Rightio then, let’s start with the BIG news first. Just before Christmas Holden killed the Commodore and declared itself now ‘a brand dedicated to selling a raft of SUVs (Sport Utility Vehicles) and LCVs (light commercial vehicles).’

At the same time Head Office was delivering this bombshell, its NZ division was focusing its promotion attention on the ability to two of its new ‘flagship models’ – the Z71 Colorado Ute and the seven-seater Trailblazer – to tow things.

In particular the modern generation of ‘home-away-from-home’ caravans from Jayco.

So, which would I choose if I had the dosh? Given I’m a family man blessed with an all-girl – other than me – family, comfort wins out every time over cool, so the Trailblazer was the weapon of choice.

That decided, it was load up the fandamily – me, the GF, Hannah “the Shutterbug” and Georgia “the Giraffe” with all our holiday shi…stuff and then take the Trailblazer off to South Auckland Caravans, supplier of Jayco caravans to collect our weekend’s accommodation.

Long journey!

Our ‘accommodation’ was in the form of a four -berth Jayco Journey; a tandem axle 22-footer with a double bed at the bow, and the lounge/second bedroom combo, tucked abaft the habitation door (the door you use to get in) on the left-hand side. 

The kitchen has a four-burner gas grille/oven, overhead microwave and a 171-litre fridge freezer unit. 

Between the bedroom and kitchen is the bathroom with dual concertina doors to afford plenty of privacy, and you have a spacious shower on one side, with toilet and vanity on the other.

A popular choice, the Journey is well specified and logically planned out for modern travellers and as far as towing is concerned, it is equipped with an Al-Ko electronic stability control device. 

This is bolstered by the Holden’s very clever and sophisticated grade braking system which uses engine braking to take some of the pressure off the conventional braking system and Trailer Sway Control, which combines ABS, Traction Control, Electronic Brake Force Distribution and Electronic Brake Assist to help maintain control.

Serious business    

Towing is a serious business with many considerations, not forgetting the maximum towing speed for a recreational combo is 90km/h. More critical though, is the attention paid to weights and masses. 

There is a raft of weight calculations to factor in. In our case, the kerb mass (weight of a fully fuelled vehicle less any accessories) of the Trailblazer came in at 2203kg and the gross vehicle mass (kerb mass, plus any accessories, payload and tow ball download) was 2820kg. 

Our gross combined mass (the weight of the tow vehicle and towed vehicle combined as stated by the tow vehicle manufacturer) was 5700kg and our stated tow capacity was 3000kg. 

As to payload, we had about 300kg of occupant weight, 120kg of luggage and the 40kg towbar added to the Trailblazer’s 2203kg, which brought the tow vehicle total to 2663kg. 

The Journey has a tare weight (the empty van) of 2235kg and the GCM came to 4898kg, thus Jayco’s latest was well within towing tolerance; I could have had a few more doughnuts at breakfast! 

But in all seriousness, there’s not a vast amount of difference between 5000kg and 4898kg. If I’d been travelling with blokes instead of birds for instance, it could have been an entirely different outcome.  

Anyhoo ...

We hitched up the Jayco with a little help from Glen O’Donnell, who heads up the Jayco team at South Auckland Caravans in Auckland’s East Tamaki, and headed south for the Coromandel. 

First impressions were that the Holden was holden’ up its end of being a diesel powerhouse (500Nm from the 2.8-litre turbodiesel) with the nine-speed transmission, determining that it was just the nut behind the wheel needing a little bit of help to keep it all smooth. 

Cresting the Bombay hills and wending our way Waikato-wise, I was mindful of the Journey trying – with enthusiastic nudges – to convince the Trailblazer that faster was better, but with a snick or two of the brake compensating Grade Braking and Trailer Sway Control systems, the Journey’s enthusiasm was effectively curbed.  

The Coro Loop on a beautiful day was going to see motorcycle after motorcycle and, me being a rider, I knew they’d all be cursing this 30 ft in total monstrosity of a weekend roadblock.

Best intentions

So, I was going to be good, pull over when I could and let anyone through. There were plenty of opportunities to do this, but in defence of all other caravan haulers, those laybys are not that big, with little margin for hard braking. 

If the caravan blocking you misses one, it’s probably because he’s trucking along and can’t pull in safely; even with trailer sway control. 

The drive to the Top 10 Holiday Park at Shelly Beach (five minutes drive north of Coromandel township. Ed) was remarkable from a scenic perspective, but rather uninteresting from a driver’s point of view, for which I was grateful.

While the Jayco had provision for a television, it was not connected, which meant we had to do the tourist things to keep us occupied. 

Go fish!

A trip to the Driving Creek Railway was well worth the experience and the thoughtful addition of a deck of playing cards saw a long Saturday night relaxing with the family, after a good stroll along the beach and a fish and chip dinner from Top of the Town takeaways. 

Breakfast the next day – after a remarkably comfortable kip, expressed by the little ‘uns especially – was courtesy of the Wharf Café.

This comes highly recommended for the service and the portion size. A walk to the end of main street before heading home ensured we wouldn’t use the remaining 102kg of payload. It would have been close! 

All told, Holden + Jayco + Coromandel equals a perfect summertime combination.