April 2018 – An expensive month
Well this is the big year when we finally buy into our future mobile lifestyle and that all starts with our choice of tow vehicle.

What Car?

Our choice of 4WD car has been limited to some extent by the 2.8-tonne (unloaded) weight of the caravan we were intending to buy. With an ideal tow capacity of 3.5-tonnes, diesel-powered V6, class-leading off-road capability, comfortable, quiet, economical and something that would survive the punishment of our roads. Of course the obvious and most common choice would be a Toyota Land Cruiser but there are also newer vehicles like the popular Ford Ranger or Holden Colorado but we didn’t want a crew cab. A visit to our local Toyota showroom revealed just the dated GX base Cruiser complete with nylon seat fabric, shiny plastic trim – just perfect for reflecting the glaring sun, and a sales team who showed no interest in our presence. Knowing Toyota had no plans on updating the ageing Land Cruiser range we dropped that one from our list too.

So, breaking with popular convention, at least in Australia, we started investigating the new Land Rover Discovery 5. In its many versions the Discovery is the most popular tow vehicle in the UK responsible for moving the major part of 755,000 vans. The Discovery, in its current guise, is one of the most accomplished 4WD vehicles available and equally at home on the school run or axle deep in mud in the countryside. Its new streamlined aluminium monocoque body means it is 450kg lighter than the Disco 4 it replaces and increased fuel efficiency. And, unlike a similarly priced Land Cruiser, the Discovery is loaded with technology to make towing, reverse caravan parking, off-road driving, navigation, communication and long-distance touring effortless, more fuel efficient and significantly safer. Even Top Gear, famed for deriding Land Rovers, enthuse: ‘Incredible off-road ability, great motorway cruiser’, ‘…get the V6 in HSE trim… and you’ll have one of the finest family cars ever created.’ So who are we to argue?

A detailed walkthrough by JLR’s enthusiastic sales staff, on-road demonstration and a test drive had us convinced that this was the right car for us. So, after navigating countless optional features, we placed our order. Global demand for the new model means a 4 to 6-month wait for delivery. As it happened it was much, much longer.

Now what Caravan? 

Just 4-days later at the 2018 Sydney Caravan and Camping Show we made our way to the huge Jayco display area to catch-up with the salesman we met last year. It was good to discover several design changes in this 2018 model, which included a much larger fridge/freezer, up-rated solar panel with dual 100 amp LiFePO batteries and an interior decor update. This year’s show special price added gas powered heating, dual rear and side vision cameras and a grey water tank. We looked through the interior/exterior options and chose our preferred leather seat colour, bench tops and an additional 80L fresh water tank. Previous experience with clothes hangers in Recreational Vehicles in the US led us to chose shelves in all but one wardrobe. We’re expecting to wear mostly t-shirts and shorts, with the exception of a couple of waterproof coats and jeans, so no real need for hangers.

So, after a little negotiation, we were soon to be the proud owners of a new caravan ready for delivery in October, by which time our new Land Rover should be here.