Suncamper Sovereign Prestige 2007 Review

Anyone who has been around the RV traps for a while will know that it’s not too difficult to identify most manufacturers from the inside of one of their motorhomes.

It’s therefore a big event when a manufacturer gives a motorhome interior a total makeover, thus changing the character of the inside considerably.

Such has been the case with Suncamper’s Sovereign motorhome. Mike Rowe from the Suncamper team phoned CW to tell us about the new Sovereign Prestige motorhome. “It’s quite different; you’ll have to come and see it,” Mike said. “We have changed quite a few interior features and it looks really special.”

Suncamper’s Sovereign was the company’s first venture into the B class genre several years ago and it has proved to be a successful design. Ford’s Transit is the base vehicle for the Sovereign and its latest 2.4L turbodiesel engine is now Euro IV emissions compliant, producing 103kW of power, along with 375Nm of torque at 2000rpm.

It’s available with a six-speed manual transmission on rear-wheel drive models.

In some ways, the Transit is a bit overshadowed by its more exotic European competitors, but it has been around the longest – at least here in Australia – and is a vehicle well suited to the motorhome industry.

An advantage it offers in Australia over its rivals is the greater presence of Blue Oval dealers, who offer service and spare part facilities when you need it.

We have had the opportunity to try out a Sovereign built on the new Transit cab chassis. On the road, while it is a light commercial vehicle, the Transit is still a pleasure to drive.

The engine pushes it along well and given that the Transit has a fairly wide track, longer wheelbase and dual rear tyres it handles very nicely.

Having the dual rear tyres means unwanted sideways movement is kept to a minimum and the steering tracks nicely. For watching behind, the split Transit mirrors do a good job, as does the rearview camera.

For auto gear change lovers we have to report that currently only the six-speed manual box is available, although Ford Australia is apparently working on an auto.

Like all Suncamper motorhomes, the Sovereign Prestige has a steel floor base, aluminium tube framing and aluminium cladding, including the roof which is a one-piece item from the bottom of the rear wall to the nose cone at the front. That does reduce the potential for water leaks.

Foam insulation is used between the frame pieces. Shape wise, the Sovereign body looks pretty good. It’s a little square at the back but the nose cone looks streamlined at the front. Seitz is the manufacturer of choice for the polycarbonate hopper windows and the two big hatches on the roof, while the door is the time-honoured Camec triple locker. We’ll give Suncamper a big tick for that.

There’s a variety of external bins around the outside. Between the motorhome door and the passenger door is the battery compartment, which houses the vehicle battery, a 100Ah deep cycle house battery, and the battery charger. Further along the nearside is the locker for a 9kg gas cylinder and right at the rear is a large compartment that may take a fold-up bike or two.

Items of interest at the rear are the rearview camera, external shower and high level brake light.

Along the offside are the Thetford cassette door, Suburban hot water heater and an empty locker behind the driver’s door. An out-of-sight item worth mentioning is the size of the water tanks.

While the fresh water tank is 96L, the grey water tank, usually smaller, is 138L. That’s because Suncamper exports to New Zealand, where motorhomes are required to have larger tanks for grey water than fresh water.

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Inside the Prestige is where things look a little different. Instead of a light timber laminate finish with a somewhat square look, a high gloss mahogany laminate has been used. The mahogany high gloss makes things tricky for photography and it changes the internal look quite dramatically.

Other Prestige changes include halogen downlights, remote power operation for the two Seitz hatches, a full Caprice stove and 186L Dometic fridge.

There are pluses and minuses about the remote-operated Seitz hatches. The plus is that when they are awkward to get at, like over the bed, the remote is excellent, but the closing operation is slow, so in the event of sudden rain, the time lag between finding the remote and closing the hatch might mean a damp bed.

The Sovereign Prestige has a fairly simple layout. The entry door is amidships, thereby locating the kitchen bench to the left and the double bed to the right in the nearside corner. Opposite the double bed is the bathroom cubicle and there’s a fridge between that and the dinette behind the driver’s seat.

Being a Transit-based design, access to the driver’s cab is quite easy, especially as part of the original roof has been cut out. Above the driver’s cab are four cupboards, one of which contains a flatscreen TV which can be seen from most areas of the motorhome, except the rear-facing dinette seat.

There are no curtains, just the integrated blinds and screens of the Seitz frames.

There’s no shortage of natural light, with good-sized windows and two big marine hatches. Cooling is courtesy of the roof-mounted air-conditioner.

In the galley, the main kitchen bench has the Caprice full stove with the cooktop having three gas burners and one electric.

Alongside the stove the sink, being a Thetford Spinflo item and a model not often seen, doesn’t have a fixed drainer but comes with a freestanding drainer and tray that is kept within the sink bowl when not being used. The end result when not washing up is bit more benchtop area than in previous models.

Behind the dinette the second part of the kitchen has a Dometic 186L fridge with Tiffany microwave above and slide-out pantry alongside. Kitchen storage, with three drawers, several cupboards and overhead lockers, is reasonable.

Lighting above both kitchen areas is from halogen downlights, including a halogen fitting in the slimline rangehood above the stove.

Situated behind the driver’s seat, the dinette has contoured foam cushions and will seat two people comfortably, and four if friendly. The low back cushions of the previous model have been improved and there are also head rests.

There are two seatbelts in the rear seat. Under both seats is good storage space but the rear seat area is partly taken up by the hot water heater. There are also two overhead lockers above.

The large window beside the dinette is excellent for watching the world go by. Instead of the usual reading lights, two downlights are fitted into the ceiling. Above the rear-facing seat is an AM/FM radio/DVD player.

In the rear nearside corner a 6ft x 4ft (1.83m x 1.2m) foam mattress with a chamfered corner sits on a ply timber base, which lifts up to give access to the storage area underneath. The two windows and the Seitz hatch allows plenty of natural light and ventilation.

Two halogen reading lights provide enough illumination for bedtime reading. Five overhead lockers are above the bed.

Keeping things clean in the bathroom is no real problem. There’s a separate moulded fibreglass shower and a small vanity sink in the opposite corner. In between is the Thetford cassette loo. Being a Prestige motorhome, a full door for the shower cubicle might be nicer than the shower curtain.

Under the sink is a small cupboard and there’s a larger multi-shelf cabinet on the wall beside the vanity unit. The new trim in the bathroom looks good and the wall mirror has the interesting effect of making the bathroom look bigger than it is!

Hanging space in the Sovereign is provided by a full height cupboard that sits between the bed and the door. All lighting is 12V and, apart from the previously mentioned halogen downlights, there are energy-efficient fluorescents in the appropriate places.

There are two external lights – a grab handle light and a mid-motorhome wall light.

The bottom line

We have to say that the makeover of the Sovereign Prestige is quite impressive. It does ‘lift’ the interior considerably and is eye catching. Apart from the split kitchen setup, the layout is user-friendly and there’s a good amount of general storage areas.

Although it has seating for four people, the Prestige is going to be a relaxed touring motorhome for two people, especially on the new Ford Transit base.

Suncamper Motorhomes, 7 Brennan Close, Hornsby, NSW 2077, (02) 9482 1225, email: sales@suncamper.com.au, web: http://www.suncamper.com.au/

We liked
Fridge and microwave set at functional heights
Bench area beside fridge
Generally good storage for this size of van
Translucent door in the bathroom – takes away that confined feeling

We would have liked
Light at the kitchen dresser bench
Towel rails of some sort in the bathroom
A powerpoint near the dinette table – saves having power cords trailing around