Avan’s Applause 500: The Perfect Weekender for Couples and Solo Travellers

Motorhomes come in all shapes and sizes. In recent reviews, I have looked over a 9.8 metre (32ft 2in) Sunliner Monte Carlo motorhome and a 5.27 metre (17ft 3in) Frontline Adventurer pop-top campervan. They are at the extremes of the industry in Australia, with the Sunliner motorhome having everything you could want (with a price to match); and the Frontline camper at the other end of the scale – designed for lightweight travel and easy parking.

The latter may be too basic for some people. That's where Avan's Applause 500, with a fixed bed and bathroom, will be more interesting. It's a motorhome with most of the basic comforts but is just 5.98 metres (19ft 7in) long.

Hit the Road with the Avan Applause 500

Built around a Fiat Ducato LWB van with a 2.2-litre turbo diesel and a nine-speed fully automatic gearbox, the Applause is a small motorhome that is very attractive to anyone who desires an easy-driver motorhome. Which the Applause is, along with being an easy parking proposition. Along with some country roads, I road-tested a few supermarket car parks without too much problem. A slight problem on the nearside was the lower nearside mirror, which was partially blocked by the plastic frame of the window blind. An obvious option on this Applause 500 is the bullbar. It's not common, but it's a worthy consideration for anyone who does a great deal of country driving or wants a mounting platform for their driving lights. 

Features That Make It Ideal for Weekend Getaways

Like any large van conversion, the Applause has the usual sliding door and fully opening rear doors. Double-glazed acrylic opening windows are fitted along both sides, including the sliding door; but the rear door windows are fixed. A little care has to be taken with the rear nearside window; it and the sliding door can't be fully opened simultaneously. All the windows have built-in blinds and insect screens. A concertina fly screen is built into the sliding door, but nothing on the rear doors.

As is normal with a van this size, there are no external compartments except for the Thetford cassette toilet tank, the freshwater connection and the Swift water heater. Inside the rear doors, there's a gas cylinder bin, a compartment for the battery and a large drawer for general storage – all built into the bed base across the rear of the motorhome. 

The motorhome comes standard with a 100Ah AGM battery. The 120W solar panel is optional, as is the gas bayonet fitting and the picnic table fitted into the sliding door panel. Mains charging power is delivered from a Projecta PM335 BMS. The battery and solar panel are good for a night or two without mains power, but the 62-litre water tank is more of a consideration.

Compact but Comfortable Interior: Ideal for Couples and Solo Travellers

The Avan Applause 500 layout is a standard arrangement for a van conversion. Both the driver’s cab seats swivel around and mesh with the table and two-seater lounge. There’s an east-west bed across the rear. The remaining amidship space is taken by the offside bathroom and nearside kitchen, which extends into the doorway. Whilst most cabinetry has a conventional look, the bathroom cubicle has a few curves to remove the ‘boxy’ look. Of note is the door, which is wider at the top and designed to fit with the kitchen bench on the opposite side – an interesting piece of lateral thinking. There are mains power points in the expected places but no USB charger hubs. 

It was unintended, but a storm and an extended heavy downpour of rain on the day of my photo shoot gave me an unexpected opportunity to check out the interior with the doors closed and windows open just enough for airflow – I do like awning windows for that reason.

Anyone familiar with the logistics of confined space interior photography will understand when I say that there is still room to move in the Applause. 

Having the two extra passenger seats in the rear is an asset and provides a decent four-seat dining arrangement. There isn't much clearance between the table edge and the rear seat, even with the table pushed forward. Anyone with a wide girth may find it a little uncomfortable. The TV is neatly mounted in a compartment above the cab and slides out easily for viewing. However, the disadvantage of this is that the most comfortable viewing seats are in the driver's cab, facing the rear. The table can be lifted out of the way if not needed. For storage, there are two overhead lockers above the table. Under the seat is the hot water switching and there's a power point too, but it's not great for legs, feet and power leads.

