Melbourne family business, Melbourne City Caravans, is run by Cettina and Fabio Bazzacco and brother-in-law Joe Capodicasa.

Fabio and I headed up the Hume towards some warmer weather, and he explained his background in the caravan industry, supplying products to other manufacturers. After several years Fabio decided rather than sell products he wanted to sell vans, and that’s how the family business started. He and Cettina teamed up with a family caravan manufacturing business, Salute Caravans, and neither company has looked back. Salute manufactures a quality van, with massive input from the team at Melbourne City Caravans (MCC).

The Salute range of vans starts with a Garrison 19ft, then the Sabre 20ft 6in, an Avalon bunk at 21ft, the 22ft Governor and finally the 22ft Barracks bunk van. The range caters for on- and off-road configurations with a variety of suspension options available at no extra charge and an amazing amount of standard features.

MCC offers a four-year nationwide warranty comprising a one-year manufacturer's warranty plus a three-year extended warranty that includes off-road cover.

Melbourne City Caravans launched the boutique Salute range onto the market, offering plenty of class that is sure to get tongues wagging

BELOW The suspension is for serious touring

NEW GOVERNOR MODEL

WORDS AND IMAGES ANTHONY KILNER

Got one like it? Insure it here

REVIEW Salute Governor

Melbourne van outlet hopes you will Salute its
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OUTSIDE
Built for rough touring the exterior of the Governor is smart and a little rugged to the eye. The look is created starting with a Duragal ARV chassis with a six-inch A-frame and a four-inch chassis plus a four-inch raiser system designed for durability and weight reduction.

Underneath is a 3.7t ARV Extreme-Duty suspension featuring twin shockers and coil springs on both axles. Add to that 12-inch brakes and some tough-looking 265/70R17 Mudzilla MPC-M/T tyres on alloy rims, and there’s that look complimented.

Safety features fitted to the mechanicals include Tuson electronic stability/sway control, breakaway system and as standard a Safety Dave rear camera.

Underneath the van are three well-shielded 95-litre water tanks. Two carry fresh water while the third is for grey water. There are two 120amp/hr batteries mounted on the outside of the van and easily accessed. Stabilising legs are on all corners although we found that the rear legs might need some blocks to allow them to work properly due to the raked rear and ground clearance.

BELOW Are 17-inch muddies overkill?

BELOW As far as off-road vans go the Salute is pretty ballzy!

The A-frame houses a Cruisemaster DO35 off-road coupling, stone guard, twin 9kg gas bottles and a large toolbox with slide-out for a generator and a jerry can holder. A shielded tap and AL-KO jockey wheel round out the package.

Salute crafts the body out of aluminium composite along with plenty of cladding. Around the body there’s a rear bar hosting twin spare tyres, triple lock door, an external shower, full-width tunnel boot, drop-down step and twin picnic tables with an entertainment hatch between them. Aussie Traveller supplies the double-glazed windows and the awning.

On the roof are plenty of hatches, twin 160W solar panels, an AntennaTek LPDA TV antenna and a Dometic Harrier inverter reverse cycle unit.

Got one like it? Insure it here

“Walking into the Governor the open living space greets you, and it’s hard to know where to look first”

INSIDE
Walking into the Governor the open living space greets you, and it’s hard to know where to look first; the wraparound dinette, the angled kitchen, the bench and fridge areas, the overhead cupboards or the hallway leading to the master bedroom area. There’s certainly a lot to take in.

Let’s start with the dinette, which also doubles as a bed. The seating wraps around the back wall of the van in a large C-shape and is trimmed in smooth black leather. As mentioned the dinette table drops down to help create a bed and lifts for easy use as a table. The dinette sits up off the floor and has plenty of overhead cupboards around the walls. A large hatch in the roof above the table offers plenty of extra light and airflow.

The angled kitchen is mid-mounted in the van. On the drivers-side wall under the benchtop is a Maxi RV 3.3kg top-loading washing machine. Next to that is a great cupboard space with three good sized drawers and a slide-out pantry. There’s further storage in the overheads.

A 184-litre Thetford two-door, three-way fridge butts up against the separate toilet room wall and mounted above that is a Sphere microwave.

On the opposite wall is a smallish kitchen space that houses a Swift 500 Series 3&1 full oven and to carry the smells and steam away is a Sphere rangehood. There are cupboards and storage below a two-bowl sink with black flick mixer and a water filter tap. Three overheads sit above the kitchen and mounted in a facia is a Furrion DVD/CD unit.

