Caravan review: Titan Aerolite 451 lightweight offroad couples van

As the world turns more to electric-powered vehicles, their limited towing capacity is becoming a consideration for savvy caravan buyers. The team at Titan Caravans has introduced a new van with an EV future in mind.

In brief:

• Compact composite couples van
• Offroad capable
• Light enough for many EVs

Readers of a certain age and lovers of retro caravans will be familiar with those 60s icons in the caravan firmament that were tiny by today’s standards and light enough to push around on your own on a gravel driveway. The Millard 16ft might be typical of the style and has been a favourite of restorers lately, but Viscount, York and Chesney all had similar dimension models.

They would typically include an east–west double bed and a lounge that could convert to bunk beds for the younger family members. And their stick and tin or lightweight aluminium frame on a C-section lightweight chassis meant they weren’t really designed for serious offroad use, even if plenty made their way to some more remote locations with rugged terrain. Taking your time and driving to the weather and road conditions was implanted in early caravan towers who bore the brunt of a broken suspension or cracked chassis if they didn’t.

It you inspected one of these older vans, it would strike you how spartan they were. Cute, yes. Liveable by today’s standards for longer than a weekend jaunt to a caravan park? Maybe not. Today’s buyer wants comfort, self-sufficiency and offroad ability all thrown into the mix.

The Aerolite 451 might be compact, but there’s a lot packed on board

Finding a suitable lightweight van in today’s market is limited, and we often wondered here at Caravan World when manufacturers would recognise the need for vans to suit the rising tide of electric and hybrid potential tow vehicles flooding the market. Some hybrid builders have taken note, and Australian models like Crusader’s Esperance and the Silversun Shockwave are close to being electric or hybrid-ready as long as they aren’t loaded above the tow vehicle’s capacity.

Titan Caravans is another company keen on offering smaller vans, and its latest Aerolite brochure hints at an electric vehicle (EV) potential. On the day of the review, the hint became a reality when the Titan team fronted up with a hybrid vehicle to see how it suited the van.

Titan’s hybrid build model

Titan was an early adopter of the offshore/local build model, where most of the van was constructed overseas and imported to be fitted out with electrical, suspension and plumbing components at its Burpengary facility in southern Queensland. Titan built its reputation on a range of hybrid caravans to suit anyone happy to do most of the cooking outside, but this latest model, the Aerolite 451, is a full-height caravan with a full complement of traditional caravan features, including inside cooking. The standout feature is being able to pack the cooking, living and sleeping features into such a small van while still finding space for an ensuite.

The Titan Aerolite 451 is a composite van suitable for offroad travel

Good things come in small packages

The Aerolite 451 is relatively tiny in today’s caravan mix at 4.51m or 14ft 8in in 60s speak. Yet it has a queen-size bed (granted, it’s an east–west version), a kitchen, a dinette and a combination ensuite. So, how did they pack all that into the space? My take is innovative thinking and a gradual brand evolution to see what works. When the Titan team won Caravan of the Year in 2022 with the Blackhawk 480 Hybrid, it was ahead of the game with a mix of composite construction, a powerful and reliable off-grid electronics package and a liveable layout that suited couples in a compact van. The Aerolite is a sensible and considered progression into what should be an emerging market for smaller offroad capable vans with the lot.

There are a couple of compromises in the layout due to the size, but the Titan Aerolite 451 has all the necessities

Is the Aerolite 451 a real offroader?

My mate and fellow caravan scribe, Malcolm Street, refers to much of the current crop of vans as “big and boofy”. You might agree. So, the Aerolite 451 is a refreshing change — but can it cut it in the bush? I might hedge my bets on that because we didn’t punish it in our tour of the Sunshine Coast’s rural roads. But the pedigree is confirmed with a 2.5T trailing arm suspension, the revered Cruisemaster DO35 hitch, a heavy-duty chassis, jerry can holders, all terrain tyres and sturdy composite body construction. Oh, and a “big and boofy” toolbox up front — thanks, Malcolm. It’s the same formula as the rest of Titan’s Blackhawk range. From anecdotal feedback and observation, hundreds of these are touring the outback without drama, so the Aerolite should go the distance, with the proviso that all vans should be towed according to the conditions, of course.

A big toolbox and slide-outs up front on the Titan Aerolite 451

Titan’s success over the past 10 years has been built on the innovative composite body built from a layer of high-density foam surrounded by fibreglass outer skins. These wall, roof and floor structures are formed in an automated heat process that ensures the components are permanently bonded. Aluminium supports embedded into the body structure add strength where needed and offer mounting points for doors, windows and furniture.

A CNC bench cuts the panels into shape, and the wall, roof and floor are glued together for an ultra-strong entity. Because the van is built for offroad conditions, the chassis is similarly robust and rigid and adds quite a bit of weight to the overall package. The chassis and suspension can be rated to 2850kg — an impressive amount for the little van — or for lower towing capacity/smaller tow vehicles, the ATM can be set at 2500kg.

