Caravan review: Legend Caravans Tycoon 23 Slider

If going big is your thing, the Tycoon Slider from Legend Caravans might be the van for you. Any van with a 7m (23ft) long body gives you plenty of room but this Legend goes to the next level with a slide-out to create luxurious spacious living. Plenty of room tempts you to pack lots of stuff and the whopping 1350kg payload means you can.

In brief

• Big and spacious couples van
• Bed and dining area slide out together
• Plenty of storage and a huge payload

If you choose to name your company ‘Legend’ you are setting the bar high. I have had a really good look at a number of Legend vans, and I have found them to be consistently well-built. Brothers and owners Zoran and Robert Stojanoski have been the driving force behind the company since its inception in 2008. Legend is based in Somerton, Vic, with an impressive factory and showroom and a small team of 15 people dedicated to producing consistently high-quality vans. Zoran tells me limiting their production to around 120 vans per year is an important part of their formula to keep on top of quality.

Legend has worked with dealers in the past but has moved to a factory direct sales model to maintain full control of the process from start to finish. Zoran is the man who will help you select your caravan, conduct your handover and be the person on the other end of the phone if you need after-sales support.

Does the slide-out make a difference?

The slide-out system incorporated across all models differentiates the Tycoon Slider series from the rest of the Legend stable. First introduced in 2017, Legend has had plenty of time to refine the Tycoon. The team has expanded the range over time and there are now 12 Tycoon layouts ranging from 21ft through to 27ft (6.4m–8.2m) including couples and family configurations. Some of these vans are so mega they run on tri-axle setups. We reviewed the 23ft couples model which Zoran tells me is their most popular seller. This is because both the bed and dining area are integrated into one large continuous slide-out that creates an extra 2.4sq m floor space. The van we reviewed was completely stock standard with a starting price of $178,000. The detailed online brochure shows there are a plethora of options to customise the van to your needs including suspension/brake upgrades, expanded off-grid living power banks and outside cooking setups just to name a few.

This is a big van with a big payload to match

Spacious living

A big benefit of the slide-out is the ability to have a more user-friendly east–west bed. Sliding the bed out to the side creates a generous passageway to walk around the foot of the bed. Orienting the bed east–west also frees up space longitudinally. There’s enough room to locate the bed away from the front wall to free up walking space running along the side of the bed. This east–west bed setup just would not work in most ‘fixed wall’ vans.

The freed-up longitudinal space also allows for substantially proportioned club lounge seating. Genuine leather and comfy bolstering further enhance the experience. In addition to the slide-out, the classic front bed/rear bathroom layout has the most open feeling you can get. Alternative layouts place the bathroom more towards the middle creating a buffer zone between the living area and sleeping area. This compartmentalisation creates more privacy but takes away from an open plan feel.

The front bed/rear bathroom layout has the most open feeling you can get

The luxurious club lounge with genuine leather

What sort of storage does the Legend Tycoon 23 Slider have?

We generally mention storage in some shape or form, but this van deserves a whole section because the Tycoon 23 Slider is among the best I have seen.

Let’s start internally. I mentioned you can walk along both sides of the east–west bed. This allows access to the huge bank of four wardrobes running along the front wall. The robes have a mix of rails and shelves, and useful drawers run underneath them. On either side of the bed there a vertical storage compartments including cut outs to allow access while in bed. Above the bed are regular storage compartments that are slightly shorter than usual as the extra height is needed to accommodate the complete slide-out assembly. Near the foot of the bed are more tall storage compartments and under the bed, all the space is useable because the battery is mounted in one of the external access lockers. Thumbs up to Legend for selecting nicely weighted struts to hold the bed up. It takes a little bit of effort to push the bed back down from the raised position, but I would rather that than lighter weighted struts that tend to slam down as soon as you start to push down on the bed.

The slide-out allows for a roomy island east–west bed layoutPlenty of storage up front

Storage in the kitchen area is ample but conventional except for the clever space you can access from just inside the main door. The overhead storage lockers above the club lounge also have less height than normal to accommodate the slide-out assembly. The bathroom also capitalises on storage space by running with shallow cupboards above the sink featuring mirrors mounted on the doors. It seems like a fairly obvious thing to do but you will find many vans just have a mirror mounted to the wall with no storage in this area.

There is ample storage in the kitchen area as well

Moving to the outside, the offside of the van has four hatches running along the checkerplate providing exterior access to the storage compartments under the bed and dining area. It’s just nice to have the flexibility to choose to access the space from the inside or outside. Another example of using all the space is the vertical locker towards the rear of the awning side wall. The front tunnel boot and toolbox are quite standard and get the job done. Legend has a selection of fancier toolboxes you can option up to. Check out our comparison review of two different Trackline Hybrids here to see some alternate toolboxes.

Exterior access to the storage compartments running under the bed (which can also be accessed internally)

Appliances and stuff

The fridge, air-conditioner, washing machine and hot water service are all well-regarded appliances widely used throughout the industry — see specs table for details. The internal cooking appliances are a little different with the Thetford cooktop featuring a combination of two gas burners and one very large induction plate. The Panasonic microwave is one of those fancy ones that does convection cooking too. If outside cooking is your thing you will need to visit the options list because this does not come as standard.

