New Pioneer Campers Verve - Off-road Hybrid Caravan

• Full Height van with premium construction, and designed around the user.
• Priced from $128,500, including GST, Dealer Delivery, and Registration in VIC.

Just over 2 years after being bought by Track Trailer, Pioneer Campers has developed an all new Hybrid Off-road Caravan which will be released to the public on 13th August 2022 at the Outback HQ open Day. Named the Pioneer ‘Verve’ which means ‘Viguor, Spirit, and Enthusiasm’, the Verve is the culmination of significant development work by the Pioneer team to continue the evolution of the Pioneer Brand.

The Pioneer Verve is the culmination of the Pioneer Campers’ journey over the last 25 years. The story starts in 1997 in Perth with the design of a light weight flip-over camper. This design was refined over time and took a strong market position in 2012 with its full sheet-metal construction.

Sensing a shift in the market, the Pioneer team began developing the Mitchell (2015), a hybrid super camper, beginning the journey towards a Hybrid Caravan. The Mitchell was awarded Camper Trailer of the Year in 2017 and developed a strong and loyal following. In 2020, Pioneer Campers was purchased by TRACK (Trailer) with the intention of continuing the Pioneer Camper evolution.

The TRACK Group team of designers and engineers has helped realise the Pioneer Camper vision with the creation of the Pioneer Verve, a true off-road caravan hybrid. The Verve is the essence of the Pioneer Campers proceeding, taking design cues and methodology of the Mitchell, Onyx and also customer feedback. The process also took a deep dive into the hybrid market segment, studying competitor designs, building methodology, standard fitment, options and price points. This highlighted the opportunity to produce a product that addressed competitor compromises and help the customer through the marketing spiels by providing a highly capable product with longevity and resale in mind.

Our engineers worked tirelessly throughout the COVID shut downs to capture and transform the essence and spirit of the Pioneer Campers proceeding and distill it into the Pioneer Verve.

We believe that the Pioneer Verve has completed the journey from humble beginnings and aspirations to become an industry leader in the hybrid caravan space. We are proud of what we have created and we believe that it revolutionises the concept of off-road caravans by shedding the tired look of a conventional caravan with beefy suspension and rubber flares.

The Pioneer Verve has all the rich history and pedigree of the previous Pioneers. Look at the lines, colours and iconic wheel arch flares. Stand back and admire the strong, but lightweight, insulated sheet metal body. Admire the underpinnings of the custom Trak-Two independent trailing arm coil suspension with twin shocks.

There’s so much to love about this truly unique Hybrid Camper.

WHAT IT’S MADE OF MATTERS!

Our design philosophy is more than skin deep at Pioneer Campers and the Verve is no exception. The walls and roof of the Verve are manufactured using our unique frameless design, which is lighter than conventionally clad vans and stronger than fiberglass finishes.

As we bond these walls we incorporate supports, joining fixtures and high density closed cell foam for insulation. There are no exposed edges because our paneling features return folds protecting all external edges and preventing water and dust ingress.

All panels are finished in a highly durable gloss powder coat and are riveted together externally using the skeletal supports. Reinforcements are incorporated internally to allow for easy fitment of cabinetry and to further improve strength.

This process also lends itself perfectly to the ‘full height’ design of the Verve as the roof can easily support the external accessories.

It’s a time-proven manufacturing technique developed for the TRACK Tvan and is fully utilised across the entire TRACK range. You could say it’s in our DNA.

SUSPENSION:

The Pioneer Verve features a custom designed chassis and uniquely tuned Trakmaster Trak-Two independent trailing arm coil suspension with twin shocks.

The reason why a “custom designed” chassis and suspension matters is to ensure even weight distribution and a manageable ball load within the 10%-15% required to achieve good towing stability.

The suspension also takes into account the overall dimensions of the body, including height, and is tuned to reduce instances of sway during long corners or moments of wind buffeting such as by a passing truck. By managing these factors at the design stage, we can ensure that the Pioneer Verve will tow superbly behind 4WDs that are appropriately specified.

The Pioneer Verve features a Hot Dipped Galvanised (HDG) chassis, the gold standard of corrosion protection and features a 393% increase in protection*, when compared to DuraGal® and similar alternatives offered by other manufacturers.

The Pioneer Verve chassis is fully welded with Australian steel and hot-dipped (immersed in a bath of molten zinc 450°C). By comparison a DuraGal® manufactured chassis ends up with no zinc coating on enclosed welds and only a zinc rich paint on external welds.

*HDG provides a thicker protective zinc coating compared to alternatives and results in a minimum average coating of 390g/m2 inside and out and a minimum average coating thickness of 55-micron vs the commonly used DuraGal® at 100g/m2 or 14 micron of zinc on flat surfaces, meaning HDG is a 393% increase in protection in terms of micron thickness.