Offroad-ready suspension

What’s liveability like in a small van?

Given there’s at least a metre and a half missing from the body length compared to what we have come to expect as the norm, there’s a surprising amount of room on board. Admittedly, the east–west bed will be a deal breaker for some couples, and a combination ensuite isn’t everyone’s favourite, so there are compromises. But speaking from personal experience in the Aerolite’s defence, our own 6m (19ft 7in) Trakmaster van has a combination shower/ toilet, and we love it because it offers usable storage space instead. We Trakmaster owners are a practical lot, though, and don’t see any point in adding 1.2m (3ft 9in) of van length for a room where you spend 10 minutes out of 24 hours, and no, the toilet doesn’t get wet when you shower.

The east–west bed is up front, leaving enough space for a two-person lounge and extra workbenchThe combination bathroom does the job

The Aerolite’s kitchen runs across the rear of the van, and while it isn’t huge, there’s enough room for most situations with a gas cooktop, a stainless-steel sink and a microwave that you can run from the 3000W inverter. A second kitchen bench on the driver’s side opposite the dinette adds preparation space and a handy storage place when camped. Standard power is a pair of 200Ah lithium batteries charged from three 200W solar panels through a 30A Victron charger. The slimline 150L Thetford compressor fridge is a reasonable size, and you could include a chest freezer to the front slide-out to add to your cold storage for longer trips. Storage includes overhead lockers, drawers under the bed, an external space in a tunnel boot and an extensive toolbox up front.

The Titan Aerolite 451 has plenty of power for off-grid stays

The long, well-padded leather bench dinette has enough room for two, and the sturdy table swings around for optimum comfort and easy access. The space is well-lit with large windows at the front and rear and along both sides and ample LED lighting for different moods. And even though the van is compact, you don’t miss out on features like a dust reduction system, air-conditioner, Fusion sound system and a television.

Towing with a hybrid vehicle

Our towing test included a run out to the coast with my LandCruiser 200 Series, which was a bit over the top to show the versatility of the Aerolite. Happily, the Titan team also organised a GWM Tank 300 Hybrid to show the true nature of the van and we soon had it hooked up for a drive on some dirt tracks and the journey back to the factory. I was impressed with the interior comfort and classy interior space of the GWM, even if the boxy external looks are somewhat polarising.

The HEV (hybrid electric vehicle) version of the Tank gets extra grunt from a 78kW/268Nm electric motor charged by the 1998cc four-cylinder and regenerative braking. Total power is an impressive 255kW and 648Nm of torque delivered through a nine-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. Towing capacity is 2500kg, so with the Aerolite weighing in at 1990kg, we would have only 510kg of legal payload. With a higher capacity towing vehicle and an ATM of 2850, an 860kg payload is achievable.

As might be expected with the ample power on tap, towing with the Tank 300 was a pleasure. We accelerated quickly, and the review van towed smoothly without lurching or wandering on rural roads and at speed on the freeway.

Towing the Titan Aerolite 451 with the GWM Tank 300 Hybrid

Final thoughts on the Titan Caravans Aerolite 451

The drive-away price with an upgrade inverter is $82,500, which saves around $5000 over its 300mm longer Blackhawk 480 sibling. The new Aerolite shows that the Titan team isn’t afraid of responding to a market I’m told has been asking for a smaller van. The Aerolite will suit couples restricted to lower tow weights or, with careful packing, those who also need a capable offroader.

Measuring up

Pros

• Compact and light enough for an emerging EV towing future
• Well-designed composite construction
• Offroad capable

Cons

• Limited payload at the 2500kg ATM weight, especially with full water tanks

TITAN CARAVANS AEROLITE 451 RATINGS

VALUE FOR MONEY

Save $5000 on the next biggest van in the range without losing much livability

TOWABILITY

Tows well and is suited to an EV future

SUITABILITY FOR INTENDED TOURING

Compact couples tourer and offroad capable 

BUILD QUALITY

Composite construction and quality electronics and accessories

LIVEABILITY

Compact size but moving around was comfortable

SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Enough solar and battery power for off-grid camping

CUSTOMER CARE

Five-year chassis and three-year van body warranty cover and a 24-hour helpline

INNOVATION

There’s very little in the market like this little wonder

X-FACTOR

Hook it up to an EV and shock the neighbours

TITAN CARAVANS AEROLITE 451 SPECS

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

EXTERNAL

INTERNAL

Titan Caravans Aerolite 451 price from $79,990 tow away (Qld)

OPTIONS FITTED

• 3000W inverter

Titan Caravans Aerolite 451 price as shown $82,500

MORE INFORMATION

Titan Caravans

252 Bruce Highway Eastern Service Road

Burpengary East Qld 4505

P: 07 3216 4555

E: sales@titancaravans.com.au

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