Tough truck-based toy hauler turns heads

Big US-style pick-ups are great for hauling big bitumen-based caravans, but don’t really cut it in the rough and remote, where their bulk and limited suspension travel works against them.

For these reasons, there has been renewed interest in light truck-based tow and ‘expedition’ vehicles, which by their very design as hard working vehicles with large ground clearances and unsophisticated mechanics are perfectly suited to the travel ambitions of a growing new breed of inland adventurers.

At the forefront of local companies tapping into this emerging market is Brisbane-based Australian Adventure Vehicles, which builds its rugged expedition-style Global Xplorer motorhome on the Fuso Canter 4x4 light truck platform at its factory in north Brisbane.

Now, AAV 4x4 has extended its adventure vehicle offering through a commercial agreement with fellow Brisbane-based aluminium canopies builder Concept Canopies, with their Fuso Canter-based Gladiator released at the recent Gold Coast Turf Club 4X4 and Camping Show.

Available on Fuso, Isuzu, and Hino light 4x4 crew or single cab truck platforms, the Gladiator truck camper is designed for families or couples who want a work-play lifestyle, but it's also amply-equipped to allow the more adventurous to complete an obligatory lap of Australia.

Unlike AAV’s $183,400, Fuso-based Global Xplorer off-road motorhome, the Gladiator is more of a heavy-duty, light truck-based toy-hauler, with greater emphasis on outdoor, rather than indoor living.

Various configurations are available to suit individual customer requirements – just keep ricking the vast option list –  but they all share the same basic idea of a fold-out living module behind the cab, with a slide-out kitchen, loads of storage drawers and a queen-size rooftop tent section that's electrically deployed on four sturdy struts.

The roof raises and lowers electrically at the press of a button on four study struts, to make set up easy, with the 2100mm long by 1600mm wide by 300mm high tent section made from a durable Ripstop canvas accessed via a telescopic aluminium ladder.

Inside the tent there's a 100mm thick high-density foam mattress, a 12-volt power outlet and an overhead LED light, with two flush-mounted roof fans to circulate air, while the tent is also pre-wired for optional solar panels.

The optional kitchen folds cleverly out of the box below the bed and contains whatever you need for basic camp-style or long-term cooking.

This still leaves plenty of room on the remaining rear tray section to accommodate twin vertically-mounted spare wheels and to place a quad, a pair of trail bikes, or a jet ski, sideways.

In keeping with its no-nonsense design, the inside of the canopy doesn’t have a commercial finish – rather more of a functional and hard-wearing camping finish.

To ensure you can spend plenty of time enjoying the bush or remote area, the rear module houses three 100-litre tanks with the buyer's choice of diesel or water, plus the standard 100L fuel tank that the truck comes with. An upright  130 litre Bushman fridge saves room compared to a drop side-style fridge.

Basic off-grid power comes from two 120Ah AGM batteries, a Redarc DCDC 25Amp charger, with connection for solar, but for longer-term remote travel you can option either a 160Ah lithium battery with Redarc Manager 30 and a 1000W pure sinewave inverter, or 200Ah Lithium Battery with E-Power 40amp DCDC Charger, 40 Amp AC Charger and 1000W inverter.

The living module can be finished in checker-plate and a polished frame, or in flat sheet, while the canopy is integrated with the tray and includes two lockable doors and balloon rubber sealing

The tray has flared mudguards, three tail gates and two under-tray toolboxes meaning there’s virtually no limit on what you can take with you.

The Gladiator is a designed to be, or do, whatever you want it to, but as a general price guide the basic Fuso Dual Cab with bull bar and 5 x 37-inch tyres will cost you $79,990.

Add $17,900 for the AAV 4x4/Concept Canopies-Getaway Package consisting of a 3580mm x 2040mm alloy tray, side boards, etc. and another $5990 for the Bundutop roof top tent, $1800 for the slide-out kitchen, a further $1600 for the 130L Bushman Fridge, $2340 for the set of three slide-out drawers and you have spent around $110,000, which is less than you'd pay for a similarly-equipped Landcruiser cab-chassis.

But few buyers will stop there, according to AAV Sales Manager, Cam Marks, who says he expects most Gladiators to sell for closer to $150,000 – still substantially cheaper and much more versatile than a large 4WD tow car towing an off-road caravan combo.

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