Caravan review: Royal Flair Designer Series 19’6 Slide Out

Some slide-out vans can be intimidatingly large. Many will find the Royal Flair Designer Series 19’6 Slide Out a much more user-friendly size on the road — and the smaller internal space works well thanks to some clever design features.

In brief: 

• 19ft 6in/5.95m couples slide-out van
• 3500kg ATM with 695kg payload
• Heavy-duty rated underpinnings for extended back-road touring

Royal Flair is one of a handful of brands to surpass the 50-year milestone in business. A key element of its success is innovation. Over the years, Royal Flair has had a number of standout models. The Eco Mate features a main drop-down bed, allowing space for a huge entertaining club lounge underneath it. The Piazza has a fold-out system that creates a patio — the Nature Balcony — over the A-frame, including roof, deck and side walls. And my favourite is the very practical Raptor toy hauler, which has a fold-down platform at the rear to carry heavy toys such as motorcycles.

This time, we look at the Designer Series. Featuring models from 17ft (5.2m) through to 22ft (6.7m), Royal Flair put forward its 19ft 6in (5.95m) model to highlight its new slide-out offering. Many of the slide-out vans I have reviewed have been significantly longer, so it was interesting for me to see how Royal Flair went about using the space in a sub-20ft van.

The Royal Flair Designer Series 19’6 Slide Out is a small van with some clever design features

Small van, big living feel

First impressions count, and the lighting in the Designer Series 19’6 really brings the whole van to life. A combination of downlights and strip lighting creates a warm, welcoming feel and enhances the van’s charming interior — a contemporary blend of dark grey and white cabinetry, timber accents and herringbone floors. With all the lights on, it doesn’t feel overpowering, but you certainly wouldn’t need them all running for everyday use.

While the lighting competes for the limelight, the two real stars of the show are the big front club lounge and the slide-out bed. The seating will accommodate around six people, which is great for entertaining in unfavourable weather. The front window lets in plenty of natural light, and you can take in the view through the well-sized window on the offside wall. The centrally located east–west slide-out bed is the key to extracting so much living space out of a 19ft 6in van, as you only need to fit the width of the bed rather than the length. This slide-out configuration misses out on bedside storage, but there are some decent overhead compartments and vertical storage lockers at the foot of the bed. Also, at the foot of the bed is an impressive pop-up TV that stores away for transit.

The spacious club lounge at the front of the van

The slide-out creates more room inside for the east–west bed

Every van has its compromises, and the ones I can see in this layout are:

1. Access to tuck in the bedding close to the pillows is tricky
2. Having a great spot to hide away the TV robs you of some standard storage space
3. If you pull over for a roadside bathroom break, you will need to be fairly agile to climb over the closed-up bed, or just hit that magic slide-out button to gain access

The TV slides down into its own cabinet

The compact kitchen plays a small but important role. Fitting everything in means that bench space is limited for meal prep, but this can be partially overcome by using the dining table, which is in close proximity. Kitchen overhead lockers are functional, and you get your money’s worth as they continue to wrap all the way around the club lounge. You have all the good appliances for refrigeration and cooking, so there is a lot to like about the kitchen area.

The compact kitchen

A clever bathroom

The compact theme flows through to the full-width rear bathroom. Royal Flair has made clever design choices to fit a fully functional bathroom into a fairly small space. The key to success is using shallow benches, drawers and cupboards so there is still room to move around. You still get the normal amount of width, so you are not really missing out on much.

The clever ideas include mounting mirrors on the upper cupboard doors and using an offset basin and tap that gives you plenty of room to wash your hands. The 2.5kg NCE wall-mounted washing machine is positioned at just the right height to enable the bench space underneath it to still be useable.

Two open nooks beside the toilet make the most of the available space, as doors or drawers would hit the toilet when opened.

The rear full-width ensuite

Sleek exterior with practical features

The Designer Series 19’6 has a mix of simplicity and clever functionality. The first thing I noticed is the absence of checkerplate. Royal Flair has opted for a smooth black powder-coated sheeting, which creates a very sleek look. The matching black front toolbox is a basic design and doubles as a handy little food prep surface right next to the barbecue. Also, right next to the gas barbecue is a jerry can holder — smart people will store water there, not petrol. Talking about smart, I like that the water pump has been mounted in an external box rather than inside. It helps minimise noise inside and prevent flooding if a fitting springs a leak. The rear of the van is quite tidy with just one spare wheel on the basic rear bumper bar, minimising weight at the extremity.

The toolbox and gas barbecue

The water pump is mounted in an external box, which is a nice touch

The Lippert slide-out mechanism is the system I have seen on all four slide-out vans I have reviewed. It uses electric motors to move the sliding compartment along worm drive tracks. As the compartment slides out, a little awning cover rolls out with it to provide protection against the environment. It helps prevent debris like leaves and twigs from collecting on the roof, which could otherwise interfere with or compromise the retraction process. The awning cover also helps direct water away, adding another layer of protection for the compartment seals. It also provides a degree of thermal insulation from the sun and noise dampening from rain.

The awning cover protects the slide-out mechanism

Classic build and proven foundations

Rather than use the traditional meranti framing method, Royal Flair uses the arguably premium timber frame construction method of CNC cutting. Starting with full sheets of ply, much of the material is cut away to create a frame. This eliminates many joins and delivers a highly dimensionally consistent structure. The frame is built on a honeycomb floor and clad with composite aluminium sheeting on the walls and a one-piece composite panel on the roof.

