We bought the 13’ lowdown a bit over a year ago. Had a few teething problems and the guys couldn’t apologise enough. No one’s fault, stuff happens. We had an electrical fault which was intermittent and a problem to fault find over the phone etc. as we are interstate and not near a Jawa dealer. Jawa (in Windsor) went way out of there way to fix the issue even though we had passed the warranty period. I don’t know of any other manufacturer that would go above and beyond what Mitch and the guys did for us. Problem solved and we love the van and it’s my honest opinion you get more bang for your buck with them. Love your videos and this one bought back memories of when I did the Gibb with the family. Thanks
G’day. I went to the Melbourne 4x4 Show. Wasn’t going to buy a van, but saw this van there. Got under it had a look, stood in the shower/toilet had a good look, like I said. Wasn’t going to buy a van. Spoke to one of the reps, and they informed me about this video/walk around. Watched it, then watched it again, and did the walk around with Ant as he did it. I now own this van. Pick it up October, after the Sydney 4x4 show.
Morning Ant, I have just stumbled across your channel while we begin researching our next van. We came across Jawa a few years back and love their configuration. Our previous van was a full offroad van, and while we enjoyed the van, there was a bit of rocking and rolling, especially when large vehicles were passing. We recently hired a pop-top offroad camper, which was a dream to tow. I would appreciate your thoughts on the towing experience between the Commander and Sirocco. The two are similar in weight; however, the Commander's ball weight is quite a bit less, and there appears to be a reasonable amount of weight on the back. We thoroughly enjoyed your videos and binge-watched them over the weekend. Cheers, Geoff
@@CharlesJeffries hi Geoff! Glad you love the videos! Mavo does a pretty good job when pulling them all together. I found that both the 2024 Sirocco and Commander towed rock solid. Caveat is that we had a prototype Sirocco, so things have slightly changed in the production models- battery moved from rear to under bed, microwave added etc. This would actually make it heavier on the ball…. I was a bit worried initially taking the Commander on the Gibb River Rd just due to the size and weight, but it handled it like a dream. Far better than expected. We also punted it back from the Kimberley to Brisbane, so passed countless road trains and again, rock solid. The only negative is I’d estimate about 1-2L of fuel per hundred due to the more drag. Overall, they both towed extremely well, but the Commander blew us away. Checkout the vid we did on towing dynamic a few months ago, hopefully that helps with further details
Just ordered a Jawa Commander in no small part influenced by this video and private emails with Ant & Dee🎉 Scott and Rychelle at Jawa also awesome to deal with👍 Can’t wait for its arrival in 14-16 weeks… Tony & Lenore
Very good reviews on each so far. The Commander would be my pick as if being in it full time or at least a few months also as a base camp setup at a time to travel back home after three months the features really do suit that type of travel. I also cannot see the need for a longer van, fuel, weight length plus cost of dual vs single axle registration especially in NSW etc comes into play even though I have a 79 6WD to tow it with the extra storage in the commander will come in handy and YES I did take note of the weight issue I still want to stay under 3 tons. Having Starlink I would also be looking into the 12v conversion to limit the inverter drain on the batteries. Carry on with your travels and it will be interesting to see what van you eventually end up choosing for your own.
I loved this van at the show but It needs more of the Jawa features on the out side Wasn’t as good as the Jawa and I did speak to them in cairns When they were up here hope they can make it even better bin next years model although it was good ❤🇦🇺🙏
Hey Great review do like the Jawa range seriously considering one i noticed in the video where Dee showed inside the small storage place in the corner by the bed where she said its good for keys there looked like a crack in the cabinetary?
Thanks. It’s a tough question…. I don’t think it’s too heavy, but depends on your tow vehicle/setup and how much experience you have. Another potential issue with the beach, is generally there is a tight track with low branches to get to your campsite, so the solid roof will limit you. The 2024 model isn’t much heavier than any other poptop of similar size. It’d be fine as an example for the campsite south of Indian Head on Fraser, but I wouldn’t take it up to Waddy Point. I wouldn’t take it to Main or Flinders on Straddie, again because of the height, not the weight.
Always great to see your reviews. We're in the Sirocco Grande 2024 and wondering your opinion on installing a stone stomper. I note you haven't used anything whilst driving the Gibb River Road?
Hi Stephen! I was originally going to get a stone stomper prior to our first lap in 2022, but it was a 6 month wait and didn’t work with our leaving date. We saw many people travelling with them, and several who hadn’t connected them properly and hence, flapping around everywhere at 100km/h. Spoke to a few who loved theirs and other who thought they were a waste of time….. The main reason I’d get one, is if we were in a Landcruiser or Patrol with a big rear window. We deliberately chose a solid back canopy without glass as the main thing a SS does is protect the rear of the car…. We have zero damage on the front of the Commander even after doing the GRR… they are pretty good at holding mud down when wet more so than stones
Thank you. That's great to hear. We've decided against for the time being although we do have stones hitting the rear tailgate of the Isuzu ute at times. Very much appreciate your reply and looking forward to the next video.
