Michael Browning•22 Sept 2017

REVIEW

Sunseeker Desert Storm Thunder

New Thunder Pack raises Sunseeker’s off-road cred

Bushtracker, Kedron, Spinifex, Sunland. To this prestigious list of Queensland’s top off-road caravans you can now add ‘Sunseeker’ following the Caloundra-based company’s release of what it calls the ‘Thunder Pack’ for its Desert Storm top off-road model.

A big call? Maybe, but the Thunder’s credentials to run with this elite crowd are convincing.

Like the other revered Queensland off-roaders, the Desert Storm - on which the Thunder Pack is based - is a relatively conventional caravan which is built to last for Sunshine Coast caravan specialist Chris Michel, who founded Sunseeker.

Its foundation is a super-sturdy Supagal chassis, but not content with the 150mm x 50mm members employed under some other ‘off-road’ caravans, Sunseeker’s Chris Michel uses twin, 3mm thick 100x50mm (4x2in) RHS members made from Australian steel and welded together to create a bridge-like 200mm x 50mm foundation.

Keeping these rails apart, and creating a sturdy box section, are 50x50mm RHS cross-members, while the caravan’s long 4mm thick, 150mm x 50mm steel extended A-frame, is topped by the latest Vehicle Components’ DO-35 off-road hitch. This arrangement matches or exceeds the underpinnings of most comparable rivals, regardless of price.

MICKEY THOMPSON TOUGH

Using this specification as a starting point, Michel then adds a galvanised protective underfloor and fits massive 315/75 (35-inch) Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ tyres to the Thunder’s black 16 x 8in Primal alloy wheels.

The tyres look tough and certainly separate the Thunder from a crowd where skinnier 265-section Land Cruiser-size tyres are the norm…but there’s more to them than their optical wow factor.

By running 40psi on bitumen, and as low as 22psi off-road, Michel says he achieves a much smoother ride from the van’s Cruisemaster XT trailing arm coil springs and twin shock absorber suspension.

Of course, bigger, balloon tyres like these would normally result in more body roll, but the Thunder controls this with sway bars fitted to each of its four wheels, arguably delivering the best of two worlds without the extra expense of full air suspension.

But there’s a lot more to the Desert Storm Thunder to make it a realistic choice for long-term Outback travellers. Its specification also includes 12-inch off-road electric brakes on all four wheels (where some caravan manufacturers only fit 10-inch brakes to their so-called ‘off-roaders’), composite aluminium walls for thermal efficiency, a single-piece fibreglass roof for strength and to eliminate water leaks, rear recovery points (which can double as cyclone tie-downs) and an A-frame mounted tool box and generator slide with flanking twin jerry cans and twin 9kg gas bottles, all protected from stone strike by a truck-mesh shield with large lower mud flaps.

And in case any stones sneak past this barrier, the entire lower half of the Thunder is further protected by checkerplate half way up its front and rear panels and to the window line along its flanks.

Other key items of the Thunder’s off-road spec are its twin 120AH AGM batteries, twin 150W roof-mounted solar panels, a Red Arc BMS30S2 management system, two 95-litre fresh water tanks and a grey-water tank.

These are adequate, rather than exceptional numbers, and long-term travellers would be tempted to add a third solar panel, perhaps another battery and a second spare wheel for extended remote area travel.

PLENTY OF BLING

However, they should be quite happy with the ‘bling’ which comes with the Thunder Pack. It includes a powerful Ibis 3 reverse cycle air conditioner and a standard 12v Sirocco fan, a large 210-litre EvaKool fridge, a full oven, grill and 3 + 1 gas/electric cook top, a separate microwave oven, leather trim for the café dinette lounge and its folding foot stools, a 3.5kg top loader washing machine, a Fusion CD, MP3 player with ceiling and external speakers, an exterior entertainment box, an external shower, an exterior BBQ point and a dual rear vision camera.

What is impressive is that this tough 19ft 6in caravan weighs in at a relatively handy tare of 2612kg tare and costs $89,990 – both lower numbers than you’ll find on its key Queensland-built rivals of similar size. Also good to see is the Sunseeker rates the laden weight of the Thunder as reviewed conservatively at 3312kg, placing it comfortably and legally within the capability of many tow vehicles.

