This listing is for the A'Van Aspire Hardtop 400/500-600 Series. For the original A'Van 500 & 600 Hardtop Series, please click here.
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555 Double, 525 Double, 563 Double, etc...ConsumerMan
- 35 reviews
- 7 likes
So Far So Good
Bought the Aspire 555 hardtop new from Avan Penrith. The buying process was without hassles or pressure from the salesperson. The caravan was delivered on the date promised and a full in-depth walk through and hand over process was performed. Had two issues with supplier products and completely happy how the issues were resolved by Avan Penrith. One of the issues could not be fixed at the dealership, and knowing we were heading to QLD in just two days time, the manager towed my van to the supplier in his own time at some crazy hour when he shou...Read more
ld of been tucked up in bed. That is customer service above and beyond. Thank you Avan Penrith. I recommend Avan Penrith for sales and service. Turning now to the caravan. 3000+ kilometres travelled with 17 nights so far. The bed is hard and too short (my wife and I are not tall people). The shower is too small (my wife and I are not large people). The television needs a restraining system while travelling. The microwave oven is only 700 watt so needs to extend cooking times accordingly. The Alko corner stabiliser legs are hard to operate for a late 60 year old such as me. The handles are too far under the caravan. I understand that is where the chassis is but for me I have to get down in the dirt to operate them. A younger person may not have a problem. The shower did not drain well and on investigating under the caravan I found the drain hose ran up hill for a short distance. Once I fixed that all is good. Id like to know what other owners do about drying towels as I can not find a suitable place inside for a towel rail. Screws that hold cupboard latches are two small and I have had to replace a few so far to keep doors closed. The range hood seems to be too heavy for the cupboard it is slung under and the shelf of the cupboard started to droop. A little re-engineering by me has fixed that problem. The fresh water indicator worked for a few days only and now shows 100% full even when the tank is empty. The USB outlets must be low apperage and takes absolutely hours upon hours to charge an iPad. I will take the Apple charger next time and use a power point. There was a fresh water leak under the sink but another easy fix by me. The air conditioner struggled in the QLD heat of 45 degrees. The fan from a blow heater did help move some air around. I see all these as teething problems or maintenance matters and has not detracted from our enjoyment of the caravan so far. Turning now to towing. I tow with a Holden Trailblazer and the Aspire 555 tows very very easily. It sits steady behind the car without any sway, and it has been in some cross winds over flat country plains. Pulls easily up the steepest hills and the electric brakes work perfectly in all terrains including some very steep declines. All in all we are happy with our Avan Aspire 555 Hardtop. I can recommend it as a good valued entry level caravan. So far so good.Purchased in October 2021 at Avan NSW.
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John LIllawarra, NSW
great Van after a few teething problems,
Love our hard top 555, had a few teething problems
1. leak in the water system under sink which was a washer seated incorrectly
2. shower rail broke loose
3.one under seat door cam off its hinges because the screws were too small for the hole
4. outside shower knobs were revered (hot was cold and visa versa)
5. they didn't fit the fold out table on side of van as was agreed to, which they eventually admitted to and so I got one form them and fitted it myself.
6. wow the instructions for the various systems around the van are pretty grim on detail and clarity
but other than that the van has been great
though double bed is a bit short my feet reach the end and I am 5'9"
...Read more
Purchased in September 2021 at Avan NSW, Nowra.
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PeteSydney Surrounds, NSW
Bathroom Not thought out
Exhaust fan should be placed ubove shower in case its left open when it rains also a light should be placed ubove mirror so you can see whilst shaving or doing hair
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Glyn
- 2 reviews
Fantastic van for its size
We purchased our Avan 555 Feb 2018 and it hasn’t missed a beat. The en-suite is spacious, the island bed is fantastic and so much storage room. I particularly love the wardrobes on both sides of the bed. We have completed a red centre trip and now on a six month trip up to top end and eventually across to Perth and down to Adelaide before heading back home to Qld. We do plenty of free camping so the 18o litre water tanks are great. We have solar and a diesel heater and a 180 litre fridge freezer. Good quality throughout this is our third Avan and the quality versus cost is excellent. The dining seats are comfortable and roomy as we have a cafe lounge set up and the table also folds back.
