DOWN BY THE BILLABONG
From an impressive range of dozens of layouts across six models, the Grove 16ft single axle van sits as a compact dirt-road capable tourer in Billabong’s Drover Series of mid-level offroaders. There are so many variations across vans from 16 to 19ft and so many options available that the company has every right to call itself a custom builder.
Even in the 16ft versions, there are four different layouts with choices of full or combination ensuite, L-shaped or cafe lounge, central or rear door and options with bunks.
The van on review, with a central door, cafe lounge and full width ensuite at the back, is proving to be most popular with travelling couples. The layout makes the most of the small footprint and delivers a relatively lightweight model with superior manoeuvrability in the bush.
The benefits of a smaller van won't be lost on anyone travelling narrow tracks to out of the way destinations. But there's also the benefit of being able
