Prime Campers GT15-F reviewed at Australia's Best Hybrids 2024 presented by Tough Dog 4WD Accessories

This heavy-duty hybrid from Prime Campers sports a high-tech electrical system and enough room and features for a family of six to go exploring.

MALCOLM STREET — CARAVAN WORLD FIELD EDITOR

Liveability

Designed for family living, both inside and out, Prime Campers' GT15-F would require cooperation between family members. Indeed, things are more restrained inside, where space is limited. There is, though, plenty of bed space with the large bed in the rear, two bunks up front (the top bunk is removeable, allowing the van to adapt with a changing family) and the option of a fifth bed in the rear. Each bed occupant gets a reading light, fan and USB charging point. In addition, there’s plenty of drawer space, so everyone gets their bit of ‘personal’ storage space.

There's an emphasis on outside living, but if meals do need to be cooked inside, the 240V internal outlets and the inverter will allow multiple appliances to be used. But when the weather is good, the exterior slide-out kitchen is the place to be. Having it at one end of the awning and the slide-out fridge at the other gives plenty of space in between for a table and chairs. I like the idea of the optional barbecue porch. Even if it's not used for a barbecue, it still adds significantly to the under-awning shade area.

A kitchen for four or five people needs to be large enough and the stainless-steel slide-out has a decent-sized sink/drainer and a four-burner hob. Although the cast iron grid style does look classy, it adds a bit of unnecessary weight.

Like the interior, there's been some thought about having enough storage capacity. Both are built into the bodywork and the drawbar storage box. The latter is quite spacious, even with the gas cylinder bin included. Two jerry can holders are incorporated into the storage box design.

A Fogatti instantaneous hot water system makes more sense for a family than a water heater storage system. It will save arguments over who has used all the hot water for their shower!

In some ways, the GT15-F is a different take on a normal family layout, but with the outside living well set up, it's an interesting alternative. 

Value for money

Priced from $67,499, the GT15-F isn’t a bargain basement price — indeed it was one of the more expensive hybrids we looked at during ABH. It's amazingly equipped though, with a very high level of appointment. Starting with the structure, the composite wall structure has the frame, insulation and external/internal cladding in one solid piece, not separate components. Underpinning the hybrid is a hot dipped galvanised 150mm x 50mmm (6in x 2in) chassis and fully independent Monroe suspension. Electric actuators raise and lower the pop-top roof.

The layout design looks a bit familiar with a bed extension down at the rear and bunk beds across the front. However, there's the capacity for an extra bed above the rear bed. It partially rests on a large drawer-filled cabinet that sits mid-van and extends the rear. It's a little crowded, yes, but good for a large family — that extra drawer capacity is beneficial. More so, I think, than the two-person dinette along the nearside wall.

Included in the GT15-F fitout is quite a high-spec electrical system. Powering the 12V DC is a Baintech 200Ah lithium LiFePO4 battery, Victron 1600W inverter/charger and a 595W tempered glass solar panel. That’s certainly enough capacity to run the air conditioner, a Finch HB9000, which is a ducted system, rather than a rooftop unit. It's quite an impressive achievement in a rig this size. Digressing slightly here, Prime Campers does supply a generous amount of technical information with its hybrids. In particular, for those wanting to understand appliance power usage, the Baintech prepared guide is most helpful.

Several items come as standard inclusions. Not all are glamour items, like the Aussie Traveller Anti-Flap kit, shower tent and sun blocker privacy walls, but all have a very practical use for outdoor living.

Optional extras included in the GT15-F package that we looked at are an air-inflated room that can be fitted under the awning and a barbecue porch. Both can be attached to an anti-flap bar or a sail track and add to the family hybrid's versatility.

Post-sale time is remembered too, because the all-essential first service cost — when issues can be attended to and questions asked about anything not understood — is included in the pricing. 

JOHN FORD — CARAVAN WORLD EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Build quality

The GT15-F is built in an ISO9000-certified factory and imported to the Prime Campers facility in Queensland for fitout and independent certification of electrics and plumbing.

We liked the 32mm composite body construction that gives a modern look, lighter weight and improved insulation. The fibreglass skins over XPS foam composite panels continued to the rear fold-out for the bed, which is a much better material than the aluminium seen in similar style hybrids. Adding a window to the bed end was a thoughtful improvement. 

Conduits inside the walls give neat and secure routing of wiring, and the overall electrical installation with a Baintech/Victron system is high quality and neatly installed. 

