Sunseeker Desert Storm ATX 2021 Review

Few owners in their right mind would take their new $110,527 Sunseeker Desert Storm ATX where Sunseeker founder Chris Michel is prepared to go.

“It will go further off road than most tow cars,” he boasts. A day spent crossing creeks, bridging gullies and slip-sliding along muddy tracks in Queensland’s spectacular Glasshouse Mountains in a new 19ft 6in tandem model behind his well set-up 200 Series LandCruiser, suggests he’s not exaggerating.

Michel is one of the rare breed of caravan dealers who walks the off-road walk. He tests his caravans in gnarly places where many would only risk camper trailers and it’s a reasonable bet that few of his customers will be as daring.

What it means that if you buy one, there’s a fair chance that it’s been built to do more than you are game to.

Flagship model

The Sunseeker Desert Storm is the flagship model of his eponymous Sunseeker range. Like other Sunseeker caravans, including the lower-rung Marvel models, it’s built for long-term touring, which in Australia inevitably involves a heathy serve of rutted off-road travel, remote area living and free-camping.

The Desert Storm is Sunseeker’s image carrier, selling for an RRP of $95,194. But with buyers frequently checking many of the same option boxes,  Michel decided to create a new flagship model called the Desert Storm ATX.

To justify its $15k-odd premium pricing, it comes as standard with Cruisemaster ATX airbag suspension, a 200Ah Enerdrive lithium battery power system pre-wired for an inverter, huge 35-inch (315/75) Mickey Thompson mud terrain tyres on 16-inch Primal alloy wheels and a comprehensive stainless steel slide-out kitchen.

As far as Sunseeker knows, the Desert Storm ATX is the only Australian caravan running 35in tyres as standard, but its suite of ‘ATX’ options is available on any tandem axle Desert Storm model, in lengths from 18ft 6in to 22ft 6in.

Bigger boots

Those monster tyres immediately identify the ATX variants over the base model Sunseeker Desert Storm models, which roll on similarly knobbly, but smaller 33-inch (285/75) rubber, but accommodating the larger boots involved some changes to the van’s structure.

The bigger rubber endows the Desert Storm with a unique advantage on corrugated roads and sand, as pressures can be dropped to as low as 8psi to create an exceptionally fat footprint and a remarkably smooth ride in conjunction with the breezy ride of the Cruisemaster air suspension.

The problem was that the tandem tyre set wouldn’t fit into the standard Desert Storm wheelboxes. To extend them forward would have undermined the van’s inherent towing balance and light ball loading, so the axle set has been set slightly further rearward.

Allowing for the size of the 19ft 6in model’s rear door, this potentially cramped the rear ensuite bathroom, but Michel’s team and the van’s builder, Titanium Caravans in Melbourne, found a solution in which the ‘working’ area of the combined bathroom and below-benchtop top-loader washing machine laundry remained the same, but the depth of the linen and associated rear wall cupboards and drawers has been reduced to accommodate the necessary wheel space.

It's a good solution, as the Desert Storm-ATX with its tare weight of 2697kg, tows easily and very confidently considering its very modest ball weight of 147kg, which indicates how much thought and towing experience has gone into setting up its balance.

The low ball weight means that you can take full advantage of its 803kg payload and fill the standard drawbar tool box without upsetting its balance.

Apart from their ‘Big Foot’ capability and stability off road, the other benefit of the ATX’s ‘big boots’ is the extra ground clearance they provide. Combined with the side-by-side remote control height adjustability of the air suspension, they endow the van with the off-road ability of a much smaller Hybrid, or a camper trailer.

Off-road armoury

There's little doubt that the Sunseeker Desert Storm ATX is built to get there. Topped by a Cruisemaster DO-35 coupling bolted to a 150mm x 50mm x 4mm thick A-frame that extends under its 100mm x 50mm X 3mm thick and laminated Supagal chassis, the Desert Storm has a sturdy four-arm rear bumper with its single spare wheel mounted high and centrally to maximise its departure angle when crossing gullies and river beds.

Flex-resistant CNC-cut internal ply cabinetry with metal draw sides is unique to the Titanium-built Desert Storm models, while the aluminium wall framing that employs self-piercing rivets, combines the best anti-rot features of metal, with enough structural flex to avoid stress fractures from prolonged off-road travel.

