Space Trekker

""

While the recently retired new owners dreamt of what their years of camping might hold, I took a look at the custom motorhome Xcentrix’s Nick Reed built for them.

 

If, like me, you had not heard of Nick or Xcentrix, then you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Nick, a young, camera-shy surfer living on Queensland’s Gold Coast, has a sense of drive and determination matched only by his love for surfing a well-rounded point break.

 

Early on any given morning, you’re likely to catch Nick tucked into a wave north of the Gold Coast Spit or riding an almost flawless cylindrical barrel off the southern end of Burleigh Heads. Then, as the waves flatten out and the morning sun gets a little too old, he’s off to his factory. There, alone and unassisted, Nick Reed employs around a decade of experience as a cabinetmaker working on boats and RVs to run Xcentrix Cabinetry at Molendinar on the Gold Coast.

 

When the owners of the review camper brought their one-time ambulance vehicle, a Volkswagen Transporter T5, to Nick and said they wanted a fit-out that included a shower, toilet, kitchen and double bed, Nick just smiled, nodded and thought of how it could be done. That’s his motto: say yes first, and then work out how to do it.

 

EXTERNAL

 

From the outside, the Xcentrix vehicle looked like thousands of others on the road, working away as light-commercial vehicles. It’s not surprising this vehicle is popular – as a small van – it works. Road users first saw the transporter about 50 years ago, and this award-winning van has been going strong with only five major revisions since hitting the market.

 

This suggested it was an excellent choice for a small camper or motorhome. Nick Reed isn’t one to brag when he has transformed a well-established workhorse into a quality RV.

 

Consequently, the review Xcentrix had not one splash of colour, no bright Xcentrix logo, or no thoroughly Gold Coast looking colour decal to provide a hint that this van was something different to the array of white commercial vans carrying tradesmen from job to job or carting goods from here to there and back again.

 

A white awning box attached along the top of the passenger-side wall provided the only suggestion that this was more than a trade vehicle. More’s the pity, as this RV was so much more than it looked.

 

What it did offer from the outside was a vehicle just over 5m long providing almost 3m of cargo area within which Nick had to fit the living space. For those that think more three-dimensionally, that limited space equalled just under eight cubic metres of space in which Nick could design his client’s camper. In short, excuse the pun, although this is a gutsy little long-wheelbase van, I’d put the emphasis on the word little when it comes to living in it.

 

EXTERNAL FEATURES

 

Frame construction: VW original construction
Windows: VW original – tinted
Insulation: Acoustic and temperature – polyester/fibreglass
Waste water outlet: Yes via 35L waste water receiver/tank
Water tanks: Under-floor 59L/above floor 65L/hot water 20L
Suspension: VW original
Clearance: Standard
Brakes: Front 308mm disc, rear 294mm disc
Wheels: 16in steel
Tyres: Pirelli Chrono
Awning: Fiamma F45ti 3000mm
Storage bin(s): Nil
Gas cylinder size(s): Nil
Hot water: Isotemp/heat exchange 20L
Battery: AGM 120Ah
Battery charger: Electro parts 20A smart charger with temp sensor
Solar panel: No
Solar provision: Nil
Entrance door: Unmodified Volkswagen left side sliding door and rear hatch

 

INTERNAL

 

Faced with a difficult challenge, Nick Reed took to his client’s brief for an RV able to transport four people with each passenger facing forward when scooting along the highway. The brief then insisted that once in camp, it had to sleep two and be fully self-contained with a shower and toilet. That wasn’t the end of the brief.

 

Nick explained the vehicle had to have a, “Footprint no longer than a luxury car and able to be housed in a standard- size residential garage”. This meant there was no making it longer or taller.

 

In the end, “The vehicle layout, while being influenced by design trends in the United Kingdom and Europe, is very much attuned to Australian requirements,” Nick said.

 

So with that in mind, we took it down to a Gold Coast beach and crawled over this little Aussie to see what it had to offer. What we found was a clever design that boasts a fridge suitable for a weekend away, together with an array of conveniences that include a microwave and a metho-electric burner combo just right for living in a small space.

 

The stove combined with the microwave should satisfy any weekend gourmet with enough creativity and flexibility to turn his or her mind to cooking in a confined kitchen. The downside here might be the pungent odour of metho lingering inside the van. Nonetheless, the fold-down cooker’s position near the entrance door might overcome this problem.

 

When it comes to preparing meals, Nick’s cabinetmaking skills mean that all the furniture is finished nicely, so you’re not in for bruised knuckles or splintered fingers from rifling through drawers.

 

In a small van, it’s the small things that make a difference, and this van is no exception. While the kitchen area has a handy small slide-out bench, boat technology has inspired the compact shower-toilet area. Here you will find a bilge pump fan doubling as an exhaust fan, and waterproof hatches used for watertight storage compartments for personal items and the toilet paper.

 

When you expect a cold shower in a small camper like this, Nick manages to pull out another surprise – hot water.

 

INTERNAL FEATURES

 

Fridge: Waeco CR 110-108 L including 8.5L freezer
Television: Soniq 16in LCD with DVD player
Antenna: Saturn
Music system: Standard with VW
Cooking equipment: Origo C200 – twin burner, combined alcohol/240V electric cook top with electric ignition
Microwave: Sharp 17L
Heating: Nil
Cooling: Nil
Rangehood: Nil
Lighting: All house light LED – 12V
Smoke alarms: Yes
Cupboard finishes: Lightweight ply vinyl wrapped
Latches: Magnetic
Lounge configuration: Straight
Seating capacity: Compliant for four persons forward facing with seatbelts
Upholstery: VW ‘Inca’ T5 fabric
Sink: Cramer-single bowl glass lid hot and cold mixer
Sleeping configuration: One large bed area north/south
Berths: Two
Bed size(s): 1900mm x 1600mm
Mattress: High-density foam
Under bed storage: Drawers
Privacy screens: ‘Sunset curtain’ roller blind by Trem of Italy
Bathroom configuration: Rear combined shower and toilet
Privacy door: Curtains to each access point
Toilet: Dometic CTS 3110 with ceramic bowl
Toilet provision: Shared space with shower
Toilet roll holder: ‘Nuova Rade’ Italian marine waterproof holder
Shower head: Hot and cold with marine hand held/fixed head able to be used both internally and externally
Washing machine: Nil
Clothes dryer: Nil
Towel racks: Yes

 

RATINGS

 

Exterior: 1/5
Interior: 3/5
Layout: 3/5
Kitchen: 3/5
Overall: 3/5

 

WORTH BUYING?

 

In this motorhome, Xcentrix has shown design ingenuity to produce a product that is compact and comfortable.

 

TECHNICAL SPECS

 

Make/model: Xcentrix Cabinetry custom fit-out.
Vehicle make: VW Transporter T5: LWB: Medium high roof
External body length: 5.290m (17ft 4in)
External width: 1.904m (6ft 3in)
VIN Tare Weight: 2507kg
NB: length and width are external measurements of the vehicle shell (and awning) only

 

CONTACT/THANKS

 

Contact person: Nick Reed
Name: Xcentrix Cabinetry
Address: 2/20 Jade Drive, Molendinar QLD
Phone: 0431 314 052
Fax: (07) 5564 9784

 

Please Note: Prices were correct at time of review.

 

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID GILCHRIST