Golden Eagle Hunter

It's all here

There are so many caravan manufacturers offering so many different styles of van, that it's easy to find the entire purchasing process a little overwhelming. Some people relish the prospect of nutting out every detail of a prospective new van, from layout to dinette fabric, suspension to stereo. Others, however, just want to hit the road with a comfy rig as soon as possible so they can ponder more important issues, such as, "Should I read the paper or go for a stroll along the beach?"

If you fall into the latter category, then the latest offering from Golden Eagle, the Hunter, could simplify your buying process significantly. Golden Eagle has been around for about six years now, or about one year less than Paramount Caravans, which owns the Golden Eagle name. Its vans are produced in the dedicated Golden Eagle factory alongside the Paramount operation in the northern Melbourne suburb of Campbellfield. Colin Tobin of Canterbury Caravans (the Vic dealer for both Golden Eagle and Paramount Caravans), says Paramount offers the premium line of vans with greater flexibility of design, while Golden Eagle offers value for money in a standard format.

"The Golden Eagle Hunter is basically a package deal of a specific design," he explains. "You can vary the options, but the layout can't be changed." However, don't for a second think that this means the Hunter comes with a miserly raft of features, because a quick look through the list of standard inclusions reveals pretty much all that the majority of caravan buyers would ever want.

The bathroom has a shower and toilet plus a Lemair top-loading washing machine; the kitchen comes with a sizeable fridge/freezer, a microwave and a cooktop and grill; and there's a TV and JVC entertainment system with Winegard antenna. You also get air-conditioning, an awning, a battery management system and alloy wheels. Throw in some clothes, linen, food and your camera and you're all set - just hook up and go!

TRIED AND TESTED
There are no surprises when you examine the Hunter's construction. It rolls on tandem axles with 14in alloy wheels with a roller-rocker and spring suspension arrangement. There are 10in electric brakes all round, while the chassis is fabricated from 4in SupaGal. Underneath that traditional aluminium-clad exterior is a meranti timber frame.

The drawbar houses two 9kg gas cylinders and a tap, while the sizeable front boot is home for the single deep-cycle battery and 15A Smartcharger. Along the nearside you'll find an illuminated grab handle, an exterior light, an exterior powerpoint and a Dometic 8500 awning. So, all the bases are covered there.

The mid Camec triple-locker door and checkerplate-lined step take you into a front bedroom, mid kitchen/dinette and rear bathroom layout, and again it's a case of all the boxes being ticked. The bedroom is good and spacious with plenty of room to manoeuvre down either side of the island queen-size bed, and there are plenty of storage options on offer here too. The hanging wardrobes either side are deep and have external mirrors, as do the smaller triangular cupboards off each foot of the bed.

There are wind-out Camec Galaxy windows to the front and either side of the bed, with cloth pelmets, curtains and block-out blinds that appear to be of a thick and hard-wearing nature. Overhead is a small Dometic hatch, with another towards the rear of the kitchen.

The quality innerspring mattress should certainly afford you a good night's sleep, and underneath, once you've lifted the frame up on its hydraulic struts, is a stack of further storage space.

I liked the minimalist bulkhead between the bedroom and the dinette/kitchen - then again, I prefer an open plan layout, and the greater sense of space it promotes over a ‘compartmentalised' layout.

ALL THE MOD CONS
The mid offside dinette will seat two in comfort or four if needed. The cushioning is plush and comfortable while the sturdy fabric should wear well too. There's more storage underneath the seating, although the wheel arch cuts into the equation here, like it does with the cupboards under the sink (where it basically takes out the lion's share of the bottom shelf). Not that this is an issue - there is ample storage available throughout the Hunter.

Incidentally, the TV hadn't yet been fitted to our test van, but it would normally sit on an articulated arm just aft of the entrance, for easy viewing from the dinette and bedroom. A 19in flatscreen LCD unit is supplied as standard.

The cabinetry has been done well, although one area where Golden Eagle has saved is the relatively basic style of pushbutton system used to open and secure the various cupboards, drawers and overhead lockers. To be fair, they still get the job done, just without the "bling" of some higher-spec systems.

A warm tone of wood-style poly ply has been employed, with veneered timber edging around the cupboard drawers, benchtops and dinette table. Speaking of drawers, there's a slide-out stainless steel pantry just aft of the entrance, and all the larger drawers slide out on smooth-action rollers.

The Golden Eagle package deal concept doesn't skimp on kitchen appliances. You get a quality, sizeable kitchen sink and drainer alongside a Spinflo four-burner cooktop/grill and rangehood. There's no oven but there is a microwave, and the fridge/freezer is a large 175L three-way unit from Dometic.

With a 1.9m internal ceiling height, there will be no need to stoop for most, even when walking beneath the mid-mounted Dometic air-conditioner - another nicety part of the Hunter deal.

That leaves us with the bathroom at the rear of the van. A poly ply door with twin towel rails slides open to reveal a Thetford cassette loo on the offside, a full-size shower cubicle on the nearside and a basin and vanity unit with storage (and that Lemair washer) across the back. There's no fear of getting lost once you're in there, but there's enough room to get changed and there's plenty of storage too.

The shower comes with the standard light, hatch and 12V fan arrangement, and the shower rose, hose and taps are of a high quality.

All up, we're looking at a Tare of 2060kg for the Hunter and an ATM of 2460kg. Colin says that puts it just outside of most sedans as far as tow vehicles are concerned, but a wide range of 4WDs will do the job nicely.

THE BOTTOM LINE
The Golden Eagle Hunter as reviewed retails for $58,990, which includes all the features mentioned above.

That $60k mark is an important psychological line for many, and after inspecting this van I can't see how you could be dissatisfied with the value for money the Hunter offers.

Sure, there mightn't be anything earth-shattering here in terms of construction techniques or materials, but the general fit and finish are good, there are plenty of creature comforts and the overall package should see a couple comfortably and happily enjoying a life of leisure sooner rather than later, and for many years to come.

I WOULD HAVE LIKED

Canterbury Caravans
140 Canterbury Road
Bayswater, Vic 3153
(03) 9729 8188
www.canterburycaravans.com.au

Golden Eagle Caravans
21 Merri Concourse
Campbellfield, Vic 3061
(03) 9357 0018.