The Eco Tourer stands out from the crowd. Its sleek styling, reminiscent of ‘60s caravans, and its clean-skin method of manufacture give it an ultra modern look.

Indeed, the only thing breaking up the van’s flanks is a rubber seal running from front to back. The Eco Tourer is a folding van, but it’s more akin to a full van than a canvas-bedecked wind-up jobbie.

Michael Hawkins and Caravan Court ( a family-owned business for over 20 years) have spent the last four years and hundreds of thousands of dollars developing the Eco Tourer. The engineering of the panels, the wind-up mechanism, the suspension and more - they’ve all undergone hours of painstaking testing and review. Every part has then been stripped, rebuilt, stripped again and modified, preparing it for mass production.

When closed, the Eco Tourer has an incredibly low ride height, which reduces wind resistance. It was designed to be towed behind mid-sized sedans such as Commodore and Falcon. In fact, the Holden V6 we towed the van with sat only marginally lower than the front of the Eco Tourer, great for keeping fuel consumption down.

The van’s exterior is clean and smooth. The rounded bin at the front drops down, revealing a reasonably sized boot. Our test van had one catch in the centre of the boot lid, but later models will have two. On the driver’s side at the front is a lockable boot that houses two 4kg gas bottles and the regulator. Apart from the usual vents for the stove, the exterior of the van is very straightforward. Moulded lights feature on the rear of the van and there’s a small bumper for protection. In line with the idea of keeping all the weight over the axles, the spare is mounted underneath the bed in a special hatch to keep weight distribution as low and central to the axle as possible...

A solid 50mm square axle is used in conjunction with Ford hubs, while in the braking department 10-inch electric brakes have been fitted.

To raise the roof, a wind-up system of gears and springs is used from a socket hole located at the front passenger side of the van. We used a drill to wind the roof up and down but it can be done easily with the wind-down jack brace. Once the roof is up, it’s just a matter of walking inside and pushing up the front wall then latching it into place. This is quick and easy, making the van ready to use within minutes.

The kitchen is directly opposite the doorway, which is located just in front of the axle. Immediately on the right is a bench with cupboards, which acts as a divider for the bedroom.

The bench houses a Samsung microwave with a range of drawers and cupboards along the front and the side. It also has a large workbench top within easy reach of the cooking area. The timber finish contrasts nicely with the smooth white fibreglass lines of the walls and overhead cupboards around the kitchen.

The main cooking area, finished in timber, houses a large glass-topped sink with dual water mixer and, in this van, a foot pump. A 12V pump will be used in the production models and hot water is an option. There’s an Electrolux three-burner stove with glass top, and underneath is an Electrolux RM2350 three-way fridge. Again, these are surrounded by plenty of cupboards and drawers.

Above the cooking area is a rangehood with light, and nearby a Pioneer AM/FM CD-player with twin speakers above the dinette. There are also some moulded cupboards forming part of the roof for more storage.

The kitchen is bright, functional and open, with plenty of room to move.

The size of the dining area is dictated by the width and length of the front wall, which folds down above the club-style lounge with a two-seater couch on each wall.

There are plenty of windows and a hatch above the dining area, making the whole interior of the van very light and airy. The dining table sits between the couches and is double-hinged to provide two size options. With the larger section folded down, the table is just right for a cuppa or a plate of biscuits. At mealtime, the large flap slides up and out, creating a large dining area for four.

Under each seat there is a slide-out cupboard, while behind the seatback on the driver’s side is another cupboard space to hide things in. Overall it’s a simple affair, but practical and very bright.

With the fitting of the hinged roof to the back wall, headroom is reduced to about five feet at the head of the island-type bed. There is, however, over six feet of headroom running from the front of the van to the foot of the bed. There is enough height to manoeuvre around the bed and get to the cupboards / wardrobe located on either side of the bed on the rear wall.

There are also three overhead cupboards made from fibreglass on the rear wall, while reading lights are mounted either side of the bed. There is a small central open storage shelf running between the wardrobes for placing books and the like.

Under the bed is a large flat storage area and under that, accessed via a hatch lid, is where the spare wheel is kept. This would be a pain to get at when you have a flat tyre, but it’s a great idea to keep it out of the weather and keep the weight over the axles. The space to walk around the bed is slightly impeded by the wheel arches, but it’s not as bad as some vans I’ve been in. There are no mirrors in this van currently, but it is something Michael is looking into - pardon the pun.

Left: The microwave is housed within the bar