Vision VH Hybrid 2020 Review

As anyone in the market for a genuine pop-top, off-road hybrid camper will find, there’s a lot of choice out there, spanning a six-figure price range from around $35,000 for the cheapest imports to $130,000 for the top-spec locals.

Most of the home-grown hybrids are made on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, and now there’s another new name to add to your wish list: Vision RV.

Well, it’s not so much a new hybrid, but a substitution. The former custom-built Noosa ORV has morphed into the Vision RV, having joined the growing off-road range of respected Caloundra caravan retailer, Sunseeker.

It’s been a marriage of both convenience and opportunity. Former high-end fashion industry shopfitter Darren Wilson was building his custom-built, timber-free hybrids in a cramped workshop in a Noosa industrial area and Sunseeker founder and industry stalwart Chris Michel was looking for a full composite-walled hybrid range to add to his Campbellfield, Victorian-built Sunseeker and Marvel caravans.

The entrepreneurial pair began talking more than 12 months ago and the Vision is the result.

It's fair to say the initial three-model 12ft, 14ft and 16ft Vision range combines Wilson’s clever thinking and obsessive attention to detail and quality with Michel’s off-road experience, technical and marketing flair.

Based on our intensive day of testing all three models on tracks that few travellers would attempt with a towed trailer at the vast Landcruiser Mountain Park off-road and bush camping facility in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, the Vision deserves to go right to the top of every adventurous travellers’ shopping list.

Priced to sell

There’s another good reason why anyone in the market for a premium hybrid camper should check out the Vision range: price. To launch the range, Sunseeker has pitched each Vision model at around $25-$35,000 less than its direct locally-built competition, with the 12ft model priced at $74,990, the 14-footer at $79,990 and the 16ft model at $84,990.

What’s impressive is that these are all highly-specced hybrids, with most of the option boxes on their rivals’ order sheets already ticked.

The standard equipment list is extensive: custom-built, height-adjustable single-axle air suspension; lithium battery power; an Enerdrive inverter (sufficient to power an induction cooktop on the 16ft model); twin 12v Sirocco fans; an internal combined shower and composting toilet; power operation for both the pop-top and external awning; 450 Watts (3 x 150W) of rooftop solar; a total of 270 litres (3 x 90 litres) of fresh water, plus 85 litres of grey water capacity..

Also part of the standard package are power-assisted 12-inch ventilated disc brakes and 33-inch 285/75-17 tyres off-road tyres on 1650kg load-rated 17-in alloy wheels with a 35 degree offset; an extended drawbar topped by a DO-35 coupling and an ARK XO750 height-adjustable and flip-up heavy duty jockey wheel.

Rounding off the list is a swing-out stainless steel kitchen; separate portable fridge and generator slides...

That’s an impressive amount of gear, but what’s even more eyebrow-raising with the Sunseeker Vision is the way it all comes together. In conceiving the Vision hybrid, Darren Wilson has clearly obsessed about even the smallest details; for example making his own hinges, storage hatch seals and even the hatch locks, looking for the weakest links and then re-engineering them.

At Noosa ORV’s glacial build rate, this obsession with small details was a luxury, but achievable for a company with low overheads. However, with the projected volume of up to two per week that Sunseeker envisions, the cost of producing these bespoke items is much more easily amortised, given that they add to the range’s image of quality and longevity.

Plain Jane wrapping

Externally the Vision is relatively unremarkable. Its chunky body has allowed the fitting of hopper-style double-glazed Dometic windows on each side of the front-mounted north-south bed that's standard on all three body lengths, with the exception of the 16ft bunk Vision. Here, the bed is set transversely to allow the fitting of double-stacked bunks along the right hand wall.

On other models, buyers can choose between a standard or supersize king bed with pillowtop mattress. If the latter, the mattress fills the full internal wall-to-wall width of 1950mm and the side windows are slightly deeper, extending down to the height of the mattress. This allows a delightful ‘infinity’ view of the outdoors and better ventilation for sleeping on muggy nights.

Of course, the pop-top skirt, with its fly-mesh ventilation all round, combined with the Vision’s 30mm thick, timber-free German-sourced full composite walls and roof panel and sturdy poly honeycomb floor, all combine in keeping the inside temperature comfortable, no matter what’s happening outside.

