Those were intentionally omitted in favour of a portable induction hotplate (supplied) and let’s not forget that there’s an NCE microwave as well. Given the van has loads of available gas, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to fit a Ziggy or similar to the van’s tunnel boot to give yourself multiple cooking options.

Located between the dinette and the rear bathroom is a 224L compressor fridge-freezer – plenty of space to store your perishable items on long trips.

Two bunks sit in the rear-offside of the van, with a large wardrobe sitting against the rear wall, between the bunks and the bathroom. Each bunk is equipped with a 12V fan, reading light and 12V/240V points, while the rear wardrobe is home to a front-loader washing machine. A small but worthwhile point: Retreat was sensible enough to fit a service hatch to the back of the van, behind the rear-mounted spare wheel, allowing you to access the fittings at the back of the washing machine if ever it becomes necessary.

I also appreciated that the bathroom, which sits directly adjacent to the bunks, was fitted with a concertina screen. The screen easily folds away when open, creating an open space between the bunks and bathroom. Excluding a solid bathroom wall might at first sound undesirable, but I suspect the kids would appreciate the sense of space it creates. The bathroom includes a washbasin, a cassette toilet, a large shower cubicle, some cabinets and brushed copper tapware and fixtures to match those of the kitchen.

Honestly, for an 18ft caravan, the Fraser 18B sure packs a punch, both on the technology front and the liveability front. Sure, there are some compromises, such as the small dinette, but those are easy to overlook when taking into account everything else on offer.

SUMMING UP

Overall, the fit and finish is hard to fault. There’s plenty of storage space inside and out, a generous payload capacity, and I have to credit to the off-grid nature of this van. With 220L of fresh water storage (with fast-fill point) and 110L of grey, and especially the DCX battery system and generous solar setup, this van is built to go places.

But that’s what we would expect from Retreat Caravans, a manufacturer that has been in the game for decades and takes innovation seriously. While I found it to be a pleasure to tow, the Fraser 180B even comes with stability control.

The Retreat Caravans Fraser 180B is a van to be reckoned with, one that will draw envious glances from fellow travellers as it goes the distance around the country.

THE SCORE 

FIT AND FINISH –

LAYOUT –

INNOVATION –

HITS & MISSES

RETREAT FRASER 180B SPECS