Highlander

The Essential Highlander is an off-road caravan with a queen bed, an ensuite and full off-road suspension. Essential built it for long off-grid trips, with two 300 amp hour lithium batteries and a 3000 watt inverter. Layouts come on single or tandem axles.

Who does it sleep?

Every layout has a queen bed, 5 foot by 6 foot 2, and an ensuite with a shower and toilet.

• Van layouts: nine, labelled 17'4" to 22'10", drawn for two adults.
• Family layouts: three, labelled 20'6" to 22'6", adding bunks for two children.
• Extra berths: each drawing shows optional ones, keyed as a third bunk or a drop-down table.
• Drop-down table: bench, L-shape and club lounges only.
• Axles: single on the 17'4" and 18'6" layouts, tandem on the rest.

Inside

Air-con is a Gree 3.5 kilowatt roof unit with wifi control, and a diesel heater is standard. Electric footrests, a 28 inch smart TV and a Fusion sound system are standard too. Windows are double glazed with built-in blinds. Essential lists a washing machine as included in Highlander family vans.

Kitchen

You cook on a two-burner induction cooktop and a 4-in-1 convection microwave. The fridge is a two-door, 224 litre Thetford compressor fridge. The sink has a filtered water tap.

Chassis and off-road gear

• Suspension: Titan X off-road, with a Titan Air twin shock airbag system.
• Chassis: 6 inch heavy duty, with a 2 inch raiser.
• Drawbar: 6 inch heavy duty A-frame, extended 650mm, with a DO35 coupling.
• Wheels: 17 inch alloys with 265/70R17 mud tyres.
• Brakes: 12 inch electric brakes on every wheel.
• Storage: a Jumbo 600 toolbox with two slides, and a front tunnel boot.
• Protection: 800mm Raven coated checker plate sides and checker plate tank guards.
• Body: full fibreglass sandwich panel, fully insulated.

Power and water

• Batteries: two 300 amp hour lithium, mounted on the chassis.
• Solar: up to four 220 watt roof panels, depending on layout.
• Inverter: 3000 watts, wired to every power point, the air-con, microwave and washing machine.
• Charging: a 30 amp charger, 30 amp and 40 amp solar controllers, and a 30 amp DC to DC charger.
• Water: two 95 litre tanks on single axle layouts, three on tandem, plus a 95 litre grey tank.
• Gas and hot water: two 9kg gas bottles and a gas and electric hot water system.
• Internet: a Starlink passthrough.

Warranty and where to buy

Essential gives a 3 year bumper to hitch warranty and a 5 year structural chassis warranty. Essential sells through dealers around Australia. Its online enquiry form sends a copy to your local dealer.