Outback Cruiser

By Malcolm Street

I first met Brian Callaghan, proprietor of Outback Motor Homes, a couple of years ago when I looked over his newly completed coach conversion motorhome. That conversion had actually been done by someone else but obviously the motorhome lifestyle had caught Brian’s interest in a big way, because soon after he started to build his own motorhomes.

Mostly aimed at the luxury end of the market, there are three models in the Outback line-up. At the top of the tree is the Kimberley Series. Based on a Cosmos chassis with a Cummins rear pusher motor, the Kimberley is a very luxurious rig. Mid-range is the A class Flinders Series, based on an Isuzu NQR450 cab chassis (with the cab removed, of course).

Following this is the newest development from Outback, the Cruiser. It’s based on a Mercedes Sprinter cab chassis and at 24ft (7.35m) long, is the B class baby of the range.

Outside

Mercedes-Benz Sprinters appear to be the vehicle of choice for many motorhome converters so they must be doing something right, and there’s nothing quite like that three-pointed star on the bonnet for the owners.

Although the Sprinter only has a 2.2 litre motor, European turbodiesel technology is second to none and it powers the Cruiser along well enough. An auto sprint shift gearbox, power steering and power disc brakes do the rest and the end result is an easy-drive motorhome.

With a Mercedes chassis underneath, the Outback is built with a painted steel frame, which is covered on the roof and walls by a fibreglass composite panel of closed cell insulation with a fibreglass outer skin. Finally, it’s all painted in a two pack paint finish.

The Cruiser is a smooth-looking unit, mainly because the front of the motorhome body follows the same line as the Sprinter windscreen. It almost looks as if the body and chassis were made as one part originally.

It’s only around the back that the body takes on the more traditional ‘square’ motorhome look, somewhat offset by the very impressive artwork on the rear wall. I’m sure they are at a legal height, but the tail lights did appear low – it seemed to me that a set of higher brake lights might be a good safety feature.

There are plenty of storage compartments around the outside of the Cruiser. Some hold such items as the gas cylinders and batteries, but there’s probably more of a danger of overloading than lack of space. Windows and doors are all Seitz items, there’s an A&E awning and an electric step that pops back when the motor is started.

Inside

The Cruiser’s layout is akin to an A class motorhome: rear bathroom, almost rear bedroom, kitchen amidships and front lounge/dining area.

The fact that Outback has chosen this particular layout is not surprising, given its popularity. The impressive timberwork is all American oak and where there’s no timber, the lining and general décor is all tastefully done.

Although there are no curtains (the windows all have integrated blinds), the sometimes bare look of the windows is removed by virtue of the lining. On the subject of windows, they are all quite large; together with the big Seitz hatch above the lounge area, there is no shortage of natural light and ventilation.

Starting at the front, the lounge area is quite spacious. With most of the Sprinter roof cut out, the front of the Cruiser is almost like an A class motorhome, so there’s no risk of bumping your head when using the front seats.

Both driver and passenger seats swivel around, as does the second nearside passenger seat and there’s also a side lounge along the offside. Between the two passenger seats is a fold-out table and behind the rear seat is a convenient wine bottle rack.

All the seating is upholstered similarly in suede, which looks good, but I did find the seatbacks of the lounge to be a tad low for adequate back support. Overhead lockers run along both sides of the lounge and the driver’s cab has a narrow shelf right around it, the sides having a lip so a few maps and things can be kept there when travelling.

Lighting in this area is by way of ceiling-mounted fluorescent fittings and downlights underneath the overhead lockers.

Along the offside of the Cruiser is the main kitchen bench, where all the usual appliances can be found: Smev four-burner stove and grill, stainless steel sink sans drainer and a Tundra T42 118 litre fridge. The lack of sink drainer does mean a bit of benchtop working space is available. Under the benchtop are a single cupboard plus three drawers. Downlights under the overhead lockers illuminate the area.

Due to the wardrobe in between, in the middle of the motorhome is a large stainless steel pantry set at right angles to the wall, with a microwave oven mounted above it. The location of the microwave baffled us: it’s almost in the doorway and hinged the wrong way, but it also solved a problem that we’ve seen in other motorhomes, whereby the microwave oven is almost an afterthought and is either mounted too low or too high.

The cabinet that holds the slide-out pantry acts as a partition between the front of the Cruiser and the bedroom area in the rear and keeps them as separate areas. Occupying most of the bedroom is the east-west double bed, with its bedhead against the offside wall.

Each sleeper has a halogen reading light and a small corner shelf and the bed can be extended another 12 inches (300mm).

There’s a reasonable amount of walkaround space, except when the bed is extended, and half of the right-hand side of the bed butts up against the bathroom wall. A wardrobe sits in the corner at the foot of the bed; there are two drawers underneath and two overhead lockers above – generally speaking, there’s no shortage of bedroom storage space.

Slightly different from most motorhome bathroom designs, the one in the Cruiser has a slightly chamfered shape, resulting in one end wider than the other, thus giving more space in the bedroom. At the wide end of the bathroom is a moulded fibreglass shower with a glass screen door.

A Thetford cassette toilet occupies the narrow end and the vanity unit sits in between. Above the toilet are two towel rails and an overhead locker.This setup does have one rather odd feature: because of the way the door swings open back towards the toilet, its occupant will have to remember to lock the door, not only for privacy but to avoid a set of bruised knees, or something worse.

Against the rear wall of the bathroom the vanity cabinet has a cupboard under the sink and overhead locker above with a large mirror in between. A halogen downlight illuminates the mirror, with the rest of the bathroom being lit by an overhead fluorescent. There are no windows but ventilation is supplied by a large Fantastic fan hatch.

On the technology front, 12V power is supplied by two 100AH batteries, which are charged by either a battery charger or by two 64 watt solar panels mounted on the roof. For standalone camping, the 1500W inverter can deliver the 240V.

Above the doorway is the electrical control panel containing hot water switch, water tank monitors and solar panel regulators. Entertainment in the Cruiser comes from an AM/FM radio/CD player plus a DVD player for the flat screen TV.

Summing up

A small problem that occurs with some motorhome builders deals with warranty and servicing. However, all Outback motorhomes are covered by a three-year/100,000km warranty and Outback has established a nationwide service arrangement, should any issues occur while on the road.

Depending on your point of view, 24 feet of motorhome can be either too big or too small! However, the Cruiser length is probably an agreeable size for many and although it’s designed as a B class, it has many of the attributes of an A class unit, with its flat floor design and easy walk-through to and from the driver’s cab.

Certainly the Cruiser has all the necessary features for comfortable, long-term touring, as it appears to be well put together and has most of the little ‘extras’ that we all need.

Outback Motorhomes: 17 Econo Pl Silverdale NSW 2752, Ph: 1300 558 092. Website: www.outbackmotorhomes.com.au.