Mars 15 Elite: Australia's Best Hybrids 2024 presented by Tough Dog 4WD Suspension
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Time to read 4 min
Hitting the road with a camper trailer or caravan in tow is becoming increasingly popular, and it's no surprise that the market is expanding and hybrids — the link between these two RV categories — are becoming increasingly popular.
Hybrids tend to have the small and nimble qualities of a camper but with some caravan luxuries of a caravan thrown in, and to showcase these unique and different models, we held the first-ever Australia’s Best Hybrids presented by Tough Dog 4WD Suspension in Merimbula, NSW, late last year.
As there's no official definition of 'what makes a hybrid' we had to lock down some defining factors, including weight, size, offroad capability, focus on external living and construction method. To find out more about our definition and the competition as a whole, head here.
There were 10 unique hybrids entered into the event, and while the full reviews (written and video versions) are very comprehensive, we decided to keep things short and sweet here with a quick wrap-up of each hybrid.
Next up in our series is the 15 Elite by Mars Campers.
With a king-size bed, bunks, internal bathroom plus inside and outside kitchens, this 15ft hybrid has everything a family will need to enjoy camping adventures.
Chinese-built, the Mars 15 Elite hybrid arrives in Australia as a shell with items such as the windows and doors fitted. It has a hot dip galvanised chassis, the walls and roof have an aluminium frame, foam insulation and alloy composite sheet cladding. High-strength MDF (medium density fibreboard) is used for the flooring with a PVC floor and steel plates below.
While the 15 Elite looks well built, the emphasis is on strength rather than on weight-saving engineering.
Independent suspension with coil springs and Pedders is optional. Twelve-inch electric drum brakes are fitted to the 16in alloy wheels. The polymer water tank mouldings include mounting points, and all the water tanks have metal sheet protection.
Liveability
The Mars 15 Elite layout has a fold-down king bed at the rear, a comprehensive outside kitchen, and a set of large bunks ahead of a combination ensuite at the front. There’s a compact dining space and storage in the centre.
Mars makes the best use of the ensuite space available with a swivelling toilet and a high mount for the shower rose, which taller users will appreciate.
Lots of outside storage is a plus, and there’s an oversized kitchen bench ideal for cooking with the kids and the two fridges. A basic cooktop and sink inside means you can organise breakfast without venturing outside and the big internal fridge is a bonus as well.
A simple but clever idea is the sliding kitchen shelves with wire baskets that can be used inside or out.
Self-sufficiency
For power there is 400W of solar, a 270Ah lithium battery and a Projecta 2000W pure sine inverter, which are enough to power up the Dometic Harrier Lite air-con for a few hours (easily monitored via the Projecta Intelli-RV PM400 BMS phone app).
There is 240L combined fresh water and 75L grey water capacity. This should be enough for four to six days if you take it carefully. What won’t last the week is the cassette toilet.
The HWS is a Truma UltraRapid 14L and while there’s gas cooking inside and out, the two 9kg gas cylinders should last you months.
Towability
The 15 Elite is well suited to ute-sized tow vehicles. It has an ATM of 3000kg and a tare mass of 2500kg, giving a payload of 500kg. For a 4.57m (15ft) van, it is quite heavy compared to a conventional caravan.
The benefit of hybrids like the 15 Elite is the compact size. With a towing height of 2.7m (8ft 10in) it will be less affected by cross winds and truck bow waves and low overhanging branches on bush tracks. The external width of 2.2m (7ft 3in) will also be an asset on narrow tracks.
The 15 Elite handled quite well behind our Toyota HiLux, with just a bit of snatching and jerking. Since the 15 Elite has a generous storage capacity up front, we suggest a weight check when fully loaded, particularly the tow ball mass.
Value for money
You could spend $58k on the 15 Elite seen here or you could spend $58k on a vastly different Elite 15 due to Mars’ sales model that allows all manner of layout, fit-out and storage adaptations without impacting the cost. Certain additional fit-out items such as extra solar or battery will cost more, but for the most part layout changes have no additional charge.
There are a few bits that add up to a decent value proposition in the 15 Elite, including the two EvaKool fridges (110L internal, 95L external), AC-ready power system and the Dometic DRS.
For more information head to the Mars Campers website.
And to read the full review of the Mars 15 Elite by the Australia's Best Hybrids 2024 presented by Tough Dog 4WD Suspension judges, head here.
Watch the Mars 15 Elite review here:
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