Small van, big battery: Meet Ezytrail’s new Ceduna 13R Twin MK4

There’s a lot of attention on big caravans right now. Bigger batteries, more solar, bigger kitchens and enough mod cons to make your house look under-equipped. Ezytrail’s latest release takes a slightly different approach.

The new Ceduna 13R Twin MK4 squeezes a serious off-grid setup, ensuite, internal and external cooking facilities and flexible sleeping arrangements into a compact 13ft hard-top caravan designed for two. And despite its smaller footprint, its electrical setup certainly isn’t small.

12kWh of lithium in a 13ft caravan

The headline feature of the Ceduna 13R Twin MK4 is its off-grid power system. Standard equipment includes 680W of solar and a 12kWh lithium battery, managed through Ezytrail’s 24V Ezypower-Pro system. The setup also incorporates a Victron MultiPlus-II 24V 3000VA inverter/charger, Victron SmartSolar MPPT charger and a 7-inch touchscreen interface.

For some perspective, Ezytrail says the 12kWh battery bank is equivalent to around 940Ah when expressed as a 12.8V lithium system.

That is a substantial amount of battery capacity for a caravan of this size, particularly for travellers who are increasingly looking to spend more time away from powered caravan sites.

The electrical system is also tasked with supporting some fairly power-hungry comforts. Standard equipment includes a MyCoolman CCA3000 air conditioner and dual induction cooktop, while a 2kW diesel heater takes care of the cold.

King bed, twin beds or lounge

The other interesting part of the 13R Twin is what Ezytrail has done with the limited interior space. Rather than dedicating a large portion of the floorplan permanently to a bed, the rear club lounge converts into either a 2000mm x 2150mm king-size bed or two 2000mm x 700mm twin beds. That allows the same space to serve as the van’s living area during the day and sleeping quarters at night.

It won’t suit everyone. Travellers who want to fall into a permanently made bed at the end of a long day may prefer a larger layout. But for couples or travelling mates who place a higher priority on keeping their caravan compact, the flexibility works well.

Despite measuring just 13ft, Ezytrail has also managed to fit a compact internal ensuite with shower and toilet into the layout.

You can cook inside or outside

There’s a similar inside-or-outside approach to cooking. Internally, the Ceduna gets a dual induction cooktop, 153L Dometic fridge/freezer, microwave, sink and rangehood. Outside, there’s a slide-out kitchen with a three-burner cooktop, sink and hot/cold water, along with pantry storage. An electric cassette awning provides cover at camp.

That combination should appeal to travellers who prefer cooking outdoors when the weather behaves but still want the option of making dinner inside when it doesn’t.

Water storage is also fairly substantial for the van’s size, with two 120L fresh water tanks for 240L total capacity, plus an 80L grey water tank.

Built for heading beyond the bitumen

Underneath, the Ceduna 13R Twin MK4 runs Ezytrail’s Ezyrider V3 coil independent suspension with an anti-roll bar, four Pedders Big Bore shocks and a Bigfoot V3 12-inch braking system. It rolls on 16-inch alloy wheels with mud-terrain tyres and carries a full-size spare, while an off-road hitch, recovery points and heavy-duty dual-wheel jockey wheel are also part of the package.

Ezytrail lists the van at 2125kg tare, with a 194kg ball weight and 3000kg ATM. Overall dimensions are 6390mm long, 2400mm wide and 3100mm high.

As always, buyers will need to look beyond the headline ATM figure and check the loaded van against their individual tow vehicle’s towing capacity, payload, GVM and GCM limits.

Is smaller becoming the new luxury?

Perhaps the most appealing thing about the Ceduna 13R Twin MK4 isn’t any individual feature. It’s the amount of comforts that Ezytrail has managed to package into a relatively short caravan. Not everyone wants to tow 20-plus feet of caravan around Australia. Smaller vans can be easier to manoeuvre, easier to store and potentially open up campsites where squeezing in a much longer combination becomes difficult.

Historically, downsizing often meant giving up some of the comforts and off-grid capability available in larger caravans. Models such as this suggest that gap is narrowing. The trade-off here is obvious: there’s only so much permanent living space available inside 13ft, hence the convertible lounge and bed arrangement.

For travellers happy to make that compromise, though, the Ceduna 13R Twin MK4 provides a solution to the alternative of simply going bigger.

How much is the Ezytrail Ceduna 13R Twin MK4?

At the time of writing, Ezytrail lists the Ceduna 13R Twin MK4 from $65,990, plus dealer delivery and on-road costs. That price includes the 680W solar system, 12kWh lithium battery, air conditioning, diesel heater, 24-inch smart TV, internal and external kitchens and the convertible king/twin sleeping arrangement.

You can find the full specifications and current pricing on the Ezytrail website.

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