Tested: Avida Birdsville

Motorhomes are for retirees and grey nomads, right? People too old or too frail to cope with caravans or camper trailers, or those who've sold up and hit the road full-time?

That might be the stereotype (and not far from reality in this caravan-obsessed country), but the truth is that a well set-up motorhome can make a great family holiday option, especially when it’s capable of sleeping up to six people and has all the space and comforts of a typical 20ft-plus caravan.

How do I know? I’ve just spent some serious time behind the wheel of Avida’s latest six-berth Birdsville motorhome. Thrown the keys to the Fiat Ducato-based model for the summer holidays, I loaded up the family (two adults, two teenagers and the dog) and set off from Melbourne for South Australia’s spectacular Eyre Peninsula.

Two and a half weeks and more than 4000km later, these were our impressions…

Easy rider

Despite being 7.4m long and weighing close to four tonnes loaded, the Birdsville got along surprisingly well in traffic, and happily cruised at 100km/h on the highway. It’s definitely worth paying $3800 for the optional and more powerful 130kw/400Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine with six-speed auto gearbox, providing welcome extra grunt for hills and overtaking.

Driven on a car licence, it’s not a bad option for nervous or inexperienced drivers, as despite some buffeting in strong cross-winds the Birdsville remained stable and U-turns were easy thanks to the tight turning circle.

All-round visibility from the driver's seat was great courtesy of the high seating position, big side mirrors and optional reverse camera -- even the factory air-con managed to keep rear occupants happy on hot days.

However, for some-one more used to the quieter cabin of an SUV or dual-cab ute, noise levels in the driver’s area were quite high, making listening to music or podcasts even at full volume difficult. It was also hard to follow the sat nav on the 5inch touchscreen – we used our bigger portable Garmin unit instead.

The Birdsville coped with some short dirt sections and minor corrugations, but minimal ground clearance, rear cabin rattles and front-wheel drive deterred us from taking it too far off the beaten track.

Super-easy set-up

Big motorhomes with their high rooflines can be tricky to park around town, but they really come into their own when pulling into camp (or roadside stops for a cuppa). There's little to do with the Birdsville apart from find some level ground (the Fiat doesn’t require stabilisers), drop the electric entry step and connect to water and power if available.

The standard Fiamma awning was a cinch to wind in and out; the only catch being it flaps around in any sort of wind, more than some other awnings we've tried.

The other benefit of big motorhomes is large payloads – 960kg in the case of the Birdsville. Unfortunately, larger items like camp chairs, BBQs and tables had to be carried and stored inside, with the two larger external hatches only capable of swallowing smaller or narrower items in the under-lounge storage areas.

However. the four long, narrow lockers – plastic tubs with metal doors – running low on both sides were good for beach umbrellas, shoes, cords and other oddments, while one of these lockers held the 100Ah battery, charger and 240V sockets.

Inside storage excellent

No complaints about interior storage though, with enough shelves and closed compartments to hold clothes, books, board games and non-perishable food for the whole family. There were three wardrobes or cupboards suitable for clothes and towels, and the swooping front roof design provided space for a couple of shelves (one with a barrier), that we used to store a small suitcase and spare sleeping gear.

The over-cabin bed was also a handy place to store larger items in transit, with a cargo net to hold stuff in place, while the strut-assisted base flipped up to prevent head knocks when moving around the driver's cabin.

The two front seats swivel around when stationary to face the living area, but for this particular layout it's not really necessary and we never used this feature.

Kitchen storage was excellent too, with multiple overhead lockers, drawers, cupboards and a small slide-out pantry that hold a range of items, including large pots and a coffee machine. With a big 190 litre fridge, microwave, four-burner cooker and grille, the Birdsville was set up for family meals, with enough cooling capacity to avoid supermarkets for at least a week.

Kitchen bench space was limited, although there was a handy table that dropped down from the wall near the entry door, to provide another spot for food prep or to serve drinks and snacks to those outside.

Room with a view

One of the best aspects of the Birdsville was the spacious, comfy and welcoming lounge/dinette design. The two bench seats on either side were big enough to seat six adults or more, with a nice adjustable table with removable top in between.

A big window on each side lets in plenty of natural light and created an excellent viewing platform to enjoy the scenery. Rear passengers could also lounge back (as long as they keep seat-belts on) or play a game of cards while on the move...

A downside of fitting the electric queen bed above the dinette was that the air-con, roof lights and TV were pushed further back towards the ensuite. The TV was also on the small side in order to fit into the corner and we had to remember to push it right back on its adjustable arm when lowering or raising the bed to avoid contact.

