POPULARITY
CONTEST
WORDS AND IMAGES: MAX TAYLOR
The Frances, I’m told, is the
most popular caravan in the
Avan ‘name’ range. Among
the Avans named Ray, Erin,
Lily, Charlotte and so on,
the Frances tops the list,
selling about 300 each year.
But what makes it so
popular? The ‘name’ range
is available in many different
layouts and sizes, and most
of them are well and truly
under 2000kg Tare.
The Frances weighs in at
1490kg unladen, with a ball
weight of 135kg, making it
immediately attractive to
caravanners who don’t have
or want a large 4WD. And
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gorv.com.au
then there’s the van’s modest
proportions, which make it
particularly manoeuvrable.
Avan has also released
its major interior update
package, the Allure package,
to the Frances, and we wasted
no time hitching it up for a
closer look.
OUTSIDE FRANCES
In standard format, the
Frances has no offroad
ambitions – it is primarily
a blacktop touring van. But
to give it some rough-road
appeal, it can be fitted with
Avan’s Adventure Pack.
Under tow behind my old
Land Cruiser, it towed without
compunction at 100km/h.
It was perfectly composed
on the highway, on tight,
winding roads and the
unsealed roads that comprised
my testing ground.
The exterior of the van
is fairly straightforward.
There’s a Thule awning, a
couple of 4.5kg gas cylinders
on the A-frame and, as with all
Avans, a 15A lead that retracts
into the van when not in use.
Construction-wise, it’s built
in the traditional Avan way,
incorporating composite
aluminium panels on a hot-
dipped-galvanised chassis.
In terms of external storage,
the van is limited to the gal-