Purchased in February 2021 at Kratzmann Caravans.
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FrankleSouthwest, VIC
Hi, we have a 555 and have only used it a few times but have found it to be really nice
I am know expert in towing a van but find this a good van to tow and set up. I would not hesitate to recommend this van .Buy one now.
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bindiAdelaide
- 2 reviews
An excellent caravan in every respect
The caravan was purchased after a trip to the Caravan & Camping Sale in July 2017 so we had opportunity to compare a wide range of manufacturers. The delivered product met all our expectations. Small touches like the cut out on the side of each wardrobe to access the extra USB points we asked for were an excellent modification.
Er asked for, and would recommend, a completely removable table for our L-shaped lounge. We love the en-suite.
There is plenty of storage available and the tunnel boot is very accessible.
My wife is the driver, I'm blind, and she has no trouble towing the van.
We had a Purpleline remote mover added after purchase which makes moving the van a breeze.
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WayneSouth-Eastern Region, NSW
- 3 reviews
Warranty is a dirty word
8 1/2 months later. Warranty is a dirty word . Cheaper to take it to Alko and pay for it yourself. Glad to see end of Avan Bomaderry. Last trip for warranty work on the suspension was 2 1/2 months and when I go to get it back personal items and camping equipment to the value of $450 missing from van. They deny it, even though they had the keys and it was kept in their locked yard. No forced entry, police report filed, but kiss the goods goodbye. They will not even answer emails in regards to missing items.
The long and the short of it is the ...Read more
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BillSydney
Great van, terrible service
Great to tow & so far meets all our expectations.
Poor service from Avan where they did not fit the Thule awning which was a selling point then lied about it.
Make sure you have every minute detail when dealing with the sales people as there were other customers who had similar complaints.
Apart from that very happy with The van.
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TrishaAdelaide
Loving the ensuite
We have only had the van for about 4 weeks, but travelled from Adelaide to Townsville including a fair amount of central QLD. The only problem we have experienced is the water gauge doesn't always want to work. We are only keeping the tanks half full to keep the weight down and we don't need 180 litres as we don't free camp all the time. We are very happy with the quality and appearance of the van. We put a adapter on the table to swing it at different angles to give us more room sitting at it. Tows beautiful.
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RobMandurah
Love our van
We have found our van to be great to tow. Only issue we have is the table is hard to get in behind and the seat are very uncomfortable, but hey you are not supposed to be sitting behind them for hours so no big deal. We did find that our dealer supplied us with the grey water hose and didn't mention that we needed a connector. However we were asked to read all the supplied material and it does say to buy a connector of the correct size. We have not had our first month service so I guess we will find out what the service is like then. But so far it has been good.
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george6750Caboolture
- 6 reviews
- 2 likes
Great van
Recently purchased second hand and full of bulldust but good bones and a good price that allows minor repairs without over capitalising.
Excellent spacious van with low weight, tows well and love the windows that can be secured open unlike many other lightweights that have click clack windows that can readily be opened fom outside that is no good for free camping.
Would like the tunnel boot fully closed off from interior.
