Increased personalisation is everything these days. It’s certainly something Australian manufacturer Sunliner recognises, too, as this Melbourne-headquartered company lets customers approach motorhome ownership from an absolute ‘clean sheet’ perspective.
Sunliner’s Holiday series motorhomes feature a personalisation process which takes prospective owners through a fully modular menu of options; the degree of choice is very impressive.
Customisable portions of the interior includes fabrics, bench tops, timber choices for walls and doors, leather options, curtains, floors and splashbacks for benchtops. As a result there’s the real potential for no two Sunliners to look quite the same. Even different exterior decal packs can be opted for, ensuring there’s little chance you’ll come across a doppelganger out on the open road.
MIX AND MATCH
The chocolate box treatment doesn’t only apply to soft furnishings and surfaces. Within the 7.8m-long Holiday 500 range, Sunliner offers three entirely different layout options. But looking at the bigger picture, the combined 500 and 600 line-up features an impressive 16 floor plans to choose between.
In terms of overall length there’s only a metre between the Holiday 501 (7.5m) and the Holiday 603 (8.5m), so anyone looking for their ideal motorhome within this size range is really going to get the most out of the degree of flexibility the Sunliner brand offers.
Want two singles rather than a queen-sized bed? Sure thing. Want your kitchenette adjoining the driver’s cab rather than amidships? Okay. Want the bedroom and dinette slide-outs on the same side of the vehicle? No problem.
My advice would be to spend plenty of time planning the ultimate configuration, because chances are Sunliner will be able to provide exactly what you want, and a few more alternative options besides.
Our review model – the Sunliner Holiday 533 – features a forward kitchenette, opposing slide-outs for the dinette and sleeping quarters, with the bathroom at the rear. There is storage potential everywhere – the bathroom alone features more cupboard space and storage nooks than I have yet seen in rival motorhomes – and plenty of airy space between the kitchen and the dinette once the electric slide-out has been deployed.
In addition to the double bed towards the rear of the vehicle, Sunliner motorhomes also allow you to choose between a low-profile cab-over, which provides temporary bedding space or storage, or (as in the case of our review vehicle) a dedicated sleeper cab-over, with enough room for a queen-sized mattress, protective bunk netting, reading light and detachable access ladder.
ALL THE BOXES TICKED
While the options list is extensive, the Sunliner Holiday 533 still arrives readymade with a decent amount of standard specification, as you’d expect.
The 190-litre fridge, three-burner gas oven and grill, microwave and colourful splashback across the kitchen bench are all standard fitment, as are tastefully recessed LED ceiling and reading lights.
Whatever material you choose for the motorhome’s living areas will be matched in the cab, with the driver and passenger seats swivelling to form a natural conversation pit after dinner and dishes have been taken care of. In the bedroom, a 24-inch LCD television is recessed opposite the bed and can be pushed down into the cabinetry when not needed; a neat trick that gets rid of daytime clutter.
The power system consists of two 100Ah in-house batteries, a 240V charger and a 135 watt solar panel and regulator. In addition to an optional inverter, owners can upgrade the fresh and grey water beyond the standard 100-litres if desired. All Sunliner Holiday 500 and 600 series models come with a standard Thetford C200 toilet and an external shower connection to supplement the shower unit in the bathroom.
Staying outside for a moment, the strong, wide roll-out awning adds extra practicality by being of a strut-less design, meaning you’re not arranging your outdoor furniture (and conversations) around poles. Owners also have the option of adding electric roll-out functionality to the awning which – based on the ease-of-operation I experienced in the review model – would definitely be a box I’d tick.
Other optional extras in our review motorhome include a cleverly-stowed 3kg capacity washing machine, which sits out of sight behind the basin in the bathroom underneath a cover; a great luxury item if you’re heading away for weeks at a time. Our test Holiday 533 also showcases a Highlights Pack, which replaces leather trim on seating with a durable soft fabric.
CHOOSING THE CHASSIS
It’s probably no surprise by now that, with 16 different layouts to choose between, Sunliner Holiday customers can also pick from seven different chassis options, provided by four manufacturers.
The tester featured here sits on an Iveco Daily 50C17 with the grunty, torque-rich 3.0-litre turbo diesel and eight-speed automatic gearbox. The combination of solid truck chassis, nicely weighted steering and 125kW (170hp) from the compliant engine makes the Holiday 533 effortless to drive. There’s a permanently-deployed reversing camera to check what’s out back, and otherwise the Iveco provides for good line-of-sight from the driver’s seat.
Renault, Fiat and Mercedes-Benz chassis’ are also available depending on what model options and dimensions are required.
Dan Monk from New Zealand Sunliner distributor Auckland Motorhomes, says customers will generally wait two to three months for their order to arrive after purchase, depending on what configuration has been chosen.
“Because the manufacturer is just across the Tasman in Melbourne, we actually encourage potential buyers to go over and spend some time at the factory looking at options. The Sunliner team likes this approach too, as it leaves nothing to chance for their design and build staff,” he says.
The verdict
While our review model – the Sunliner Holiday 533 – is an excellently presented, spacious and well-specified motorhome, the bigger story here is the degree of flexibility the entire Sunliner Holiday range can provide.
Between fixtures, furnishings and floor plans, any customer is going to find something that suits their lifestyle within the Holiday 500 and 600 line-up.
If only one could spend a weekend or two sampling every model before choosing...
Pros
- Dinette slide-out provides for very spacious living/kitchen area
- Addition of an onboard washing machine an excellent options box to tick
- Endless options across the wider range means there is something for every taste
Cons
- Nothing of any note
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