Caravan review: Great Aussie Caravans Tonka 21ft 6in

Great Aussie Caravans have borrowed the Tonka name from the iconic indestructible toy trucks that kids love to play with in the dirt.

It’s a fair call because this van has plenty of offroad cred and bears some features inspired by rugged Aussie utes. The Tonka is not all about utility though, it has by far the nicest bathroom I have seen to date.

Great Aussie Caravans is not exactly a household name with the brand emerging in 2020. However, the company behind the brand has been quietly working behind the scenes manufacturing for other brands since 2017. A strong conviction in the direction the team is taking the company, confidence in their build quality and the development of a comprehensive stable of products has been the motivation for Great Aussie Caravans taking control of its destiny focusing on its own brand. I was recently invited to cover its national dealer conference where we heard all about the company and its products. If you want to learn more see the article in this issue (page 114).

Onto the review, the Tonka is all new, signalling Great Aussie Caravans’ entry into the extreme offroad category with a higher end of the market price tag of $150k. It’s a 21ft 6in twin axle couples van with a tare weight of just over 3500kg and an ATM of 4500kg meaning it’s a fairly heavy van with a decent payload definitely needing a big tow vehicle.

Interior living

This is the first van where I have stepped into the bathroom and thought, “Wow, it feels like an apartment-style bathroom/laundry.” When you think about it, it’s a pretty simple formula — the Great Aussie Caravans Tonka has more of the total floor space dedicated to the bathroom than average and the ergonomics are well thought out. The shower is in one corner and the cabinetry is in the other corner creating a bench surface and cupboards running along part of the rear wall and wrapping around the side wall. There is plenty of room to access the 3.2kg Fresca washing machine mounted on the side wall without having to tuck your elbows in. The washer is at a nice height to reach into the drum with minimal effort. The substantial benchtop return has heaps of horizontal work surface with enough room to put a real-size laundry basket at exactly the right height to transfer the clothes to the washing machine without bending.

The rest of the layout is quite conventional with a mid-kitchen/dining area and front bed. The trade-off for lots of bench space in the bathroom is less bench space in the kitchen. The dinette is plenty big enough and provides an alternative horizontal meal preparation surface. When we explore the outside, we will see there is an emphasis on outdoor meal preparation which also offsets the limited internal bench space. But before we do that, let’s run through the appliances. We’ve got a Dometic 224L compressor fridge. Cooking is taken care of with a Hawk 600 series three gas burner, one electric stove and oven plus a Sphere 25L microwave combined with a Ranger range hood. The appliance suite is completed with a Dometic Freshjet reverse cycle air-conditioner.

The front bed setup has the usual fare of overhead lockers, bedside robes/drawers and under-bed storage. The windows on either side of the bed are a nice size to let in plenty of natural light and take in the views you find. Aesthetically, the contemporary colour palette of white upper sections and charcoal lower sections broken up with timber-look horizontal surfaces worked for me. 

Outside living

I mentioned the Tonka is geared up for external meal preparation. The big surprise in this van is an externally mounted 110L Dometic upright compressor fridge. It’s the first one we have come across and I like it — a lot. There is no doubt a chest fridge is more energy efficient because it retains cool air much better when you open the door but give me the convenience of a vertical fridge any day for the ease of visibility and access to your food. A slide-out kitchen complete with a two-plate induction cooktop and compact sink makes for a decent outdoor meal preparation area. A couple of external pantries and a fold-out prep table complete the setup. There are a couple of little ergonomic niggles. The kitchen has a nice little slide-out chopping board but when pulled out prevents the fridge hatch door from being opened. Plus, the sink cover when raised obscures access to the pantry just a little bit. From what I can see these minor irritations could be remedied by swapping the cooker and sink to opposite sides. If you look at the external kitchen photo you will get the idea.

Functionality

The surprises keep coming with the external functionality. The rear of the van has a striking rear bar inspired by what you would see on a 4WD ute. I am still in two minds whether it looks a bit out of place or really looks the part. But I am in no doubt that the again ute-inspired rear trundle drawer is super cool and gives you a stack of easy-access external storage for dirty stuff like recovery gear. On top of the bar are a couple of jerry can holders and an innovative pivot arm which makes access to the spare wheel about as easy as it can get. 

There are plenty of other smart touches in the storage setup on the A-frame which effectively has two toolboxes. The forward toolbox has four little access doors — two on each side. The water pump sits behind one of these doors. I am a fan of keeping pumps out of the van’s interior to prevent flooding in the event of a leak. And this design takes the cake because it is extremely easy to get to if the pump needs any attention. The water tap is revealed behind another door and is very well protected. The remaining two doors provide access to a bayonet gas connection and an external shower. The balance of the forward toolbox houses two 9kg bottles and two jerry can holders. The second toolbox on the A-frame is more conventional but still important with sliders for easy access and a handy firewood basket on top. Generous storage continues with a decent-sized tunnel boot. Another toolbox mounted on the chassis houses the controls for the air suspension system including a handy air outlet for pumping up tyres, stand-up paddle boards and so on. This box kind of looks aesthetically a bit out of place but is perfectly functional.

