Avida Busselton 2021 Review

Big or small, affordable or expensive... Top-selling Sydney manufacturer Avida has most bases covered when it comes to locally-built motorised RVs, from Kombi-style campervans to big truck-based home-away-from-home motorhomes.

The 56-year old motorhome builder also covers off most of the popular vehicle bases in its nine-model range, building bodies on the back of Fiat Ducato, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Isuzu NQR and Iveco Daily vans and cab-chassis.

About the only market niche it doesn't cater for is tough 4WD truck campers or expedition vehicles, although it does occasionally offer more rugged two-wheel drive Outback versions for those who like to head down the odd dirt track to more remote camping spots...

What’s the Avida Busselton all about?

Arriving at dealerships earlier this year, the Avida Busselton is an all-new, large 'C-Class' motorhome aimed at couples and smaller families who enjoy long-distance touring in the lap of luxury. Named after the West Australian beachside town, it's built on the latest rear-drive Iveco Daily cab-chassis.

The 7.5m long Avida Busselton sits around the middle of Avida's campervan and motorhome range, in both size and price. It's available with just the one four-berth/four passenger layout, which incorporates a slide-out cafe dinette and queen bed, internal kitchen and rear ensuite with separate shower and toilet.

The main east-west queen bed boasts a comfy innerspring mattress and walk-around access on two sides, with additional sleeping for up to two people on a foam double mattress above the driver's cabin, accessed by a portable ladder.

The Busselton is one of two Avida motorhomes based on the Iveco Daily cab-chassis, and the only one that's drivable on a car licence with its standard 4495kg GVM rating.

A step up from the Fiat Ducato and not far off the Mercedes Sprinter in terms of driving refinement and performance, the Iveco Daily 50C is one of the picks of the motorhome base vehicles available, thanks to a comfortable ride and smooth response from the 120kW/430Nm 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that drives the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.

With peak torque available from just 1500rpm, the four tonne-odd vehicle gets off the mark swiftly and cruises nicely on the highway at 100km/h with the engine ticking over around 1800rpm.

It's a pleasant place behind the wheel too, with broad cushioned seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and generous suite of safety and technology features including driver and passenger airbags, stability control, climate control air-con and a colour touchscreen display with built-in sat nav and Bluetooth connectivity.

About the only things we missed on our out-of-town adventure was some of the latest tech like Apple Carplay and adaptive cruise control which is now available on some Iveco Daily variants.

At more than three metres high the Busselton can prove a handful in more congested areas, but maneuverability when parking on the street or backing into a campsite is made easier by a relatively tight turning circle, large side mirrors and a very useful reversing camera.

How much does the Avida Busselton cost?

The Avida Busselton is currently advertised at $206,998 drive-away from Avida's Melbourne dealer, which is a few thousand dollars more than when it was first released in late-2020 but still decent value considering the premium spec of the Iveco Daily base vehicle and a reasonably long list of standard equipment including a few luxuries like mood lighting and power-assistance for the roof hatch, entry steps and slide-out, and some top-spec appliances including a big 188 litre fridge freezer, 28in Smart TV and whisper-quiet rooftop air-conditioner.

While designed mostly for caravan parks and town camping, the Busselton does offer some off-grid capabilities with its 100 litre fresh water and 100 litre grey water tanks, twin 4kg gas bottles and a 100Ah AGM house battery that runs the lights, radio, TV, fridge, etc. The motorhome comes pre-wired for solar but you'll pay extra for an optional rooftop solar panel to top up the battery at camp.

The Busselton's solid one-piece composite construction includes 'dent and hail resistant' insulated fibreglass sandwich panels for the roof, walls and floor, and it all seems well put together with only a few discernable furniture rattles over bumpy bitumen, and plenty of top-notch components like the soft-close interior drawers with metal runners.

Like all Avida motorhomes the Busselton is backed by a three-year factory warranty and comes with two year emergency roadside assistance.

Buyers can choose from 13 exterior decal colours and two exterior wall colours, and the review motorhome's stylish grey leatherette upholstery, white marble-style benchtops and splashbacks, gloss white and light timber-look furniture fascias and distressed timber-look floor lino, certainly added to the upmarket presentation.

Why should you buy an Avida Busselton?

Two words: apartment-style living.

Even when a decent size, motorhomes can still feel a bit squishy inside, but that's not the case with the Busselton. With its offside slide-out fully opened, there's sufficient floorspace and headroom for a couple or small family to move around without bumping into each other.

The airy feeling inside is enhanced by the fresh contemporary decor, along with the good-sized louvre windows in the dinette, kitchen, and main bed areas that filter the natural light or deliver a refreshing breeze. Not to mention the extra-large power-operated roof hatch over the kitchen area.

It's a sharp climb up to the over-cab bed, and the limited headroom makes it best suited to a couple of smaller children or grand-kids, or a solitary teenager. The elevated bedding area features two windows, two lights and a click-in child safety barrier, but as we left the kids at home we used the large empty space to store our bags and extra bedding.

