By Malcolm Street
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It is sometimes fascinating what various dealers and manufacturers think we RV journos will be interested in when we look over motorhomes. 
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When we arrived at Australian Motor Homes’ premises in Newcastle, NSW, to look over the Sunliner Euro Isle based on a Ford Transit, Bert van Leeuwarden (who is the resident Sunliner expert) said, with a grin on his face, “You’ll like this one, it has the new 101kW turbodiesel and it really goes”.&nbsp; 
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When we grinned back and enquired about the motorhome bit, Bert said, “Oh yes, you will probably like that, too”. He was right – on both counts. 
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Sunliner makes the 24ft (7.25m) Euro Isle motorhome to fit on a variety of cab chassis: Ford Transit, Mercedes Benz Sprinter or Fiat Ducato, so there is certainly plenty of choice; in our case it was the Ford Transit. 
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Turbodiesel technology has come a long way in recent years, especially from European manufacturers, and the Ford Transit is no exception. For the tech heads, Ford’s 2.4 litre motor is a high pressure common rail turbodiesel and it comes coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox. 
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Ford makes an auto gearbox for the Transit but at present it comes only in combination with the lower-rated 92kW intercooled turbodiesel motor. 
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It goes, it goes
On the road, as Bert said, the 101kW motor does indeed go. Although it was a new motor and things were a little stiff, it was quite a smooth performer both around town and on the highway. Sure, it is not going to run off any V8s at the lights but who wants to do that anyway? 
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The tandem rear wheels keep sideways rock and roll to a minimum. Power steering, all-round ABS power disc brakes and driver and passenger airbags add the necessary comfort and safety features. 
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In the driver’s cab most things are where they are needed and the gear shift isn’t too badly placed for getting to and from the rear. CW always likes the good external remote adjust mirrors with their split flat and convex screens – they give good rear and side vision. 
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Also an asset in the Transit cab are the driver and passenger door pockets, as well as the map compartment that sits mid-dashboard – it holds maps and notebooks securely but keeps them readily available. In order to be used 
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as an extra seat, the passenger seat swivels around 180 degrees. Both it and the driver’s seat are upholstered to match the rest of the motorhome. 
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As a B class – no Luton Peak – the Euro Isle from the front is quite a trim-looking unit. Even around at the rear, the square look is softened by the top and bottom fibreglass mouldings; the lower fairing also contains the stylish tail lights. 
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Sunliner has opted to use a Camec triple lock security door in conjunction with big Seitz windows and a Fiamma F45 awning. With the exception of the nearside compartment for the house batteries, the only other storage is a quite large through boot at the rear. This contains the Truma water heater already in place and a separate compartment for the two 9kg gas cylinders but still offers a substantial amount of space that is accessible from both sides. 
Two other little Sunliner features, not seen on most other motorhomes, are stabiliser jacks in the rear corners and halogen downlights that sit above the driver and passenger doors. 
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Stepping aboard
Sunliner uses sizeable windows and that, in tandem with the Seitz hatch fitted in the rear of the motorhome and the light stain wood-effect finish, makes for a light and airy interior. That is enhanced by the fairly open living layout, with the only bulky item – the bathroom – right behind the driver’s seat. 
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The “cost” of having an open plan layout is not being able to make full and effective use of having swivelling seats in the driver’s cab, that is, as part of an integrated lounge/dining setup. In motorhomes of 21ft–24ft, I always consider this to be a wise use of space. That said, some people, after having sat in the driver’s seat for eight hours, won’t want to see it for another 16, so the Isle layout is going to appeal greatly to that group. 
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All the house windows have integrated blinds and screens. Except for the kitchen but including the front cab area, all have curtains as well. Sunliner cabinetwork looks quite stylish with curved timber locker doors and generally a good finish elsewhere as well.
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Comfort Zone
Starting in the rear, the 6ft 5in x 5ft (1.95m x 1.52m) bed in its fully extended version is going to be long enough for most people. If the full length is not required, it can be shortened by the removal of a cushion to give more walkaround space but that is not too bad anyway. 
