Caravan review: Cadillac RV 220 Ourea Royal Family

Cadillac RV’s 220 Ourea Royal Family presented here is jam-packed with options and styled with distinctive touches for a bit of class. And a sharp price will attract interest among savvy buyers.

In brief: 

• Triple-bunker family van with king-size north–south corner bed
• 3500kg ATM, dual axle set up
• Extremely well-appointed fit-out

I rolled up to meet Dustin Brown, owner of Cadillac RV, and check out the 22ft Ourea Royal Family van. The first time I laid eyes on the van, it was hitched up to a heavily modified, top-of-the-range Ford Ranger Platinum worth well over $100k. Aesthetically, the Ourea Royal Family looked like a strong match, and I expected this decent-sized family van to also sit well above the $100k mark.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn it retailed for $95,500 and was quite impressed with the long list of optional extras that were included at that price. It’s also interesting to note that in standard trim, the base model Ourea starts from $75,500.

The Cadillac RV story

Chatting to Dustin, I learnt he spent many years in construction before he started his journey in the caravan industry in 2014 with a dealership. He saw the chance to crate a distinctive product, built to his specifications and worth putting his brand on. Cadillac RVs commenced manufacture in 2023 and has now ramped up production to approximately 750 units per year. Interestingly, some of its production goes to supplying rental companies in north Queensland and Western Australia. Cadillac RV relies mainly on word-of-mouth referrals and skips the big, expensive caravan shows. It doesn’t have a big dealership network either, which all contributes to keeping its costs down for a very attractive price offering.

The Cadillac RV 220 Ourea Royal Family is a luxurious family van for under $100k

Packed with features

So, what are the features that make the 220 Ourea Royal Family stand out from the crowd?

Let’s start with the inside. There are two wine chillers on board — a six-bottle unit under the main bed and a single bottle unit mounted on the kitchen bench. The internal cooking set-up is clever with a Hawk twin burner induction hot plate integrated with a built-in air fryer/convection oven/microwave. Directly underneath the cooker is a compact Devanti dishwasher. It also includes the essentials, such as a Dometic 224L compressor fridge and a myCOOLMAN 3000W reverse cycle air conditioner.

Moving on to the outside. You get an electric awning, which I think is just so much more user-friendly than the manual varieties. An electric step makes life easier for people with limited mobility. The Fresca 3.2kg front-loading washing machine is mounted for access through an external door and has two handy complementary features. Right above the washing machine is a laundry basket that can be loaded from inside via a cupboard near the bunks. Not too far from the washing machine is an externally accessed fold-out clothesline. Up front is a robust toolbox that features separate compartments for the twin 9kg gas bottles and a slide-out for a generator. The front tunnel boot includes a slide-out barbecue smoker. Bang for buck is rounded out by the Black Jack electric trailer jack, which is a fan favourite with caravanners suffering from bad backs or arthritic hands.

Stylish interiors

Personally, I like the colour palette, and the Ourea Royal Family has some distinctive features to give it a touch of class. The decorative timber lining above the bed and running along the bathroom wall has a real designer apartment feel about it. The light-coloured timber complements the gold-coloured tapware and heated towel rail. And finally, the backlit mirror in the bathroom really brightens up the space.

Off-grid 12V power setup

myCOOLMAN has been steadily expanding its product range in the RV appliance market. It started with innovative portable fridges and expanded into tech-laden reverse cycle air conditioners, with the latest advancement being 12V systems. The Ourea Royal Family is well equipped with a myCOOLMAN 150A charging system with an integrated 3000W inverter. Two Gentrax 200Ah lithium batteries store the power for off-grid stays. I noted the van did not have a DC–DC charger, but Dustin advised they will fit it as standard going forward. Dustin also mentioned they have a ‘Thunderbolt’ pack option that can boost your solar panel capacity to 1000W (630W as shown) and battery storage capacity to 600Ah.

As supplied, the off-grid system is capable of running the integrated induction cooktop/multifunction oven, compressor fridge, wine chillers and can run the air-con for limited periods. Energy is supplemented by the two 9kg gas bottles. Heating water is energy hungry, and the Truma instantaneous gas hot water goes a long way to reducing the demand on the 12V system. Everyone loves an outdoor barbecue, but the fact that it is gas-powered provides an alternative cooking solution if you happen to run your 12V system low.

Family-friendly layout

The layout is similar to many bunk vans, with the key exception of a north–south king-size bed. The bed is positioned in the corner, with the accessible side tapered to provide adequate walkthrough space. The obvious upside is you get a bigger bed, plus it allows for deeper underbed storage space, in this case accessed through an offside external hatch. The downsides are that the occupant sleeping up against the wall may find it slightly less convenient to get in and out of bed, and there is only bedside storage on one side of the bed. If you would prefer a more conventional queen-size bed with walk-around access and storage on both sides, this layout is available too.

The main bed is up against the wall and tapered to create walkthrough space

The mid-section is conventional with the kitchen on the door side and the L-shaped lounge on the offside, with all the usual bench space and overhead cupboards you’d expect of a van this size. The van sleeps five, but seating two adults and three kids for a meal is going to be a squeeze. This compromise isn’t unique to Cadillac RV — you just need to be aware that outdoor dining is going to be the preferred option.