The Tycoon 23 Slider also goes fancy with an electric entry step and awning. The electric step is a winner for anybody with a bad back or arthritic hands and the push-button awning is a favourite with anyone who just can’t be bothered with the tedium of setting up a traditional awning.

Legend Caravans’ construction methods

Legend runs with the Lippert slide-out mechanism which is the system of choice for many caravan manufacturers. In simple terms when you press the button, electric motors move the slide-out compartment along worm drive tracks. It has proven to be simple, reliable and easy to maintain. And it can be closed manually (with a degree of effort) if you experience a power failure.

While commonplace now on offroad vans, Legend was one of the earlier adopters of aluminium frame construction, opting to build this way since 2015. Legend uses the riveting process to build its frames with the view that the joints are less prone to cracking than the alternate welding process. The aluminium composite sheet cladding is also commonly used — it works, and it looks great. The roof is one piece sandwich panel, and the floor is one piece honeycomb construction which are hallmarks of a well-designed van.

The Tycoon 23 Slider runs a traditional box section chassis manufactured by S&M with Cruisemaster XT independent suspension paired to it. Cruisemaster has more premium systems in its range, but I think the XT is hard to go past in terms of a balance between price, weight and performance. The Cruisemaster coupling is its big gun DO45 rated to 4.5T.

Cruisemaster XT independent suspension for offroad travel

48V and gas

Legend is somewhat agnostic when it comes to power systems. It will happily supply you with any of the big brands including Victron, Projecta, REDARC, Enerdrive and EcoFlow. Our review van was fitted with an EcoFlow system comprising a 48V 2kWh battery, a 2600W inverter, 800W of solar panels and a 65A DC to DC charger. A 2kWh battery is a fairly modest battery capacity compared to the Legend Groundbreaker Ultimate Gasless we reviewed which packed a massive 15kWh battery bank (check it out online or in issue 642). This means this van had two 9kg gas bottles up front to share the energy delivery duties.

The 48V EcoFlow power systemEcoFlow control panel

Water is heavy and a significant impost to carry around. However, with so much payload at your disposal, adding another tank to the two 95L freshwater and single 110L grey water is worthy of consideration.

Do your homework on tow vehicles

We were hooked up to the big Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD which is the kind of vehicle you need to pull this 4500kg ATM Tycoon 23 Slider. These are interesting vehicles because they are sold in two different configurations. The NB1 category version has reduced payload and GVM ratings to make the vehicle suitable for an ordinary car licence. The NB2 category version ups your numbers but you will need to get yourself a heavy vehicle licence. You can learn more about the whole American truck category pros and cons thing in Aussie Destinations Unknown’s feature in issue 649 or online.

You’ll need a big tow vehicle to pull this 4500kg ATM van

Get greedy with Legend Caravans’ options

I mentioned this van has a huge 1350kg payload. This obviously means you can pack plenty but there is another bonus. A consideration often overlooked by caravanners is adding options adds weight and sometimes this can be a challenge. However, with this Tycoon you can hit Legend’s options list like a kid in a candy shop.

So, what did we think of the Legend Tycoon 23 Slider?

Collectively the Caravan World team has reviewed many Legend caravans. These models have consistently presented with high build quality and thoughtful design. The Tycoon 23 Slider is no exception, and the extra roominess will be a big appeal for some buyers. Storage is a standout in the Tycoon along with a huge payload. If you are up for a big van that needs a big tow rig, the Tycoon could be just the ticket.

Measuring up

Pros

• Slide-out gives you more space
• Stacks of storage
• Heaps of payload

Cons

•  Big vans can be a tight squeeze in some places

LEGEND CARAVANS TYCOON 23 SLIDER RATINGS

VALUE FOR MONEY

A good price point for a boutique, small volume builder

TOWABILITY

A big van needs a big tow vehicle

SUITABILITY FOR INTENDED TOURING

Well-appointed for the Big Lap with plenty of options to customise to your needs

BUILD QUALITY

Another great example of Legend’s high-end build quality

LIVEABILITY

Space and storage make this van a winner

SELF-SUFFICIENCY

A blend of 48V battery and LPG gives you plenty of energy for staying off-grid and you have the payload to bring plenty of water

CUSTOMER CARE

Two years on the body and fittings and five years on the chassis and suspension. Extended warranty and customer care are options

INNOVATION

Legend has worked hard on many aspects of this van, but the storage stands out for me

X-FACTOR

I’m going to say it again; space and storage make this van a winner

LEGEND CARAVANS TYCOON 23 SLIDER SPECS

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

EXTERNAL

INTERNAL

Legend Caravans Tycoon 23 Slider price from $178,000

OPTIONS FITTED

N/A

Legend Caravans Tycoon 23 Slider price as shown $178,000

MORE INFORMATION

Legend Caravans

2 Florey Court

Somerton Vic 3062

P: 03 9308 9550

E: info@legendcaravans.com.au

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