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General storage in the bedroom area is quite good, with the usual under the bed, and cabinets on either side, overhead lockers above and corner cupboards on both sides at the foot. 
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Lighting is on a par with the storage, with a recessed fluorescent in the ceiling plus a halogen reading light on either side of the bed. Being close to the water heater, the hot water control switch and thermostat are on the offside cabinet beside the bed.
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At the dining table, three people can sit in reasonable comfort. The contoured cushions have a decent height for back support and the rear seat has two seatbelts fitted; one, being near the wall, is the preferred lap/sash style. So that it does not stick out in the walkway too much, the table is not square but it can still be used when folded down to make the dinette into a second bed. 
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Three overhead lockers plus underseat space give good storage, although it is a bit fiddly moving the cushions around to get to that. Again lighting is good, with two halogen reading lights and slimline fluorescent fitting under the lockers. Also under the overhead lockers is a powerpoint if you want 240V at the table.
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Fitted between the bathroom and the bedroom along the offside, the kitchen bench has most items you’d want for whipping up a meal: four-burner Spinflo cooktop and grill, Dometic 110 litre fridge, NEC microwave oven and stainless steel sink with drainer. The latter is a relatively small item but it does leave some benchtop working space. 
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Other kitchen items include a Swift fume extractor, tea towel rail, rotating fluorescent light, 240V power point and 12V socket. 
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Two cutlery sized drawers, two pots and pans drawers and two overhead lockers make up the kitchen storage space. 
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About the smallest item in the Euro Isle is the bathroom, yet it does have a variable height flex hose shower, small wash basin, Thetford cassette toilet, mirrored cabinet and towel rails. A twin fluorescent light and fan hatch supply the rest of the utilities. 
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In addition to the natural ventilation, there is also a Wren roof-mounted air-conditioner unit. Two recessed fluorescent lights give illumination above the kitchen/dinette area, as well as above the door entrance area. Both the driver and passenger seats have individual reading lights. 
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TV watchers might have trouble finding a place for a conventional TV but there is both a 240V power point and antenna connection on the panel above the offside corner cupboard in the bedroom. A flat screen TV mounted here on a swivelling arm could well be seen from either bed or dinette. 
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There isn’t much in the area above the driver’s cab, except a wide shelf that runs around the roof area – it’s big enough for books and papers. 
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The bottom line
There are plenty of Sunliner layout designs to suit different preferences. Generally speaking, the Isle is going to appeal particularly to people who like spaciousness around them. 
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Other fans may include couples who want a small to mid-sized motorhome that isn’t much of a problem to drive and is comfortable to live in. The Euro-style Isle is well appointed, doesn’t lack much in terms of its fittings and as I was advised, goes along well with the uprated Transit motor!
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Australian Motor Homes, 31 Pacific Highway, Bennetts Green, NSW 2290, 
(02) 4948 0433, web: www.australianmotorhomes.com.au
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We liked:
• General design and décor; large windows give a good view of the surrounding countryside.
• Good number of light fittings in all the appropriate places
• Walk-through to and from cab
• Large boot area
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We would have liked:
• Larger sink and drainer
• No Velcro-ed skirts around the driving seats – nice-looking, but were fiddly when swivelling the seat
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Sunliner Euro Isle 

Base vehicle: Ford Transit 135T430

Engine: 2.4 litre turbodiesel

Max power: 101kW@3500rpm

Max torque: 375Nm@2000rpm

Gearbox: Six-speed manual

External length: 23ft 9in (7.25m)

External width: 7ft 10in (2.38m)

External height: 7ft 3in (2.2m)

Internal height: 6ft 5in (1.95m)

External height: 9ft 6in (2.90m) plus air-con

GVM: 4.25 tonnes

Cooktop: Spinflo four-burner and grill

Fridge: Dometic RM2453 110 litre

Microwave oven: NEC

Fresh water tank: 120 litre

Grey water tank: 55 litre

Lighting: 12V

Gas: Two x 9kg

Hot water: Truma gas/240V 14 litre

Licence: C class

Price: $135,110 plus o/r 

Sunliner Euro Isle

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