Practical Kitchen and Bathroom in the Applause 500

The kitchen bench is a reasonable length for a motorhome this size. It has all the basics, including a decent amount of benchtop area. There's a good selection of drawers and cupboards, all of which fit around the stainless-steel sink and two-burner hob above the benchtop and the microwave oven and 85-litre compressor fridge below. At the bench end, the lower shelves are more easily accessible from outside the door and would make suitable shoe racks, if nothing else. 

Most motorhomes this size have a wet bathroom with a combined shower and toilet; but Avan has managed to squeeze in a circular cubicle for the shower, along with a cassette toilet and a wash basin. It's a bit squishy, but everything is there, and it all doesn't get wet when the shower is used. 

The transverse bed is set at a height that lines up nicely with the windows on both sides. It measures 1.83m x 1.22m (6ft x 4ft) and will suit shorter persons who aren't big in stature. Being accessible from both sides means it doesn't take long to make up in the morning; and there are overhead lockers all around, offering some much-needed storage. No bed reading lights are fitted.

If the Applause 500 doesn't quite offer enough internal space, several slightly longer layouts are available in the 600 series. Using a Ducato XLWB van, the 6.4m (21ft) length allows for more space inside and different layouts, including an unconventional single-bed setup. In addition, the 600-4 model is designed for a family. It's a four-seater with a rear-hinged elevating roof offering rooftop beds. Suitable for a young family or, more likely, the occasional accompanying grandchildren.

Bottom Line: Why the Applause 500 is Perfect for Couples and Solo Travellers

The Applause 500 isn’t a large motorhome, but it doesn’t pretend to be. It's not really a long- haul motorhome, but is excellent for weekend getaways and trips that don't require carrying extensive supplies. With the extra seats in the rear, it's functional as an around-town transporter and is not difficult to park. Best suited to couples who can travel light, it's also really good for solo travellers – easy to park, economical turbo diesel and no problem to secure overnight with all facilities on board. 

SPECIFICATIONS

VEHICLE

MANUFACTURER AVAN

MODEL APPLAUSE 500

BASE VEHICLE FIAT DUCATO MULTIJET LWB

TARE WEIGHT 2,915KG

GVM 4,005KG

LICENCE CAR

PASSENGERS 4

MECHANICAL

ENGINE 2.2 LITRE TURBO DIESEL MULTIJET 180

POWER 131KW @ 3,600RPM

TORQUE 4450NM @ 1,500RPM

GEAR BOX ZF 9-SPEED AUTOMATIC

BRAKES ABS DISC

DIMENSIONS

EXTERNAL LENGTH 5.98M (19FT 7IN)

EXTERNAL WIDTH (INCL AWNING) 2.5M (8FT 2IN)

EXTERNAL HEIGHT 2.47M (8FT 1IN)

INTERNAL HEIGHT 1.9M (6FT 3IN)

BED SIZE 1.83M X 1.22M (6FT X 4FT)

EQUIPMENT

COOK TOP DOMETIC TWO-BURNER GAS

FRIDGE VITRIFRIGO 85 LITRE 12V COMPRESSOR

MICROWAVE OVEN WHIRLPOOL

LIGHTING 12V LED

BATTERIES 1 X 100AH AGM

SOLAR PANELS 1 X 120W

AIR CONDITIONER HOUGHTON BELAIRE 2400

TOILET THETFORD CASSETTE

SHOWER CIRCULAR CUBICLE

HOT WATER HEATER SWIFT 28 LITRE GAS/ELEC

HEATER NO

WATER TANK 62 LITRES

GREY TANK 62 LITRES

GAS CYLINDERS 1 X 4.0KG

PRICE $141,250

Supplied by:

Avan Sydney 

97 Glossop Street

St Marys NSW 2760

Ph: 02 9833 9737

Web: www.avansydney.com.au

Category: Reviews
Written: Tue 01 Apr 2025
Printed: April, 2025
Published By: