Caravan review: Millard Toura X 19ft 6 Rear Door

Millard, a well-known name in the caravanning world, builds a range of caravans. Included in the lineup is the Toura range, made for semi-offroad travel. The Toura X is a 19ft 6in model that RV Connection at St Marys, NSW, made available for my use and it has a few extra features. 

On the road

The Toura X is quite a large van, for while there’s 19ft 6in of living space, the external body length measures at 20ft 6in. On my travels into the Blue Mountains area, west of Sydney, it towed pretty well, even on some rough gravel roads. However, the van has a tare mass of 2977kg and an ATM of 3500kg, which is a very borderline towing job for a vehicle like a 3500g rated dual cab ute. For comfortable and safe touring, something heavy duty, like a Toyota LandCruiser, is a much better prospect. Safety features include 12-inch electric brakes, AL-KO Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and a rear-view camera.

Screws and glues

All Millard caravans have a hot-dipped galvanised chassis. In this case, it is with a 150mm x 50mm (6in x 2in) drawbar and 100mm x 50mm (4in x 2in) rails plus a similarly sized raiser. Part of the Toura X fit-out includes a Cruisemaster DO35 hitch and galvanised rear bumper bar complete with a spare wheel. 

Three water tanks with galvanised sheet protection are fitted between the chassis rails, the two freshwater tanks forward of the axles and the grey tank towards the rear. In addition, the water pump and the diesel heater exhaust are under the van’s front area.

The 16-inch alloy wheels are connected to Cruisemaster’s All-Terrain XT independent suspension with coil springs, trailing arms and two shock absorbers per wheel. Part of the Limited Edition package fitted to this van includes BF Goodrich mud terrain tyres. 

Part of Millard’s van build includes a honeycomb floor. Designed for light weight, strength and being impervious to water, it’s 30 per cent lighter than plywood. It’s also aptly named because it’s made from a thermoplastic composite sandwich panel that consists of polypropylene honeycomb and fibreglass-reinforced polypropylene face sheets. 

Millard’s Toura X is built with an aluminium frame, insulation and aluminium composite panel cladding, including the one-piece roof. Mobicool double-glazed acrylic windows and a Milenco Columbia security door are standard items. Part of the Toura X package also includes a Dometic Dust Reduction System (DRS). 

Body features

External storage is well handled by the Toura X. In addition to the front tunnel storage, there’s an alloy checkerplate bin on the drawbar. It has a slide-out on either side, suitable for both a generator and a Weber barbecue, plus a separate bin on top. 

For nighttime use, the Toura X is quite well-equipped. Each wall has at least one light, and the awning area is particularly well-equipped with three lights. In addition, the nearside wall has a picnic table, external speakers and an entertainment unit with 240V, 12V, radio and TV antenna connections.

Large pantry

Several of Millard’s Toura layouts have the alternative of either a mid-door or a rear-door entry. My review van had a rear door and stepping aboard revealed a colour scheme consisting of several glossy shades of grey with a bit of black and white. It’s a spacious layout with a classic look in the form of a front bed and rear bathroom arrangement with a nearside kitchen and offside dinette. All the cabinetry is CNC machine-cut and fits together very well. I liked the style of handles on the doors and drawers, very user-friendly. 

One of the eye-catching features that separates this layout from several competitors is the pantry that’s between the kitchen and the front bed. It’s floor-to-ceiling and wide enough to have a multi-shelf cupboard in the top half and a slide-out wire basket pantry in the lower half. That neatly complements the adjacent wire basket pantry fitted under the kitchen bench. At the kitchen bench level, there are more wire baskets, a pair of them built into a recess in the partition. The pantry intrudes into the air space, but it’s a very effective use of that same space. 

The rest of the kitchen area is built more conventionally with a Mobicool four-burner cooktop, grill and oven alongside a stainless steel sink/drainer. There’s a selection of variously sized drawers and overhead lockers. Of note is the cutlery drawer built into a larger drawer and the large flap that accesses the storage space under the sink. Facing the entry door, the Dometic 224L three-way fridge fits neatly between the bathroom wall and the adjacent seat. 

Opposite the kitchen bench, the dinette offers all the comforts, including wall cushions and footrests. Those are actually both designed as drawers, sized to contain a foot cushion. Above the dinette are two reading lights and the usual array of overhead lockers. 

Fresh air

Two large windows and a decent-sized roof hatch make the front bed area very bright and airy. The 1.88m x 1.5m (6ft 2in x 5ft) bed has room to move all around and there’s no feeling of being cramped, even with the full-height, multi-shelved cupboard beside the dinette. Around the bedhead are the usual overhead lockers, bedside drawers and side wardrobes. Fitted into the cabinet’s base are a pillow cubby and a hinged lid that hides a lower compartment.

Rear bathroom

Like the rest of the caravan, the bathroom is well-fitted and user-friendly. The expected features include a nearside shower cubicle, offside Thetford cassette toilet, wash basin and a front-loading washing machine. On top of that, the vanity cabinet is exceptionally well-kitted out with large drawers, overhead lockers and an angled corner cupboard. There are fan hatches above the toilet and shower, plus a window. 

Self-containment

Designed for off-grid travel, the Toura X has an Enerdrive B-TEC 200Ah Lithium LiFePO4 battery and two 200W solar panels. Controlling the battery and solar panel setup is a BMPRO Battery Plus 35-II-HA Battery Management System (BMS) with a 30A multistage battery charger and 30A solar MPPT regulator. A BMPRO Odyssey monitor controls the electrical system via an Odyssey Link 104 communication centre. Both are located outside and inside the overhead locker adjacent to the entry door. Also inside the same locker is a Fusion radio.

Three water tanks are fitted to the Toura X, two 95L freshwater and one 110L grey water. The only real limit on extended off-grid stays is the capacity of the Thetford toilet cassette tank.

Customer care

All Millard Caravans have a five-year chassis warranty and a two-year manufacturing warranty. Separately, the OEM components and appliances like the fridge, air-conditioner and water heater have their individual manufacturer warranties. Millard has dealers in most states and New Zealand. 

The bottom line

Millard’s Toura X van isn’t a lightweight and will require a heavy-duty tow vehicle. It’s well-appointed, though, with features like the Lithium battery, Cruisemaster All-Terrain XT suspension and Dometic DRS. Built for a couple, the van is designed with some rough stuff in mind, and there’s much to be said for the overall design. 

HITS AND MISSES

Hits

• Spacious interior
• External storage
• Dinette with back and footrests
• Kitchen pantry
• Battery/solar panel capacity

Misses

• Heavy-duty tow vehicle required
• Large set of keys is required

MILLARD TOURA X 19FT 6 RD RATINGS

VALUE FOR MONEY
A limited edition caravan that has quite a few extras fitted and is designed to handle offroad use

TOWABILITY 
Generally speaking, the van tows quite well but does really require a heavy-duty tow vehicle

SUITABILITY FOR INTENDED TOURING
The Cruisemaster All-Terrain XT suspension suggests a van built for rough road touring

BUILD QUALITY
Generally speaking, the fitness and finish are quite good, particularly the often-messy sub-chassis area

LIVEABILITY
The front bed, rear bathroom layout is very familiar, but the length of the van gives room to move

SELF-SUFFICIENCY
Well-equipped with the standard freshwater tank capacity plus a 200Ah lithium LiFePO4 battery and a solar capacity of 400W

CUSTOMER CARE 
Five-year chassis warranty, a two-year manufacturing warranty and OEM warranties on the appliances and components

INNOVATION
The pantry is something of a standout in this van 

X FACTOR
A Millard caravan capable of rough road travel with the right tow vehicle

MILLARD TOURA X 19FT 6 RD SPECS

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

EXTERNAL

INTERNAL

Millard Toura X 19ft 6in price from $110,360

MORE INFORMATION

RV Connection
97c Glossop Street
St Marys NSW 2760
P: 02 9623 0400

THE NEXT STEP

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