Mars 15 Elite reviewed at Australia's Best Hybrids 2024 presented by Tough Dog 4WD Accessories

JOHN FORD — CARAVAN WORLD EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Innovation

Mars Campers has been around for some 20 years, and they have a loyal following with hundreds of campers and hybrids exploring the country, so there is continual feedback from owners. The company owners travel and test the various models to see how things work best. The company told us they constantly upgrade their products based on customer feedback and quoted the recent inclusion of the Dometic dust reduction system as part of this evolution. 

The level of customisations on the Mars 15 Elite is broad, with three pantry designs, two different generator boxes, various fridge slides and kitchen orientations. I liked the expanding storage boxes at the outside pantry and the nifty arrangement of the double sided storage racks to access often-used items from inside or out. Small things like the built-in cutting board on the slide-out bench are cool. Storage options are all around the interior, and the shelves at the side of the bed will be handy. 

Liveability

The Mars 15 Elite layout has a fold-down king-size bed at the rear, a comprehensive outside kitchen, and a set of bunks ahead of a combination ensuite at the front. There's a compact dining space and storage in the centre. Access to the main bed is straightforward, and adding storage units to the side of the bed will help keep track of various personal items. The bunks also have quick access and are among the largest in the category. 

Ensuites in a van this size will always be a compromise, and this one makes the best use of the space available with a swivelling toilet and a high mount for the shower rose, which taller users will appreciate. 

Lots of outside storage will have all your cooking needs near at hand, and good ergonomics at the oversized kitchen bench will let you spread out and let the kids be involved when preparing main meals. A family needs extra cold storage, so the twin fridges should hold plenty of fresh food and drinks. 

Although the hybrid has the main cooking facilities outside, adding a basic cooktop and sink inside means you can organise breakfast without venturing outside on a wintery morning. Having the big internal fridge is a bonus as well.

The pop-top was awkward to lift, and the option of an electric ram might be a good idea for some buyers.

TIM VAN DUYL — CARAVAN WORLD CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Value for money

You could spend $58,000 on the Mars 15 Elite seen here or you could spend $58,000 on a vastly different Mars 15 Elite. Confusing, yes, but there is a method to the madness. You see, Mars Campers has been asked for a myriad of storage layouts and fitouts as well for bunks and no bunks, but to make it easy for the customer, pretty much all of it costs the same whichever way you decide. 

You’ll pay more for additional fitout items like extra solar or battery, but should you want a single, large lift-up pantry door with internal and external access or for a pair of smaller hatches that offer a different layout for pots and pans — no charge. The same goes for your choice of drawers or bins in the massive front tunnel boot or on the end of the main fridge slide. 

I get that as cool as this is, it is not putting dollars back in your pocket, but I appreciate the simplistic pricing structure. It keeps it understandable which will help resale and give you confidence you are not being swindled by your dealer charging for things they shouldn’t. 

There are a few bits that for me add up to a decent value proposition in the 15 Elite. Namely the twin EvaKool fridges (they're big, too, at 110L internal and 95L external), AC-ready power system and the recently added Dometic dust reduction system but there is more to the value of buying Mars than just the product you tow away. 

Mars Campers is one of the first companies to get it right, having launched in 2006. Its sales model, dealer network and product portfolio have made it one of the top handful of brands, up there with MDC, Ezytrail and Austrack in sales and dealer network. Buying an imported product can come with risk, buying from one of the established crew builds value.

Self-Sufficiency 

It was a great relief to step into the 15 Elite on a muggy, post-rain afternoon over in Merimbula thanks to the air con gently pushing cool, dry air on our wearisome faces. 

Even with only 400W of solar and 270Ah of lithium, the Projecta supplied 2000W pure sine inverter had the punch to fire up the Dometic Harrier Lite AC unit. Will it run it forever, no, probably not for more than a few hours with the system pulling about 800W (monitored through the excellent Projecta Intelli-RV PM400 BMS phone app) while taking around 5°C off the external heat. Although there is an upgrade for solar listed online, I’m sure you’ll be able to ask nicely for a bit more battery if you really thought you needed air con for more than an hour or two a day. 

For fluids, there is 240L combined freshwater and 75L grey water capacity. This should be enough for four to six days if you take it carefully. I think that is a decent number as in my experience — anyone staying longer than that tends to stay by a water source that could be used for washing, which will extend your stay to over a week.

What won’t last you a week is the electric swivelling toilet’s cassette which has probably a few days in it before it needs emptying. However, you could carry a spare or head to a dump point easily. 

The hot water service is by Truma in its tried and true UltraRapid with 14L holding tank and with gas cooking inside and out, you might use a bit of gas but then with provision for two 9kg, I doubt you’ll fill one more than every few months.

ALLISON WATT — CARAVAN WORLD DEPUTY EDITOR

Ease of use

Mars claims that the 15 Elite can be completely set up by one person in 30 minutes including lifting the pop-top, folding out the king size bed, setting up the external kitchen and assembling the awning, annexe and anti-flap kit. I’m not convinced, but there are video tutorials on the website so you can be the judge. 

I was not able to lift the roof on my own, it was just too heavy, so I would opt for an electric pop-top roof for an extra $3000. Nor could I fold out the bed, again too heavy. And it’s not just a gender thing. Some of the male judges also found it challenging. The awning is electric, and the annexe is pole-less so that will make set up a bit easier for a lay person.

That aside, once it’s all set up the 15 Elite has everything that a family will need for a fun camping adventure. The layout of the external kitchen is great and very functional. The slide-out kitchen at the rear has four gas burners and a sink. Neat pantry shelves are tucked away behind two checkerplate doors in the side of the van and a fold-out table has a built-in cutting board. Thumbs up for innovation is the slide-out drawer baskets for plates, pots pans and so on which are accessible from outside and inside. A 95L EvaKool fridge slides out at the front of the van and there’s lots of room to move under the awning when you’re preparing meals.

