AOR Sierra 2019 Review

There are two things you can be sure of with any Australian Off Road product: it will be ‘on trend’, either creating or enhancing an RV market niche, and it will usually be a cut above its competition aesthetically.

Did I mention price? Yes, for many reasons that will be at a premium if it carries the AOR branding.

Case in point is AOR’s new Sierra box camper. It’s far from the first hard-roofed camper of its type in this hot new market sector, whose origins can probably be traced back to the Van Cruiser Outlaw models introduced by offbeat Victorian manufacturer Van Cruiser a few years ago.

The idea of Van Cruiser founder Enzo Gnocato was a compact ‘boys box’ that you could sleep in, dry and safe from the elements at night and use as a camp kitchen at other times, with various externally-accessible storage lockers and a built-in side kitchen designed for outdoor adventure living.

What you put on the hard roof, whether a pop-up or fold-out tent, a kayak or a tinny, was your business.

Shaping the box

The concept has shifted a bit since; the tech has gone up and the size has come down and it’s fair to say that the Sierra currently represents the state of an art that is still growing.

From AOR’s viewpoint, it’s their modern interpretation of the hard-floor camper trailers that the company finally moved away from about three years ago.

Tea-leaf-reading founder Steve Budden heard the winds of change blowing and saw the legions of imports gathering for the challenge, so he shifted AOR’s focus onto production of tough off-road pop-tops he called ‘Super Campers’.

However time and increasing production costs drove the AOR range upmarket, out of the range of younger buyers, leaving an opportunity-sized hole for local and overseas competitors, hence the Sierra ‘Micro Camper’.

Young at heart

With a total length of 4300mm, easily-towable (Tare) weight of 950kg, no-option external living, and some ergonomic challenges for older owners, the Sierra is unashamedly designed to attract younger buyers to the Caloundra, Sunshine Coast-based brand, then building loyalty that will take them through the model range as they age, perhaps culminating in the tandem axle Aurora off-road luxury caravan.

Like all AOR products, it has undeniable style, beginning with the buyer’s choice of three Raptor matt-finish coatings for the camper’s lightweight fibreglass body and its aluminium nosecone.

I personally thought the matt mint green ‘Platoon’ finish on the review Sierra looked sensational and certainly separated it visually from its market rivals, but more conservative finishes ‘Desert Storm’ (matt sand yellow) and ‘Fighter Jet’ (matt light grey) are available.

The next thing you realise as you ponder how to get into the queen bed that fills the camper’s interior completely, is that this is a young couples’ camper. Lift the top-hinged rear lid, open the right-hinged door that gives access to the interior, scale the four-step aluminium ladder and ‘post’ yourself onto the 150mm thick, multi density memory foam mattress after removing its dust cover.

Early feedback told AOR that this was a little too challenging for some potential customers, so this door has since been widened on production models.

Cosy interior

Once inside its 23mm thick, insulated walls, it’s a nice, if not cosy place. A separate midge-proof mesh vent window is incorporated in the door, or you can open the large right hand side window with its sliding block-out blinds with midge-mesh on the right hand side for extra ventilation, while a Sirocco 12v fan is fitted for extra airflow on hot nights.

Getting out of bed in the ‘wee’ hours is another challenge, but remember, this is a camper for young bladders, not seniors.

Once you’re done with sleeping, or whatever, you’ll be spending most of your time outside the bedroom, but this doesn’t mean you have to suffer the weather. The Sierra comes standard with a drop-down rear awning with walls that makes a great changing or dining room, while a large awning over the side kitchen area and a clever shower tent that folds out from the right hand wall, provide plenty of under-cover options.

Alternatively, you can shop from AOR’s new universal Peak range of large rear tents, awnings and roof tents and pods; all available as bolt-on accessories to customise your Sierra for whatever personal or family purpose you might have in mind.

A rooftop tent, whether a hard-shell model raised by gas struts (pictured), or a fold-out canvas tent, is also optional for kids’ accommodation or guests able to scale the seven-step aluminium side ladder without vertigo or nose-bleed.

Recessed kitchen

The kitchen, which is recessed in the camper’s left body side, remains out of sight until you lift the top-hinged lid.

Here you will find one of the Sierra’s key points of difference to its rivals – its Finscan Nucleus RV automation and battery management system incorporating a 12 volt, 30 Amp charger, MPPT solar regulator, 240 volt AC charger and 2.5-inch touchscreen and mobile connectivity.

Then a two gas burner cooker slides out, alongside a stainless steel sink with a fold-down mixer tap and further storage beneath it, while above them are four storage cupboards behind lift-up lids.

Alongside the kitchen there’s a portable fridge slide, while a separate lower shelf can support a Weber Baby Q, if desired, connected to the Sierra’s gas bayonet

As AOR expects most Sierra buyers will be migrating from campers, the fridge, cooktop and Weber are optional.

Other handy storage areas in the body include a hatch for the Weber above the fridge, while there's a decent sized, albeit thin, front boot and two square storage hatches in the front right hand body side.

Built for the bush

As you would expect from AOR, the Sierra is very ‘bushable’, with a Supagal high tensile steel and powder-coated 100x50mm full length drawbar and chassis, while it rides on AOR’s own independent trailing arm suspension, with variable rate coil springs and two Outback Armour Offroad shocks per wheel.

As with other AOR products, there’s plenty of protective stone shielding for the tank, wiring and plumbing, which are further guarded by triple front and rear mudflaps.

With this equipment, plus a  standard 60-litre fresh water tank and a 150AH lithium battery, with an Anderson plug for a portable solar panel, it's easy to visualise the Sierra going to all the hard places their owners might want to tow them.

Pricing of the Sierra is interesting. Starting at $42,500 it’s close to being the leader of the off-road box camper pack until Caloundra rival Northcoast Campers brings out its entry level $37,500 Sniper X.9 in 2020, but in true AOR style, that $42,500 is only the start.

For that money you get the respected AOR engineering and beautiful finish, but most of the add-ons and comfort features cost extra.

Even so, you would have to go mad with the option list to spend more than $60,000 on a Sierra, which is still well short of the starting price the next model in the AOR range – the $69,900 Odyssey Series II.

Summing up

AOR has fired few blanks in its near 20-year history and the new Sierra is unlikely to be one of them. Serving as the missing first step to AOR ownership, it brings a new level of quality and finish to this price segment.

Specs: 2019 AOR Sierra micro camper

Travel length: 4300mm
External body width: 1950mm
Travel height: 2150mm
Tare weight: 950kg
ATM: 1800kg
Body: Fibreglass walls and roof; aluminium nose-cone
Chassis: Supagal and powder coated high-tensile 100mm x 50mm steel
Suspension: AOR independent trailing arms and coil springs with twin gas shockers per wheel
Brakes: 12-inch electric
Wheels: 17 x 8in Dynamic steel rims with 33-inch diameter off-road tyres
Fresh water: 1 x 60L
Battery: 1 x 150Ah lithium battery
Solar: Anderson plug supplied for optional portable panels
Gas: 2 x 4.5kg
Hot water: Gas
Cooking: 2-burner gas slide-out cooktop
Fridge:  Optional portable compressor
Shower: External rear hot/cold shower
Lighting: LED throughout
Price: From $42,500
Supplied by: Australian Off Road, Caloundra, Qld