Lotus Trooper

Lotus Trooper

LUXURY EXPLORATION VEHICLE

What does around $85,000 get you in an off-road caravan? As it turns out, you get a whole lot.

WORDS BY SAM PURCELL, IMAGES BY PAT CALLINAN.

LOTUS TROOPER

Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures

65

Lotus Trooper

01

02

03

+more great prizes

WIN OVER

$192,000 WORTH OF PRIZES

THE ULTIMATE NISSAN

PR IZEPOOL WIN A LOTUS TROOPER

Unless you have had your head buried in the sand recently, you would know that our big annual Nissan giveaway has kicked off – with a staggeringly huge $192,000 prize pool up for grabs. This includes a new Nissan Y62 Patrol and a Lotus Trooper off-road caravan (like the one in this review). It won’t be exactly the same though, as the winner’s Trooper will be made to the winner’s specifications. Want to enter the best competition around? Simply head over to www.mr4x4.com.au or www.carsales.com.au and follow the links. Merely enter your details, and you are in the running! How good is that?

Pat C

allin

an’s

4X4

Adve

ntur

es

66

Lotus Trooper

OOnce upon a time, the rule of thumb was if you wanted to escape the crowds by taking the road

less travelled, turning off the bitumen to find your own little paradise in the unspoilt bush, then you had to sacrifice a fair proportion of your usual day to day luxuries to achieve it.

This is still largely true; many still take just the basics with them for a sojourn in the bush. Whether it’s a swag or a tent, along with some simple cooking and seating facilities, simplicity means you go without many comforts you might be used to. If this sort of compromise is of no interest to you, and you couldn’t think of anything worse than leaving the house behind to visit the bush, then you still have options. Take the Lotus Trooper, for example.

Fitted out better than most houses I have stepped into, the Trooper allows us to visit those off-road destinations we love

so much without the usual compromises that come with camping.

Lotus is a newcomer to the caravan industry, having only been set up in 2004. The company’s fresh approach has worked well, seeing it upgrade from the original workshop to a purpose built, state-of-the-art facility in Campbellfield, Victoria occupying more than 2,150 square metres.

G & C chassis builds each chassis to specification before construction starts, with in-house electricians, cabinetmakers, plumbers and quality controllers crawling over each and every unit during the building process. The only thing other than the chassis which isn’t taken care of in-house is the one-piece floor – made to specification with a one-piece lino covering. The Trooper is available in a variety of sizes (16.6 foot to 21 foot) and configurations – meaning customers can specify each unit according to their own needs and wants, and the build will be adjusted accordingly.

INTERIORThe inside of the Trooper is a lovely place to be. A good look around shows the Trooper to be built to a very high standard, with attention to detail being obviously a very high priority. It’s refreshing to see that there isn’t a wood panel in sight; rather a very modern take on the caravan living space. Acrylic splashbacks, laminate benchtops and venetian blinds are well complemented by the glossy whites, black leather and stainless steel. In the centre of the van are the leather wrap-around seats and dinette, with the glossy black table tri-folding out for good use of space.

The kitchen in the Trooper would honestly put the kitchens in many houses to shame, with generously sized gas/electric Swift oven and grill, along with a full-sized sink, a microwave, three gas burners and one electric hotplate. The fridge is also suitably huge, boasting 190 litres of upright space. LED down lights and strip lights illuminate the interior beautifully.

05

The kitchen setup in the Lotus would

out-gun a lot of kitchens in houses I

have seen!

02 The Redarc Battery

Management System takes perfect

care of everything electric onboard.

03The queen size mattress is innerspring, and very refreshing in the glossy white surrounds of the

bedroom.

01

IT’S REFRESHING TO SEE THAT

THERE ISN’T A WOOD PANEL IN SIGHT; RATHER A VERY MODERN TAKE ON THE CARAVAN LIVING SPACE.

Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures

67

Lotus Trooper All of the finishing touches are really

high-end, like the Sony Fusion sound system.

01You know you

aren’t roughing it when there’s an

ensuite involved!

02Tough galvanised

chassis and underbody sliders protect from

off-road damage.

03Most importantly,

everything underneath the

Trooper really means business.

04Rated recovery

points at the rear end are as beefy as you could hope for.

05

There’s even a toploader washing machine tastefully holed away in the cabinetry, as well as an integrated Sony Fusion entertainment system that takes care of CD/radio/iPod/DVD needs onboard. Want some tunes outside? Well, there’s a control panel for that too … along with a huge Dometic awning and stacks of LED lighting.

The front end of the caravan has a spacious bedroom with drawers and wardrobes built in (which can swallow up a huge amount of personal belongings), along with the under-bed storage. The mattress is a comfy innerspring affair, and the big windows have mesh screens to allow as much (or as little) light as you would like. The other end has the ensuite taken care of, with a ceramic toilet and bowl, and a spaciously sized shower. If you would prefer to take your shower outside, that is catered for as well. Everything in the bathroom looks and feels high-end. The glossy white vanity cupboard with stainless steel finishings is top quality without being ‘over the top’, and has all the features you need for perfect comfort on (and off) the road.