Also housed in a kitchen overhead there are switches for the fridge and hot water service, RV Electronics water gauges, Voltech solar controller and the 12V, 40amp Voltec BM—400 battery protection unit. There’s a 12V socket as well as 240V power plugs. In another overhead nearby is a 4G RV Wifi unit.

BELOW The leather dinette is very comfy

BELOW The mirrors work brilliantly as dummy windows

ABOVE This toilet room has amazing storage capacity

The shower area is generous and features a fan, hatch and light as well as a moulded shower with flick mixer. The separate toilet room features a vanity unit with a free-standing porcelain bowl, black flick mixer and a mirror for grooming. The toilet is a Thetford swivel model.

The bedroom is classy in its basic layout. A queen-size bed with leather bedhead features wardrobes either side with mirrored doors and pidgeon holes that can be accessed from the bed for storage. These nooks house power to charge accessories, phones and the like. There are cupboards below the wardrobes and more storage in the overheads, under the bed and in corner cupboards to the ensuite rooms.

Got one like it? Insure it here

VERDICT
The Governor is a pretty special van. I liked the interior layout and the rugged exterior look. The options for this van and the range of standard features for the price are also pretty amazing and will attract buyers into the touring lifestyle.

I loved the anti-finger mark matte black, and white contrasts, used in the van and that alone made it look different.

Overall it handled the highways and byways well for the weight although I thought the van wasn’t suited to the supplied Mazda BT-50 used for the test. It felt heavy on the back and chopped around a bit on certain rougher sections of bitumen. My suggestion would be a bigger tow vehicle. Still, for the bucks this van has pretty much got it all.

PROS
• Overall build quality
• Standard features option
• Suspension choices

CONS
• Rear stabilising legs need blocks

SPECS
Body length: 6.8m (22ft)
Body width: 2.35m (7ft, 7in)
Tare weight: 2801kg
ATM: 3500kg
Price as tested: $75,000 drive away ex Melbourne
More info: salutecaravans.com.au

ABOVE Plenty of ground clearance helps in off-road situations

Got one like it? Insure it here

WORDS AND IMAGES ANTHONY KILNER

REVIEW Salute Governor

Melbourne family business, Melbourne City Caravans, is run by Cettina and Fabio Bazzacco and brother-in-law Joe Capodicasa.

Fabio and I headed up the Hume towards some warmer weather, and he explained his background in the caravan industry, supplying products to other manufacturers. After several years Fabio decided rather than sell products he wanted to sell vans, and that’s how the family business started. He and Cettina teamed up with a family caravan manufacturing business, Salute Caravans, and neither company has looked back. Salute manufactures a quality van, with massive input from the team at Melbourne City Caravans (MCC).

The Salute range of vans starts with a Garrison 19ft, then the Sabre 20ft 6in, an Avalon bunk at 21ft, the 22ft Governor and finally the 22ft Barracks bunk van. The range caters for on- and off-road configurations with a variety of suspension options available at no extra charge and an amazing amount of standard features.

MCC offers a four-year nationwide warranty comprising a one-year manufacturer's warranty plus a three-year extended warranty that includes off-road cover.

BELOW The suspension is for serious touring

NEW GOVERNOR MODEL

Melbourne City Caravans launched the boutique Salute range onto the market, offering plenty of class that is sure to get tongues wagging

Melbourne van outlet hopes you will Salute its
Got one like it? Insure it here
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

The A-frame houses a Cruisemaster DO35 off-road coupling, stone guard, twin 9kg gas bottles and a large toolbox with slide-out for a generator and a jerry can holder. A shielded tap and AL-KO jockey wheel round out the package.

Salute crafts the body out of aluminium composite along with plenty of cladding. Around the body there’s a rear bar hosting twin spare tyres, triple lock door, an external shower, full-width tunnel boot, drop-down step and twin picnic tables with an entertainment hatch between them. Aussie Traveller supplies the double-glazed windows and the awning.

On the roof are plenty of hatches, twin 160W solar panels, an AntennaTek LPDA TV antenna and a Dometic Harrier inverter reverse cycle unit.

BELOW Are 17-inch muddies overkill?

OUTSIDE
Built for rough touring the exterior of the Governor is smart and a little rugged to the eye. The look is created starting with a Duragal ARV chassis with a six-inch A-frame and a four-inch chassis plus a four-inch raiser system designed for durability and weight reduction.