Generally it would be. Depends on how long you plan to be offgrid and how close you are to a refill. For the GRR, I’d probably run 2x9’s but we travel quite frequently with just a single 9
Excellent review thanks. Just wondering on your opinion about towing the atm weight on a single axle. Has it been a problem compared to the stability of dual wheels? Cheers
@@martinkane1814 hi Martin. Most of our experience has been with single axle vans from 2200-2990 ATM. Have only towed/tested a couple of dual axle vans up to 3500. Firstly, never had a problem with the single axles. Very stable on the road up to speed limits with few caveats- the single axle makes load distribution critical. Ball weights can fluctuate a lot even with the same ATM distributed differently. Obviously the fulcrum is much narrower, so you just need to be more vigilant when packing/filling water tanks etc. You learn pretty quickly though. I have found the single axle vans much more direct and responsive when towing in sand and in tight places. This is a huge benefit of a single axle van. The dual axles are cumbersome and sloppy when steering and sand/tight tracks exposes this even more. Overall, after about 60000km in a single axle, I’ve never once thought- ‘geez I wish I had a dual axle’
Thanks Ant. Following your smart cap review I purchased one and it has been great. Now seriously considering the Jawa commander. Have a dual cab ranger and the weights are ideally suited to gcm ect. Thanks for taking the time to respond mate and all the best for your future travels. Cheers.
@@martinkane1814 I love my SmartCap even more after the last half lap in WA. Just works way better than the old soft tonneau. As for the Commander, it’s our favourite van that we’ve toured in. The biggest improvement IMO from the 2023 model in the 24 is that it’s 140kg lighter and actually has more slightly better inclusions. Jawa have really nailed it with the Commander
Hmmm, it’s a tough question because they are different vans. We’d probably go for the Commander, but that’s just our choice. The Grande was also an awesome van
@@empty_nestadventures what is your tow vehicle. I have the MDC HR16 EW and tow with a Toyota Hilux rugged with a lovells GVM and GCM up grade to 3500kg. My tow ball down load is also 270 kg
Looks great but don't like the warranty conditions attached to these vans. This part is my main concern.- Campers must be returned to our factory for any warranty work. The warranty does not include pick up ,or delivery from our factory. And Any Transport, accommodation, towing or recovery costs arising from a warranty claim are the responsibility of the purchaser unless stated in writing by JAWA Off Road Campers. Now if I were to have the van break down half way across the country I'd want to be able to have it repaired under warranty anywhere so I can continue my trip.
@@brett5889 I don’t think you’ll find anything different with any manufacturers. However, we had a few warranty issues with our first van that lapped in, purchased at Jawa and they bent over backwards to keep us going. They were excellent with anything that came their way
Hi mate. It’s a crack in the gloss enamel on the sub-frame. There’s a tack weld on it that’s still good, but the paint has a hairline crack in it. Good spot, I hadn’t even noticed it
If you haven’t got anything nice to say don’t say anything is what has been drummed into me, BUT please do more research before you part with your money.❤️🇦🇺
WTF Are OFF ROAD MAGNETS ? Are they some new invention that holds your van to the ground while your off roading? What a load of BS 💩The marketing people will have to do better than that next time
Standard magnets rattle on the steel actuating arm and cause the arm to cut itself into the steel magnet housing. The Off-Road magnet on the other hand has a plastic insert that negates rattle and the cutting action. There’s a fair bit of info out there with a simple google search
We bought the 13’ lowdown a bit over a year ago. Had a few teething problems and the guys couldn’t apologise enough. No one’s fault, stuff happens. We had an electrical fault which was intermittent and a problem to fault find over the phone etc. as we are interstate and not near a Jawa dealer. Jawa (in Windsor) went way out of there way to fix the issue even though we had passed the warranty period. I don’t know of any other manufacturer that would go above and beyond what Mitch and the guys did for us. Problem solved and we love the van and it’s my honest opinion you get more bang for your buck with them.
Love your videos and this one bought back memories of when I did the Gibb with the family. Thanks
Awesome feedback. The team at Windsor are a bunch of legends
G’day. I went to the Melbourne 4x4 Show. Wasn’t going to buy a van, but saw this van there. Got under it had a look, stood in the shower/toilet had a good look, like I said. Wasn’t going to buy a van. Spoke to one of the reps, and they informed me about this video/walk around. Watched it, then watched it again, and did the walk around with Ant as he did it. I now own this van. Pick it up October, after the Sydney 4x4 show.