Disc brakes on all wheels are standard, with an AL-KO iQ7 booster ensuring powerful and smooth stopping power in all conditions.

All these features combined allow the Desert Storm ATX to explore further off the beaten track and this is where the standard 200Ah lithium battery comes into its own.

Fed by three, rooftop-mounted 170 watt solar panels and supported by a 40A lithium compatible battery charger, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy many days of free-camping until you run out of the 255 litres of fresh water housed in tough roto-moulded tanks.

Comfy cabin

Inside, the 19ft 6in Sunseeker Desert Storm ATX is a very comfortable place to get away from it all.

The layout of the review van was the proven and preferred front island north-south queen bed, a central café-dinette with a tri-fold dining table opposite the galley, and a full across-the-rear bathroom/laundry. However, you can crib a little more central living space if you specify the optional L-shaped lounge.

Appreciated features include concealed overhead cupboards with concealed latches, adjustable hinges and twin gas struts; loads of USB charging and power points; rolled post-form benchtops and rounded overhead cupboard corners to minimise head and hip injuries; big windows, and generous kitchen bench space.

The big van also comes with the largest available 224-litre Dometic compressor two-door fridge/freezer; an adjacent two-door full height pantry; a Fusion sound system and a big mirror in the ensuite. In addition to the copious interior overhead cupboard space, there's additional storage under the bed.

Outdoor living

Given that the Sunseeker Desert Storm ATX will take you well of the beaten track, outdoor living has also been prioritised.

This starts with its large three-hob stainless steel kitchen that slides out of the front side locker, while the checkerplate steel tool box on the draw-bar can house an addition portable fridge on one side and a portable generator on the other, with jerry can holders on each side and room on top to carry wood to National Parks.

Spotlights front and rear assist after-dark set up and cooking, but the large roll-out awning sadly doesn’t shelter the chef.

On the plus side, there’s an outdoor hot/cold shower to the left of the kitchen, a stone-shielded A-frame tap, a centrally-mounted jockey wheel to allow the fitting of a weight distribution hitch, and large stone/mud flaps hanging beneath the standard front truckmesh stone shield.

Summing up

Sunseeker believe the Desert Storm ATX will primarily appeal to confident adventurers, some perhaps on their second ‘lap’ of Australia and the off-road van is therefore designed to take them easily and in comfort to remote areas.

Given its capability, structural strength and level of equipment, it's well-priced compared to opposition off-road caravans of its size.

How much is the Sunseeker Desert Storm ATX?

Price: $110,527 (delivered in Queensland)
Travel length: 8534mm
Interior body length: 5943mm
External body width: 2480mm
Travel height: 3150mm
Internal height: 2000mm
Tare: 2697kg
ATM: 3500kg
Ball weight (Tare): 147kg
Body: Aluminium composite cladding over self-piercing rivetted aluminium wall framing with one-piece sandwich panel fibreglass roof and marine ply floor
Chassis: Supagal 100mm x 50mm x 3mm thick and laminated steel with 150mm x 50mm x 4mm thick A-frame
Suspension: Cruisemaster ATX airbag tandem trailing arm independent suspension, with telescopic shock absorbers
Brakes: Ventilated four-wheel disc brakes with iQ7 power booster                                                                           
Stability Control: Not fitted
Wheels: Alloy 16in with 315/75R16 (35-inch) Mickey Thompson mud/terrain tyres                                         
Water: 255L combined in roto-moulded tanks
Batteries: 1 x 200Ah Enerdrive B-Tech lithium with 40W Enerdrive charger
Solar: Roof-mounted 3 x 170W monocrystalline glass panels
Gas: 2 x 9kg
Hot water: Gas/Electric
Washing machine:3.5kg top loader
Cooking: Swift 500 series cook-top with 3 gas + 1 electric hob and grill
Fridge: Dometic 224L compressor fridger/freezer
Microwave: Sphere
Toilet: Cassette
Shower: Full-height one-piece moulded fibreglass
Lighting: LED
TV: 24in HD LED with USB input
Supplied by: Sunseeker Caravans, 290 Nicklin Way, Warana, QLD