Sunliner Carnie

WE LIKED
>> General layout design with full use of elevating bed
>> Given space restraints, user friendly kitchen
>> Zwaardvis table in spacious lounge area
>> Good interior storage space

NOT SO MUCH
>> No bed reading lights
>> Bedside hinged shelf missing too
>> And a second gas cylinder would come in handy

It’s a fact there are many luxurious and well-appointed caravans on the road in Australia today. However, that level of appointment does come with a weight penalty, so vehicles like Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon sedans, once the kings of tow cars, are much less dominant these days.

A challenge for any designer is to get all the features that many of us have become accustomed to into a usable length of van. For instance, full-width rear bathrooms have become quite common, yet they take up a considerable amount of space, as do island beds.

Australian motorhomes, based in Newcastle, NSW, not only sells motorhomes and fifth wheelers but in more recent times has taken on the Sunliner range of caravans.

Proprietor Ron Warden, a car enthusiast, pondered the sedan tow-vehicle problem, looked at the elevating beds which are found in some motorhome designs, and married that with one of the smaller Sunliner-designed caravans.

He came up with the 5m (16ft) Carnie which, with an ATM of 1780kg and tare of 1540kg, is more than ideal for many sedans.

TAKE A SEAT

The layout design is a very workable compromise. The Carnie has a front-entry, front kitchen, full-width rear bathroom and a lounge/dining area in the middle.

The two sideways-facing lounges can be used to form a bed, but the main bed, which can be left made up, lowers from the ceiling at a quick flick of the wall switch.

The interior is very much in the Sunliner style with easy-on-the-eye décor, cream leatherette upholstery and, despite being a relatively small van, a light-filled interior.

Large Seitz windows with integrated insect screen and blind add to this greatly. Fore and aft hatches supply extra ventilation and, if needed, the rear hatch is pre-wired to take a roof-mounted air-conditioner.

The bed’s raising mechanism, which in other rigs has proven hard to hide, has been muted in quite well. Ceiling and under-bed fluorescent lights supply night-time illumination.

Across-the-front-kitchens aren’t often seen these days and this one fills the space quite neatly. A combo three-burner cooktop and stainless steel sink (without drainer) is fitted slightly off centre to the nearside, the rest of the bench area being working space.

With the good-sized 150-litre fridge and eye-height microwave mounted against the offside wall, the corner area is a bit unusable. But storage area accessed via a top hatch makes the best of it.

Under-bench storage is good, with a selection of variable-sized drawers, multi-shelved cupboard and wire basket-style slide-out pantry. Given the sloping angle of the front corner, there isn’t much room for overhead locker and shelf space but some has been squeezed in.

With large puffy cushions, the two lounges offer an immediate invitation to sit down and relax. Windows on either side offer good views of the world outside and when dining time comes around, the Zwaardvis any-which-way table is stored under the nearside seat. In a layout design such as this, this style of table is an asset.

When bedtime comes around, the bed (1.95 x 1.45m or 6ft 5in x 4ft 8in) can be lowered quite quickly. If you’d like to set the bed at a low height, the lounge’s back cushions on both sides will have to be removed and stored under the bed.

One of the few disadvantages of this setup is that the person on the front side of the bed will have limited access to the bathroom at night. There is also a 200mm loss of ceiling height mid-van. Neither sleeper has a bedside ledge but maybe a hinged shelf on either side would be a practical inclusion.

General storage might have been an issue with a van of this size, but on both sides in the space between the bathroom and lounges, cupboards have been added. A full-height wardrobe on the offside and a half-height cupboard on the nearside, offer plenty of shelf area and hanging space.

In the rear, the bathroom comes with a separate shower cubicle, a Thetford cassette toilet and a small, centrally-located vanity with shaving cabinet above. The rear window improves space perceptions no end and, additionally, offers some outside viewing when seated on the loo. Above the shower, a vent hatch gives the needed ventilation.

CONSTRUCTION

The van sits on the Sunliner-designed DuraTorque chassis. It’s made from hot-dipped galvanized steel designed to be light weight with curved (rather than cut and welded) drawbar rails that run the full length of the chassis, with a second box-section frame above which has punched-hole cross members.

The water tank is mounted behind the axle which is fitted with Al-Ko IRS suspension.

At the business end, the drawbar looks remarkably clean with only the coupling, and jockey wheel fitted. The 4kg gas cylinder is located in the front boot. Above the chassis, the body has a nice, simple, streamlined look about it – the roof bars, too, are an interesting touch.

Sunliner’s ThermoTough fibreglass composite structure is used for the walls, with fibreglass mouldings back and front and the timber-framed DuraRoof bonded core material used for the roof. Both walls and roof are designed to be fully insulating.

On the road, the Carnie towed very well indeed. My Ford Falcon XR6 was certainly a willing performer, as might be expected, and there was a surprising lack of the usual fore and aft pitching that accompanies smaller tow vehicles.

It was a combination that worked well and the Carnie was well within the Falcon’s towing limits.

VERDICT

There are going to be a few trade-offs with this design, such as a slightly lower mid-ceiling height, but generally speaking it's a winner. Not only in terms of van livability, but in the lighter towing rig department as well. It’s also a van built to a bit of a budget.

I’m all in favour of beds that don’t have to be made up every night and if you happen to favour a full-width bathroom, then you can have your cake and eat it too with the Carnie.

SUNLINER CARNIE

Overall length: 6.1m (20ft)
External length: 5m (16ft 4in)
External width: 2.29m (7ft 6in)
External height: 2.91m (9ft 5in)
Internal height: 1.95m (6ft 5in)
ATM: 1780kg 
Tare: 1540kg
Ball weight: 160kg
Frame/body structure: Fibreglass composite      
Chassis: Hot-dipped galvanised
Suspension: Al-Ko IRS (Torsion)
Cooktop: Dometic three-burner combo with sink
Fridge: Dometic RM2555 150L
Microwave: Sanyo
Shower: Separate cubicle
Toilet: Thetford cassette
Lighting: 12V fluoro
Gas: 1x4kg
Fresh water: 94 litres
Price (tow-away, NSW): $45,990
Supplied by:
Australian Motorhomes, Bennetts Green, NSW
Website:
Sunliner.com.au