2018 CTOTY: Austrack Savannah X

15-30k - FINALIST

When you've got a big trip planned, the aim of the game is to get on the road fast! The Austrack Savannah X helps you do that, and it has all of the features you need to get the whole family out enjoying nature's playground. With room to sleep six, a swag of inclusions and plenty of creature comforts, bringing the whole crew along for the ride has never been easier. From the moment you wake up and cook brekky, to relaxing under the awning, and then taking a hot shower at night, living in this camper is a breeze.

THE CROWD PLEASER

Emma Ryan

When we judges pulled up to the Austrack camp at CTOTY, the boys introduced the Savannah X as the ‘burger with the lot’. The fact I gave it 9/10 for suitability for intended purpose goes to show I reckon they nailed that brief! This camper is a forward fold, rear slide hard floor that is ready to hitch up and take adventuring from the day you collect it. Designed for families, it has room to sleep six within the main body of the camper. Add a massive awning with a full set of walls and floor plus a large, family-friendly ensuite tent and you’ve got a palatial footprint perfect for long, lazy days enjoying the great outdoors. The stuff childhood memories are made of. And life is made easy for mum and dad, too. Gas hot water, plenty of storage, large water capacity, a functional kitchen and a sturdy construction to ensure you’ll have few troubles on the tracks.

DETAIL DRIVEN

Dan Everett

The Austrack Savannah X isn’t the first forward fold, rear slide camper I’ve seen, but it is the first one I’ve liked. It’s a novel idea that offers a halfway point between the large twin fold campers, and the relatively compact forward folds. A queen bed, a lounge area, and a double bed, all within the standard forward fold footprint. It’s a hell of an enticing prospect. Setting up the Savannah X is a simple affair. Yank the top over, pop in a few poles before moving to the rear. The rear slide section literally slides out into place, gas struts on the hoop pop it easily into place as well. From start to finish the extra bed adds less than a minute or two to set-up times. Of course, it’s not just all about the second bed either. Austrack pride themselves on going the extra mile and it’s shown in everything they do. Even the front face of the camper has off-set poles to keep the canvas straighter, and the awning easier to attach. They’ve included all the gear as standard too, so there’s no need to go shopping for items like fridges, toilets, or hot water systems. They’ve even gone as far as installing a second gas bayonet specifically if you bring a small barbecue along for the ride. The one downside is the ensuite is attached to the awning. They’re hardly the only offender, and if you use the awning every time you camp it won’t be an issue. But if you prefer the quick setup you might find yourself getting acquainted with nature when it calls.

OFFROAD READY

David Cook

The Austrack Savannah X is a well-built and finely detailed forward fold camper. It's built on a sturdy 100x50x3mm chassis and 120x50x4mm drawbar, all fully welded and hot dip galvanised, while the body is Zincanneal steel with underbody deadener to protect the underpinnings from gibbers and grit. The canvas is 16oz plain weave, with heat-sealed dual stitching throughout. All windows have internal covers and midgy screens, and all externally exposed windows have gusseted awnings. There is an automatically-erecting aluminised nylon tropical roof, which does a good job of keeping the living area cool. The extended awning, which covers the rear bed extension, also provides for a big area under canvas, and it can all remain attached during pack-up for ease of set-up next time around. A mix of aluminium and steel poles are used for lightness where handy, and strength when needed. For a rear slide forward fold camper, the Savannah X is relatively light at 1440kg, with a 120kg ball weight. The gross weight is 2000kg, giving a useful load capacity of 560kg. With a fully adjustable dual shock trailing arm suspension and 12in electric brakes, six-stud 16in alloy wheels (including two spares) and all terrain tyres, all with excellent ground clearance, this is a camper that is well set-up for offroad work. The 3.5 tonne McHitch coupling only adds to its offroad serviceability. The polished checkerplate stone guard does a good job of shielding the front of the bodywork.

ANYTHING YOU WANT... YOU GOT IT

John 'Bear' Willis

The Savannah X really is a home away from home with a huge host of extras that will make your next holiday a hit. Immediately to the left of the staircase is the pantry and pole carrier with two large sliding drawers for your pots, pans and non-perishables. There's a 75L EvaKool dual zone, double lid fridge/freezer which is set on quality slides and fully ventilated. The EvaKool is part of the package price for the Savannah X, increasing the value. The pantry cabinet is extended right through the width with more storage on the opposite side and a huge container that is large enough for generators, recovery gear, and the porta-potti, is also included in the price.

There’s plenty of power to run the Savannah X plus all of its additions and features. There are two 100A AGM batteries with Anderson plugs on the drawbar for the towing vehicle, and another regulated inlet on the side for the 160W solar panel. The control panel features an isolator, twin water tank gauges for the 120L plus 50L water tanks, individual fused switches, plus LED power indicators. The package also includes a 20A battery charger and plenty of low energy lighting and charging options with strip lighting inside on individual switches, 12V accessory and USB socket in practical settings. The gas system is completely plumbed from the twin 9kg bottles out front to the kitchen and features a bottle change over valve and AGA gas certification certificate. There’s even a portable Country Comfort gas hot water service for hot showers.

SPECIFICATIONS

TRAILER

DIMENSIONS

ACCESSORIES

PRICE AS SHOWN

$23,990

Check out all the action from CTOTY 2018 in issue #122 of Camper Trailer Australia magazine. Subscribe today for all the latest camper trailer news, reviews and travel inspiration.