Bush Trakka Van!

TESTED: TRAKKA JABIRU J2 AWD

BUSH TRAKKA VAN!

Trakka’s all-new Jabiru J2 AWD is avan just made for the bush, reportsAlLan Whiting...

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Trakka’s Jabiru is its flagship van-conversion motorhome range. Traditionally built on the longwheelbase Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 419, the latest Jabiru is built on the all-new Sprinter and now comes in medium and long-wheelbase versions, each with the option of all-wheel drive. The new models build on the success of their predecessors, but add improved use of space and clever design enhancements.

The principal mechanical difference between the previous Jabiru models and the post-2019 ones is the use of single wheels all-‘round, while the latest machines can have optional 245/70R17 single tyres front and rear, to replace the undersized standard 16s.

“The switch to single rear wheels means the Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) is slightly reduced – from 4.5 tonnes to 4.1 tonnes – but the tare weight is less and Trakka has employed some weight-saving technology...”

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Kitted Out

Mercedes-Benz has enhanced the standard equipment package in the new Sprinter 419, turbo-diesel V6 model, which now comes with sevenspeed automatic transmission as standard, in place of the previous five-speed. It also comes with electronic active brake assist; crosswind assist; lane keeping assist; driver fatigue monitoring and blind spot assist programs.

On top of that, Trakka adds factory options including: MBUX 260 mm touch screen with CarPlay and Android Auto; keyless start; comfort swivelling front seats with armrests; 360-degree camera and parking pack; electronic parking brake (no handbrake handle to interfere with seat-swivelling); fog lights; curtain airbags; auto wipers and headlights; smartphone tray

with charging and tyre pressure monitoring. It’s an impressive equipment list that not only provides useful extra ‘kit’, it also adds considerably to the premium feel off the vehicle.

The switch to single rear wheels means the Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) is slightly reduced – from 4.5 tonnes to 4.1 tonnes – but the tare weight is less and Trakka has employed some weight-saving technology in its fit-out of the 2020 Jabirus. Examples are the use of ultra-thin laminate table and bench tops and fibreglass floor substrate, with marine-grade vinyl covering. Also, to improve weight distribution, Trakka has changed water tank design from longitudinal to transverse.

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The long-wheelbase Jabiru can be supplied with a twoseat layout (now called J2) or four-seat (now called J4) layout. The J4 has an east-west bed, with additional bed length courtesy of external window-extension ‘pods’. While the long-wheelbase J2 has longitudinal beds, the new medium-wheelbase Jabiru has an east-west bed with one extension ‘pod’ and is only available in two-berth configuration. It’s called the J2M.

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The interior layouts are broadly as before, but the latest interior has subtle, dimmable LED lighting arranged in geometric shapes and the laminated surfaces are much thinner, yet stronger. This thin laminate allows the dinette table-top to stow in a narrow slot, taking up far less space. It’s also cleverly shaped to make seating access easier and has four mug cut-outs, to make spills less likely. New windows, with concealed internal screens and blinds, look much classier and protect the blinds and screens from accidental damage.

The new 90-litre fridge/freezer is a knockout, with a door that opens to the left or right. It’s also much slimmer than the previous unit, which makes it possible to have a larger bathroom that allows standing room, even when the retractable toilet is powered-out from under the vanity. All bed bases have adjustable, lifting end sections that allow comfortable sitting-up in bed, for easy reading or watching your tablet-TV screen.

Each model comes standard with the proven Remote Pack, closed-foam thermal insulation and an advanced electrical system with 200 Ah lithium battery power as standard. The Remote Pack includes a diesel-fuelled

cooktop, diesel-fuelled water and space heating, plus 200-watts of solar panels. It also includes new ‘fluted’ insect screens that slide easily, for the side and rear doors. Also easier than before is a new Thule powered awning that can be opened and closed without interfering with the sliding door.Optional is a 2000-watt inverter and portable plug-in induction electric cooktop, which can be used inside or outside the vehicle for a quicker boil-up than the diesel stove provides.

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Also optional, the Alfresco Pack further assimilates indoor and outdoor camping. It features a small, swivelling drawer fridge that can be accessed whether you’re inside or outside the Jabiru.

