CruiseRV Fun Finder X

WHAT WE LIKED

• External kitchen
• Entertainment cabinet with swivelling TV
• Towing and load capacities

NOT SO MUCH

• Small windows
• No reading lights for the lounge
• Full tanks limit payload


In the Australian RV world, there’s not a great deal of imported rigs around, and the few you do see generally come from either the US or the UK/Europe.

Within that group, most of the fifth wheelers and motorhomes come from the US, while the majority of caravans come out of the UK/Europe.

The team at Queensland RV has taken a slightly different approach, adding several US-built caravans to their existing range. Our review van, CruiseRV’s interestingly-named Fun Finder X, was one of the first to arrive.

Queensland RV’s Mark Roche said that import compliance matters, such as gas and electrical systems, have been dealt with and secured. The first delivery of CruiseRV vans had all compliance work done in Australia, but later vans will have their requirements attended to in the US factory as they’re being built.

MIRROR IMAGE

Although the Fun Finder X has been built to mirror the US layout – the entry door on the nearside, rather than on the offside – in many ways it looks a lot like its Australian contemporaries, with a front bedroom/rear bathroom design, aluminium frame and fibreglass composite wall structure.

There are a few differences, though, including an offside slide-out, second external kitchen and a somewhat different design for the bedroom.

Sliding glass windows and a (non-security) screened door, fitted just in front of the wheels, are standard features.

At 6.4m (21ft) long and 2.31m (7ft 7in) wide, it’s not the type of behemoth we often associate with good ol’ American rigs. The weights are also good for Australia, with an ATM of 2480kg and Tare of 1940kg mean lightweight travellers can either look at a large capacity or a not-too-huge tow vehicle.

Underpinning the Fun Finder X is a 150mm-railed chassis. Galvanising doesn’t seem to be particularly popular in the US, and this powder-coated unit follows the trend.

Up front, the ball coupling is a little different. Instead of a jockey wheel, a power-operated jack is used. This device is easy to operate, but decreases the ability to move the van around. The four corner stabilisers are also power operated.

Two 9kg gas cylinders sit unobtrusively on the drawbar behind a purpose-built weatherproof cover. The deep-cycle battery box is also fitted between the rails.

There isn’t a conventional boot above the drawbar, so a decent-sized tunnel boot runs across the front of the van instead. At the rear, a covered spare wheel is mounted directly on the van’s body, not the bumper.

At the rear nearside corner is something you don’t see on too many vans: a (nearly) full second kitchen. This one comes with a 130 litre 240/12V Haier fridge, swing-out two-burner cooktop, hot and cold sink and a small cupboard, plus some extra storage.

Although a novel idea it’s been well executed and will likely interest travellers who spend much of their time under the awning.

LOW KEY AMERICAN

The décor inside this rig is probably best described as “low key American”. In terms of space perception, the darker hues of the cabinetry and the generally small windows are offset by the slide-out day/night lounge.

The kitchen bench occupies the nearside wall, with the bedroom to the front and the rear bathroom filling the rest of the space.

While the Dometic air-conditioner looks like a conventional roof-mounted unit, it’s actually a very comfortable ducted setup. The raised shape of the roof means air-con ducts can be fitted when the van is built – it’s certainly not a retro job.

Most of the 12V light fittings are the older-looking incandescent style.
Up front, the 1.9 x 1.5m (6ft 2in x 4ft 10in) foam mattress bed has the usual bedhead with side wardrobes and overhead lockers, but no bedside cabinets.

There’s an underbed storage area, albeit much shorter than usual because of the tunnel boot. A cabinet sitting at the foot of the bed gives the bedroom something of a different look.

While it does take a little getting used to, the Fun Finder X’s entertainment unit, complete with storage cupboards and large flatscreen TV, is a great design.

The fact the TV, which has a mirror on the back, can easily be swivelled 180 degrees is particularly clever. This means it can be viewed from pretty much anywhere in the van; you can even comb your hair when looking at the other side!

Because of the rear bathroom and external kitchen, the interior kitchen bench gets a little squeezed. It contains a three-burner cooktop/grill/oven and a twin tub stainless steel sink, but there’s very little bench space apart from a hinged flap at the end of the bench.

A two-door 186 litre fridge fits in against the rear bathroom/external kitchen wall.

Kitchen storage is comprised of three drawers, one cupboard and two overhead lockers. On the opposite side, fitted in between the slide-out and the bathroom, is a full-height shelved cupboard.

After the addition of the external kitchen, the full-width bathroom is also squeezed, but there’s room for the offside corner shower cubicle, Thetford toilet against the rear wall and offside vanity cabinet.

The translucent hatch above the shower adds some welcome natural light, and a cupboard above the external kitchen provides good storage for linen.

VERDICT

As you might expect in an imported van like the Fun Finder X, there are some variations on the local products. While some look a bit odd, others are quite novel and, more importantly, rather practical.

A note about weights: considering the payload allowance of 540kg, it would be wise to empty the grey and black water tanks before you travel.

Otherwise, with each tank full (including the fresh water tank), you’ll have just 118kg for gear, less if the gas cylinders are full. But it would be fine to travel with the fresh water tanks full, leaving a quite acceptable payload of around 400kg.

And unlike some products we see from the US, there aren’t width or excessive weight problems with this van, making it easily towable behind many of our mid-size 4WDs and utes.

CRUISE RV (US) FUN FINDER X

Overall length: 7.54m (24ft 9in)
External length: 6.4m (21ft)
External width: 2.31m (7ft 7in)
Internal height: 1.93m (6ft 4in)
Tare: 1940kg
ATM: 2480kg
Advised ball weight: 200kg
Frame: Aluminium
Chassis: Powder-coated steel
Suspension: Tandem-axle leaf spring
Cooktop: Suburban three-burner/grill/oven
Fridge: Dometic RM 4685 AES 186 litre
Shower: Separate cubicle
Toilet: Thetford
Lighting: 12V incandescent
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Fresh water: 136 litre
Grey water: 143 litre
Black water: 143 litre
Price $64,990 (tow-away, Qld)
Supplied by: Queensland RV, Warana, Qld
More info: CruiserRV US website