@@robertmeredith1846 that’s awesome. It’s a great van mate. We loved it
Morning Ant, I have just stumbled across your channel while we begin researching our next van. We came across Jawa a few years back and love their configuration. Our previous van was a full offroad van, and while we enjoyed the van, there was a bit of rocking and rolling, especially when large vehicles were passing. We recently hired a pop-top offroad camper, which was a dream to tow. I would appreciate your thoughts on the towing experience between the Commander and Sirocco. The two are similar in weight; however, the Commander's ball weight is quite a bit less, and there appears to be a reasonable amount of weight on the back. We thoroughly enjoyed your videos and binge-watched them over the weekend. Cheers, Geoff
@@CharlesJeffries hi Geoff! Glad you love the videos! Mavo does a pretty good job when pulling them all together.
I found that both the 2024 Sirocco and Commander towed rock solid. Caveat is that we had a prototype Sirocco, so things have slightly changed in the production models- battery moved from rear to under bed, microwave added etc. This would actually make it heavier on the ball….
I was a bit worried initially taking the Commander on the Gibb River Rd just due to the size and weight, but it handled it like a dream. Far better than expected. We also punted it back from the Kimberley to Brisbane, so passed countless road trains and again, rock solid. The only negative is I’d estimate about 1-2L of fuel per hundred due to the more drag.
Overall, they both towed extremely well, but the Commander blew us away. Checkout the vid we did on towing dynamic a few months ago, hopefully that helps with further details
@ Thanks Ant, I appreciate the feedback.
Just ordered a Jawa Commander in no small part influenced by this video and private emails with Ant & Dee🎉
Scott and Rychelle at Jawa also awesome to deal with👍
Can’t wait for its arrival in 14-16 weeks…
Tony & Lenore
Very good reviews on each so far. The Commander would be my pick as if being in it full time or at least a few months also as a base camp setup at a time to travel back home after three months the features really do suit that type of travel. I also cannot see the need for a longer van, fuel, weight length plus cost of dual vs single axle registration especially in NSW etc comes into play even though I have a 79 6WD to tow it with the extra storage in the commander will come in handy and YES I did take note of the weight issue I still want to stay under 3 tons. Having Starlink I would also be looking into the 12v conversion to limit the inverter drain on the batteries. Carry on with your travels and it will be interesting to see what van you eventually end up choosing for your own.
I loved this van at the show but
It needs more of the Jawa features on the out side Wasn’t as good as the Jawa and I did speak to them in cairns
When they were up here hope they can make it even better bin next years model although it was good ❤🇦🇺🙏
Great review! Will you be testing the Retreat too?
We’ve still got a few more adventures in the 2024 Jawa range, so we hope so!
Looks like a great unit. All I need now is the $85,000 to buy one and get it on the road. Love the videos!
Vaso gives a good sell on the outer van Cubby's Nice vid guys your Van i like great for 2 👩❤👨 Oi Oi Oi 🇦🇺 Happy travels 🍻 cheers 🍹
Hey Great review do like the Jawa range seriously considering one i noticed in the video where Dee showed inside the small storage place in the corner by the bed where she said its good for keys there looked like a crack in the cabinetary?
Hi mate. I’ll have to take a quick look
Awesome review on the commander hey would it be to heavy for the beach ??
Thanks. It’s a tough question…. I don’t think it’s too heavy, but depends on your tow vehicle/setup and how much experience you have. Another potential issue with the beach, is generally there is a tight track with low branches to get to your campsite, so the solid roof will limit you. The 2024 model isn’t much heavier than any other poptop of similar size. It’d be fine as an example for the campsite south of Indian Head on Fraser, but I wouldn’t take it up to Waddy Point. I wouldn’t take it to Main or Flinders on Straddie, again because of the height, not the weight.
Always great to see your reviews. We're in the Sirocco Grande 2024 and wondering your opinion on installing a stone stomper. I note you haven't used anything whilst driving the Gibb River Road?
Hi Stephen! I was originally going to get a stone stomper prior to our first lap in 2022, but it was a 6 month wait and didn’t work with our leaving date. We saw many people travelling with them, and several who hadn’t connected them properly and hence, flapping around everywhere at 100km/h. Spoke to a few who loved theirs and other who thought they were a waste of time…..
The main reason I’d get one, is if we were in a Landcruiser or Patrol with a big rear window. We deliberately chose a solid back canopy without glass as the main thing a SS does is protect the rear of the car…. We have zero damage on the front of the Commander even after doing the GRR… they are pretty good at holding mud down when wet more so than stones
Thank you. That's great to hear. We've decided against for the time being although we do have stones hitting the rear tailgate of the Isuzu ute at times.
Very much appreciate your reply and looking forward to the next video.
Awesome videos. Question do you need 2 x 9kg of LPG, seems like a lot of weight. Would 2 x 4.5 be enough when travelling?
