Motorhomes International Autostrada 2006 Review

By Malcolm Street

Having been in this business for a while – the RV journo business, that is – CW has seen quite a few motorhomes. It occasionally comes as a surprise when something different appears on the scene or, in this case, something not quite what it seems.

When CW first cast eyes on some photographs of a new motorhome called the Autostrada, our first assumption was that “another Euro import has arrived in Australia”. We actually blame the Continental-sounding name for the distraction but it’s a fact this Euro-looking motorhome is built in Australia.

Aussie in Euro clothing

Brisbane-based Grant Moddejongen is responsible for the design and build of the Autostrada. While talking to him, it’s obvious he has done some very careful research, clearly had some influence from the Düsseldorf motorhome shows and in some instances, dare we modestly mention, has been influenced by a few points made by some of CW’s ravings.

And where does the name come from? Well, Autostrada is actually the name of the Italian highway system.

Grant has based his Autostrada motorhome on the popular Ford Transit cab chassis and has produced a very sleek looking body design. Quite streamlined, it fits well around the cab chassis and doesn’t look like an add-on, helped somewhat by the moulded fibreglass bumper bar that contains driving/fog light inserts.

The main body walls are formed by an aluminium frame that is covered on both sides by a structural foam fibreglass sandwich that is about 30mm thick.

Moulded fibreglass is used for the one-piece roof and that is designed to lap over side and rear walls to make everything leakproof. Like the roof, the rear wall is also fully moulded.

The lower side skirts are all designed to be easily replaceable in the event of being damaged. At the rear the moulded bumper bar appears to have its own cap on the nearside – that’s a hiding place for the waste water hose. The entire body is fully insulated, including the floor which is an impressive 60mm thick.

Apart from the nearside gas cylinder compartment, there are no external lockers, just a very large rear boot, called a ‘garage’ in Europe.

It’s been designed to take the golf clubs and a whole host of other gear and yet there is still space for the hot water heater. It’s also accessible via a decent sized door, from inside the motorhome.

The Thetford cassette door is actually just inside the rear offside boot door, meaning careful packing is required.

Speaking of doors, CW did like the moulding on the inside of the offside ‘garage’ door. It’s designed to fit a Flat Out hose and power reels plus two wheel ramps. Good, practical storage, yet very easily accessible.

Similarly designed is the entry door: it too has been moulded on the inside to accept a first aid kit, waste bin/ice bucket and wine bottle holder. How practical is that? There is no separate flyscreen door as such, instead there’s a full-height roll-away screen.

Outside there does not appear to be a wall light but it is one of those tricky moulded items that sits above the door.

One other point is worth mentioning: the Autostrada has been designed with a one-key-for-everything for the motorhome body. No more big rings of keys, just one for the Transit and one for the motorhome – nice one!

On the road the Autostrada handled quite well, powered along by the 101kW diesel motor. Rear airbag suspension
is standard.

Style and flair

Getting into the Autostrada is quite easy via the twin electric steps – alarmed if the motor is started.

Inside is a very Euro-look layout. Both driver and passenger seats swivel around to form a lounge/dining area. There’s a table and second seat behind the driver’s seat. Occupying the nearside wall is the kitchen bench plus a small wardrobe.

On the opposite side is a full bathroom and across the rear is a large bed. Windows are the Dometic hopper variety with integrated blinds and screens.

Lightweight plywood (16mm) is used for all the cabinet work and it has a laminated scratch-resistant surface, as do the laminated table and benchtop surfaces. All the furniture edges are rounded and everything appears to be well finished off.

With the front seats swivelled around, four people can be seated with a table because there are actually two tables: a small swivel item for the passenger seat and a larger one for the driver’s seat, plus the two-person seat behind. A powerpoint is beside the table.

The rear seat has been fitted with two seat belts and, according to Grant, that seat has been fully crash tested; it folds down to make a flat bed. Although the seat cushions are contoured for sitting, they are turned around to the flat side if a bed is needed. Behind the seat are some narrow shelves.

In the area above the cab, yet another fibreglass moulding holds a couple of reading lights and a flatscreen TV which can be angled out easily to be watched from the rear seat. On either side above each cab door are useful storage lockers, also above the dinette seat.

Catering is handled easily by the kitchen department. Fitted into the bench is a Spinflo four-burner cooktop/grill alongside a stainless steel sink and drainer.

In the overhear locker is a microwave and the fridge sits underneath the adjacent wardrobe. Storage is reasonable with a cutlery drawer, three cupboards (one with two wire basket drawers) and two overhead lockers (both with extra shelves).

The bathroom has a separate shower cubicle with a roll-away screen, stainless steel wash basin and Thetford cassette toilet.

The wash basin is the most interesting item. It actually sits above the toilet but is mounted on a pole, so that when using the toilet, it can be swung into the shower cubicle. This also means that it can be used for hair washing in the shower and conserving a bit of water.

Also fitted into the bathroom are towel rails, a soap dispenser, storage cabinet and, in the shower, a fold-away clothes line. Usually not visible is the toilet cassette that is fitted with a ventilation system to the outside. Bathroom doors don’t usually get much of a mention but this one is normally a sliding (space saving) door however, when fully closed, it can be used as hinged door and close off the rear area for a bit of privacy

Across the rear of the motorhome is the innerspring mattress bed. It sits quite high because it is located above the rear storage area but it does have a pull-out aluminium ladder for use when climbing into bed. Some may not like the slightly closed-in feel but it’s a huge bed – 6ft 9in x 5ft 3in (2m x 1.6m), has a shelf at either end, lockers on the bathroom wall and clothes hooks as well.

Lighting throughout the Autostrada is mostly halogen, either downlight or reading lights and located in all the right places; 12V power is supplied by a 125ah gel battery (which can also be used for an emergency vehicle start) and there’s a decent electrical control panel located above the wardrobe door.

For running items like the TV or a computer, a 200W sine wave inverter is fitted.

The Bottom Line

The Autostrada is a very impressive motorhome, both inside and out.

There has obviously been a great deal of attention paid to detail and not only are all the standard motorhome items fitted but there are quite a few interesting innovations as well.

The Euro look is sure to be a winner for the Autostrada and it’s been made in Australia.

For more information contact Motorhomes International, PO Box 41, Bellbowrie, Qld 4070, (07) 3202 8923, fax: (07) 3202 8893.

We liked:

• Streamlined look of the entire motorhome, both back and front – all the mouldings fit together very well

• General fit and finish especially items like the mouldings on the outside of the
  doors – a practical concept

• The front area setup with swivel seats, dinette and two tables – very functional and multi-use

• Good lighting throughout

We would have liked:

• Not much else really. There are a few features like the bed and the microwave which may be too high for some people but that would reduce the storage area underneath.