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Disappointing quality control and after sales service
Picked up new Aspire 555 in Aug 2016. 1st night had a bad water leak under sink, next day returned to dealer where leak was fixed but in process of doing repairs to water pump under bed, the bed strut seized and when bed was returned to flat, the fixture anchoring the strut to the bed broke away from timber frame. Water inlet cover on external van wall will not close, table too close to seat - I'm skinny and have to hold my breath to get behind the table, upholstery pattern on seat back not aligned horizontally and door trim is too short leavi...Read more
ng a gap. Have been trying to get the dealer to mail me a new strut but after four weeks of phone calls, no success. So in summary love the design, the value and the towing ability. Don't like quality control and dealer after sales service.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
best van on the market by far
we picked up our aspire 555 this year and have been travelling for 2 months now. we love our 555 and cant really fault it in any. we purchused the van at the big show in feb and found the team a pleasure to deal with we have had a few minor issues (teathing problems) and avans respose has been great. we could not beleive how much is in the van not only for its size buy its weight as well. if you want a light weight but high quality van you cant go passed the avan range and i would highly recomand the team at avan. dont take my word for it get down to a show or even a dealer and check it out
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having trouble getting parts
We have been waiting over 4 months for our camp room which should have been with our Aspire 555 when we picked it up. Every time we contact the dealer its just one excuse after another. Has anyone else had this problem and if so how did you solve your problem. So far the care factor is zero
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Aspire 563 May 2012
Looks good! But, have just had the brakes rewired, costly, because. Wiring was too small and brakes only received power along the line. Our bedroom window, double glaze, has come apart, currently duck taped. The catch on our skylight has broken while travelling along the road. The van is not sealed at all from dust coming up near the walls when travelling on short dirt roads, usually detours. Fridge had to be replaced (not 12 months old) would not go on gas, faulty inastalation and vents were in wring place. Very dissatisfied.
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Find out how Aspire Hardtop 500 Series compares to other Caravans
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ChrsamPenrith
- 2 reviews
Avan 525 aspire poptop
I bought this van 3 years ago at the penrith caravan &camping show,took 3mths to build which was fine,pickup was ok but only just,because u c I had already paid for it,asked how we liked it,said ok if it was as we ordered it,it had no mirrors on wardrobe doors,they said it doesn't come with them,we ordered it as the one at the show took photos,so they agreed,after about 6mths ceiling started to peel & shrink up,took it back & arranged to get fixed,took it back on arranged date,parts hadn't arrived,took another 3weeks for parts to arrive,told th...Read more
em front boot leaks in rain,sales said can't fix,they all leak,fixed it myself.i have added several extras myself,been on a few trips,love the van especially the camp room,only problem too low to ground,have been told to put axle under springs.Otherwise happy,don't know why caravan manufacturers only put 12 months warranty on there products,can't think much of what they produce!2 comments
Have since raised the height of the van by fitting axle under springs no more trouble of it bottoming out.
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Aspire 525 Leaking front window
We bought our 2011 Aspire a few weeks ago and loved it until today - Heavy rain and it leaked quite badly in the front window- now need to try and work out how to stop the leak before it damages everything.
We also changed the Prostor awning after reading other reviews about them not lasting in strong winds.
1 comment
We had to get the front clearance lights sealed as there was NO sealer at all around them .The window seal was in upside down and the join was at the bottom under the latch so it leaked as well.The p... Read more
op top corners had small leaks - not enough sealer in them either -.All good now though. The pop top lifter at the fron was pulling through the roof as the springs in the cross supports are VERY stiff so had to plate and rescrew from the inside -Be awre of these issues if looking at an Aspire 525 - other than that we are very happy with how it tows as well as the storage and layout .Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Ken - Qldbrisbane
- 4 reviews
Good value for money
We bought our Aspire 525 pop top at last years Brisbane show and picked it up at the beginning of 2013. Its a good value for money van and we have done a few trips in it now and are extremely happy with it. Yes there are a few cosmetic things but i wouldnt call them issues and lets face it, you are going to get those with anything these days - pencil marks on some of the doors where they have been marked for the holes for the handles but you dont notice them unless you really look hard. In fact it shows that they are hand made and not mass prod...Read more
