04 Mar, 2024

Behind the scenes at Australia's Best Hybrids 2024

by Amelia Mansell

Held in Merimbula on the stunning NSW Sapphire Coast, the inaugural Australia’s Best Hybrids presented by Tough Dog 4WD Suspension was graced with glorious scenery, days that rolled from misty mornings through to colourful sunsets, and of course — 10 exciting hybrids from some of Australia’s most innovative manufacturers.

Over six days each of the 10 entrants were thoroughly put to the test by our panel of expert judges — each hybrid vying for the coveted title of ‘Australia’s Best Hybrid’.

The NRMA Merimbula Beach Holiday Resort was our homebase during the event and also the proud host of the Australia’s Best Hybrids 2024 Showcase held on the Saturday. The organisers, judges, photographers and entrants all got to enjoy the park’s coveted location overlooking Short Point Beach and the coastal-town offerings only a short walk away, before heading to the beautiful Kangarutha Farm near Tathra, which was where most of the judging and photography took place.

Each hybrid is carefully assessed by the panel of judges who inspect the van from top to bottom, inside and out, before heading out on a varied terrain tow test, ensuring they have a thorough understanding of the unit’s build, design, accessories and how it handles on the road. When the judges aren’t combing over the hybrid, it’s in the hands of our fantastic photographers and videographers who produce the detail photography, driving photos and videography that are all used in our video reviews on the Caravan World YouTube channel.

Why we created ABH

Hybrids, which are a middle ground between caravans and camper trailers, are a rapidly growing segment within the RV industry, and are increasingly popular among Aussies who want a versatile and compact van that can travel on and offroad with ease. So, Australia’s Best Hybrids (ABH) was created to showcase these unique models that sit between our annual Caravan of the Year (COTY) and Camper Trailer of the Year (CTOTY) events. And the 10 manufacturers who joined us, some of whom have attended the other events, appreciated the chance to attend a competition where hybrids are judged solely against other hybrids.

“The range of caravans these days is absolutely huge, all catering for a wide variety of needs, applications and budgets. So, it’s not really practical to compare a compact offroad hybrid with a premium tri-axle road cruiser [and] a separate event makes perfect sense,” Ashley Roan, head of sales and marketing at Cub Campers said.

Complete Campsite was another return entrant, having attended the CTOTY 2022 event, and team representative Scott Gould said they found this new event a pleasing change because it was more targeted to their product.

When we asked Sean Cui from Prime Campers about the importance of creating this new event he said: “Hybrids bridge the gap between full-sized caravans and camper trailers in terms of sizes, costs, functions and even ages. The hybrid-specific events will bring more focused products and allow the public to dive deeper into the specific needs they might desire.”

Ben Siluca, the national manager of Arctic Campers, highlighted how important events such as ABH are for showcasing how durable and capable hybrid vans really are. “This provides confidence for our customers to ensure they know they are getting the best value when hitting the tracks this wonderful country has to offer.”

There is no complete definition of what makes a hybrid, but five typical factors were nominated for this competition. These are: size (compact length, width and height), weight (under 2500kg), a general focus on external living (external kitchen and fridge), construction method (lack of canvas walls), and a design focused on offroad driving (single axle and offroad suspension).

Tough Dog 4WD Suspension was proud to be the presenting partner of this premiere event, and what a fitting match. Producing innovative and industry-leading suspension systems since 1985, Tough Dog is a household name for Aussies who enjoy heading off the beaten track, whether that’s with an offroad van or 4WD. And a big thanks to NRMA Parks and Resorts who was the other event sponsor.

The judging process

Now that we’ve covered the where and why of the event, some introductions are in order. John Ford, Malcolm Street, Tim van Duyl and Allison Watt were our panel of experts at ABH 2024, and they are all veteran judges of the COTY event, experienced caravanners and outdoor adventurers and all-round good sports who dealt with the early mornings, copious amounts of van specs to study and a shortage in hot coffees.

Each judge brings something special to the table at these events, from a keen eye for detail and in-depth understanding of design methodologies through to a well-practiced ability to discern if a van’s layout will work for its intended audience.