The chassis is heavy-duty at 150mm x 50mm x 4mm from rated steel that is double dip galvanised, so it’s strong but contributes to the GT-15F’s relatively hefty weight. The suspension has been upgraded to improve durability with Monroe shock absorbers, Monroe custom-built springs and NTN bearings.

The furniture is neatly installed marine ply with considerable storage and some quirky options, like the removable bunk over the main bed. The exterior kitchen and storage boxes appear well made and durable, and components like the ARK jockey wheel and checkerplate covers to the water tanks should add to durability and ease of use.

Innovation

The composite panel body construction is similar to many high-end, locally made vans. It's a method of construction we will increasingly see because of its simplicity, good thermal properties and ease of repair. Having the beds ends constructed from the same material is especially impressive for the heat reduction alone.

Prime's partnership with Baintech is valuable for the integrated high-end electronics package that should deliver reliably for years. I like the Smart Home System, which displays weather details and levelling and includes a smartphone app for controlling lights and such. Standard electric roof actuators make the setup more manageable, and the generous storage will be valuable in a family van.

The bunks' layout gives the ensuite more usable space while not interfering too much with sleeping arrangements for the young ones. The removable bunk might be a bit fiddley, but it's a smart move for a younger third child.

TIM VAN DUYL — CARAVAN WORLD CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Self-Sufficiency

One thing that really stood out with Prime’s GT15-F was the Baintech-supplied cheat sheet on power usage. Arriving with the 200Ah battery, the sheet offered up expected power consumption and production from various typical appliances and solar panels. We all loved it, and it is a great example of Prime looking to make camping easier and power usage better understood. 

With the fitted shunt and Victron MultiPlus charger and inverter and separate MPPT controller, you can monitor consumption in real-time through a phone app and play power bingo, if wanted. Choose your appliance, fire it up and compare your results with the cheat sheet. I reckon plenty of people will have a bit of fun with it. You should be good to play for a while too, with 595W of solar up top, it should pass down 20–40A of power in decent conditions.

Instead of canvas for the pop-top, the GT15-F uses a thick 1000gsm PVC which has more thermal protection than canvas. The walls, floor and ceiling also have positive thermal properties. With the roof popped, heating and cooling the inside of the GT15-F will be about as efficient as leaving the door open on a full-body van, but when underway, the Prime’s internals should stay relatively consistent thanks to a composite construction. This matters for the food you are travelling with and the power efficiency of your internal fridge. I’ve arrived at a camp with the inside of a trailer at what felt like 40°C and my potatoes half cooked! It had some novelty at the time but for anyone doing weeks on the road, not having to refrigerate all perishables is important and the Prime’s construction should help with that. 

For water, the GT15-F can carry up to 200L of fresh water and 70L of grey. Under normal conditions, a couple should see three days away showering and cleaning as they want. With some careful consideration of water usage, they may be able to stretch a week though the grey tank will likely be topped out before the fresh runs dry. The same applies to the Thetford cassette toilet which is likely good for three days. Carrying a spare cassette will extend your stays. 

Towability

Like most hybrids, the GT15-F needs a decent tow-rig to get the best out of it. It is marketed as a fully offroad trailer and with its 3100kg ATM, you’ll want a 4WD with low range to haul it to the best views and through the gnarliest riverbeds. 

I’d suggest any of the current 3500kg rated utes will do the trick but also consider an older LandCruiser or Nissan Patrol which should provide decent comfort if not a little slower and thirstier than their modern competition. 

At 2.45m (8ft) tall, the GT15-F is relatively low, which is great. Most lifted, rooftop tray-equipped utes and bigger SUVs won’t be much lower so you’ll cut the air better and should be able to go into a majority of tighter and trickier tracks without too much stress. At 2.3m (7ft 5in) wide, it will be as wide as your mirrors too, so again, if you have the power, traction and confidence, you should be able to go nearly anywhere your tow rig wants. 

We had a late model Y62 Patrol with one of the best sounding V8 notes I’ve heard. Late model Patrols, with their 5.6L engines, were for the longest time underappreciated but it seems now they are having a good run with plenty on the road towing. Perhaps it was their sharp pricing, but I’d suspect availability also plays a big part with their main rival, the LandCruiser, seemingly always unavailable. How was it to tow? The soundtrack from the modified exhaust was outstanding and the trailer was just about as good. You could feel its weight — we estimated our as-towed weight at about 2600kg with some water and gear on board. The Patrol never needed for power, although with my driving we would probably be stopping for fuel more regularly than most people would want to accept. 