The underpinnings of this van are known and proven — and that’s exactly what you want. It starts with the 4500kg rated S&M steel chassis classic configuration — a 6in A-frame in conjunction with 4in main rails and 3in risers. It’s mated to AL-KO’s premium Enduro X independent suspension. Launched in 2020, it is proving to be a heavy-duty yet lightweight suspension solution for many caravan manufacturers. The 12in electric drum brakes are about as proven as you can get, and they work in conjunction with the BMPRO branded asymmetrical sway control system. This system applies the brakes only on the side of the van that is swaying out, which is the most effective way to straighten the van back up again.

ALKO Enduro X independent suspension

12V system and off-grid capabilities

We can see on paper that modern caravan 12V systems are impressive, but on this review, we saw it in practice. The van was towed by John Raffaele from Royal Flair to an arranged collection point in a RAM 1500. John was there for quite some time before me, and somehow, the RAM crank battery lost enough charge that it would not start. John whipped out a battery charger, plugged it into the van’s inverter, hooked it up to the car, and in no time the crank battery was topped up enough to get going. It is great to know that you have options like that to get out of trouble.

The inverter that saved the day was a Victron 2000W unit working in conjunction with a Victron solar controller and 45A DC-DC charger. The rest of the system is made up of an Arizon 200Ah lithium battery and 600W of solar panels.

Freshwater capacity comes in at a very typical 190L, but the absence of a grey water tank is a surprising omission. In many camping scenarios, grey water can be directed onto the ground but in strict precincts (e.g. natioanl parks, showgrounds and some campgrounds), not having a grey water tank will create a challenge.

Plenty of power onboard

Towing the Royal Flair Designer Series 19’6 Slide Out

All the weight numbers for the Designer Series 19’6 are what you would expect. An ATM of 3500kg with a tare weight of 2805kg delivers a payload of 695kg. The payload is a little less than some, but that is because you are carrying roughly an extra 200kg for the slide-out system. The payload is still more than enough with sensible packing. But Royal Flair can rate the van with a 4500kg ATM if you are chasing more payload.

Our commentary on towing is more often about the tow vehicle than the van because the match-up is so important. We continually beat the drum that most 3500kg-rated tow vehicles are not really up for towing 3500kg vans. They lack the GCM rating to enable the tow vehicle to be adequately loaded. The van is going to be heavier than the tow vehicle, which is not ideal for handling dynamics. Plus, the tow vehicle drivetrains are working hard with this kind of load.

Towing the Royal Flair Designer Series 19’6 Slide Out with a big Ford F-150

That’s where the likes of the Ford F-150 is almost perfect. It has the power that leaves the mid-sized utes for dead. The obvious advantage is having the grunt for hauling up hills, but I also feel being able to accelerate with the general traffic makes for safer lane changes in built-up areas.

Like the engine power, some of the F-150 weight numbers smash it out of the park. The 4500kg tow rating and 7270kg GCM rating give you ample capacity to tow a 3500kg van. However, the GVM of 3220kg and kerb weight of 2535kg need to be managed more carefully. The GVM is not much more than most mid-sized utes, which means that the van can still outweigh the car. And the 685kg payload is less than most mid-sized utes. Once you add the 350kg tow ball weight onto the car, you are left with a 335kg payload. This will work for some, but others may consider a GVM upgrade worthwhile.

Final thoughts on the Royal Flair Designer Series 19’6 Slide Out

In general terms, the Royal Flair Designer Series 19’6 is not a small van, but for a slide-out, it is one of the more compact models I have seen. It makes it more appealing for less experienced towers and is capable of reaching harder-to-get-to spots. Anyone in the market for a slide-out values internal space and liveability, and the Designer Series 19’6 Slide Out is a great example of how to make the most out of a sub-20ft floorplan.

The Royal Flair Designer Series 19’6 Slide Out is very compact for a slide-out

Measuring up

Pros

• A user-friendly sized slide-out van for easier towing
• The club lounge is great for entertaining or just enjoying more space
• The slide-out bed is what makes this whole layout work so well

Cons

• The kitchen has limited meal prep area
• The pop-up TV takes up a fair amount of storage space
• No grey water tank will limit where this van can be used

ROYAL FLAIR DESIGNER SERIES 19’6 SLIDE OUT RATINGS

VALUE FOR MONEY

In standard trim, the Designer Series 19’6 Slide Out has a great starting price

TOWABILITY

A nice, manageable size for a slide-out van — but still best suited to a larger tow vehicle

SUITABILITY FOR INTENDED TOURING

Known and proven underpinnings inspire confidence

BUILD QUALITY

Boutique manufacturer emphasising quality over quantity

LIVEABILITY

A great example of how to maximise a sub-20ft floorplan

SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Good off-grid system and freshwater storage. No grey water tank will rule out some camps

CUSTOMER CARE

Five-year warranty on caravan build with roadside assistance

INNOVATION

Strikes a balance between compact towing and optimising internal living

X-FACTOR

A great overall package from a long-standing, well-regarded quality builder

ROYAL FLAIR DESIGNER SERIES 19’6 SLIDE OUT SPECS

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

EXTERNAL

INTERNAL

Royal Flair Designer Series 19’6 Slide Out price from $136,990

OPTIONS FITTED

N/A

Royal Flair Designer Series 19’6 Slide Out price as shown $136,990

MORE INFORMATION

Royal Flair Caravans
62 Willandra Drive
Epping Vic 3076
P: 03 9357 8118
E:  sales@royalflair.com.au

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