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New suite of options Excellent under tow

Best suited to couples

In brief...

TestedA’van Cruiseliner Adventure Plus

The A’van Cruiseliner has been relaunched and is ready to

head offroad.

RISESHINE!

and

PICS NATHAN JACOBS

38 caravanworld.com.au tradervs.com.au 39The caravan you want is now easier to find

WORDS MAX TAYLOR

“The company was built on the back of its most recognisable creation, the A-shaped wonder

that has become a staple of caravan parks across the country”

I reckon there’s something to be said for travelling light. By which I mean getting about Australia with a lightweight, manageable van hitched to your 4WD or family wagon.

Touring with a 24-footer has its advantages but, generally speaking, the bigger the van, the heavier it is. And unless your garage is stocked with a new Ranger, LandCruiser, et al, it’s possible that you’ll need to go car shopping too.

I’m also in favour of packing only what’s needed for the trip. Leave the kitchen sink where it is, put back the pizza oven. Each to their own, as long as the towing setup is legal, but weight has a direct impact on fuel consumption. I’d prefer to go without the portable massage chair if it meant saving a few bucks. Perhaps my wife is right and I am a cheapskate.

In any event, when I received word that A’van had taken another look at the venerable Cruiseliner and developed the optional Adventure Plus package, I jumped into Ruby (my project Cruiser, for those who don’t know), and headed off. As part of the Adventure Plus package, the Cruiseliner now has a certain offroad cred. According to A’van, at least. We’d see about that.

CRUISELINER CRUISINGOver the years, A’van has grown into one of Australia’s biggest RV manufacturers. It’s fair to say that the company was built on the back of its most recognisable creation, the A-shaped

wonder that has become a staple of caravan parks across the country.

Legend has it that when the van was developed a couple of decades ago, it was widely scorned by industry identities and arm-chair experts alike. Now, there are an estimated 17,000 of them on the roads today in Aliner, Sportliner and Cruiseliner formats.

After hitching up at A’van’s sprawling, modern factory in Pakenham, Vic, and heading into the Dandenongs, I couldn’t help but be impressed with the Cruiseliner’s composure on the road. Its fairly low profile (thanks to the way the van folds down for towing) and independent coil suspension meant the van was barely affected by the strong winds buffeting Victoria that day.

At Secret Caravan Testing Group No. 3, I towed it along some unmade roads and corrugations, and the Cruiseliner remained a stable proposition. Eyeing off a quagmire that no 2WD vehicle should enter, I engaged low range and nosed in. The van’s reasonable ground clearance and good suspension (and the unquestioned might of the 80 Series, of course) ensured a successful crossing.

The Adventure Plus package includes a range of features that you probably wouldn’t want to do without for extended touring, so the $9900 it costs on top of the base price of close to $26,000 needs to be factored in.

The upgraded wall and cupboard hinges and increased internal framing are appropriate,

Clockwise from far left: The Cruise-liner’s spare wheel is rear-mounted; the van rides on independent coil spring suspension; the Adventure Pack adds three external storage bins; the front boot is larger than you’d expect for a van of this size.


40 caravanworld.com.au

I liked... Rock-solid towing performance

Fit and finish throughout

Storage options for such a

compact van

I would have liked Brackets that secured one pipe

beneath the van to have been screwed in place – an easy fix

A tap on the A-frame

Measuring up

tradervs.com.au 41The caravan you want is now easier to find

A’van Cruiseliner Adventure Plus

Weight and measuresOverall length 5.92m (19ft 5in)

External body length 4.44m (14ft 6in)External body width 2.08m (6ft 10in)

Travel height 1.9m (6ft 3in)Internal height 2.45m (8ft)

Tare 1110kgATM 1410KG

Ball weight 110kg (unladen, approx.)

ExternalFrame n/a

Cladding Insulated sandwich panel with ply reinforced aluminium outer skin

Chassis Upgraded 5inSuspension Independent coil with single shock absorber per wheel

Brakes 10in electric drumWheels 15in alloy

Fresh water 2x63LBattery 95Ah deep-cycle

Solar 1x80WAir-conditioner Ducted Aircommand

SandpiperGas 2x4.5kg

ESC No

InternalCooking Two-burner Smev cooktop

Fridge Three-way Thetford 90LMicrowave 800W Panasonic

Toilet NoShower No

Lighting 12VHot water 14L Truma gas/electric

Options fittedAdventure Plus package

Price as shown$35,837 (RRP)

Supplied byA’van, 9 Webster Way, Pakenham, Vic 3810,

(03) 5945 4545, www.avanrv.com.au

The site for all RV specs, tests and video features.

Presented by


It had been a couple of years since I’d erected an A’van ‘’liner’, but how hard could it be? As it turned out, not very. It’s easier with two people, but one can do the job in a couple of minutes.

The first step is to release each of the corner pop-top clips. The two pitched-roof sections will rise automatically on their gas struts, but we found it was necessary to help them all the way into position.

The two triangular wall sections are folded flat across the interior. If the door is open, you can lift the first wall from the outside, rather than squirming underneath everything to push it up from the inside, before latching it closed. Fortunately, the walls aren’t heavy and fold into position easily.

Reverse the process to pack up the Cruiseliner.

Up in A’jiffy

considering the van is touted as offroad capable.Up front, the drawbar is home to a couple of

4.5kg gas cylinders and an impressively large storage bin with heaps of usable space. There’s also a generous offside bin to complement the additional two nearside bins. You could say that, for such a little rig, there are plenty of nooks and crannies in which to stow your gear.

