Track Trailer Tvan 2022 Review

Track Trailer's Tvan has developed a rock-solid reputation for its bulletproof build and go-anywhere off-roadability, since it first hit the market close to 23 years ago.

Starting out as a premium but relatively bare-boned pod camper, it's morphed over the years after numerous improvements to today's top-shelf, hard-shell glamping experience, geared to make life as easy and comfortable as possible when tackling Australia's bucket-list off-road adventures.

We recently had the chance to spend a few days touring around in a top-spec Tvan Murranji, to see whether the pioneer of the compact, hard-shell, go-anywhere camper market still holds an edge, particularly over some of its newer rivals...

Pay for the privilege

Since the last major update in 2017, the starting price of the range-topping Track Trailer Tvan Murranji has risen by around 30 per cent to $99,460 (tow-away), although to be fair the latest 2023-model comes loaded with more standard features, to help soften the financial blow.

These include a more advanced 12V electrical system incorporating lithium battery power, 300W pure sine wave inverter and 120W rooftop solar panel, along with a diesel hot water and heating unit, the innovative ‘Skyward Lift-Up Deck’ with canvas screened protection; 1.8 tonne suspension with bigger 17in alloys, bump stops and underbody mud flaps, a front boot with slide-outs and drawers, sliding glass windows, premium mattress and under-bed drawers.

You'll still pay extra for wanted items like an additional 70 litre fresh water tank (to go with the standard 108L tank), second 100Ah lithium battery, the Redvision smart management system, and ARK 750 jockey wheel, as well as less essential items like a bike rack and under-bed 240V air conditioner (although not sure why any Tvan owner would tick that option box, given the internal space and off-grid power limitations!)

Like many Australian RV manufacturers Track Trailer is trying hard to keep a lid on prices, as manufacturing costs soar due to issues like labour shortages and supply chain hold-ups during the pandemic.

"We had a $4000 price rise in the last couple of months and just our sheet metal costs alone went up 33 per cent," Track's Marketing Manager Lloyd Waldron explained.

While potential buyers shouldn't expect a 'Mark 6' Tvan any time soon, he said constant model improvement has seen 17 new features added to the Tvan range this year alone; five of those all-new custom designs and six included as standard features. More Tvan extras are set to roll out later this year, boosting an already impressive 100-plus option list.

"Our plan is to continually innovate the model even if it may not always be directly obvious to people, so the MY2023 Tvan is a vastly different specification to the MY22 build," he said.

Try before you buy

The Sept 2021-build, Tvan Murranjeri review camper we picked up from Track's Melbourne retail outlet in Bayswater, Victoria, is privately owned and part of Outback HQ's 'try before you buy' rental division.

As such it came kitted out with a Camplify 'ready set go' package, including most of the camping essentials such as cooking and eating utensils, chairs, fold-up table, water hose, electrical cord and various tools, all neatly stored in the top-spec Tvan's external lockers and pull-out drawers.

Even the thick pocket spring double mattress was made up, so all I had to do was throw in some clothes, towels, toiletries, food and drinks. The Camplify kit also includes a portable electric brake controller, but with our Isuzu D-MAX tow vehicle equipped with a Redarc EBC, the only other task was a switch-over to a DO-35 pin coupling before we were hitched up and off on our South Australian adventure.

There was also an hour long 'hand-over' conducted by Outback HQ's Camplify co-ordinator Travis, including time for a demonstration and some practice of the trickiest part of the Tvan set-up and pack-up routine: the fold-out rear hard-floor tent section.

Also read:
Track goes down renting route
Track Trailer Tvan Mk5 Review

On the move

The first Tvans consisted largely of marine plywood but the latest versions with their tough sheet metal and moulded fibreglass construction, look ready for battle, combined with Track's military-inspired MC2 suspension that delivers 250mm of wheel travel. Peer underneath and there appears to be enough underbody armour to survive a land mine, let alone impact with a jarring rock or mound!

Travelling solo (not counting the dog!) and with the hefty rental insurance 'excess' in mind, we didn't venture too far off the beaten track, although it wouldn't have been a stretch to drop the tyre pressures and tackle one of South Australia's soft sandy beaches, with the reassurance of two matching MaxTrax fixed to the back of the camper if we did get bogged.

Riding on matte black alloys with all-terrain rubber, the Tvan easily cleared some dips and channels on some dirt roads, thanks to plenty of ground clearance and exceptional ramp over and rear departure angles. The only thing that looked vulnerable was the diesel heater exhaust hanging down behind a rear wheel...

Suffice to say, the stubby Tvan has long been the go-to choice for those who want to tow a trailer on serious off-road trips (it was the only camper I saw being towed on a Canning Stock Route crossing a few years back).

The Tvan also tucked in nicely behind the D-MAX thanks to its 2050mm travel height and 1920mm body width, making it easy to drive under trees and tackle tight U-turns. That said, we did manage to damage the drawbar-mounted fixing point for the fold-up jockey wheel, after it made contact with the ute's bumper during a hasty 'jacknife' reversing procedure.

