Masterpiece Caravans

Loving the luxury of touring Australia – We traded our original Masterpiece Optimum 21/22 model when we saw the 2024 model. We were very impressed in the changes to the electrical system and the additional lithium batteries plus the new chassis and Terraglide Airbag suspension. It also gave us the opportunity to choose the colours we wanted instead of the display van colours of our previous Optimum. Upgrading the van also came with a higher GVM so we sold the 200 and bought a Chev Silverado 2500 NB2 rated. No issues with weights anymore and the Chev is a far nicer tow vehicle than the Toyota.

Our 3rd Van our 1st Masterpiece Optimum – We have owned two of the best Off Road Caravans built, a Kedron and a Bushtracker. The BT we owned for 15 years and lived in it for 6 years full time travelling throughout Australia. When it came time to look at having some upgrades done we were declined by the Factory as they were to busy building and repairing insurance claims. So .. that meant we either stayed with what we had, get a quote for a new build or look at other makes. The quote was way above what we wanted to spend, $230k !

We knew what we didn’t want and the main criteria was a caravan without a timber frame, we knew we wanted top quality electronics & solar, a van with off road capability with a well proven suspension and chassis, a seperate ensuite, an island bed , a realistic weight and payload capacity, a full height van and along with all that we wanted to buy from a manufacturer rather than a franchise. The choice of manufacturer had to have a good track record in building caravans and an excellent reputation in looking after their customers. All this research bought us to look at the Masterpiece Company in Cambelfield Melbourne. Had they not have a dealer owned sales and service division in Western Australia we would most likely looked elsewhere, but as luck have it we live only 10 minutes from the WA dealer. We believe it’s extremely important to be able to have warranty and repair work done locally rather than have to return caravans 5000klms like we did with our previous Bushtracker.

So we bought a MP Optimum Off Road caravan at 20’8 in length, tare is 2918kg and we have a GVM of 4100kg. We also tow with a Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD which is a superb tow vehicle and we have no issues with the legality of weights.

Dealing with the MP company has been good, Caravans are a box on wheels and built by humans, at times they are only as good as their worst worker, I doubt there has ever been a caravan built that has not had some issues, the minor issues we have had were attended to and fixed, to be completely honest it has taken some time due to Christmas factory shut downs and fitting in times to suit due to caravan shows and limited staff. But we were also not in any rush and prepared to wait for dates to suit both us and them . We have both the owner and managing directors personal mobile numbers which is very unusual in this era of trying to get contact and quick results.

Are they the Best Perfect Caravan? Well our opinion can only be based on our personal experience, the early model 2005 Kedron we owned was a good entry level van, but it’s workmanship back then left a lot to be desired and we were not prepared to spend more for a newer model. The 2007 Bushtracker we loved, we traveled around 300,000klms with it. It was not without its problems, mainly water hoses bursting and fridge doors falling off causing further problems, a broken stub axle, early battery failure. I do rate their attention to detail as excellent but when they cost $100k more than what we bought with identical if not better equipment level , one has to wonder where the extra cost comes into it.

Whatever you buy, look at who you’re buying from, local service warranty, and talk with owners. We definitely have no affiliation to Masterpiece.

High praise for this van – We needed specific things for our disabled daughter. Our list of needs were met by Masterpiece after researching over 20 different brands. Top rate service as well the epitome of after sales service.