Motorhomes

Bill Savidan reviews the German-built Carado and finds it is very much a down-to-earth Kiwi.

Bill Savidan gets more than he bargained for when encouraged to take the fast-selling Auto-Trail Dakota for a spin.

Peta Stavelli gets behind the wheel of the Grand Panorama and finds herself unexpectedly keen to become accustomed to the luxury this larger-than-life offering affords.

In a shift from its home-grown focus, Pukekohe-based RV manufacturer TrailLite has secured the agency for Britain’s Auto-Sleepers range of motorhomes. The vehicles’ reputation for quality is underscored by its RWD Mercedes chassis — complementing the local product perfectly. Lawrence Schäffler reports.

Dethleffs’ new Trend Edition is an interesting departure from the German manufacturer’s core business of large, bespoke motorhomes. At less than seven metres, the Trend is the company’s smallest model and could be billed as an entry-level Dethleffs for couples.

Unlike Africa, New Zealand doesn’t have large savannah plains teeming with exotic wildlife. But if it did, Auto Trail’s 2013 Savannah would be the ideal game-viewing tourer because animals seem to gravitate to it.

Among their many other attributes, Auto Trail’s motorhomes deliver a drive relatively free of noisy creaks thanks to a quality build process. Proving there’s always room for improvement though, the 2013 models lift rattle suppression to an even higher standard.

Peta Stavelli took to the hills of Hurunui with a Swift Sundance from Iconic Motorhomes in Christchurch and found five-star luxury and performance.

Along with the launch of the new brand Avida comes the Esperance Range of elite motorhomes. Peta Stavelli checks out the elegant C7934.

With two slide-out modules, there’s more than meets the eye with the new Jayco Optimum. Bill Savidan finds out if bigger is actually better.

While Germany’s Dethleffs is Europe’s largest (and one of its oldest) motorhome manufacturers, its vehicles are relatively unknown in this part of the world. Happily, that is about change following the appointment of an Auckland-based dealer. The wait, writes Lawrence Schäffler, has been well worth it.

Already one of Auto-Trail’s most popular sellers, the Tracker range’s appeal will surely widen with the introduction of a new island bed option for 2013. The change is complemented by a number of additional upgrades, but the bed’s the master stroke, writes Lawrence Schäffler.