EXTERIORSpeaking of off-road, you would start to wonder how the Trooper would manage to sneak off the blacktop with so many features onboard. After all, it’s pretty much a house on wheels. To ensure consistent off-road performance, Lotus has built a sturdy structure with plenty of protection, without it becoming too overweight. The chassis, made by G & S Chassis (in Campbellfield), is constructed to spec from a concept-driven design specifically contrived for off-road use. The Control Rider Suspension is really beefy: Koni shocks and coilover springs are actuated independently by a giant pivoting arm for each wheel, certainly befitting the ‘heavy duty’ description incurred. There are 12 inch electric brakes on each wheel, providing the van with plenty of braking force (very handy for both on-road and off-road).

For protection, the Trooper has plenty of tube and plate guarding against the knocks and bumps of off-road use. Scrub bars run right along the bottom corners of the van, linking up with the 50 x 50 mm galvanised chassis for additional support. The amount of underbelly protection is

impressive as well. While anything fragile is tucked away from the line of fire, components are also protected by sheets of chequer-plate alloy.

The sturdy drawbar is long and meaty – allowing for even more storage space in the big box, and room for your gas bottles behind the big stone protector. There’s a Hitchmaster DO35 coupling for unencumbered movement, and even a big LED light for hitching up (or ferreting around in the dark). The other end of the Trooper is equally impressive: A spare wheel is mounted nice and high, along with two jerry can holders. These all link up directly with the chassis below; no cheap rivets or body welds to rattle loose here. There’s also some built-in rated recovery points, which link up to the chassis for peace of mind.

Whilst the Trooper obviously isn’t really suitable for, say, the Old Telegraph Track; or you could have a bit of trouble dragging it up the sand dunes of the Simpson; the unit is built to withstand the rough and corrugated backroads and tracks that Australia is riddled with – the tracks that typical caravans would not dare to tread.

Pat C

allin

an’s

4X4

Adve

ntur

es

68

Lotus Trooper

0201

03

05

04

KONI SHOCKS AND COILOVER SPRINGS ARE ACTUATED INDEPENDENTLY BY A GIANT PIVOTING ARM FOR EACH WHEEL, CERTAINLY BEFITTING

THE ‘HEAVY DUTY’ DESCRIPTION INCURRED.

Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures

69

Lotus Trooper

Lotus TrooperIncreased ground clearance, coupled with a flat floor pan, means despite the size of the caravan it sits up high enough for off-road work. And it has a suspension system tough enough to fearlessly leave the bitumen behind. Places like the Gibb River Road, Cape Leveque, the Oodnadatta Track and most of the Flinders Ranges are all quite feasible with a Trooper hanging off the back of your 4WD. And you can do it in complete luxury.

EXTERNAL FEATURES• Tap on A-frame• 95 litre x 1 and 62 litre x 1 water tanks with

separate 12 volt pump to shower/basins• 9kg gas bottles x 2• External shower set• Gas bayonet for portable BBQ• Jerry can holders x 2• Scrub bars • Underbody protection• 8 inch jockey wheel• Manual Omni step• Winch points rear of chassis• Skid rails on rear• Triple LED tail lights • Clearance lights (LED)• Double-glazed Euro-style windows• Triple lock security door• Midi Heki hatch• Sealer exterior storage doors• 12 volt exhaust hatches• Black chequerplate body armour

– front, sides and rear• Stainless, marine grade grab handles

– front and rear• AE Dometic awning• Insulated roof and walls• Drop-down table• Entertainment hatch – Fusion radio pack• Grey coloured aluminium cladding• Black chequerplate toolbox on A frame• Wrap around stone guard

UNDERNEATH• Drop-down jacks• Hot dipped galvanised chassis• Reinforced four-arm bumper bar• Spare wheel• 3.45 tonne Control Rider suspension

(2.5 tonne 16’6” model)• 16 inch x 265 LT tyres• Off-road brakes – 12 inch• 6 inch A frame continued past suspension• 6 inch boxed chassis• Hitchmaster DO 35 coupling• Underbody plumbing protection

FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS

INTERNAL FEATURES:Kitchen:• Fire extinguisher• Smoke alarm• Microwave• Full Swift oven (gas/electric)• Stainless slimline range hoodFridge options: – 3-way 190 litre RMD 8551 Domestic fridge; or – Novakool RFU6800 12 volt fridge• Fusion CD/radio/iPod/DVD player

OTHER FEATURES: • TV wall bracket• Ibis low-profile roof air-conditioner unit• Jack antenna• CO2 gas detector• Vinyl floor• Laminate benchtops• Innerspring queen size mattress• Tri-fold dinette table• Acrylic splashbacks• Laminate hinged stove cover• Roman blinds/curtains/Venetians• Bulkheads and LED striplights• Large bowl sink• Ceramic toilet bowl• Ceramic basin

ELECTRICS:• Complete LED lighting• Internal down lights (LED)• Reading lights (LED)• Light above oven and sink/basin (LED)• Annex light (LED)• Redarc battery management system• 100AH batteries x 2• External power point• Bargman door light• Anderson plug• 120W solar panels x 2• Worklights front and rear• 12 volt Shurflo water pump

Pat C

allin

an’s

4X4

Adve

ntur

es

70