Towards the front of the van , Hilltop has fitted a slide-out Dometic kitchen , which is bound to be useful ; however , the special shower fitted just above is what impressed me . Now , there ’ s nothing wrong with traditional external shower setups – and this van even had one at the back – but this design is superior , in my view .
Essentially , there ’ s a separate hose that very easily and quickly connects to a flush-mounted point on the side of the van , and by then giving it a twist , not only is the hose connected , you can control the water pressure and the temperature . I believe we ’ ll start seeing more of this feature , and a tip of the hat to Hilltop for including it .
While Hilltop can frame its vans in aluminium , most customers opt for meranti timber , and that ’ s the case with this Hotham Luxury Limited Edition . Clad with composite aluminium and checkerplate , it is a rigid , sturdy-looking rig sitting atop a 6in SupaGal chassis complete with a 12mm ply floor that is ‘ sandwiched ’ by aluminium sheeting . This flooring system is vacuum-pressed – no water can ever get in .
When I looked underneath , my eye immediately went to the checkerplate employed to protect components such as the plumbing and the two 95L water tanks . I would , however , love for the spouting of the grey water tank to be protected by checkerplate too .
The suspension is Level 3 Cruisemaster XT airbag – the control panel is mounted to the nearside . Speaking of the nearside , the treatment of the fold-down picnic table is interesting . Recessed into the wall , behind the table , is a small metal shelving system , giving you somewhere to place your wine glasses or cutlery during happy hour . Neat .
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