The standard ball coupling was fitted to our test Cruiseliner; however, we’re told that a

Hyland coupling is part of the Adventure Plus range.

The offside also gets an external shower, as well as a special ‘port’ in which you’ll find a 15A 240V power lead. The rear bumper, meanwhile, has been welded directly to the main rails of the upgraded 5in galvanised chassis, rather than fixed via U-bolts.

Beneath the van, things look nice and neat, with two 63L water tanks mounted fore and aft

of the axles. I did notice, however, that a couple of the brackets holding some plumbing in place hadn’t been screwed to the ply floor – a five-minute fix with a drill and Phillips head bit. But it was a stain on the otherwise tidy presentation.

CRUISELINER LIVINGLet’s be honest: if you want a continent of living and benchtop space, the Cruiseliner isn’t for you. That’s not a criticism; rather, it’s an acknowledgment that these vans are made for a certain type of caravanner, one who likes their comforts, doesn’t require an onboard bathroom, and is happy to be cosy with their travel partner. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

The overall finish inside is hard to fault. The joinery is precise and the attention to detail is evident. Another thing about A’van’s ‘’liner’ vans: head room is darn impressive, at least in the centre, where it counts.

The Cruiseliner measures 2.45m floor to apex, which serves to make the van feel roomier


Clockwise from above: Small but functional kitchen with two-burner cooktop, 90L fridge and microwave; café-style dinette at the front of the van; bedroom storage; one of three storage bins at the front of the van, near the dinette.

CABINET

FRIDGE

QUEEN BED

SEAT

SEAT

TABLE

BOOT

tradervs.com.au 43The caravan you want is now easier to find 42 caravanworld.com.au 42 caravanworld.com.au 42 caravanworld.com.au

1. Value for money 2. Towability 3. Setting up and hitching up 4. Suitability for intended touring 5. Layout 6. Quality of finish 7. Build quality 8. Creature comforts 9. Innovation 10. X-Factor

Ratings Although A’van says it’s actually worth about $15,000, the Adventure Plus package adds just $9900 to the base price of $25,937. So what do you get for your money? Well, it’s an extensive list...

Upgraded 5in chassis; independent coil suspension; upgraded wall and cupboard hinges; upgraded drawer runners; increased internal framing in wall structure; external speakers and radio/CD player; 15in alloy wheels shod with all terrain tyres; air-conditioning; external shower; gas-electric hot water service; Hyland hitch; 80W solar panel; innerspring mattress; three external storage bins; microwave; awning tracks; 20A DC-DC battery charger; external 12V power point; external TV point; two wind-up domes; two 63L water tanks; external gas bayonet; and entry grab handles.Phew!

Adventure Plus

than you’d believe. Either end of the van, head room obviously tapers off, but given these areas are filled with the dinette and east-west bed, it doesn’t seem a problem.

The offside kitchen is fitted with a two-burner Smev cooktop, 90L Thetford fridge, and 800W Panasonic microwave. The nearside, meanwhile, gets a cabinet with two drawers and one floor-level locker.

The east-west configuration of the bed (which measures 1.3x1.9m/4ft 3in x 6ft 3in) means the person sleeping closer to the rear wall will have to climb over their partner in order to get up during the night, but it’s a necessary situation that is certainly not unique to this van.

Beneath the bed, A’van has fitted a ducted air-conditioner, the house battery, hot water service, water pump, 240V power lead, and DC-DC Projecta battery charger, as well as the regulator for the 80W roof-mounted solar panel.


Clockwise from top: The main bed sits east-west across the van; the front dinette folds down to create a second bed; the rear bed lifts to give access to the large storage space beneath.


THE BOTTOM LINEAesthetically, the Cruiseliner is an attractive unit. Packed down and under tow, it looked the goods behind my tow vehicle, and skilfully handled undulating terrain and winding roads in high winds.

It basically lives up to its promise of fuss-free touring, and though by design it’s short on living space, it makes the most of what it has, with a good handful of features and comforts thrown in for good measure.

Above: Max’s tow tug Ruby hauled the Cruiseliner without drama.

The dinette, at the front of the van, is a versatile space indeed. It will seat a couple of people for meals or, within seconds, it will transform into a second bed (0.8x1.9m/2ft 7in x 6ft 3in), ideal for one of the grandkids. Just lower the table to create a base for the middle of the bed, and fill in the space using the two backrests of the main seats.

Two large wind-up ‘domes’, a couple of smaller hatches and a few windows provide the van with plenty of ventilation and natural light.


CV

W-H

H-5

0145

43-C

S-5

29-X

CC

Distributors For… Aircommand Airconditioners & Dometic/Waeco Caravan AccessoriesWe Also Repair Dometic A&E roll out Awnings

Custom made…Rv. AWNING WALLS & ANNEXES

KIT FORM FLYOVERS TO SUIT ON SITE CARAVAN & ANNEXE

TEBBS CANVAS PRODUCTS PTY LTD33 Brooklyn Ave. Dandenong Vic. 3175

Ph. (03) 9793 2044 … Fax (03) 9793 4011Email. [email protected]

Website. www.tebbscanvas.com.au

Spare wheel cover Front pebble guard

Front (full height) bug guard Awning storage cover

Replacement pop-top (vinyl) tent sections

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