There’s also a removable work bench that attaches to the sliding side-door and features a collapsible washup basin. It also includes a hot/cold tap in the form of a shower head on a telescopic hose, so it doubles as an outside shower, and attaches magnetically to the van body wherever required.

Combined, these features allow you to do the majority of the after-meal clean up before heading back into the vehicle. Roof mounted solar panel capacity is increased to 300-watts with the Alfresco Pack.

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First Drive

We had a brief on-and-off road drive and overnight stay in the new Jabiru J2 AWD. We’ll complete that testing with a ‘play’ in the J2M AWD in April – Covid-19 permitting.

The evaluation vehicle was a Show machine, so was fitted with the Alfresco Pack and the additional options of aluminium wheels with mud-terrain (M/T) tyres; inverter and induction cooktop; LED driving light bar; metallic paint and colour-matched bumpers; colourmatched seat upholstery and a powered sliding door. From the ‘basic’ Jabiru J2 AWD, pricing of $200k, it was priced at $218,180 NSW-driveaway.

The single-tyred Jabiru performed and handled very well for a vehicle of this size, but the M/T tyres were noisier than all-terrains (A/Ts) and had some lowspeed harshness, caused by the individual-block tread pattern. A/Ts would suit most buyers, we reckon, but the M/Ts certainly looked the part.

The engine/transmission combo was almost silent, letting tyre noise intrude into the stylish interior. All campervans and motorhomes have some cupboard and drawer content rattles when driven on rough roads, but the Trakka was better than most.

The Jabiru hunted along freeways and highways at legal speeds without effort, returning an impressive 13.5L/100km (21 mpg) economy in the process. In mixed on-and-off road driving the economy slipped to a still-impressive 15.5L/100km (18 mpg).

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From an operating perspective, ’Benz ergonomics and switch operations need to be learned because nothing – nothing – is intuitive. For example, the driver needs to be schooled in the importance of knowing that the seven-speed auto is stirred by what would be a right-hand blinker stalk in 90-percent of the vehicles (but don’t worry, you can’t accidentally select reverse when changing lanes!).

Also, the steering wheel, dashboard and touch-screen controls are completely different from anything outside Germany, so owners need to study the manual! After a couple of hours poring over the handbook we felt confident in the big ‘Benz.

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We restricted our off-roading to fire trails and the

Jabiru handled them quite easily. We’ve criticised the Australian-market Sprinter’s very basic 4WD system – open centre diff, no diff locks – when there’s much more available from Oberaigner in Austria, but in the case of the long-wheelbase Jabiru J2 AWD the package felt about right.

It’s highly unlikely that buyers will need any more than this basic kit, because the very size of this machine restricts where it can go. The medium-wheelbase version could be a different matter, however.

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Getting comfortable inside the Jabiru remote was simplicity itself: We shut the doors, popped the privacy windscreen and front window curtains into place, slid-shut the window blinds, turned on the cabin heater and were snug.

Trakka has moved from a pop-up TV aerial in favour of a GSM cellular antenna, linked to a tablet bracket that can move from dinette to bedroom. It’s a sign of the times, when more and more people are using wifi streaming services and ditching traditional RV TVs.

We were initially reserved about cooking on diesel stoves, but we’re used to them now and love the safety of having no LPG on board and no cooking flames inside the van. The portable induction cooktop made a kettle boil-up quicker than waiting for the diesel cooktop to pre-heat. The new dinette table is lighter, less bulky and shaped for movement around it. The mug cutouts worked perfectly.

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“There are very few campervans we’d be happy to live in for extended periods, but the Trakka Jabiru is certainly one.”

There are very few campervans we’d be happy to live in for extended periods, but the Trakka Jabiru is certainly one.

We’re looking forward to a comparison with the more nimble medium-wheelbase J2M in the near future, particularly as this version comes with additional off-road protection equipment including engine and transmission shields, rear shock absorber shields, a rear diff ‘rock slider’, handbrake protector, sill plates, recovery points front and rear, a spare wheel carrier and a long-range fuel tank. Can’t wait!

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JABIRU AWD Off the Beaten Track

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