DAY TO DAY USE

The internal kitchen:

The overhead lockers are large and offer generous amounts of space for pantry goods. The bench height is the same as most household benches to ensure comfort while using. This is assisted by cut in kick panels (room for your feet) allowing you to stand closer to the bench. The rangehood is neatly concealed behind the overhead locker doors for a clean and consistent look.

Additionally, you can select which water tank you are using from inside the van, right at the kitchen.

The internal kitchen space has a broad variety of options and configurations that allow you to fully customise the space swapping storage for cookers, microwaves and an internal fridge.

The ensuite is a large space with the biggest possible entry door featuring a flush roof mounted LED panel light and dimmer along with ventilation fan and hanging hooks. The toilet is a stand out, set at a comfortable height and easily accessible external cartridge. This is a deliberately simple system for easy use and minimal exposure to unnecessary second or third handling caused by other systems. For longer stays in between dump points, extra cartridges are available.

The shower rose is fixed at head height and features a hot and cold flick mixer for easy use.

The bed is standard as an East/West orientation to maximise living space, dinette seating and allow for easy configuration of the bunk option. However, this is fully customisable and can be a full queen size bed in the North/South configuration or twin king single beds with a step through.

Any seat location can also be upgraded for additional storage. A full height wardrobe can be installed alongside the shower while a low 2-drawer benchtop system can be located in lieu of any seat.

The table position changes to accommodate seat location.

The overhead lockers are secured with strong magnets (no locks required) and offer a surprisingly large amount of space. Towards the bed head end the lockers morph into quick storage for smaller items.

In the case of a queen bed in the North/South configuration there are also two bed side consoles that offer generous storage.

Above door side seating you’ll find open storage with access to power for charging on the go. Below this is also perfect real estate for a map or photo board.

OUTSIDE LIVING:

Our emphasis on outdoor cooking and preparation can be clearly seen by the positioning of the external kitchen in relation to the pantry (middle of awning) offering maximum protection and convenience.

Large external pantry (~115L) with deep well-thought-out shelves to accommodate a broad variety of food packaging. Featuring gas strut assisted door, LED light and compression seals with lock.

It’s a great place to keep cooking aids - paper towel, spices, oil as well as standard pantry items. Within minutes of using it, it’ll feel natural reaching up to the panty to get the things you need.

There are two kitchens available:

Standard:

• Aluminium construction
• Stainless steel workbench with built in windshields
• Located on kerb side for safe roadside access
• Twin burners
• Extra sturdy ‘slide out’ design – no support legs
• Generous pantry accessible from both sides
• Sink, electric water pump and large cutlery drawer
• Flick mixer tap to allow for hot water in the kitchen

The Premium Kitchen Option:

Features twice the bench space of its smaller counterpart. The stainless-steel benchtop utilises advanced sheet metal techniques for a premium feel, including rounded edge. The powder coated, predominantly aluminium body makes access to storage a breeze, incorporating many drawers for the storage of all your kitchen needs.

The Premium Kitchen boasts a Thetford 3 burner (2×1.5KW, 1×2.5KW) glass topped stainless steel cooktop with Piezo ignition and matching stainless-steel sink with flick style tap, draining board and cutlery drawer located below. The kitchen utilises a lock in / lock out handle which accommodates single handed operation and slides on ball bearing runners. The integrated windshields are deployed by simply raising them into position. We’ve even fitted a bottle opener so you won’t have to go searching for your keys!

Plus, a large pull-out fridge drawer with 95l dual zone fridge, tie downs and extra storage!

POWER:

Redvision® has been used to give you access to all the major appliance and onboard systems. Using the screen or your mobile phone (via Bluetooth app) you can switch inside and outside lights, view energy charge / consumption, check water capacity, turn on the inverter and easily deactivate the fridge(s) for storage, activate on board water pump and so much more.

This Australian designed and made electrical system accepts and regulates charge from solar, the tow vehicle and an external 240V source. All circuits have fuses and there is a master power switch for storage.

Batteries types and numbers (max 4) can be changed and upgraded, without the need to change any charging components.

The Verve has premium Revolution Batteries specified as standard because they are engineered and extensively tested in the field. Revolution is an Australian family company that has decades of hands-on experience.

The Batteries are ultra-light at 11.5kg (standard Eco) and have Australia’s most advanced state of the art Battery Management System (BMS) inbuilt to ensure peace of mind, when it comes to battery protection and safety. Plus a 3-year replacement warranty.

STANDARD MODEL INCLUSIONS: $128,500

DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS:

WATER TANKS:

Supplied by Pioneer Campers