Freedom Caravan's Extras Woo Motor Enthusiasts

The better a caravan is fitted out, the greater freedom you have to enjoy your holidays.

That was very much driving the thinking of Jayco's designers when they decided to show off all the extras incorporated in improvements to its Freedom pop-top caravans at motor and caravans shows around the country.

Show visitors were fascinated how sophisticated caravans have become and how well they match up with new cars and 4WDs by using automotive-styled colours and striping.

While the Freedom has remained the country's most popular mainstream pop-top caravan, the design changes came about following the release of Jayco's flagship Heritage, which replaced the Westport after a five-year reign as Australia's No. 1 luxury production caravan and pop-top range.

The Heritage is designed very much as the caravanner's caravan, whereas the cleverness in the Freedom is it is designed to attract people who are making their entry into caravan ownership for the first time, or indeed are moving from a second hand caravan to their first new one.

Comparing a Heritage and a Freedom is to measure a car manufacturer's top-of-the-range model against its mainstream standard version. Both are eminently suited to do the job, the only difference is the subtly of design and the sheer amount of extras that transform a standard vehicle into a luxury model.

The Freedom does not quite have the fineness of the Heritage, but it certainly goes close. and where it makes its own statement is the many extras that have been added, while still ensuring the range remains affordable to the newcomer.

Overall there have been 10 additional items included as standard of all which are user-friendly, such as a light inside the boot area and stays to overhead cupboards.

The aerodynamic, slanting front-end Freedom is built on the same Jayco-developed Millennium chassis as used on the Heritage. The galvanised chassis has been shown by engineering tests to be stronger and lighter than the box chassis used by most other manufacturers. The axle is the tried and true leaf spring and electric brakes are also fitted, along with light truck tyres and a spare wheel and bumper bar are standard.

One of the reasons the Freedom is the country's most favoured pop-top is its low towing profile, making it very "towable" by most family six-cylinder cars and are certainly towed with ease by 4WDs as the height almost matches that of the tow vehicle, dramatically reducing wind-drag. A "hidden extra" is their towing profile allows them to be stored under a car-port or pass under most roller doors.

Roof raising is simple. Unhook external roof clips then step inside, slightly stooped, and then holding on to roof handles gently, firmly push upwards and "up pops the top."

A mid-sized Freedom of about five metres (16ft) like the front-end model displayed at the motor shows, weighs around 1150kg, which is up to 200kg lighter than many other pop-tops. Fully laden with holiday gear it is still likely to weigh no more than 1,400kg. The towball weight is around 125kg.

Freedoms, as with all Jaycos, are built with aluminium frames 33 per cent thicker than other frames and Henrob solid rivets make them the strudiest caravans in Australia.

They all have a transformer to convert 240-volt mains power for the 12-volt electrical system.

Top controlled refrigerators are standard, and the griller has a gas safety cut off valve which is activated if the flame goes out or the stove lid comes down while the flame is lit.

Mirrors on the wardrobe doors give the interior a more spacious look, and updated, highly durable fabrics add to the modern feel of each model.