By Malcolm Street
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Late last year I heard a little whisper that an intriguing motorhome was due to arrive shortly in Australia, and you can now hear about it first in CW’s Motorhome Guide.
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Geist (pronounced Guy-st) is a new name in Australia, and is only a few years old in the UK. Formed to import German-built caravans and motorhomes modified to suit British tastes and right-hand drive, it wasn’t long before someone recognised Australia as a potential market. 
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Queensland-based Oakhurst International Caravans began importing Geist caravans in 2004 and when they proved successful, the team at Oakhurst soon turned their thinking towards the motorhome market. 
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Enter the Geist Phantom. Geist is the German word for ghost and it is not too difficult to work out where the Phantom part comes from – it’s sort of, “the ghost who drives…”.
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Drive away
The Phantom is built on a Mercedes Benz Sprinter 316 chassis. It comes with a 2.7 litre turbodiesel motor that drives through a six-speed sprint shift gearbox. 
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For those unfamiliar with this item, it has no clutch but can be driven either as a full auto or a manual sans clutch. On the road, the turbodiesel motor handles things well enough and while the 316 does have a bit of wallow in high winds, future imported models will be on the 416 chassis, which has tandem rear wheels and a higher GVM.
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Something I particularly liked in this motorhome was the passenger seats. Almost directly behind the driver’s cab on the nearside, they faced forward and had full lap/sash seat belts and head restraints. Even if the seat cushions were somewhat firm, it’s definitely one up in the safety department. 
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Take a walk around
Built from moulded fibreglass, the Phantom has straight walls and a flat roof but its curved edges everywhere – including along the lower skirt – mean it’s not ‘boxy’. Being a B class with no Luton, it’s a fairly streamlined motorhome. 
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The entry door will take a bit to get used to. Although Geist chose to orientate its British caravan doors on the nearside, it has opted not to do this with its motorhomes. Although the motorhome is a right-hand drive, the ‘house’ door is on the offside. It’s actually legal, because of the flat floor design of the motorhome and the fact that the passenger door is on the nearside. 
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In addition to the entry door there is also a full flyscreen door, but it’s not a security unit. All the windows, except the one beside the door, are the familiar double glazed Seitz hopper variety with integrated flyscreen and blind. 
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The window beside the entry door slides, so you can have both open at the same time. Something new on the hopper windows is a clever sliding mechanism which allows the window to be latched or unlatched quickly with only one lever, not four! 
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Probably the most noticeable feature of the Phantom is the rear boot – it runs right through and it’s big. (Side note: In Britain this layout is called the “rear garage”!) 
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While too small for a car, it is certainly enough to take a small motorbike or a couple of pushbikes and the golf clubs. Tie-down eyelets are thoughtfully provided. Also hidden in the boot behind removable panels are the spare wheel, water tank, house battery and transformer/battery charger with 12V fuse panel.
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In comparison to the rear ‘boot’ other external storage looks superfluous, but there are a couple of storage bins along the offside in addition to the two 9g gas compartments behind the driver’s door. The hinged rear wheel covers lift up for access.
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While the Omnistor awning is almost an expected feature, the snappy little light fitting above the entry door and the electric step, both remotely controlled from a keyring, are welcome additions. 
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Step inside
Up front is the lounge area. Swivelling cab seats combine with forward-facing passenger seats and a side lounge. Opposite the entry door is the kitchen bench area with fridge alongside. To the left of the entry door is a full bathroom and across the rear is the double bed. 
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The internal decor is something Geist calls Venedig Mexiko. Light grey Venedig upholstery is complemented by Mexiko stain cabinetwork. 
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All the windows have curtains, with the exception of the kitchen, although the cab windows have the press stud variety rather than a track.
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In addition to the windows, natural light is aided by the big Heki hatch above the dinette and a smaller hatch above the double bed.
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Lounging
Once the front seats have been swivelled around, this is a very roomy lounge area with the two forward-facing dinette seats and the sideways lounge. All seats, including cab seats have swivelling reading lights. The table conveniently slides back and forth and can be removed when not required. 