Generally it would be. Depends on how long you plan to be offgrid and how close you are to a refill. For the GRR, I’d probably run 2x9’s but we travel quite frequently with just a single 9
Excellent review thanks. Just wondering on your opinion about towing the atm weight on a single axle. Has it been a problem compared to the stability of dual wheels? Cheers
@@martinkane1814 hi Martin. Most of our experience has been with single axle vans from 2200-2990 ATM. Have only towed/tested a couple of dual axle vans up to 3500. Firstly, never had a problem with the single axles. Very stable on the road up to speed limits with few caveats- the single axle makes load distribution critical. Ball weights can fluctuate a lot even with the same ATM distributed differently. Obviously the fulcrum is much narrower, so you just need to be more vigilant when packing/filling water tanks etc. You learn pretty quickly though.
I have found the single axle vans much more direct and responsive when towing in sand and in tight places. This is a huge benefit of a single axle van. The dual axles are cumbersome and sloppy when steering and sand/tight tracks exposes this even more.
Overall, after about 60000km in a single axle, I’ve never once thought- ‘geez I wish I had a dual axle’
Thanks Ant. Following your smart cap review I purchased one and it has been great. Now seriously considering the Jawa commander. Have a dual cab ranger and the weights are ideally suited to gcm ect. Thanks for taking the time to respond mate and all the best for your future travels. Cheers.
@@martinkane1814 I love my SmartCap even more after the last half lap in WA. Just works way better than the old soft tonneau.
As for the Commander, it’s our favourite van that we’ve toured in. The biggest improvement IMO from the 2023 model in the 24 is that it’s 140kg lighter and actually has more slightly better inclusions. Jawa have really nailed it with the Commander
Guys - tossing up between the Sirocco Grande and the Commander. If you had to buy one, which would you buy? Just the 2 of us and 2 little dogs.
Hmmm, it’s a tough question because they are different vans. We’d probably go for the Commander, but that’s just our choice. The Grande was also an awesome van
All that space just for 2 😮
I’m waiting to the retreat escape
@@gino2564 I don’t blame you, it appears to be up there with the Commander with what it offers but will it stack up? Time in it will tell.
Hey guys how’s your Mazda going towing all the Jawa caravans??
Hi mate. It goes really good. It has most modifications you could think of though
Have you guys trialled the Escape?
Which one do you mean- Retreat, Tarwarri or Infinity?
@@empty_nestadventures
It was the Retreat escape van we were hoping you’ll be testing / reviewing. 👍🏻
What is the Tow ball weight loaded
@@eaglesnest1960 hi. I measures when we got home from the trip prior to unloading. Ball was at 270kg, which almost perfectly at 10% of ATM
@@empty_nestadventures what is your tow vehicle.
I have the MDC HR16 EW and tow with a Toyota Hilux rugged with a lovells GVM and GCM up grade to 3500kg.
My tow ball down load is also 270 kg
Looks great but don't like the warranty conditions attached to these vans.
This part is my main concern.-
Campers must be returned to our factory for any warranty work. The warranty does not include pick up ,or delivery from our factory.
And
Any Transport, accommodation, towing or recovery costs arising from a warranty claim are the responsibility of the purchaser unless stated in writing by JAWA Off Road Campers.
Now if I were to have the van break down half way across the country I'd want to be able to have it repaired under warranty anywhere so I can continue my trip.
@@brett5889 I don’t think you’ll find anything different with any manufacturers. However, we had a few warranty issues with our first van that lapped in, purchased at Jawa and they bent over backwards to keep us going. They were excellent with anything that came their way
Just watched this clip, did I notice a crack in the carcass near your bed?
Hi mate. It’s a crack in the gloss enamel on the sub-frame. There’s a tack weld on it that’s still good, but the paint has a hairline crack in it. Good spot, I hadn’t even noticed it
No worries at all, really enjoyed watching
Think you guys have done enough JAWA promos how about getting on with the travels…
So glad you enjoy our adventures vids
Love your vids and passion, but slow down a little bit, just came across a little hectic. We still love you guys though.
If you haven’t got anything nice to say don’t say anything is what has been drummed into me, BUT please do more research before you part with your money.❤️🇦🇺
Made in China? Assembled in Windsor?
Correct I guess. So the chassis and shell are imported and then the suspension, electrics etc are done here. Both at Windsor and Caloundra
WTF Are OFF ROAD MAGNETS ? Are they some new invention that holds your van to the ground while your off roading? What a load of BS 💩The marketing people will have to do better than that next time
Standard magnets rattle on the steel actuating arm and cause the arm to cut itself into the steel magnet housing. The Off-Road magnet on the other hand has a plastic insert that negates rattle and the cutting action. There’s a fair bit of info out there with a simple google search