It was stress-free out on the open road, with never any worries about the 'wobbles' and a very economic 12.6L/100km average by the end of our 2000km long trip, which included some long stretches of 100km/h-plus highway cruising.

You probably wouldn't want to, but the well sealed, auto-style fit and finish looks sturdy enough to hit the whole thing with a pressure washer after an Outback blast, although the matte cream body paint did a good job of hiding the road grime.

Anyway, vulnerable items like the black metal stone guards and vinyl gas bottle 'flaps' up front are easily replaced if you do collect too many battle scars on the Tanami Track...

Set up

Typically Tvan owners are moving every day, arriving at camp late and heading off early as they head for far flung places like the Kimberley, or Cape York.

While we weren't quite as intrepid, we often pulled over and changed camp every one or two days so really appreciated the addition of the ‘Skyward Lift-Up Deck’ for quick and easy access to the inside of the camper: simply release the two catches, press the button and the rear tailgate opens up on gas struts, just like your family SUV's. You can then change clothes or shoes while sitting on the rear ledge, with overhead protection from the sun and rain.

You can also climb straight into bed if you want to, and either close the door behind or take another minute to secure the tent-like canvas section around the opening, for some extra screened ventilation on balmy nights.

With the temperature dropping down low at night, most afternoons we spent 5-10 minutes folding out the two-section raised floor on its adjustable legs and setting up the rear tent 'living' section, although it took a few goes before we got the correct sequence down pat.

The locally made wax converters canvas 'tent' is one of the best we've seen on a camper trailer, with its quality zips and self-locating magnetic catches. Not only did it provide a leak-free structure in the wind and rain, the screened flaps for the large windows and entryways were very easy to open and close in changeable weather.

Also making camping life easier were other thoughtful Tvan touches like the built-in internal clothes' line for drying wet towels, and the 'breakfast bar'; a polished timber shelf that slots into a velcroed section at the rear of tent, supported by cords that clip to the tent poles.

Pack up

I found packing up the tent section a bit more of a workout, especially the last part where the canvas is bundled together and supported by a net that clips inside the tailgate. Fortunately we didn't have to tackle the job in the rain, although you don't have to worry about wet canvas dripping on to the bed as it's tucked far enough back so any escaping moisture will hit the marine carpeted ledge.

Towards the end of the trip we did manage to break some insignificant plastic bits off the fasteners holding the storage net in place, but that was likely due to some heavy-handed 'operator error'. Back at Outback HQ Travis was very helpful in providing some over the phone advice whenever we got stuck, while the Tvan's comprehensive 64 page owner's manual covered any other issues.

By far the easiest part of the full set-up was the foxwing-style Quick Cover awning; it's a simple two minute job to fold out and get complete cover over the outside kitchen area, and just as easy to pack away.

It was never windy enough to require set up of the support poles, although they might have helped with water run-off during some light rain. We also had to be careful when opening the fridge locker and pantry doors, which could make contact with the front section of the vinyl material when opened.

While we never used it the standard shower tent takes another five minutes or so to set up, attaching to the offside wall around the external hot/cold shower hose.

Power and water

The 2023 Tvan Murranji comes standard with at least one 100Ah lithium battery, although our Camplify Tvan was fitted with two Full River 105Ah AGM batteries (the second one optional), This was sufficient for our basic free-camping needs including running the lights, fridge, stereo and water pump, with back-up from the fixed rooftop solar and a portable panel that plugged into an Anderson plug on the offside wall.

While it's a trick unit that will run via an app on your phone, the ($2500) optional Redarc RedVision TVMS is a luxury item on the Tvan when it does a similar job to the standard, albeit messier looking, integrated ‘Interior Command Console’ (ICC) located near the foot of the bed. Nearby USB points and a 240V socket for the 300W inverter came in handy for charging the phone and running small appliances.

The tightly packaged, Webasto-based diesel hot water and space heater located behind the Redvision was a life saver on some chilly Autumn nights, heating up the fully set up camper within minutes of turning it on, thanks to the two-speed fan outlet under the bed. It was also quiet and odour-free unlike some cheaper Chinese units we've used, although the relatively small five litre fuel tank required a top-up every couple of days or so.

With a generous 178 litres onboard drinking water, we rarely needed to fill up either of the two tanks, while the onside manual pump tap was handy for topping up drink bottles and washing hands when on the move.

I also liked the conveniently located front to rear tank switches, with the option to draw water from an external source, and another switch to turn the two awning lights from white to orange to deter the bugs at night.

Cooking and sleeping

While it takes up a large internal cavity and probably adds a few kilos, the Tvan's Premium pull-out kitchen remains one of the best in the business, with a 30-second set-up thanks to its one-hand opening mechanism and clever pop-up L-shaped windshield,. It also feels sturdy enough to sit on, despite the lack of supporting legs.

There's plenty of space to spread out all your stuff on the large stainless steel benchtop, with the 85 litre fridge/freezer and slide-out pantry drawer conveniently located alongside. The Thetford three-burner, glass-topped stainless steel cooktop and matching stainless steel sink with flick style tap, also made cooking and cleaning up a breeze. 

