Sunliner Tourez

WHAT WE LIKED

Shelves above lounge seats
Large windows
Second radio/CD player in the rear

NOT SO MUCH

Clunky slide-out mechanism
Illogically placed hot water and heater switches
Cab seats not level with rest of motorhome

Motorhomes these days come in all shapes and sizes. In fact, that diversity is one of the most exciting developments in the motorhome world over the last decade – there’s something for everyone.

One of the latest designs to come out of Sunliner’s Advantage range is the Tourez, which has the major advantage of a slide-out fitted to the rear bedroom.

AUTO PILOT

Underpinning the Tourez is a Mercedes Benz Sprinter 516 cab chassis, which has a 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine delivering 120kW of power and 360Nm of torque. While these figures are more than adequate, the real noteworthy feature is that the Benz is one of few such trucks with a full automatic gearbox (that’s able to move seamlessly between gears).

The Benz is also well equipped with airbags for driver and passenger, as well as several other safety features, such as ESP (Electronic Stability Program).

From a driver’s point of view, the Sprinter has most of the necessary features. Given its European heritage, the indicators are on the left-hand side of the steering column and, surprisingly, the radio/CD player is quite basic – it doesn’t even have a 3.5mm MP3 socket.

Built using Sunliner’s Thermo Tough Wall Construction method (composite wall with a fibreglass external finish), the Tourez comes with Seitz double-glazed hopper windows and a Dometic half window door.

At the rear, the standard Sunliner mouldings top and bottom take away the more standard boxy motorhome look.

External bin storage is never easy with a motorhome, but this one comes with a rear tunnel and two front nearside bins. The front bins allow access to the storage under a lounge seat, which contains a slide-out barbecue.

Dedicated bins on the offside contain a pair of 4kg gas cylinders and two 100Ah batteries.

INSIDE TOUR

Stepping into the Tourez reveals a fairly familiar layout. It’s split into three distinct areas: front lounge/dining; kitchen in the middle; and rear bedroom/bathroom.

The electrically operated rear-wall slide-out adds some very welcome space to the bedroom, but its operation is not the smoothest I’ve come across.

The light and airy interior ambiance of this Sunliner – thanks to light coloured timber stain and a large window/hatch – is another pleasant feature. 

Night time lighting is also on the money, with ceiling-mounted fluorescents and halogen reading lights located just about everywhere. The 12V controls, along with the water tank gauges and Jensen radio/CD player, are located on the panel above the door. 

Up front, both cab seats swivel around and, in conjunction with the sideways-facing lounges on both sides, make for a spacious lounge.

Two people sitting in the cab seats can easily rest their feet on the lounges, but because the rear floor height is raised above the cab floor, the cab seats are a bit low. This isn’t really a problem, however, unless four people are using the table.

Strangely, there’s no mounting point for a TV, but the side of the fridge is an obvious place.

Storage space is plentiful with under-seat space, overhead lockers and shelves above the lounge and driver’s cab, while part of the nearside under-seat area is occupied by the slide-out barbecue.

The offside L-shaped kitchen features a stainless steel sink/drainer and a Spinflo Triplex cooktop with grill and oven.

An assortment of cupboards, drawers and overhead lockers offer storage, but the benchtop is limited and because of the cupboard on the end of the bench there isn’t a hinged extension, either. The raised shelf that runs along the rear edge behind the sink is a definite asset though.

The Dometic three-way 150L fridge and an eye-level microwave are located next to the doorway on the opposite side of the rig.

PERSONAL SPACE

A split bathroom fills the space between the kitchen and bedroom. On the offside is a contemporary-looking circular shower cubicle, while a separate toilet cubicle, with a Thetford cassette toilet and a small vanity basin with cupboards above and below, is on the opposite side.

A wall mirror is located on the opposite side to the sink, but it’s really a compromise position given the location of the cupboard. Both window and fan hatch ensure good ventilation.

The slide-out-attached bed is a winner. Measuring 1.95 x 1.4m (6ft 3in x 4ft 6in), the island bed sits between two wardrobes and bedside cabinets. Thankfully, there’s plenty of walk-around space with the slide-out fully extended.

Windows all-round give good natural light and ventilation, although it would have been nice to have some wall switches for the bed reading lights.

The Tourez comes equipped with a Dometic roof-mounted air-conditioner, Webasto diesel-fired heater and Truma 14 litre gas/240V water heater, so you should be covered for all seasons.

VERDICT

The Melbourne-built Tourez offers a versatile motorhome layout. At 7.82m (25ft 8in) long, it isn’t particularly small, but that length includes the slide-out at the rear.

Overall, it’s a very comfortable design, and with plenty of space, and plenty of features including solar panels and an inverter, this rig would be very well suited for some long haul luxury touring.


SUNLINER TOUREZ

Base vehicle: Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 516
Engine: 2.2-litre turbodiesel
Gearbox: Five-speed auto
Power/torque: 120kW at 3800rpm/ 360Nm @1400-2400rpm
Brakes: Disc
Tare: 4000kg
GVM: 4490kg
External length: 7.82m (25ft 8in)
External width: 2.4m (7ft 10in)
Internal height: 2.03m (6ft 8in)
Travel height: 3.1m (10ft 2in)
Cooktop: Spinflo Triplex
Fridge: Dometic RM2553 150 litre
Microwave: Daewoo
Shower: Separate cubicle
Toilet: Thetford cassette
Hot water: Truma 14 litre
Fresh water: 120 litre
Grey water: 60 litre
Gas: 2 x 4kg
Second stage compliance: Yes
Price as shown: $178,990 (drive-away, Qld)
Supplied by: Sunshine State RV, Loganholme, Qld
More info: Sunliner