Like other models in the Desert Storm range, which accounts for around 30 per cent of all Sunseeker sales, the Thunder Pack is available in 10 separate layouts, in lengths from 17ft 6in to 22ft, with interior layout variations including front or rear doors, angled kitchens and showers and club or café dinette lounges.

The 19ft 6in Desert Storm with its front door, angled kitchen and cafe dinette lounge looked ideal for extended travel on all road surfaces and the large windows and extensive use of white upper cupboard doors and benchtops, with contrasting pleated mid-grey leather upholstery and grey timber-look flooring on the review Thunder, gave it an airy and spacious feel.

In particular, the angled kitchen - with the microwave recessed into an angled upper wall section above – frees-up a great amount of bench space in this layout, as bulky accessory items like coffee pod machines, blenders, etc. can be stored behind the mixer tap and the separate filtered water spout, while the large and deep cupboard below is ideal for pots and pans.

The café dinette opposite also takes up little real estate and its L-shaped, cushioned wall returns on each of the benches combined with folding foot stool allow it to do double duty as a comfortable lounging place to watch TV or for reading when outside conditions aren’t right.

SMALL BATHROOM

The only casualty here is the separate bathroom, which ideally could be 30cm (one foot) deeper, as space between the toilet and the storage cabinet alongside is a little tight. Otherwise there’s nothing to complain about; the one-piece fibreglass shower is a good size; the vanity with its large mirror above is very useable, and there is a proper sliding door to separate this private area from the rest of the caravan.

You could say it’s all conventional, but the way everything is executed in this caravan – which is true of the other key models in the Sunseeker range, the Mirage Sport and Wild Child – shows a real understanding of caravanners' needs from people who have obviously spent time living in one.

Of course, if you are going to specify the Thunder Edition, there’s a fair chance you intend to take it from the comfort of the bitumen, onto rough, corrugated tracks, so it needs to be evaluated accordingly.

Key features in all contenders for these duties included a tough chassis, heavy duty suspension, properly secured appliances like fridges and microwaves and tough interior hardware, with heavy duty runners and catches which don’t allow them to offload their contents all over the floor when the going gets rough. You can tick those boxes with this caravan.

We took the ‘Thunder’ on tracks and up steep, rutted hills which we can’t imagine most owners venturing onto and ended the day impressed. Everything stayed in place and it seemed like the combination of the tough Cruisemaster XT suspension and those squishy Mickey Thompson ‘doughnuts’ gave the caravan an easy time.

Of course, it’s hard to say how a caravan like this will hold together over many thousands of kilometres of Outback punishment, but from what we have heard from other Desert Storm owners, the news is good.

VERDICT

Sunseeker has made its reputation by offering tough, well-conceived caravans at realistic prices, but the Thunder Pack version of its Desert Storm has taken this true off-roader into a new league, where it deserves to be compared with some of Australia’s best, both in terms of value and capability.

WE LIKED:

>> Overall package and price
>> Sturdy build quality
>> off-road capability

NOT SO MUCH:

>> Smallish bathroom
>> Unproven off-road
>> Pretty heavy

Sunseeker Desert Storm ‘Thunder Pack’ 19ft 6in

Overall length: 8500mm
External body length: 6000mm

External body width: 2450mm

Travel height: 3150mm

Interior height: 2000mm

Tare weight: 2612kg

ATM: 3312kg

Ball weight: 221kg

Body: Aluminium body frame with aluminium composite walls and one-piece fibreglass roof

Chassis: 200mm x 50mm SupaGal Australian steel

Suspension: Cruisemaster XT independent trailing arm suspension with twin shock absorbers per wheel

Brakes: 12-inch off-road drum

Wheels: 16 x 8-inch Primal alloy wheels with 315/75-16-17 Mickey Thompson tyres

Fresh water: 2 x 95L fresh water and one grey water tank

Battery: 2 x120AH AGM

Solar: 2 x 150W roof-mounted panels

Fridge: 210-litre EvaKool compressor

Cooking: Swift 3 + 1 cooktop, grille and full oven

Air conditioning: Ibis 3, roof-mounted, reverse cycle

Microwave: Standard

Toilet/Shower: Fibreglass shower and separate cassette toilet

Lighting: LED

Price: $89,990 drive-away

Supplied by: Sunseeker Caravans, Caloundra, Qld

Sunseeker Desert Storm Thunder

Tags