MDC XT16HR East West MKIII

 Follow-up 9mo · We have taken multiple journeys with our van since our initial review (which was about 1 month after the time of delivery). We couldn't be more happy. The price point of this van is excellent. Most components in other caravans (think electrical systems, your Dometic/Truma appliances etc) are made in China. These vans are completely made in China. China was once a manufacturer of only low quality items. Now they can manufacture items on par with any Western nation. Your iPhone is made there, as an example (well possibly not for much longer given the US political situation...). People also seem to be under the impression that Australia's highest selling van, Jayco, is an Australian company. It is owned by a US company. Like all caravans however, it is the after sales service that is undoubtedly more important. You've essentially got a house on wheels. Imagine what would come loose if your own house was magically put on wheels and towed behind a vehicle; imagine again if that were off-road! We have had one more warranty repair since we owned the van (and over 10,000km travelled). It was repaired without question. To my pleasant surprise, my service expectations were exceeded. They located two other small repairs that I hadn't even noticed. Kudos to MDC in Ascot. This is our second MDC. Almost undoubtedly, with the next step change in technology (for us, we went from an AGM setup to this being lithium with an automatic inverter) we will purchase from MDC again. A final note. A quick search will no doubt show you that people are unhappy with Projecta solar equipment. Is Redarc of Victron better? Possibly; I've never tried them so I'm unsure. Projecta is not a cheap brand. Support is local (one calls the support line, and without much delay you're put through to an Aussie technician who will spend whatever time it takes patiently walking one through trouble shooting), and whilst people are critical of the way it manages MPPT, it has never failed us (including in our past van, which was much older technology). I would recommend purchasing the Projecta IQ accessory. This essentially manages the two solar chargers. You will see significant improvements (along with being able to update firmware with ease). It is a simple DIY installation; that is the manufacturer's as it comes with detailed installation instructions. It takes at most 30 minutes to install; the most "difficult" thing to do was crimping the wires to the plug that goes into the MPPT solar controllers. I purchased this after our first trip, and if memory serves, it cost approximately $250 - a quick google search then showed them as low as $188. I don't recommend skimping out on a proper crimping tool; they are available from businesses such as Jaycar for approximately $50. This might sound like I'm being sponsored in some way, or I'm getting some sort of back hander. I assure you I'm not. We are just so impressed with both the company and the product, that I want to shout from the roof tops. You really don't need to spend $200k on a caravan to have all the luxuries. I will add that we are two adults travelling together (with our dogs); if you have children I suspect this may be on the small side. The pic was taken this weekend just past FYI.