Great Aussie Caravans Striker: Australia's Best Hybrids 2024 presented by Tough Dog 4WD Suspension
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Time to read 3 min
Not quite a caravan nor a camper trailer, hybrids can come in all shapes and sizes. Next up in our wrap-up series of the 10 unqiue trailers entered into Australia's Best Hybrids 2024 presented by Tough Dog 4WD Suspension is the Striker by Great Aussie Caravans.
To find out more about the Australia's Best Hybrids event and our defintion of what makes a hybrid, check out this article.
The Great Aussie Striker fits the definition of a hybrid beautifully, offering the creature comforts of a full-sized caravan while boasting all the lightweight, narrow and nimble benefits of a traditional hybrid.
Build quality
The Striker is built using Great Aussie’s Allytech aluminium frame that is welded in-house and enclosed with composite cladding and XPS insulation in between. The hybrid features top-tier brands for appliances and accessories, including the Cruisemster DO35 coupling and Dometic FreshJet 7 Series Lite air conditioner, Swift cooktop and Fusion appliances found inside.
The Intelligent Engineering chassis is protected with DuraGal and an optional Raptor coating for stone protection. The TuffRide independent trailing arm suspension is rated to 3000kg, and the disc brakes offer extra stopping power.
The floor is light, durable PVC honeycomb, and up top is a single-piece composite panel with the bare minimum of holes cut into it and no joins to lower the chance of water ingress.
Liveability
Inside there’s a front island bed, a full ensuite on the back wall, nearside kitchen and off-side lounge. The narrow width (1.98m / 6ft 5in) means the bed takes up the entire front area and the lounge is just a sideways-facing seat, and the bathroom is narrower than Great Aussie’s usual caravan layouts. There's a good balance of down lights, strip lights and large windows for a bright but cosy feel. The bathroom features a separate shower and cassette toilet with a vanity and front loader washing machine filling the remaining space.
The internal kitchen is fully equipped, with soft-close drawers, stainless-steel sink, a full oven and Dometic 224L 12V compressor fridge. The compact size does make the interior more confined than usual, but the offset is that the Striker also comes with an external kitchen in the form of a slide-out in the full-length tunnel boot up front.
Self-sufficiency
The Striker is well equipped for medium stays off-grid. There is 600W solar panel and a 200Ah lithium Projecta battery supplying 12V and 240V power through a 2000W Projecta inverter.
An integrated Bluetooth enabled Projecta PM435-BT system oversees charging with a 35A AC charger and a 30A MPPT solar regulator. As well as a wall mounted screen, the system offers smart phone monitoring and activation of various electronic outputs including water pumps, lighting and appliances.
The gas stove option means you don’t need to rely on solar for cooking and a couple of 9kg bottles will last for many weeks. The 190L water capacity will be the most limiting factor if you don’t have access to a creek for washing. However, a 95L grey water tank opens up camping options in council and restricted national parks.
Towability
The tall and narrow body of the Striker sits high on its riser-equipped offroad chassis and that is noticeable when towing it. Watch for low-hanging branches and in high winds expect to feel it pushed around a bit more than a pop-top. But that’s the thing, it’s a full-height hybrid. If you want a narrow track, better-insulated trailer with no canvas, you’ll be happy with the slightly compromised tow.
Where the Striker hasn’t compromised is the braking and suspension and it soaked up the bumps around Merimbula, NSW (and Lake Eildon, Vic). We towed with both a budget-friendly Mitsubishi Triton that felt OK, if a little down on power and a new Ford Ranger Wildtrak X which offered a bit more poke (and comfort) than the high-milage Triton.
With the Striker’s 3000kg ATM and 215kg ball weight, I would suggest any of the modern crop of 4WD utes would be a good fit.
Value for money
Priced at $111,264, the Striker is built at Great Aussie’s Coolaroo (Melbourne) factory and is good value for money for an Aussie-made and designed van with all the comforts of a full caravan combined with the lightweight nimbleness of a hybrid. Great Aussie offers three options for frames including timber, which will drop the price down under $100k.
For more information head to the Great Aussie Caravans website.
And to read the full review of the Great Aussie Striker by the Australia's Best Hybrids 2024 presented by Tough Dog 4WD Suspension judges, head here.
Watch the Great Aussie Striker review here:
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