uced. Some of the edge beading on the timber inside is a bit mis aligned and the trim around the inside of the front boot is coming loose which can be fixed with some silicone or liquid nails but in my opinion, its a great van and we find it does what we want. Its a good layout with plenty of storage space inside. There are options for where to mount the spare wheel. We had the spare wheel mounted on the rear - it could have gone in the front boot but that takes up valuable storage space in the boot and puts alot of weight over the draw bar. The van tows really well. We bought an after market mattress as we just couldnt get comfortable in the factory supplied foam mattress and it seems that most of the new vans come with similar mattresses. The Coromal Camper Trailer that we had previously had similar mattresses. A Van converted the table which collapses to make a small bed/or day bed which is good for lounging out and watching the TV. I installed some conduits underneath to store the waste pipe so it doesnt contaminate everything i put in the front boot and we bought a shade cloth for the side of the roll out awning. The only criticism's are that the curtains are not really curtains - they just look like curtains and are there to frame the inside of the windows. This means that although the van has fly screens, you can still see in from outside at night if the lights are on. Better to be able to close the flyscreens and the curtains but leave the window open to get some breeze. Another thing to look out for is that when you open the locker underneath the seat, which has a big long door so potential so store some big items, the opening is blocked by the water tank filler pipe that goes right across the middle of the opening which renders the locker practically useless. It may be just this model and i suppose it makes it easy to maintain if necessary. Theres plenty of other storage space and in fact we have not been able to fill all the cupboards anyway. We picked the van up from the Caloundra dealer on Nicklin Way. The hand over service was excellent and they explained how everything worked and even drove me around the block to make sure we had the brake controller set up correctly. If you are looking for a good value for money van, the A Van is well worth a look. Layout, value for money, service on pick up, tows great, good size. Nothing that would stop us buying another one but if i have to put something here, it would be that the curtains are not really curtains.1 comment
Had the van 9 months now and so far so good. The only problem that we have had was with the Prostor awning where one of the aluminium castings which attach the pole to the roll out part of the awning ... Read more
broke whilst we sat underneath it having a coffee. I like the Prostor awning and the way it all rolls up into the casing. Its easy to roll out and erect and to put away again, but they dont appear to be very strong. I dismantled it myself and got onto the dealer on the Sunshine Coast. They were helpful and i didnt want to go to the trouble of taking the van to them, then going back to pick it up, so we agreed that they would just supply the part and i would fit it. Due to a lack of communication, the wrong part was initially supplied, but i got onto the manufacturer and between AVan and the dealer on the Sunshine Coast, the right part was supplied and i fitted it myself. Problem fixed and the aftercare service has been very good.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Questions & Answers
Sheenagh B.asked
Love the rain but now have a leak coming from skylight and so covered skylight which also covered solar. Now have no lights or fridge power. Weirdly microwave, TV and power-points work. What do I do??? No fun sitting here in partial dark with food defrosting. How do I get light and fridge to work without solar. Battery seems flat, fuses ok, circuit breaker ok. Can I just plug into 240V to power everything ?
4 answers
Plug into power which will power fridge (if power selected on three way), microwave and will/should recharge battery for 12v lights.
Also try gas for the fridge
Battery cooked itself a few months ago so I don’t think that’s working and without that the fridge panel not lighting up to enable me to select a power source. Mains power plugged in but that’s not registering either.
Jeffasked
Our 2016 Xtrail has a max tow weight of 2000kg and tow ball weight of 200kg will this be ok to tow a 2022 Aspire 555 pop top?
4 answers
PLEASE DON’T DO IT ! A caravan salesperson will no doubt tell you it will do the job, and legally, according to the numbers, it will. But you will pull the guts out of the car IMHO and have nothing in reserve. When we fell in love with the Avan Aspire we had a Mazda CX-5 with the same towing capacity as your vehicle. We are so glad that after a lot of research and car towing reviews we changed our tug before buying the van (horse before the cart is a good principle when buying caravans) and now we have loads of towing capacity up our sleeve which is such a great and comforting feeling, as caravanning is challenging enough without the overwhelming knowledge that your tug is operating right on it’s limit and you have to worry about every bit of weight you add to car and caravan. Please consider a proper tow vehicle.
Thanks ConsumerMan, so what tow vehicle did you go with?
Holden Trailblazer.
David Tasked
I have a water leak in the front window above the bed, how do I fix this problem?
The window is intact the leaking looks like it is coming in from around the seals, how do you take the outside cover off?. Any suggestions would be appreciated, as I don’t want to take it back to Avan.
Regards David
No answers
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Chrsam
With the leaking front boot on the Avan,the curved bends on the bottom of the opening either have or develope hairline cracks not easily seen with naked eye,just smear silicon sealant around the curve... Read more
and it should seal it.I myself had this problem and eventually worked it out.