Running gear

The Tonka sits on a raptor-coated truss chassis which raises the caravan body well above the wheels eliminating the need for wheel boxes that would protrude into the van interior. Suspension suppliers generally offer an airbag spring system to match trailing arm independent setups as their top-of-range offers. TuffRide is no exception with this style of system enabling ride height to be raised and lowered. Lower ride heights are used for regular travel and higher ride heights are deployed on uneven ground to help with ground clearance. Airbags can also be adjusted independently to level the van up when parked on uneven ground. Seventeen-inch alloy wheels with premium Mickey Thompson Baja mud terrain tyres are tough physically and aesthetically. A nice feature is the tyre pressure monitoring system provided which sends a signal back to the screen on the Projecta power management system and can also be accessed via a phone app. Disc brakes are winners in general but particularly desirable on big heavy vans such as the Tonka. One thing that’s not a winner is the lack of some form of sway control. This appears to be a shortcoming across much of the industry with most sway control systems not yet interfacing with disc brakes. There is a valid argument that most contemporary tow vehicles are fitted with their own sway systems negating the need for a duplication on the van. However, I just like having the redundancy of the van being able to do its thing too. 

Body construction

Great Aussie Caravans offers three different body construction techniques which you can read more about in the profile in this issue. This Tonka is built to Great Aussie Caravans’ Allytech spec which is predominantly defined by a welded aluminium frame construction for the walls and roof. The roof is clad with a one-piece fibreglass skin and the walls with 3mm composite aluminium sheeting. The internal wall lining is a one-piece fibreglass skin. As seen in many high-end vans these days, the floor is a one-piece composite honeycomb construction used for its structural strength and lightness. This combination of materials means that the van body is a 100 per cent timber-free construction eliminating the possibility of rot if there happened to be water ingress.

Off-grid capability

Freshwater capacity is often a limiting factor in how long you can stay off-grid. The Tonka packs more than average with three 95L freshwater tanks totalling 285L. Just keep in mind you will only be able to get a third of that water into the single 95L grey water tank. The Tonka is also above average in the power department running a 12V system utilising 1000W of solar panels. In line with the latest industry trend, the Tonka has an integrated modular power system, in this case supplied by Projecta. It includes a 400Ah high discharge lithium battery, a 60A DC to DC charger that enables charging via the tow vehicle’s alternator, a 180A battery charger, a 40A MPPT solar regulator, a 3000W inverter and an interface with the suspension air levelling system and tyre pressure monitoring. In addition to the electrical power, you still have two 9kg gas bottles to run internal cooking and the hot water service.

The tow test

We towed with a Ford F-150 and you need a vehicle of this scale to match the Tonka ATM of 4500kg. A tare of 3513kg affords a payload of 987kg — just remember that the big water capacity will bring this down to 702kg if you take on board the full 285L of freshwater. I spent a fair bit of time watching the rig from another vehicle and it sat nicely on the road.

The bottom line

The Tonka is a big, rugged well-appointed van geared for big remote trips. You will need a substantial ute such as the Ford F-150 pictured or a light truck to tow it. Great Aussie Caravans have worked overtime on innovation and the Tonka packs quite a few surprises inside and out. A remarkable bathroom is created by trading off a smidge of living area. Clever ute-like features such as an external upright fridge and a rear trundle drawer are going to appeal to this demographic, and I have to admit it is one of the vans I have got more excited about in my reviewing career. 

HITS AND MISSES

Hits

• A genuine high-end van with the specs to take on rugged roads with the off-grid capability to get away from it all
• The most impressive bathroom I have seen in a van
• Unique features such as an external upright fridge and rear bar/trundle drawer inspired by rugged Aussie utes

Misses

• The impressive bathroom trades off a little bit of living space
• Needs a big rig to tow it

GREAT AUSSIE CARVANS TONKA 21FT 6IN RATINGS

VALUE FOR MONEY 
$150k is a lot of money but many other comparable vans will set you back $20–30k more

TOWABILITY
Big van plus big tow vehicle equals smooth sailing

SUITABILITY FOR INTENDED TOURING
This is a very well thought out van that meets the brief for rugged road, remote extended touring — it's 'tonka tough'

BUILD QUALITY
Great Aussie Caravans have nailed Allytech construction

LIVEABILITY
I like it a lot. The big bathroom makes a lot of sense to me, and the outdoor living elements come together nicely

SELF-SUFFICIENCY
Water is often the first thing you will run out of off-grid but the 285L of freshwater on board is a winner

CUSTOMER CARE
Great Aussie Caravans has dealers in all states and offers a warranty of five years on the structure and chassis/suspension, along with a two-year general warranty

INNOVATION
Channelling a ute vibe, the Tonka sports some real winners including an external upright fridge and rear trundle drawer

X-FACTOR
The Tonka has a number of standout features, but the palatial bathroom is the most impressive for me

GREAT AUSSIE CARVANS TONKA 21FT 6IN SPECS

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

EXTERNAL

INTERNAL

Great Aussie Caravans Tonka 21ft 6in price from $149,090

OPTIONS FITTED

• 110L Dometic upright compressor fridge, external
• External kitchen with twin-plate induction cooktop

Great Aussie Caravans Tonka 21ft 6in price as shown $152,090

MORE INFORMATION

Great Aussie Caravans
88 Kyabram Street
Coolaroo Vic 3048
P: 03 9308 8511

THE NEXT STEP

If you need help choosing your first caravan or are considering upgrading your existing one, check out the Great Aussie Caravans 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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