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Overhead storage abounds with two overhead lockers above both dinette and lounge. Each of these has also a smaller locker underneath – a very convenient design. In addition, the cab area is lined with compartmented shelves including a couple with roller shutters.
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Catering
The L-shaped kitchen bench looks to be a tight fit but it has a Cramer three-burner cooktop and round stainless steel sink, both with glass lids. An interesting variation is not one but two small garbage and scraps bins behind the sink. 
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Working space is definitely on the sparse side. Directly underneath the cooktop is a large cutlery drawer and underneath that is a Spinflo oven. A grill and microwave are optional. 
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The only other drawer is a small one underneath the oven but hidden behind the roller shutter is a very generous 3030mm-wide stainless steel slide-out pantry with four shelves. 
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Alongside the kitchen bench is a large 150 litre Dometic fridge/freezer. Above the fridge, the cupboard contains a slide-out for a TV and has both a powerpoint and antenna connection. 
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Classy amenities
Most motorhomes have some special standout feature and in the Phantom, it’s undoubtedly the bathroom. 
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Almost worth an article in itself, it has a certain amount of elegance about it. There’s a separate shower, swivelling Thetford cassette toilet and, in a class of its own, the vanity sink. 
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The shower has a tri-fold door and one fold has a full-length mirror. Just in case that is not enough, there is a large mirror behind the sink and a lockable mirrored cabinet as well. A large three-shelf cupboard is under the sink behind the roller shutter door. Extra fittings in the bathroom include soap holders for both shower and sink.
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Sleeping
Because the Phantom has a large rear storage area, the bed sits 3ft 9in (1.14m) off the floor. This problem is fixed with the provision of two steps to aid getting into bed. The lower of these has a hinged lid and storage space. 
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The bed itself is slightly different because two individual mattresses both sit on sprung slats. Although there are no individual bedside shelves, there’s good shelf space across the motorhome rear.
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If guests or the grandchildren come onboard, the dinette and lounge can be used to form a second bed. 
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Bits and pieces
Between the fridge and the rear bed is a large hanging cupboard and hidden underneath is the Truma water heater. 
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As this motorhome has its origins in Europe, it also comes with a heater. Although the ducting and vents are quite obvious, the space heater is not. It’s actually part of the Truma water heater and is called a Combi heating system. Back in Australia, roof-mounted air-conditioning is certainly a ‘non-option’ option, I would imagine. 
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Lighting is 12V, mostly halogen downlights and reading lights. While the spotlighting is quite good, the general lighting is a bit on the dim side.
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The bottom line 
Geist has a number of layouts available as not everybody is going to want a small garage in the rear. There is an option of a Fiat Ducato as a base vehicle as well as a large choice of designs. 
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There’s no doubt the Geist Phantom is going to create a stir in the Australian motorhome market and it is very much in a class of its own. While the door on ‘the wrong side’ is going to be a detraction for some, the general inclusions and high level of fitout and finish are second to none. 
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Attention to detail is very much a feature of the Phantom layout, from the forward-facing, fully-seatbelted passenger seats to the impressive bathroom setup, and this will make the Phantom a winner. 
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For more information contact Oakhurst International Caravans, 185 Nerada Road, Maryborough, Qld 4850, (07) 4121 4479, email: oakhurstinternationalcaravans@bigpond.com
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We liked:
• Effective use of driver’s cab area with fully swivelling seats and forward and sideways facing lounges
• Stylish bathroom – good size and well laid out
• Good all round storage, both inside and out
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We would have liked:
• Entry door on the nearside
• Either or both a microwave oven and grill in the kitchen
• More comfortable passenger seats – these are a little square and firm
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Geist Phantom 

Base vehicle: Mercedes Benz Sprinter 316 CDI

Engine: 2.7 litre turbodiesel

Max power: 115kW@3800rpm

Max torque: 330Nm@1400-2400rpm

Gearbox: Six-speed sprint shift

External length: 23ft 9in (7.23m)

External width: 7ft 7in (2.32m)

External height: 9ft 7in (2.92m)

Internal height: 6ft 6in (1.98m)

Driver’s licence: C class

GVM: 3800kg

Cooktop: Cramer three-burner

Fridge: Dometic RM7651L, 150 litre, two-door fridge/freezer

Fresh water: 140 litres

Grey water: 105 litres

Hot water/space heating: Truma Combi 240V/gas

Lighting: 12V

Price: circa $160,000 
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Geist Phantom

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