Twin 12v Sirocco fans are standard if you need more cooling and thanks to the Vision’s thermal efficiency, Sunseeker only expects the optional Truma Saphir floor-mounted air conditioner and the Truma gas cabin heater to be specified by buyers who spend the majority of their time camping in climatic extremes.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Externally, all three Vision models are frill-free, with minimal opportunities for dust to enter and are the same 2500mm height, but by dropping the air suspension and fitting optional solid wheels to the 6060mm long Vision VH 12 model, you can squeeze it into a normal double garage.

This, and dust sealing, are key reasons why Visions don’t have roof-top air-conditioning, or ‘scupper’ pressure vents.

Dust also has limited opportunities to invade the interior through other apertures. The external lockers are restricted to a large and unobstructed front through-body door, with the second hatch housing an optional portable fridge/freezer up to 110 litres capacity. The adjacent slide-out stainless steel kitchen common to all models wraps around to attach to the Vision’s door-side flank.

A row of gauges above the fridge tells you at a glance the status of each of the four under-slung fresh and waste water tanks.

Outdoor cooking 

The outdoor kitchen, which is the only cooking facility supplied on the 12ft and 14ft models, is basic with its three-burner gas cooktop and adjacent sink with mixer tank.

However the stainless steel prep trays that fold out on either side of the kitchen turn it into a spacious and very usable work-space and combine well with the slide-out fridge. A pantry in the body above the kitchen cavity and a cutlery drawer in the fridge slide, hold all the necessary cooking appliances.

Further forward, a spacious toolbox on the Vision’s long A-frame has room for a Weber BabyQ on one side and a portable generator on a slide on the other, which mounts ahead of the compressor for the Hybrid’s standard air suspension.

This toolbox is double-skinned on top and has a raised perimeter frame so that it can serve as a sturdy firewood rack.

A separate, smaller tapered and lidded locker on the nose of the toolbox houses the Vision’s plumbing, safely high and protected from stone strike. It gives its owner the ability to move water between different tanks, along with the option to draw water from a creek.

Twin 4kg gas bottles and twin jerrycans in their holders also live safely here where they can be locked away from temptation. You could also store a power cable in here, but not much more.

A separate hatch on the right hand side houses the snap-on plumbing for the Vision’s standard external hot/cold shower, with the added advantage that no dust-entering holes need to be made in the hybrid's body.

Two front external lockers on this side give access to the through-body boot and further external storage.

In-house components

One point that needs to be made here is that Vision makes its own entry door and all the external locker hatch lids, along with the mitred and V-jointed extrusions and supplies matching rubber seals to ensure maximum water and dust security. Stone-strike exposed areas are protected by a rubbery Speedliner coating, rather than Raptor.

Underneath, the Sunseeker Vision is also very well prepared for the worst off-road terrain. The four water tanks are located high up between the rails of the full-length Queensland-made 150mm x 50mm hot-dipped galvanised steel chassis, while any underbody plumbing and wiring are both well shielded.

The height adjustable airbag suspension is Darren Wilson’s own design and its axles employ massive 3000kg bearings despite the ATM of all three models topping out at 2800kg.

The suspension’s twin shock absorbers can be raised or lowered each side and up and down by switches located in the outside kitchen locker, which means you can also tune its height to the terrain and level it, where required, for overnight stops.

The switches controlling the Vision’s standard four-point electro-hydraulic pop-top and its Thule power awning are also located in this areas for a speedy set-up.

While all the fluid tanks keep the Vision's centre of gravity low, there's no room left underneath for a spare wheel, so the two supplied full-size spares are mounted to the body above the rear bumper, which in turns sits on a continuous upswept extension of the main chassis rails so it can take a bit of punishment if you need to reverse into the bush to make an about-turn on a narrow track.

Twin rear recovery points are standard.

As an example of the detail thought that has gone into the Vision, twin steel eyelets are fitted to the rear edge of the pop-top, so that by using a simple rock climbing pulley, you can haul one of the weighty spare wheels up and down if you have a puncture, as lifting one of these 45kg spares to shoulder height is beyond most 50-55 year-old owners who are expected to form most of the Vision’s clientele.