And while a powerful unit, the Dometic air-con struggled to cool down the front bed area on balmy nights, although the windows and roof hatch in the Luton peak could be opened to release some hot air. Perhaps it was a case of Avida's full composite body construction insulating the van too well, although we're sure it would pay dividends in cooler weather!

Another positive was the way the patterned cloth trim on the front seats and lounge resisted stains from dirty feet and errant food particles. The storage nooks with USB points around the lounge area also came in handy for charging portable devices on the go. Otherwise, there were plenty of 240V points spread throughout the interior.

Bedding options

The optional electric bed that dropped down over the lounge, proved an ideal sleeping spot for the parents -- that was, until the mechanism broke (see below). Luckily, the lounge seats are easily converted to single beds, although they're a better size for kids than adults.

Likewise, the above-cabin double bed was better suited to two kids or one adult with limited headroom towards the front -- the Iveco-based Avida Ceduna with its squarer 'loft' might be a better option if you need more space up here.

Another great family feature was the rear ensuite, which offered a large separate shower, vanity with sink, swivel toilet and a concertina privacy door. However, with a small rear window above the vanity, the big mirror located alongside the swivel toilet in the corner was not ideal.

Staying mostly at caravan parks, we used the plastic-moulded shower more for storing camp chairs and beach towels than cleaning, although the 124 litre fresh water tank would have been sufficient for a few showers if free camping.

Bathroom storage was decent (although part of the under-sink cabinet was taken up by the water pump and water heater) but it would have been good to have a few more towel rails or hooks than those positioned above the toilet.

The Birdsville came with a basic battery set-up as standard, with a user-friendly display for monitoring water levels and battery charge located inside the entry door.

Teething issues

No decent trip in any RV is completely fuss free – particularly when it’s not yours! – and it was no different with the Birdsville. However, before we outline what went wrong it’s worth mentioning the test vehicle supplied had close to 25,000km on the odo when we picked it up, so was already well used. Given that, nothing major that stopped us in our tracks occurred – a testament to Avida’s quality construction methods, backed by a three year warranty.

Two days into the trip, the chain-drive on the US-sourced electric bed mechanism malfunctioned, resulting in a sloping mattress that we couldn't used for the rest of the trip.

We then managed to buckle a metal piece holding the strut on the European entry door, after it caught a strong gust of wind and was flung back on its hinges. We managed to bend it back into shape but the door never closed properly after that.

Later in the trip, when parked at a caravan park on another wild and windy day, an open window above the driver's cabin was blown right out of its metal slide! Crashing to the ground, we managed to slot it back into place pretty easily with the only visible damage a small chip at the edge of the plastic window. We also experienced a minor leak in the grey water tank.

While reasonably well equipped including some options fitted, there were a couple of other (optional) items we would have liked on the Birdsville to make life easier, like a gas bayonet, although it was pretty easy grabbing a spare bottle from the external locker and hooking it up to our barbie.

It's also worth noting the six-berth Birdsville only comes standard with four seat belts, so you'll need to tick the six seat belt option, if you want to legally carry the extra passengers.

Verdict

At $145,820 as tested, it's obvious that family-friendly motorhomes like the Birdsville aren’t for everyone. But as a self-contained and relatively stress-free holiday (or even longer-term living) option for up to six people, the Birdsville fit the bill nicely.

It certainly passed the family 'stress test', thanks primarily to its range of sleeping options along with the very workable lounge, dining, bathroom and kitchen areas.

If you’ve got the money, need the beds and don’t plan to go too far off the bitumen, the Birdsville is an enticing option…

Specs: Avida Birdsville C 7436

Base vehicle: Fiat Ducato
Engine 3.0-litre turbo-diesel
Power/torque: 130kW/400Nm
Gearbox: Six-speed automated manual
Brakes: ABD discs with ESP
Tare weight: 3470kg
GVM: 4400kg
GCM: 6400kg
Payload: 930kg
Licence: Car
Passengers: Four (six optional)
Berths: Six
External body length: 7390mm
External body width: 2320mm
Travel height: 3125mm
Interior height: 1973mm
Cooktop: Dometic 3+1 gas/electric cooker and grille
Fridge: Dometic AES 190-litre
Microwave: Samsung
Lighting: LED
Batteries: 1 x 100A/h and 16amp charger
Air-conditioner: Dometic roof-mounted
Toilet: Thetford cassette
Shower: Separate cubicle
Hot water: Truma 14 litre
Fresh water: 124 litres
Grey water: 124 litres
Gas: 2 x 4kg
TV: Axis 19in and Antenna Tek aerial
Options fitted: 130kW engine with AMT, reversing camera, electric drop-down bed
Price (drive-away NSW): $141,600 ($145,820 as tested)
Supplied by: Avida RV, Emu Plains NSW