Looks like it is raining Class C Expedition Vehicles

Despite being 2WD, this truck-based motorhome with twin slide-outs can take the rough with the smooth



WE LIKED:

>> Quality of cabinetry throughout
>> Double slide-out design
>> Compact dimensions for offroading
>> Relatively easy to drive

WE WOULD HAVE LIKED:

>> All light fittings to be LED
>> Slightly lower dinette table
>> glass hopper windows rather than sliders to keep rain out
>> 12V socket near table and a griller in the kitchen


Built by enthusiasts, usually by specialist companies, 4WD motorhomes are something of a rarity.

But off-road motorhomes aren’t always 4WDs. In fact, Brisbane-based Earthcruiser has just released an off-road motorhome in 2WD.

The thinking behind this is that there are plenty of roads around Australia that require a rough-road-going vehicle but not necessarily a 4WD.

Apparently, several customers had made requests about the availability of just such a truck and so the Earthcruiser team decided to try their hand at building one.

TORQUE TO ME

The aptly-named Outback is based on a Mitsubishi Fuso Canter, a truck chassis that comes with a 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine that delivers 110kW of power and 370Nm of torque through a six-speed automatic gearbox.

It comes standard with coil suspension on the front axles and leaf suspension in the rear with heavy duty shock absorbers all round. There’s even a locking limited slip differential.

Undoubtedly the aftermarket Stratos seats help but I was surprised at the level of the ride comfort on offer which, along with features such as rack and pinion steering, made driving the rig quite pleasant, even on the rough roads I managed to find.

Like any good turbo-diesel, the Fuso delivers plenty of grunt and the AMT gearbox only shows occasional hesitation between gear shifts.

Apart from the seats, cab comforts are relatively basic, including the radio/CD player. However, the reversing camera and fluoro cab light are welcome additions, as are the assorted standard storage pockets and centre console.

Unlike most European motorhomes based on commercial vehicles, the driver’s cab and the motorhome section are separate from each other, but there’s a small crawl-way between the two for emergency/poor weather access. Given the cab tilts for maintenance, anything else wouldn’t be a working proposition.

A boxed section aluminium frame is used for the camper construction. This frame is connected to the chassis using Earthcruiser’s kinetic mounting system, which is designed to provide flexibility between the two, using truck-strength spring mounts.

Vacuum bonding with a fibreglass exterior is used for the walls and roof, with the slide-outs being fibreglass mouldings, of which there are two, each rated to 1000kg.

At first glance, the Outback has a boxy look about it, but curves on several edges reduce this effect.

For external storage, there are three alloy drawers measuring 60cm x 60c x 30cm – one on the nearside and two on the offside. These storage bins become partially blocked off when the slide-outs above are open, though.

A bin door at the front nearside gives external access to the storage area beneath the bed.

INSIDE THE OUTBACK

Unlike most motorhomes, the entry door to this Earthcruiser is in the rear wall, while an electric awning provides both shade and weather protection across the doorway. Sliding glass windows are fitted all round.

The upside of this setup is that the glass is more or less scratchproof and easy to clean. The downside: because they’re sliders, they can’t be left open in the rain.

Both slide-outs are fitted to the rear of the Outback and have to be opened in order to effectively use the motorhome – not that it takes very long to get them into position.

The nearside slide-out contains the kitchen bench, while the offside slide-out is home to both a club-style lounge and fridge. All of this leaves enough room for a mid-nearside bathroom and an east-west bed at the front.

All the windows, except for the one in the rear door, which has a roller blind, have slimline venetian blinds.

The kitchen bench is relatively small but its angled design improves both underbench storage and benchtop space. The bench, by the way, features a moulded-in two-basin sink, with room for a three-burner cooktop complete with smoked glass lid.

Although it’s set in the overhead lockers, the microwave is nonetheless at a reasonably user-friendly height, and under the kitchen bench you’ll find three large, self-closing drawers, and a cupboard that’s partially taken up by the hot water heater.

Across the way, the club lounge and table fit neatly into the slide out, as does the 225 litre three-way fridge. Being in the slide-out, there’s a step to get into the seating and it seemed to me that the single-pole table was on the high side.

And in a slightly novel approach, the dinette powerpoint is located in the ceiling. This does get around the need for a flexible connection for the slide-out while doing away with power cords snaking across the dinette seat.

If visitors stay overnight, the dinette table can be folded to make up a small bed and, like the kitchen, there are windows on two sides. As might be expected, the under-seat area offers yet more storage space though it’s somewhat occupied by the Suburban space heater.

SHOWER AND (DRY) SHAVE

There are no surprises in the mid-station bathroom. It’s very compact but offers a separate shower cubicle, Thetford cassette toilet and shaving cabinet – though there isn’t anywhere to actually have a wet shave. Ventilation is provided via a good-sized roof hatch.

Outside the bathroom, the full-height, two-door cupboard has plenty of shelf space available. It’s also the mounting point for the 12V power supply, complete with fuses along with the solar panel regulator, water tank gauges, awning switch and roof air-conditioner controls.

The rest of the electrics and controls, like the hot water service, radio/CD player, external/internal speaker switching and 12V socket are located under the kitchen bench.

Up front, across the motorhome directly behind the driver’s cab, is the main bed. There are windows on both sides but much use has been made of the air space, with a large cabinet above the bedhead and overhead lockers across the front wall. Reading lights are fitted under the side wall cupboard.

Although east-west beds in relatively confined spaces aren’t to everyone’s tastes, I reckon in this case it shows out-of-the-square thinking that works well.

In keeping with the remote travel theme, the Outback comes with solar panels for recharging the 120Ah house battery, and a three-way fridge should ensure that bush camping can be enjoyed for several days at a time.

On a related note, a lone LED lighting fitting, in amongst all the incandescents on board, was a slight oddity, but could easily be changed to reduce your power consumption.

VERDICT

Well, there isn’t much doubt that a rough-road 2WD truck camper is a bit of a novel concept. But after driving and playing with the Earthcruiser Outback, it didn’t seem so strange at all. I have to say that this rig certainly appeared to be a well-built motorhome with well finished timberwork inside.

It isn’t particularly large, but both the slide-outs add a considerable amount of living space and it has all the usual features expected in a motorhome of this calibre. It’s a motorhome that should take you far...

DO YOU NEED 4WD?

A good question! Traditionally, for buyers desiring a rough-road motorhome it really was 4WD or nothing.

There are distinct advantages to owning a 4WD (and there will be one available in the Earthcruiser line-up), but for those planning not much worse than national park and well-used outback roads, then 2WD like on this Outback model should do the job.

Not that I was driving on anything too serious but I reckon the Fuso with its suspension setup and locking differential would go a long way without getting into difficulty.