Golf Sun Cruiser 199-76T

Qld-based Golf Caravans is a long time manufacturer of luxurious and stylish caravans and something of a 'boutique' builder, making a range of caravans to suit many budgets and tastes.

The company has recently done something of a rationalisation of its product line-up, keeping its Savannah and luxury Linwood models but producing a new entry level van, the Sun Cruiser, the subject of our review, a derivative of a revised outback model.

One thing that Golf has done with its Sun Cruiser range is get the van's weight down a bit. Indeed CW's review model, a 20-footer (6m), had a tare weight of just 1510kg and an ATM of 1910kg, making it a good candidate for towing by a large sedan vehicle.

Even the unloaded ball weight of 130kg was looking good. On the road, the Sun Cruiser behaved very well behind our Toyota Prado tow vehicle.

It didn't have weight distribution gear fitted and there weren't any obvious problems but it's something we'd be recommending with a lighter sedan vehicle.

The Sun Cruiser is made in the recognisable Golf style with a DuraGal 45 RHS chassis that has an integrated drawbar and rear bumper. Standard Golf Posi-Track independent suspension is used as the running gear and above the chassis the aluminium frame is riveted and bonded together.

From the outside the shape of the Sun Cruiser is similar to the smooth look of Golf's up-market Savannah model, the difference being that aluminium cladding is used for the sides. Fibreglass is used though, for the front, rear and roof.

Apart from the usual items like tinted hopper windows and triple lock security door the only other external items of note are the external light above the door and the powerpoint halfway along the nearside.

Like all Golf drawbars, this one looks very clean, as the 9kg gas cylinder is fitted into the galvanised sheet-lined front boot and the only item on show, apart from the jockey wheel, is a mains pressure tap.

Golf has fitted a conventional ball coupling to its Sun Cruiser range, rather than the Winterhoff coupling that's used on their luxurious units.

In addition to the gas cylinder, a bit more of the front boot space is taken up by the 100ah absorbed glass mat battery but there is still plenty of storage room for general use.

Spacious and cosy
Inside the Sun Cruiser, Golf has opted for a slightly retro look with both its colour scheme and cupboards. The former has a very bright look about it - that polka dot bedspread is really something - and Golf has also used the upholstery overlay style for the seats.

In the cupboard department, the airline locker look has been replaced by a more square appearance.

All the windows except the kitchen had both net and full curtains, with the kitchen just having the latter. With windows being just about everywhere, the Sun Cruiser had a light and spacious feel about it.

Two Four Seasons hatches, one at either end of the van, add to both the light and general airflow.

Speaking of light, CW was interested to note that although the Sun Cruiser is in the lower end of the Golf price range, all the ceiling downlights are energy-saving LED units.

While they give off a slightly bluish light, they keep the battery use to a minimum. Another good point is the location of the light switches by the door and behind the kitchen bench.

Golf calls our particular layout the 199-76T - that covers the length, width and the fact that the van has a toilet only. Up front is a north-south bed, mid-offside is the kitchen bench, mid-nearside is the dinette and across the rear is the bathroom.

Not having a shower is an interesting design move, because most vans with a bathroom usually have both toilet and shower, the general philosophy apparently being that if you have to put one in, you may as well install the other as well.

Not having a shower installed means that with this particular design a full two-door wardrobe offering a fair bit of storage has been built into the nearside rear corner.

It should be noted that a similar model is available with both shower and toilet but no wardrobe space. Hiding in the base of the cupboard is a Truma hot water heater.

It will be interesting to see how this design is received in the marketplace and that will depend on how people travel. Being an amenities block user myself I usually only use the caravan shower, if anything, and not the toilet.

In addition to the Thetford swivelling toilet, there's also a vanity sink unit and shaving cabinet on the offside wall. CW does appreciate the sliding door - it means much less risk of someone outside being hit by an opening door.

The Sun Cruiser kitchen contains all the usual items you expect to find - Smev four-burner cooktop, Dometic 120L fridge, Sharp microwave underneath the cooktop and flush top stainless steel sink and drainer.

There is a little bit of bench space at one end and a slightly raised section above the fridge at the other. Powerpoints are fitted to both ends of the bench and there's a TV antenna socket (for external connection) above the fridge.

In addition to five overhead lockers (hinged vertically, rather than horizontal), there are two underbench cupboards (one with a wire basket drawer), one cutlery drawer and one floor locker.

At the dinette there's really only seating space for two people and the table isn't particularly big, so visitors will have to be entertained outside.

Under the dinette seats is the usual storage area; it's partly taken up by the wheel arch but there is a drawer at the inside end of the seat. Two reading lights give plenty of illumination for the table and there are four overhead lockers plus a small shelf above.

Taking centre stage at the front of the van is the polka dot-covered double bed. It has bedside cabinets on either side plus a small shelf behind the bed.

Lifting up the bed reveals a slatted wooden base plus a decent storage area underneath.

Extra storage in the bedroom area is provided by overhead lockers above, plus an angled corner cupboard at the foot of the bed on the near side.

That does cut down the walking around space but it is not a major factor.

The Bottom Line
Golf's latest caravan is aptly named - it's definitely designed for cruising in the sun, with many of the well-known Golf features but at a price that is lower than some of Golf's more luxurious caravan designs.

CW's Sun Cruiser was a comfortable and attractive touring van for two people and, without a shower on board, suited to those who prefer to stay in caravan parks most of the time.

For the test van thanks to Arrow Caravans, (07) 3265 5622, web: www.arrowcaravans.com.au.

For more details and local dealers call Golf Caravans on (07) 3285 6348 or visit the web: www.golfcaravans.com.au

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