Swagman Holiday Rambler

Well known for building luxury A class motorhomes, Swagman Motorhomes now has three C class motorhomes in production called the Holiday Rambler range. All are based on a Ford Transit chassis and complete with a slideout in 20ft (6m), 22ft (6.7m) and 24ft (7.3m) sizes.

While on a rally in Tasmania, CW had a look over the 22-footer. One of Swagman’s early production models, the Transit cab was not the traditional white but rather a metallic grey.

Swagman chose the Ford Transit as Cummins, Swagman’s parent company, uses Ford Transit vans for delivery and general work purposes, and therefore has plenty of experience in the Transit’s operation and reliability.

Outside

The exterior looks very much like a traditional C class motorhome, with a rounded Luton Peak above the driver’s cab and an overall ‘boxy’ look.

The body is built along Swagman lines with a steel frame and both walls and roof are made from composite closed cell insulated urethane foam panelling, with a smooth-looking fibreglass skin.

Hehr hopper windows, a Hehr door complete with separate flyscreen and a Fiamma F45 awning make up the major external features. An optional Camec triple lock security door is available. Beside the door is a grab handle; a second light is above.

Just behind the entry door is a locker for hoses, power cords and deep-cycle batteries are mounted on a slideout tray. At the rear is a gas compartment which contains two 4kg gas cylinders and a small boot. Offside behind the driver’s door are two lockers, one of which contains the optional Onan diesel generator and its fuel tank.

Inside

The classic motorhome layout included a double bed over the cab in the Luton Peak, rear dinette, nearside kitchen bench with shower cubicle behind the driver’s seat plus offside cupboards.

The internal cabinet work is beige with cream-coloured walls and dark-brown laminate on the benchtops and table. All the cabinet work is either MDF board or plywood timber base covered in a timber look-alike product. All windows have pelmets and simple-to-use roll-down blinds. There is access between the rear of the motorhome and the driver’s cab but it’s something of a bend and wriggle.

The kitchen bench is adequate with a stainless steel sink and three-burner stove sans grill, NEC microwave oven and Coolmatic 12V fridge.

A cutlery drawer, three larger drawers and a couple of cupboards make up the storage space, along with the usual overhead lockers, part of which is occupied by the slimline rangehood and Electrolux air-conditioner.

Opposite, between the shower cubicle and hanging wardrobe, is an exceptional floor-to-ceiling slideout pantry.

A rear dinette with windows all round is a winner. Both the seats and backs have flat foam cushions and the rear seat has seatbelts for two. The seat backs could have been a little higher. Above the dinette are overhead lockers and in front of the dinette is a waist-high cabinet. A flat-screen TV is fitted above.

As a C class motorhome, the main bed is in the Luton above the driver’s cab. The 6ft 9in x 4ft 5in (2.06m x 1.4m) foam mattress has more than 2ft (660mm) of headroom. With the shower/toilet cubicle butted up against the bed area, I’d prefer to sleep with my head against the nearside wall, although the single halogen reading light is in the offside corner. A ladder would be handy.

The shower/toilet cubicle has a Thetford cassette, flexible hose shower, fold-down vanity sink, a soap container and a mirrored-door vanity cabinet.

Lighting throughout is 12V and a mixture of halogen reading lights and downlights. There are 240V power points for all the relevant devices although one in the rear for laptops at the dinette would be useful.

Items such as the generator and solar panels are an option on the Rambler, especially if you are planning time in the bush.

Water is 12V pumped, filtered through a cartridge filter and heated by a Suburban 23.6 litre internal start unit with the switch under the sink.

Ventilation is via the air-conditioner and Fiamma hatches above the dinette and in the shower.

On the road

The Transit is a very easy drive. The turbodiesel powers the Rambler along nicely, the five-speed manual transmission is easy to use and power-everything else makes driving a breeze. Large external mirrors with a separate convex give good rear vision.

A rear vision camera is not essential and there are plenty of storage pockets in the cab.

Summing up

The motorhome market is currently a window of opportunity for manufacturers, so it’s not surprising that Swagman has expanded from its A class range. The Holiday Rambler, in its various lengths, adds some interesting options into the recreational vehicle marketplace.

Visit the Swagman National Sales Centre and Showrooms at 245 Brisbane Road, Labrador, Gold Coast, Qld or call (toll-free) 1800 177 566for a brochure, or visit swagman.com.au.

We liked

Large slideout pantry

Good kitchen benchtop space

Rear dinette layout

Internal storage space

We would have liked

Grill with stove

Better ladder

Another light for double bed

Hatch above kitchen area