Review: New Age 20ft Oz Classic

At 20ft long, the New Age Oz Classic is big enough for a couple to travel together without getting on each other's nerves and infringing on each other's personal space, yet it's compact enough to get you into those tight caravan parks and National Parks that might otherwise be difficult to access in a larger van.

Priced at a recommended $79,990 tow-away in Victoria, it’s a lot of van for the money from a manufacturer that has carved quite a reputation for itself since it moved from specialised frame-making to full caravan production under the New Age banner just seven years ago.

The frame is meranti timber with polystyrene foam insulation between the closely spaced batons, while all joins are well protected against leaks by carefully applied sealants. Australian caravans have been built this way for decades, but New Age does the job well. Ask a repairer.

Internal layout

There's a lot to like inside the Oz Classic, including plenty of room to move around and storage around and underneath the bed. It's got a pretty good kitchen; the only downside is that it's short on in work surfaces, as the stove top and sink take up most of the space. The dinette can either be used as a coffee or cafe style dinette, and the chairs have headrests, which makes it easier to sit and eat.

Décor

The leather seats and wall cushioning on the café dinette are also dark grey. It’s an overall look that delights many and offends few. Beachy it isn’t, but liberal use of coloured cushions, towels and your choice of bedspread can give it a completely different look.

Entertainment

A Kenwood multi-media entertainment system with four speakers and a 22in TV that can be mounted inside or out, complete the Oz Classic’s entertainment specifications.

Bathroom

Beyond, spread across the rear of the Oz Classic, the ensuite is of a good size. The central vanity unit with its large mirror, island bowl and flick-mixer tap will get a tick from most users, while the wall-mounted, front-loading Mini washing machine to its left creates extra elbow room beside the Thetford swivelling cassette toilet, and space for two storage shelves below.

The square cubicle shower opposite is roomy and both it and the toilet area have separate ventilation hatches and extraction fans. In short, it’s a well-planned and workable area.

The verdict

The New Age Oz Classic 20 Series with the optional S Pack meets most of the criteria of the Utimate Touring Van, with a couple of exceptions – notably solar panels and central heating – that can easily be added as options.

A hardware upgrade to better cupboard latches is something that New Age should look at to complete the quality feel of this very well-built caravan, but extra kitchen bench space will be harder to find in the current 20ft (6.1m) layout. If this is an issue then we suggest that buyers upgrade to the OZ22E 22ft (6.7m) version.