It was great to watch this team in action again, having had the opportunity to tail them at the COTY 2023 event, and see how their different skill sets strengthened the others to bring together cohesive and comprehensive reviews of these 10 hybrids.

The process follows a similar format as our COTY and CTOTY events, with nine criteria that cover all the realistic areas of a van that can be reviewed.

Build Quality: The construction of the van from the ground up, including the chassis, body, interior and more, with keen attention for anything that might impress or be cause for concern.

Value for Money: The van’s overall cost balance against what it offers in terms of features, quality, durability and overall experience.

Innovation: Anything different or new that has been incorporated into the van. This might be the construction methodology, a design feature or the layout. This is a broad consideration, and looks at everything from solving problems, increasing efficiency to exciting changes in design or aesthetic that are new to the industry.

Self-Sufficiency: How self-sufficient the hybrid is for its intended use, such as how much power, water and gas capabilities as well as the ensuite and cooking facilities.

Towability: How the van performed on the varied terrains, its weight and feel when driving and what kind of tow vehicle is required.

Liveability: The practicality of the van for its intended purpose, including whether the layout is practical and comfortable and what storage and appliances are included.

Ease of Use: How easy the van and its features are to set up, pack down and use while camping, taking into account how long each of these steps take.

Customer Care: The warranty and after-sale care the manufacturer offers and comparing this with others in the market.

X-Factor: What makes the van stand out in its class — what is the most impressive feature that will give buyers a ‘wow’ moment.

Event highlights

With many of our entrants travelling from all around Australia to attend the event, it was great for the whole crew to come together at the public Showcase held at the NRMA Merimbula Beach Holiday Resort and put all 10 hybrids on display. The Showcase gives prospective buyers and intrigued locals the chance to check out this year’s round of hybrids and speak with the teams who created them, and our first-ever Australia's Best Hybrids Showcase was an event highlight.

Overall, there was a great sense of camaraderie and good-natured competition between each of the entrants, all of whom seemed to enjoy the chance to chat with others in the industry, share their thoughts and insights, as well as set aside the business of it all and enjoy the fantastic event dinner at Wheeler's Seafood Restaurant in Pambula.

“[ABH 2024] was an amazing experience, extremely organised, lots of fun and great to connect with the other competitors on a personal level — I would do it all over again!” Lewi Perez, the Mars Campers sales representative said.

ABH 2024 was Signature Camper Trailers’ third event, having previously taken part in CTOTY events, and Mark Nisbet commented that this new event was a fun experience. “We’re always keen to meet up with others in the industry (suppliers and competitors). The morale is good and a bit of friendly competition between brands is always encouraging. The organising team goes to great lengths making everyone feel comfortable and included.”

There was a good mix of event veterans and first timers who were excited to see how the event unfolds and all the steps involved to bring about the reviews, photography and videography. Terry Keen from Swag Off-Road Campers was one such first timer and expressed his nerves leading up to the event, particularly during his long solo 1600km drive from Caboolture in Qld to Merimbula, NSW — nerves which disappeared once he was welcomed with open arms. “As the event proceeded it was great to see how you guys operated as a team, from organising accommodation, food and judging, locations for filming photos and the rest. The organisation from start to finish was top notch. A big thanks to your team for making my experience very easy. I look forward to doing it again!”

While chatting with Ben Hurrey, the Victorian sales manager at Bluewater Campers, post-event he expressed how much Bluewater enjoyed the event and the chance to interact with and learn from other brands, not to mention the beautiful location and exceptional food and accommodation.

The team at Fantasy Caravan expressed its thanks for the opportunity to attend ABH 2024 and the chance to show off their hybrid to the public as well as the judges.

“We were honoured to be selected as a finalist [at ABH 2024] and it was great to have some friendly competition and to see the other market leading hybrids in the industry,” said John Cullen from Great Aussie Caravans. “Everyone put their best foot forward and some of the innovation was amazing — we can’t wait to raise the bar even higher at the next event.”

Merimbula and the beautiful surrounding areas were the perfect backdrop for our first-ever ABH event, and it wouldn’t have been possible without our sponsors, judges, photographers, writers, organisers and, of course, our 10 contestants who braved this new venture with us and helped make it such a memorable event.