New Zealand
iMotorhome
Mr
Issue 5: March 2017
Versatile!
Bürstner Ixeo IT728G is at home in many situations…
Feature
Out off D-Box
2 About iMotorhome
iMotorhome New Zealand magazine is published on the first Saturday of each month and is available by free subscription from www.imotorhome.co.nz. Reader contributions are always welcome! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter Facebook “f ” Logo
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Published by iMotorhome
Design and Production
PO Box 1738, Bowral. NSW 2776. Australia.
Lead Designer
ABN: 34 142 547 719
E: chris@imotorhome.co.nz
Christopher O'Hare
T: +61 414 604 368 E: info@imotorhome.co.nz W: www.imotorhome.co.nz Publisher
Legal
Publisher/Managing Editor
© 2017 iMotorhome. All content of iMotorhome New Zealand Magazine and website is copyright and cannot be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of content, however no responsibility is accepted for any inconvenience and/or loss arising from reading and/or acting upon information contained within iMotorhome New Zealand Magazine or any iMotorhome websites.
Richard Robertson E: richard@imotorhome.co.nz Editor Malcolm Street E: malcolm@imotorhome.co.nz
4 Street view
Kia ora!
H
aere mai to the latest issue of iMotorhome NZ. Regular travellers, particularly those who tour overseas, will know that quite often long after you have visited a place you still have a ‘connect’ with it because it is special in some way. If one of those places is mentioned in a news item it normally passes over you, but because you have been there it grabs your attention. In my travels – quite a few by motorhome – I have been to any number of places in New Zealand, some quite a few times. There are of course still plenty of places I have yet to discover. Only last year for the first time I visited the Port Hills district south of Christchurch. Ironically enough it was almost accidental – I was cruising along Dyers Pass Road looking for a photo shoot location for the Benimar motorhome I was in. As I made my way along the road around Governor's Bay, I did find my photo spot but also earmarked the area for future exploration when I had a bit more time Whilst I was pondering this column, I was looking at a news website. One of the items featured was a bushfire. I wondered where it might be in Australia (there are several burning at the moment) but then I realised I was in the wrong country and the fire was happening in the Port Hills area. It was a surprise to say the least and I recalled from my recent visit just how difficult that terrain might be for fire fighting. My other thought was that it was the last thing Christchurch, still recovering from earthquakes, needed. Keep fighting on, Christchurch people! Just as a footnote to this I was surprised to learn, whilst reading up on the bushfires in the NZ Herald, that the Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, had made a flying – just 23 hours – visit to Queenstown. Obviously that slipped below the radar in the Australian papers because I only learned about it reading the NZ news, but who makes a visit to NZ
for less than 24 hours? That's barely enough time to take a spin around Lake Wakatipu and head up the Crown Range Road to the Cardrona pub! Getting back to my opening comments, do you have favourite little places, in NZ and around the world, that you'll always remember and/or visit more than once, or where you might like to live permanently? Any time I visit Europe I always try and go through London and spend a few days just wandering the streets – it gets me every time. A little closer to home, believe it or not, several of those special places for me are in New Zealand. Methven is a funny little town on the Canterbury Plains. Not exactly a tourist mecca for most people, I know, but I learned to ski there many years ago and it has some special memories. I always enjoy the view of the mountain ranges that sit right on the edge of the plains and provide an impressive backdrop. Further south in the alpine country, Wanaka is a place I could live in without too much trouble at all. That's enough daydreaming for now, in this issue I take a spin in a Bürstner Ixeo IT728G – a motorhome that accommodates 2 to 4 people without much difficulty at all. I find myself slightly fascinated by the spelling of Bürstner (that’s the way the Germans spell it), but the British throw an 'e' in, as in Buerstner. In this issue we were also going to bring you a Dethleffs Globus motorhome review, but ran into a problem because of the time lag between taking the photos and writing it up. It seems the model has been superseded, so we’ll try and track down a new one and review it instead. That's about it from me. The iM team is getting ready to hit the Covi Show, see all the new models, catch up with some old friends and in our next issue we'll bring you a full wrap on all that's new!
Haere ra
Malcolm
5
Choose your own adventure.
Whether it’s off the beaten track or across to the next town, the TrailLite fleet features a range of motorhomes and caravans designed to cater for every taste of adventure and every budget. We’ve thought of everything. Auckland 77 Paerata Road, Pukekohe
Christchurch 280 Main South Road, Hornby
6 Contents
2
About Us
8
Behind the Wheels
4
Who we are, where and other legal stuff
This and That…
10
Street View Kia ora!