Inside a sink, a two-burner gas stove and a 110L EvaKool fridge/freezer means you have the option of cooking inside if you prefer. There’s an internal shower/toilet combo bathroom and an external shower with a tent, although us judges didn’t see that set up.

There’s a north-south king bed for parents and kids’ bunks are a generous size, each with their own reading lights and USB ports, shelving and cupboards which provide a great little nook for them to spend some down time.

Customer care

Mars didn’t provide us with any warranty documents to look at, but they are provided to customers on delivery. It provides a lifetime warranty on the steel chassis, five years on the structure and a one-year manufacturer’s warranty on appliances.

Mars has a dedicated warranty team and, following inspection, vans will either be repaired under warranty or, if it’s user error, at the owners’ expenses at market labour rates.

It also has a very big network of dealers all across the country, including in regional centres, so if you do happen to have any problems out on the road, help won’t be too far away. Mars has been in business for more than 20 years, so they must be doing something right.

MALCOLM STREET — CARAVAN WORLD FIELD EDITOR

Towability

Like many other hybrids, the Mars 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, the hybrid is quite heavy compared to a conventional caravan. For example, a 5.33m (17ft 6in) offroad caravan I looked at recently had a tare mass of 2160kg, an ATM of 2800kg and payload of 640kg. Hybrids are great RVs with many practicalities but many of them seem to carry a considerable weight penalty.

A benefit of hybrids like the 15 Elite is the towing height of just 2.7m (8ft 10in). That's a distinct advantage over a full caravan on several levels. On the freeway, it will be less affected by strong cross winds and truck bow waves, while low overhanging branches on narrow bush tracks will be less of a problem. The external width of 2.2m (7ft 3in) is also an asset along those same narrow tracks, as are the fore and aft brush bars fitted below the body line.

Our Toyota HiLux tow vehicle struggled a bit at times for no good reason (possibly four judges plus gear) but the 15 Elite handled quite well with just a bit of snatching and jerking when towing. Since the 15 Elite has a generous storage capacity up front, I suggest a weight check when fully loaded, particularly the towball mass. 

Build quality

Chinese-built, the Mars 15 Elite hybrid arrives in Australia as a shell with items like the windows and doors fitted. Underpinning the Elite is a hot dip galvanised chassis with 150mm x 50mm (6in x 2in) rails and a drawbar. 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. Although the 15 Elite looks well built, the emphasis is on strength rather than engineered weight saving. To be fair to Mars, this applied to just about all the hybrids with Chinese origins. Most of the fit and finish is quite good, but the visible method of holding the fridge in position, using mini acrow props, looked odd.

A feature of note is the storage box on the drawbar. Just for something different, it wasn't made of black alloy checkerplate, and it did have a stylish look about it even though it was mainly designed to hold the gas cylinders. Staying with storage, the cantilevered slide-out bins on the kitchen bench were a nice touch to provide more storage.

A simple but clever idea is the sliding kitchen shelves wire baskets that can be used inside or out. Something that considerably enhances the external kitchen's practicalities and saves a fair bit of foot traffic in and out of the habitation door. That idea, in tandem with the pantry shelves and drawer adjacent to the slide-out kitchen, adds significantly to the practicalities for external catering and dining.

Independent suspension with coil springs and Pedders is optional. Twelve-inch electric 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. The sub-chassis area looks messy but in fact, all the cabling and water piping is protected by flexible PVC corrugated conduit and strapped up out of harm's way. The rear shackle points are rated at 4.75T and the safety chains meet the necessary Australian Design Rule (ADR) 62 standards. 

X-Factor

Looks aren't everything, but from the outside, the Mars 15 Elite has a reasonably stylish look without too much of the boxy effect. Especially up front, where the storage boxes look like part of the body rather than an after-effect.

Fitting in a large rear bed, two bunks, and kitchen facilities inside and out took a bit of design thinking. According to the Mars team, a certain amount of customisation is available at a cost. The upside is obvious; the downside is a need for more production consistency if the changes are extensive. 

Standouts for me were the overall external kitchen layout and design, the drawers/wire baskets that could be used inside and out, and the versatile nature of the storage. Inside, the bunk bed design looked to my eyes to be very appealing to younger users with its cubby house effect that included shelves and a personal cupboard. Something not only useful at bedtime but also in wet weather as little hidey holes. Small things matter too, like the Projecta bathroom/night light touch panel near the doorway and bunks, the concealed lighting above the bunk bed drawers and the ceiling-mounted shower rose holder for taller persons. Mars has put considerable effort into designing a family-friendly hybrid in a relatively limited area. 

MARS 15 ELITE SPECS

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

EXTERNAL

INTERNAL

Mars 15 Elite price from $58,000

OPTIONS FITTED

• Double sliding dual-access dish rack (interchangeable)
• Large or small pantry (interchangeable)
• Extendable kitchen benchtop
• Anti-flap annex and electrical awning
• Dual bike rack
• Pedders independent coil spring suspension

Mars 15 Elite price as shown $58,000

MORE INFORMATION

Mars Campers
65 Abbott Road
Hallam Vic 3803
P: 0481 519 256 / 1300 667 868
E: melbourne@marscampers.com.au

THE NEXT STEP

If you need help choosing your first caravan or are considering upgrading your existing one, check out all Mars Campers models available on TradeRVs today. 

The sellers will be happy to help and answer any inquiries you may have about the products advertised for sale.

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