Underneath is a 3.7t ARV Extreme-Duty suspension featuring twin shockers and coil springs on both axles. Add to that 12-inch brakes and some tough-looking 265/70R17 Mudzilla MPC-M/T tyres on alloy rims, and there’s that look complimented.

Safety features fitted to the mechanicals include Tuson electronic stability/sway control, breakaway system and as standard a Safety Dave rear camera.

Underneath the van are three well-shielded 95-litre water tanks. Two carry fresh water while the third is for grey water. There are two 120amp/hr batteries mounted on the outside of the van and easily accessed. Stabilising legs are on all corners although we found that the rear legs might need some blocks to allow them to work properly due to the raked rear and ground clearance.

BELOW As far as off-road vans go the Salute is pretty ballzy!

Got one like it? Insure it here

“Walking into the Governor the open living space greets you, and it’s hard to know where to look first”

ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

The shower area is generous and features a fan, hatch and light as well as a moulded shower with flick mixer. The separate toilet room features a vanity unit with a free-standing porcelain bowl, black flick mixer and a mirror for grooming. The toilet is a Thetford swivel model.

The bedroom is classy in its basic layout. A queen-size bed with leather bedhead features wardrobes either side with mirrored doors and pidgeon holes that can be accessed from the bed for storage. These nooks house power to charge accessories, phones and the like. There are cupboards below the wardrobes and more storage in the overheads, under the bed and in corner cupboards to the ensuite rooms.

BELOW The mirrors work brilliantly as dummy windows

INSIDE
Walking into the Governor the open living space greets you, and it’s hard to know where to look first; the wraparound dinette, the angled kitchen, the bench and fridge areas, the overhead cupboards or the hallway leading to the master bedroom area. There’s certainly a lot to take in.

Let’s start with the dinette, which also doubles as a bed. The seating wraps around the back wall of the van in a large C-shape and is trimmed in smooth black leather. As mentioned the dinette table drops down to help create a bed and lifts for easy use as a table. The dinette sits up off the floor and has plenty of overhead cupboards around the walls. A large hatch in the roof above the table offers plenty of extra light and airflow.

The angled kitchen is mid-mounted in the van. On the drivers-side wall under the benchtop is a Maxi RV 3.3kg top-loading washing machine. Next to that is a great cupboard space with three good sized drawers and a slide-out pantry. There’s further storage in the overheads.

A 184-litre Thetford two-door, three-way fridge butts up against the separate toilet room wall and mounted above that is a Sphere microwave.

On the opposite wall is a smallish kitchen space that houses a Swift 500 Series 3&1 full oven and to carry the smells and steam away is a Sphere rangehood. There are cupboards and storage below a two-bowl sink with black flick mixer and a water filter tap. Three overheads sit above the kitchen and mounted in a facia is a Furrion DVD/CD unit.

Also housed in a kitchen overhead there are switches for the fridge and hot water service, RV Electronics water gauges, Voltech solar controller and the 12V, 40amp Voltec BM—400 battery protection unit. There’s a 12V socket as well as 240V power plugs. In another overhead nearby is a 4G RV Wifi unit.

BELOW The leather dinette is very comfy

ABOVE This toilet room has amazing storage capacity

Got one like it? Insure it here

VERDICT
The Governor is a pretty special van. I liked the interior layout and the rugged exterior look. The options for this van and the range of standard features for the price are also pretty amazing and will attract buyers into the touring lifestyle.

I loved the anti-finger mark matte black, and white contrasts, used in the van and that alone made it look different.

Overall it handled the highways and byways well for the weight although I thought the van wasn’t suited to the supplied Mazda BT-50 used for the test. It felt heavy on the back and chopped around a bit on certain rougher sections of bitumen. My suggestion would be a bigger tow vehicle. Still, for the bucks this van has pretty much got it all.

PROS
• Overall build quality
• Standard features option
• Suspension choices

CONS
• Rear stabilising legs need blocks

SPECS
Body length: 6.8m (22ft)
Body width: 2.35m (7ft, 7in)
Tare weight: 2801kg
ATM: 3500kg
Price as tested: $75,000 drive away ex Melbourne
More info: salutecaravans.com.au

ABOVE Plenty of ground clearance helps in off-road situations

Got one like it? Insure it here

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