Part of the reason the Prime GT15-F towed well is in its frontal area (its height and width) but also in its not outrageous towing height and suspension setup. On a mix of Monroe shocks and custom-built springs, it sits well on the road and towed without any issue. 

Customer care

Firstly, although I have picked up on a few things that I would question the dealer about at the point of sale, the fact that Prime Campers provided us with their warranty document, that the same is available online and that Prime offers an extended third-party warranty is all fantastic. I would suggest it is better to work on the finer details with a company open about their warranty, like Prime, than someone who hides details or makes it hard to understand. 

There up to 10 years warranty on the chassis, drawbar and non-consumable parts of the suspension. This is what you’d expect from most of Prime’s competition. After the first five years, these areas are covered by a warranty supplied by Davantage Group. You can find the finer details via the Prime website but in effect, the extension carries on for up to five years further on what Prime originally covered although with an added excess and proof of servicing and maintenance records. 

The PVC and poles are covered for 12 months by Prime before, again, the extended period kicks in. As expected, appliances and some consumables are separately warranted according to their manufacturer. These are things like the fridge, stereo, hot water system and AC which will be covered by the manufacturer — you will need to check these in the paperwork which should be supplied on purchase. 

ALLISON WATT — CARAVAN WORLD DEPUTY EDITOR

Ease of use

The GT15-F is a pop-top fold out arrangement like some others we judged at ABH. The roof in the Prime is electric, as is the awning, so those are both easy to set up. I found the fold out bed the easiest to set up of those we judged — I was able to do it single-handed thanks to the lightweight composite panel on the roof and three sides of the bed, which also insulate it well against the heat and cold. Its light colour also helps reflect the heat rather than attract it.

Unlike other manufacturers, Prime doesn’t offer a full annexe with its camper. Sun blocker walls and an anti-flap kit are provided to be affixed to the awning and buyers also have the option of purchasing one of Prime’s inflatable rooms — yes, it’s inflated with a handpump — which can be located anywhere external of the van to provide protecting living space.

The double bunks inside the entry door are ready to go once the roof is up. The top bunk can be removed completely quite easily if not required, as can another single bunk which sit over the main bed on the driver’s side of the van. This can also be removed if not required. If you need to accommodate four children, the dinette easily converts to a small bed.

Prime has packed a lot into the available internal space — beds for five, a bathroom, dinette and plenty of internal storage — so all the cooking happens outdoors in the external kitchen which is where most folks prefer to be when camping.

X-Factor

If you’re a big family, there’s a lot to like about the GT15-F with beds for parents and three kiddie winkies — four if you fold down the dinette to make another bed for a small person. There’s ample internal storage for all those people too.

I also really liked the thermal properties of its Esky-like composite panel construction, particularly around fold out main bed, which will keep it cooler in hot weather.

Prime has given a lot of thought to the logistics of showering multiple children in a confined space. There are four separate water outlets in the bathroom to cover all contingencies — a retractable mixer in the vanity sink, high and low roses on the shower rail as well as a separate little nozzle for rinsing feet and the like. The shower base also drains away very quickly to a channel on all four sides meaning you are not standing on a wet base to dry off and get dressed. 

Prime’s warranty of five years plus an extra five years, in addition to great after sales support, is one of the best we’ve seen. 

PRIME CAMPERS GT15-F SPECS

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

EXTERNAL

INTERNAL

Prime Campers GT15-F price from $67,499

OPTIONS FITTED

• Classic package: Barbecue porch, air-inflated room and full caravan water filtration

Prime Campers GT15-F price as shown $67,499

MORE INFORMATION

Prime Campers

4/120 South Pine Road
Brendale Qld 4500
P: 0721 033 744 / 1300 567 789
E: QLD@primecampers.com.au

65-67 Wingfield Road
Wingfield SA 5013
P: 0882 443 345 / 1300 567 789
E: SA@primecampers.com.au

THE NEXT STEP

If you need help choosing your first caravan or are considering upgrading your existing one, check out all caravans and hybrids 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.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Introducing the inaugural Australia's Best Hybrids event

Y62 Patrol versus 200 Series LandCruiser tow vehicles compared

Just how much can my vehicle tow?