Explorer Spirit 2018 Review

I’ll confess I previously had reservations about off-road motorhomes. Too unwieldy to be useful domestic transport between trips; too bulky and heavy to take you too far off the bitumen; too small and fiddly for a long touring trip and too expensive compared to a comparable tow vehicle and caravan combo.

That’s why they represent something of a niche product in the Australian RV market. But then I met the Explorer Motorhomes Spirit.

Built on the buyer’s choice of a Toyota 4X4 Hilux or Ford Ranger cab-chassis for the same price, starting at around $155,000, depending on options, the Explorer Spirit with its fully-moulded fibreglass body is the new, ‘couples’ brother to Explorer’s initial twin single-bed Vision.

Good all-round package

Fitting everything that an adventurous couple might want into a single vehicle measuring 5.9 metres  long and just 2.18m wide is a design challenge that former boat builder David Ridings, John Burke and their team at Clontarf, just north of Brisbane, have done very well.

Most off-road motorhomes of the Explorer Spirit's size represent a compromise of one sort or the other, but other than bulk space, the Spirit demands few. The 1380mm wide double bed sits in the Luton peak, above the driving cabin and requires only the base to be slid slightly rearwards and the head section of the mattress to be laid flat to expand it to its full 1900mm length.

Even then, there's still a squeezy space for two to sit on each side of the central dining table – if it's rotated north-south – to enjoy a cuppa, if they wish. When they're feeling sleepy, the cushion of their seats form the step-up onto the bed, while storage cupboards on either side of the mattress house clothing to supplement the rear hanging locker.

It looks a little cosy up there, but twin flanking hopper-style windows and a 12-volt fan are there to cool you down on tropical nights. Personally, I’d also like a roof hatch, as this is the highest point of the motorhome and the perfect place to expel hot air.

With the bed pushed back, or even if it’s not, there’s ample space for two people to go about their business once you get into a routine, as with the Dometic 3-burner gas/electric cooktop and a small serving benchtop on the rear door side and the stainless-steel wash basin and 140-litre Waeco compressor fridge beneath the large benchtop on the other, you need a routine to avoid searing the soup in the middle!

Separate shower and toilet

The very rear of the Spirit is dedicated to the bathroom, with its separate shower shielded from the toilet and central vanity area by a lightweight, solid plastic screen.

Add good overhead cupboards above both sides of the split galley and more storage below the lounge seats, and you’ve got all you need for a luxury adventure holiday.

One feature that most remote area travellers think about is security and the beauty of the Explorer is that the driving cabin can be accessed from the living area by simply swinging the table aside on its eccentric swivel and parting a curtain.

At the other end, a reassuringly solid entry door with separate fly screen is a deterrent, while the Spirit we looked at also came with a separate exterior lock that you slide across the door and activate before going to bed

Quality fit-out

I think what impressed me most of all was the logic and quality finish of the layout. Whereas many compact motorhomes challenge you to find a way to make them work for you, the Explorer Spirit shows the hand of an experienced traveller and incorporates solutions to the questions you're yet to ask.

Outside, the Spirit also offers logical storage solutions. The slide-out BBQ on the door side is flanked by a drop-down picnic/serving table above the wheel arch, while rear of the entry door there are two capacious storage lockers to swallow all the usual motorhome travelling gear like the power cord, fresh and grey water hoses.

In the other side, a locker just behind the driver’s door houses twin 4kg gas bottles side-by-side, so when you leave the Spirit to go exploring, everything is locked away and secure.

Underneath the Spirit, things are pretty tidy too. The twin 55 litre fresh water tanks are matched by a standard 50-litre grey water tank, so you can venture with confidence into National Parks or for guilt-free, free-camping.

Twin 100AH batteries and three roof-mounted 115W solar panels underwrite that self-sustainability.

More off-road than most

Unlike some motorhomes, the single rear axle is set quite well back and the rear body work kicks up a little to offer a better departure angle than most, while the spare wheel is tucked well up in the chassis behind the differential and live rear axle, resulting in impressive ground clearance.

So how far ‘off-road’ can you really take the Spirit?

Well, for a start, there’s no doubting the credentials of either the Ford or Toyota underpinnings to do the job.

Both the Ranger and Hilux SR are delivered by Explorer with Lovells rear suspension upgrade kits front and rear that hike the GVM of the Ranger from 3200 to 3500kg and the Hilux from 3000kg to 3500kg, so they're equipped for some punishment.

Whichever you choose (same price) is a matter of personal choice and brand allegiance. The five-cylinder 3.2-litre turbo-diesel Ranger with 147kW and 470Nm of torque in the 1750rpm-2500rpm range, has the edge in grunt, but the Toyota winds points back with its proven reliability.

You can opt for smaller engine 2.2-litre Ford Ranger 4x2 to save a few bucks if you wish, but given the total investment in your travel, why would you?

Tackling the beach

Despite its Tare weight of 2950kg, the Ranger with its well-matched six-speed automatic transmission coped easily with its task, given the driver the confidence to explore further.

We took it through thick, dry sand onto the Noosa North Shore beach for some photos and didn’t even drop the bitumen-biased tyre pressures . We used 4WD low range to be safe, but to be honest, we felt the Ranger would have got there in high range, with the weight over the rear wheels delivering impressive traction.

And given that an adventurous couple in 2016 took their Explorer motorhome along the Gibb River Road, up to Kalumbaru, Cape Leveque, the Strzelecki, Oodnadatta and Tanami Tracks and the Canning Stock Route from north to south, there’s little strength of the spirit to go a lot further than any motorhome deserves to!

Good around town too

What also impresses is the Spirit’s ability to keep up with traffic and remain totally usable in an urban or even suburban environment.

It’s width at 2180mm allows it to slip through traffic and into parking spots quite easily, with only its height at a lofty 3.1 metres being the obvious elephant in the room.

Personally, if it was mine, I’d have a couple of parking sensors mounted on the front corners of the Luton Peak, or at least a tall sandflag on the standard bulbar set at the height of the roof to give me a visual warning that life was about to get expensive!

Despite its height, wind remained impressively low, thanks in part to the wedge in the peak’s profile that neatly divides and stills the wind down each flank of the Spirit.

Summing up

So, would I consider a Spirit over a separate 4WD tow car and off-road caravan combo? If I was embarking on a long trip into remote areas, where tandem axle caravans are often unwelcome, the answer is now ‘yes’.

Impressively strong, compact and maneuverable, the Explorer Spirit overcomes most of the objections that remote area travellers might have about a compact off-road motorhome.

Tell you what I’d do; I’d strap two electric push bikes onto its rear, perhaps fit some more aggressive rubber and you wouldn’t see me for dust!

Specs: 2018 Explorer Spirit Motorhome

Travel length: 500mm
External body width: 2180mm
Travel height: 3100mm
Tare: 2950kg
GVM: 3500kg
Body: Fibreglass pod
Chassis: Steel
Suspension: Lovells 3.5tonne GVM upgrade with heavier duty front coils, uprated rear leaf springs and telescopic shock absorbers
Brakes: Disc front, drums rear
Wheels: 15x7in alloy with 265/70-R17 tyres
Water: 2 x 55l fresh water tanks
Battery: 2 x 100Ah AGM
Solar: 3 x 115W roof-mounted
Gas: 2 x 4kg
Cooking: 3 burner Dometic cooktop, plus grill and microwave oven inside and slide-out external BBQ
Fridge: 140L  Waeco compressor
Bathroom: Separate shower, toilet and vanity rear bathroom
Lighting: LED throughout
Price: From $155,000
Supplied by: Explorer Motorhomes, Clontarf, Qld