Franklin X Factor 206: Stylish Semi Off-Road Caravan with Smart Functionality
After hours on bitumen, dales, gravel, and dirt, settling back into a well-organised space to rest your feet helps you recalibrate from the get-go. This is exactly what we found when stepping into the warm and inviting 20ft 6in couples van, the Franklin X Factor 206, smartly packaged with off-road essentials. Created by the Franklin team, led by Keir Smith, the X Factor 206 is not only beautiful inside but also thoughtfully designed, featuring tall 6ft 8in ceilings, coat hooks, defined storage, abundant soft lighting, and luxurious leather appointments evident as you step through the Crimsafe Security door.
On-Trend Upholstery & Clever Lounge Features
Franklin’s extensive investment in CNC cabinetry and upholstery machinery allows them to quickly adopt and adapt to modern interior trends. This is clearly seen in the newly revitalised curved panels on the cafe lounge : “The leather lounge now is double stitched with full padded bunk ends and seat base,” says Conrad D’Cunha, National Operations Manager of Concept Caravans. Notably, footrests on the lounge sides pull out on rollers, sturdy enough to sit on when guests unexpectedly drop by. Beneath the lounge, deep drawers provide easier access to laptops, books, and more without disturbing your partner.
Functional Galley Kitchen with Smart Storage
Franklin’s cabinet-making prowess is evident in the 206’s galley kitchen, highlighted by a beautiful deck of large, charcoal-coloured soft-close drawers supporting the four-hob gas and electric cooktop, oven, and grille. A mottled benchtop extends up the wall to form an easy-to-clean splashback, complementing the deep square matt black sink with filtered water and a drainer. It’s both attractive and highly functional, located within easy reach of the built-in compressor fridge-freezer opposite. Similarly, small touches like the mirror and cabinets define the master bedroom, centered around a north-south facing queen-size innerspring bed.
Smarter Siphoning & Versatile Ensuite Design
According to Conrad, the team focused their energies on the X Factor 206 ensuite, starting with the full-height cabinet. Storage near the toilet is accessible via external doors, and a clever off-set drain connected to a poly marble recessed vanity siphons water to plumbing behind the washing machine cavity. “This means we can fit a drawer under the vanity and an opening cabinet with no annoying pipes running through it,” says Conrad. The ensuite also boasts a large, gorgeous backlit illuminated mirror. Franklin chose a Perspex shower door with a full-length magnetic catch to save on weight and installed a waterproof ceiling above the one-piece fibreglass shower, serviced with instantaneous hot water.
Exterior Colours & Simplified Off-Road Capabilities
Twin 95L freshwater tanks and 90L of grey water storage provide excellent off-grid capability, complemented by a 400W solar array and a 400Ah battery bank managed by a BMPRO battery manager and a DC-DC charger. Dometic dust reduction keeps the interiors clean during transit, while a reversing camera helps protect the composite alloy panels, available in Military Green, Gloss Silver, and Pearl White.
The Franklin X Factor hits a sweet spot off-road, delivering solid capabilities at a competitive price. Weighing in at about 2850kg Tare, the 206 layout rides comfortably on twin axles fitted with AL-KO Enduro X suspension and a DO35 coupling up front. A handy Trail-A-Mate Hydraulic Jack simplifies raising the nose at camp without adding a great deal of weight. This combination benefits from the Enduro X’s weight-saving pressed metal control arms, which, according to Conrad, were engineered and tested off-road to provide the “perfect balance between weight and strength”.