Carrying those two spares will be overkill for many owners anyway, as the Vision’s standard 1650kg-rated, 17-inch alloy wheels shod with 33-inch diameter 285/75 extreme off-road tyres have a 35mm offset to ensure their interchangeability with those fitted to most large 4WDs.

Warm, white interior

Entering the Sunseeker Vision via its solid rear door is accomplished with the aid of portable aluminium steps, as a fixed folding step was considered too compromising on the Vision’s rear body clearance.

Inside there’s an impressive amount of room, considering that the rear right-hand corner on each model is devoted to a combined shower and composting toilet bathroom. This is larger than many other similar shower/toilet units we have found in hybrids and includes two waterproof lockers to hold things like shampoo, spare toilet rolls, etc.

In 12ft models, the north-south king bed dominates much of what’s left of the interior, but its foot folds up when not needed to allow a table to slide out between the model’s single opposing dining seats.

In 14ft models, which Sunseeker believe will account for the majority of Vision sales and hence the one we focussed this review on, the extra body length allows the bed to stay put and the table slides out between twin opposing seats.

Things change again in the largest 16ft model, which comes with a 2000W Enerdrive inverter as standard, allowing an induction cooktop and a stainless steel sink to form part of a permanent internal kitchen along the right hand wall, with a long sofa on the door side of the slide-out table.

In the case of the two smaller models, the remainder of the rear wall beside the ensuite is devoted to a smaller 115-litre compressor under-bench fridge, topped by a wash basin adjacent to a nest of cupboards and drawers, while the bigger 16-footer gets a larger full-height compressor fridge-freezer and drawers here.

A plethora of USB, cigarette plug sockets and regular power points is standard, with all power running through the Vision’s 150Ah lithium battery (optionally upgradable to 300Ah), so every outlet delivers 12v off-the-grid power.

To sum up: If cool weather camping and indoor shelter is your priority, then the 16ft model is for you, but if you plan more hot-weather camping, the 14ft model will work well. But if you really want the off-road flexibility of a camper trailer and need to store it in your garage, go the 12-footer.

Built for the bush

So how does it all work in the bush?

Well, I can’t imagine any adventurous owner subjecting their Vision to tougher terrain than we conquered at the vast Landcruiser Mountain Park at Jimna in Queensland's Sunshine Coast hinterland, where you can find just about every gnarly off-road track imaginable.

Hauled by a pumped-up Landcruiser 200 Series, the 14ft Vision never ground its chassis, leaving the Toyota to decide how extreme we could go.

With a slim body width of 2070mm for all three models, they will follow a large 4WD most places that your nerves will allow, with their weight the only real limiter.

With Tare weights ranging from 1800kg for the 12ft model, 2050kg for ‘our’ VH-14 and 2150kg for the VH-16 Vision, coupled with payloads of up to one tonne, few adventurous travellers will feel constrained.

Should you buy one?

Based on our first impressions Sunseeker's Vision hybrid range, and the VH-14  model in particular, sets a new, high standard in off-road hybrid pop-tops.

Fully-equipped with standard items that are options on many of its hybrid rivals and very well built, it offers excellent value for money and an impressive re-thinking of its many off-road features.

How much does the Vision Hybrid VH-14 cost?

Price: $79,990
Travel length: 6680mm
Body width: 2070mm
Travel height: 2500mm
Tare weight: 2050kg
ATM: 2800kg
Body: Composite walls and one-piece composite roof, with poly honeycomb floor
Chassis: Hot dipped galvanised steel 150mm x 50mm chassis and A-frame
Suspension: Independent airbag with twin shock absorbers per wheel
Brakes: 12-inch ventilated disc brakes
Wheels: 17-inch alloy wheels with 285/75-17 off-road tyres
Water: 3 x 90L fresh water and 1 x 85L grey
Battery: 1 x 150Ah lithium (300Ah lithium optional)
Solar: 3 x 150W rooftop glass panels
Gas: 2 x 4kg
Hot water: Instantaneous gas
Cooking: 3 gas burner hobs in external slide-out kitchen
Fridge:  115L under-bench Vitrifrigo compressor (external portable cabinet fridge/freezer up to 110 litres optional)
Shower: Internal with composting toilet in shared ensuite, plus external hot/cold shower
Lighting: LED throughout
Supplied by: Sunseeker Caravans, Warana Qld.
More info: Vision VH Hybrids