Our only gripe was having to connect and disconnect the gas hose to the bayonet every time we used the kitchen; a task you don't have to do on some of its rivals.

While we had to be plugged in at a caravan park to use the twin 240V sockets near the kitchen, we did manage to power our small electric coffee grinder using the socket for the 300W pure sine inverter located inside the camper.

Although the 'bed hump' introduced a few years ago delivers a bit more interior headroom, the Tvan's low profile fixed roof still makes it a tight fit for taller people (I'm 6ft 4in) to climb in and out of bed, let alone sit up in bed. But once tucked up at night it never felt claustrophobic and the top-spec 'ultimate pocket spring' mattress was really comfy.

Apart from the additional benefits of having solid walls and glass around you, the Tvan's extra-cosy sleeping area seems small sacrifice for being able to drag the camper pretty much anywhere your 4WD will go.

Besides, there's more than enough standing room in the hard-floor tent section, which also has sufficient floorspace for some kids' or dog's bedding, along with a camp table and couple of chairs.

Also worth mentioning is the Fusion Stereoactive marine stereo; another quality weatherproof item that connects via Bluetooth to your phone for some audio entertainment, or can be removed from its cradle if you want some tunes closer to the campfire.

Getting some natural light and breezes through the camper is easy with two roof hatches and sliding windows on both sides (with magnetically attached privacy curtains and midge screens), along with twin 12V fans and multi-adjustable, roll-up flaps on all three sides of the tent.

Reassuringly, it all looks like it can take a beating with hardy exposed surfaces from powdercoated aluminium drawers and perforated removable panels to marine carpetted ledges around the bed. The Camplify kit also included a fold-up marine carpet overlay for the tent floor, to help keep mud and dirt in check.

Storage options

For such a small camper, external storage options are pretty good and all easily accessible on the Tvan Murranji. The offside compartment of the front box was used for storing extra canvas, a bucket, portable solar panel, hose and power cord, but the slide-out could also be used for another fridge, gennie or BBQ.

There's another slim offside locker for holding small containers of tools and other outside items, plus some mesh covered slots up front for the levelling chocks.

Dry food stuffs and other incidentals go in the onside pantry drawer, with sufficient space for cooking and eating utensils in the three kitchen drawers.

Otherwise you can stack a bit of gear on the inside ledge ahead of the bed, with protected space for clothes, shoes and towels in the three underbed pull-out storage boxes (a $2080 option on other Tvan variants). Other smaller items go in the ceiling-mounted nets and a pocket over the rear bulkhead of the van.

There's also the option to throw as much as you can on the bed for longer trips, 500-odd kilogram payload permitting...

Summing up

Track Trailer's Tvan has moved into elite pricing territory, but still stacks up for discerning buyers. While offering most of the latest RV tech for a price, what you're really paying for is design smarts and build quality over bling, and proven components that stand up in the rough stuff.

The Tvan's user-friendly operation means it works just as well in caravan parks as remote off-road locations, and is as much a pleasure to tow on the freeway as it is down a fire trail thanks to its lightweight, compact aero design.

Around 50 per cent of Tvan buyers opt for the Zenith variant, which gets most of the good stuff on the top-spec Murranji while saving around $10,000. That said, our optioned up 'Camplify' edition Murranji is a very desirable package if you can afford it, even if it probably costs closer to $110,000 at today's prices.

Despite increased competition in the premium off-road compact segment, and a raft of cheap imported rivals, Track retains a healthy order book for the Tvan, and despite cranking out up to four campers a week at its Melbourne facility. Order one today and you'll wait less than a year, with the queue for the latest, greatest version of arguably Australia's finest camper trailer currently stretching out to early-2023...

How much does the 2022 Track Trailer Tvan Murranji cost?

Price: From $99,460 (towaway, Vic)
Travel length: 4900mm (16ft)
External body width: 1920mm (6t 3in)
Travel height: 2050mm (6ft 8in)
Interior tent height: 1900mm (6ft 4in)
Tare weight: 1289kg (with Camplify package)
ATM: 1800kg 
Ball weight (Tare): 137kg
Body: Vacuum-pressed aluminium composite 
Chassis: Hot-dipped galvanised steel
Suspension: MC2 Asymmetrical multi-link, trailing arm independent suspension with twin Koni shock absorbers per wheel
Brakes: 12-inch electric drum
Wheels: 17 x 8in CSA alloy with 265/75-17 Goodyear Wrangler AT tyres
Fresh water: 108L and optional 70L tank with marine pump
Battery: 1 x 90Ah lithium
Solar: 120W rooftop-mounted panel
Gas: 2 x 4kg 
Hot water: Diesel instant, external shower and kitchen outlets
Space heater: Diesel
Cooking: Three-burner stainless steel slide-out kitchen
Fridge:  Evakool 85L fridge/freezer  
Toilet: Optional
Lighting: LED 
Supplied by: Outback HQ, Bayswater, Victoria
More info: Track Trailer