We’ve discussed the benefits of a mid-bathroom layout plenty of times before. The benefit of this setup is that the bathroom has two doors, which creates a buffer between the front bed/living area and the rear bunks. This could be handy if a small child needs to take a daytime nap or go to bed earlier at night than the parents. It also means that there is a private space for changing after a shower. The only downside I can see is that the bathroom’s storage and bench space is limited.

The mid-bathroom layout creates a buffer between the front living area and the bunks

The rear triple bunks are long enough to accommodate lanky teenagers and have useful storage cubby holes complete with fans at the end of each bunk. Each sleeping compartment has its own reading light and window, which is a nice touch — although whoever ends up on the bottom bunk does lose a little sunlight due to the spare wheel on the back of the van. There are two full-height storage compartments in the kids’ bedroom, which have a good mix of cupboards/drawers and access to the laundry basket we talked about earlier.

Triple bunk layout with plenty of storage

A tried and trusted build process

The 220 Ourea Royal Family is built in Melbourne using well-established building processes. It starts with a rolling chassis supplied by Melbourne-based company SilverShine Chassis. The van features a contemporary design chassis with a 6in (150mm) A-frame and a truss structure for the main beams. This optimises strength without adding weight and raises the floor for improved body ground clearance. Mated to the chassis is the optional offroad-ready trailing arm independent suspension system also manufactured by SilverShine. While this is my first encounter with SilverShine, it did appear to be robustly constructed.

A one-piece honeycomb panel makes up the floor and on top of that is an old school meranti timber frame — an aluminium frame is available as an option. Cladding is the ever-popular 3mm composite aluminium sheeting, and the roof is finished off with one-piece flexible fibreglass.

SilverShine offroad trailing arm independent suspension

How does the 220 Ourea Royal Family tow?

A 3500kg ATM with a 2800kg tare delivers a 700kg payload, which aligns with expectations given that this van is jam-packed with optional extras. The 150kg ball weight is lighter than most vans we see of this size and comes in at 5.4 per cent of the tare weight. A 10 per cent ball-to-tare ratio has long been considered the magic number/rule of thumb to work with. In fact, the important consideration is centralising weight over the axle and avoiding large weights at the extremes of the van, particularly the rear. This minimises yaw and the potential for sway.

However, here’s a fun fact. I was flicking through the owner’s manual of a Ford F-150 recently, which would be a good tow vehicle candidate for the Ourea. I found that the manual stipulates that the minimum required ball weight is 10 per cent of the towed weight. To comply with Ford’s requirements, the toolbox would need to be loaded up with goodies, but hey, that’s what it’s there for.

Tow testing with a Ford Ranger Platinum

Standing out quietly

At the time of writing, Cadillac RV is a relatively low-profile brand. If you Google ‘Cadillac RV reviews’ there is not a lot of online history to go by apart from reviews like this one. What we learnt from Dustin is that Cadillac RV has nearly 1000 vans already on the road and a very strong following from loyal customers. The team’s plan is to continue to build on a formula of standout features and a compelling price.

Measuring up

Pros

• Extremely well optioned van for less than $100k
• A good functional layout
• Distinctive interior styling

Cons

• Seating two adults and three kids at the table would be a squeeze

CADILLAC RV 220 OUREA ROYAL FAMILY RATINGS

VALUE FOR MONEY

The keen starting price tag and swathe of optional extras as presented is worth a look

TOWABILITY

It has a decent payload for a highly optioned-up van. Loading up the front toolbox may help in some instances

SUITABILITY FOR INTENDED TOURING

All the right gear for exploring further afield

BUILD QUALITY

Nicely aligned and well put together

LIVEABILITY

Bursting with extra appliances to make family caravan life more luxurious and enjoyable

SELF-SUFFICIENCY

A good combination of 12V power and gas. I would option up a DC-DC charger

CUSTOMER CARE

Five-year chassis and two-year manufacturer’s warranty

INNOVATION

Incorporating appliances you don’t see in a van every day, such as a dishwasher and wine coolers

X-FACTOR

It looks classy and has some great features for the price

CADILLAC RV 220 OUREA ROYAL FAMILY SPECS

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

EXTERNAL

INTERNAL

Cadillac RV 220 Ourea base model price from $75,500 (available with double bunks or triple bunks)

Cadillac RV 220 Ourea Royal Family price from $79,500

OPTIONS FITTED

• Heavy-duty SilverShine offroad trailing arm independent suspension
• External TV
• Barbecue smoker
• External shower
• Electric awning
• Electric steps
• Slide-out tunnel boot
• Large front toolbox including gas bottle storage
• Decorative timber lining above and in the bathroom
• Six-bottle wine cooler under the bed and a single bottle bench wine cooler
• Dometic 224L compressor fridge
• Fusion stereo system
• Devanti dishwasher
• Gold package tapware and sink
• Heated towel rail
• Mirrored shower door
• Truma instantaneous hot water
• Military green colour cladding

Cadillac RV 220 Ourea Royal Family price as shown $95,500

MORE INFORMATION

Cadillac RV

2 Constance Court
Epping Vic 3076
P: 0401 910 650
E: contact@cadillacrv.com.au

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