While on the small side, the kitchen is well equipped with a deep stainless sink with drainer and mixer tap, a triple gas/electric cooktop, rangehood, microwave and 188 litre three-way fridge/freezer. There's some additional bench space on the left of the kitchen for plugging in a coffee machine, and a fold-down bench that blocks the side-door entrance but increases the serving and food prep options.

Entertainment options include a basic Fusion audio unit with internal speakers, and a large 28in Smart TV mounted on the wall directly opposite the main bed, while the roof-mounted air-conditioner located above the foot of the bed takes care of heating and cooling when plugged into 240V power.

The layout of the rear ensuite is very inviting, with a solid sliding entrance door that leads to a vanity with large mirror and ceramic bowl sink on the right, and a cassette toilet sitting just outside the spacious, separate fibreglass shower unit in the left rear corner.

Toiletries and towels go in the under-sink cupboards (or you can use some of this space to fit an optional top-load washing machine), and there's also a 12V fan hatch, towel/toilet roll holders and a removable rail that hangs in the shower for drying more towels.

Who will the Avida Busselton appeal to?

Traditionally, it's older buyers that go for the bigger-size motorhomes like the Busselton, primarily due to their ease of set-up and pack-up, with no heavy-lifting required like unhitching a caravan or raising a pop-top roof.

Mature travellers are also often more appreciative of home comforts when travelling, and can afford to pay for them with their retirement savings.

The Busselton really targets the pampered grey nomads, with little to do after pulling into camp apart from hit the switches for the electric steps and slide-out, roll out the awning if the sun's out, and plug in to mains power and water if at a caravan park.

The driver and front passenger seats don't swivel around but there's plenty of space to walk through to the rear living area, particularly when the strut-assisted bed base is pushed up to create additional headroom. Hydraulic corner stabilizers are another option if you want a rock-solid platform, but we didn't mind the little bit of 'rock and rolling' when moving around inside at night.

A user-friendly touchscreen display is located in easy reach above the entry door, to monitor battery and water levels and switch on the lights and 12V water pump. Even the normally strenuous task of lifting a heavy coil-spring mattress on its gas-strut assisted base to access under-bed storage is child's play in the Busselton!

While not designed for lounging, the four-person dinette has two rear passenger seatbelts and there's the option to fit a fixed tri-fold tabletop rather than the one-piece removable unit comes as standard.

It's not all perfect though, with insufficient length in the main bed to stretch out my long legs (I'm around 190cm tall), and the TV is mounted too far away for ideal viewing from the dinette seats. Some low-hanging overhead cupboards also prevent sitting up in bed to read or watch the TV, although you can prop yourself up on a couple of pillows.

Long-term travellers may also be put off by the lack of external storage options, with some of the space in the six outside storage lockers taken up by the twin gas bottles, battery and other electrical items. There's enough room for the camp chairs, hoses, cords and other smaller items though.

Internal storage options are a lot better, with a big space under the bed, two robes and a few clothes' drawers around the bed, some under-seat storage and a few overhead cupboards throughout. There's also a few kitchen drawers and cupboards, although some of this storage space is sacrificed if you select the optional grille.

So, what do we think of the Avida Busselton?

The Iveco Daily-based luxury motorhome ticks many boxes for discerning buyers. It's not exactly cheap, especially if you add a few desirable options like a washing machine, diesel space heater, kitchen grille and filtered water tap.

Some of the options you'd also expect as standard on a $200,000-plus RV, like a gas bayonet, external picnic table, outside speakers and external connections for outside TV watching. You also won't get too far down a dirt track in the Avida Busselton without rattling your teeth!

But any shortcomings are forgotten once you hit the open highway and spend a few enjoyable hours behind the wheel, before pulling up for the night and in next to no time, sitting back and enjoying the five-star hotel-like space and comforts.

The Avida Busselton is an excellent long-distance bitumen tourer, with decent fuel economy of around 14L/100km recorded on test. It's also a good option for those who want to tow a trailerboat or small car trailer, with its 3500kg towing capacity.

Throw in a well-established brand and solid build quality, and with no niggly issues experienced during our week-end away, and it would make a great getaway machine for when the borders finally re-open...

How much does the Avida Busselton C7544SL cost?

Base vehicle: Iveco Daily 50C17 rear-drive
GVM: 4495kg
GCM: 7995kg
Towing capacity: 3500kg
Licence: Car
Occupants: Four seatbelts, four berth
Engine: 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Fuel tank: 100L
Power/torque: 120kW/430Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Wheels: 16in alloy
Brakes: Discs
Safety: Driver and passenger airbags, electronic stability control, reversing camera
Travel length: 7500mm
External body width: 2320mm
Travel height: 3125mm
Interior height: 1973mm
Cooktop: Thetford 2+1 gas/electric cooktop
Fridge: Dometic, 188L three-way
Microwave: Samsung
Lighting: 12V LED
Battery: 100Ah
TV: NCE 28in Smart TV with AntennaTek Signal Commander antenna
Air-conditioner: Dometic Harrier, roof-mounted
Fresh water: 100L
Grey water: 100L
Hot water: Truma UltraRapid gas/240V
Gas: 2 x 4kg
Price: $206,998 (drive away, ex-Vic)
Supplied by: Robert's RV World, Campbellfield, Vic
More info: Avida RV