News What’s happening in the wider RV world and beyond
18
Day Test: Bürstner Ixeo IT728G
32
Feature: Out of D-Box
36
TechTalk – Tanks A Lot
40
Travel
48
MobileTech
58
Next Issue
Mr Versatile….
A removable camper conversion for a Land Rover Defender!
Time to clean your water system…
Wellington Campervan Park
Roadside Stories…
What’s coming up in our April Issue!
44
Roadside Eats
52
What's On
The Wee Red Barn…
Things to do for the next three months!
Header 7
8 Behind the Wheels
This and That…
F
irstly, congratulations to our designer Chris and his lovely partner Anna, who became parents for the first time just as we were putting this issue together! The timing and subsequent complications (which thankfully are all fine now) have meant we needed to make a late switch to our Australian issue designer, Agnes, and it necessitated a reduction in page numbers. It’s also why we’re unable to bring you a planned feature on the Victorian Caravan, Camping & Touring Super Show in Melbourne, plus the book on DIY motorhome conversions. Apologies! And as Malcolm mentioned, we also had a problem with the planned review of the Dethleffs Globus C2, which has now been superseded. As he also mentioned, we hope to review its successor when it becomes available. Such are the trials and tribulations of publishing, but at least I can say there are rarely any dull moments. Fingers crossed Chris will be back with us next month and our roadtest and contents schedule will be back on track! Speaking of RV shows, the show season is in full swing in Australia and in a couple of weeks it’s Auckland’s turn. From what I’ve seen the show scene is very different here and most Australian manufactures would welcome the ‘relaxed pace’. In Australia, rival event organising companies compete with each other and State RV Industry Associations to host more and more ‘lifestyle events’. It has gotten to the point where there seems to be something on almost every weekend, somewhere across the country. I know for fact most manufactures and dealers are fed up and many are now boycotting all but the largest shows (which seem to have become little more than a grab for cash from exhibitors and attendees alike). Fingers crossed NZ doesn’t
go down the same path, but if it starts, nip it in the bud! For those of us criss-crossing the Tasman the oversupply of airline seats is a god-send. Fares have never been cheaper and it’s mainly thanks to Emirates choosing to continue its A380 flights from the Middle East and Asia through Australia and on to NZ. The reason is simple economics: apart from picking up extra revenue, it’s far cheaper to park big aircraft for a shorter period at New Zealand’s major airports than Australia’s. Given that Qantas flies little 737s across The Ditch, basically as an extension of its domestic services, it’s terrific to have a real choice and some real legroom on the big A380s. If you’re thinking of making the trip the other way I’m not sure how fares compare, but from Australia a return economy airfare between Sydney and Auckland or Christchurch is about the same as between Sydney and Melbourne or Brisbane. And if you pick your flights, it’s cheaper in Business across the Tasman than between Australia’s three biggest cities. Who would have thought? I guess that’s the power of competition and I for one welcome it. Closed markets are never a good thing and the New Zealand motorhome market is a prime example of open market success. Well done you!
Richard
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10 News
Latest News NEWS WANTED If you, your company or organisation have topical news to share with the wider motorhome community then let iMotorhome New Zealand know. Reader letters relating to news, articles in this issue or other topics are also encouraged. Send all correspondence and images to editor@imotorhome.co.nz and we’ll do our best to include it.
SMART RV LAUNCHES HYMER IN NZ A little whisper reached our ears late last year that German-built Hymer motorhomes would soon be available in NZ. Well, here's the good news: The big launch is happening at the Covi Show! Just in case you don't know, Hymer is a big wheel in the European motorhome and caravan world and the news has certainly created more than just a bit of interest. Three coachbuilt motorhomes will be unveiled: the Hymer ML-T 580 4x4 (on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4), the Hymermobil StarLine 680 and the Hymermobil StarLine 690; the latter two on two-wheel drive Sprinter cab-chassis. Although not a motorhome, also to be shown for the first time will be an Eriba Touring Triton 420 caravan, possibly a sign of things to come for Smart RV, which currently is a motorhome-only dealer. At the launch there will be an opportunity to talk to two top Hymer executives: Bernhard Kibler, managing director, and Andrea Kibler, export manager. iMotorhome has early interview access and we’ll be bringing you their thoughts and insights next issue.
Header 11 Visit Visitus usatatthe the
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12 NEWS12
FORD TRANSIT AUTO – AND SOON AT TRAILLITE Having gained plenty of experience with Spanish-built Benimar motorhomes, importer TrailLite recently added the Tessoro range. Unlike the Fiat Ducato-powered Mileo range, Tessoros use a Ford Transit cab-chassis and come with just one choice of engine: the 114 kW 2.2-litre turbo-diesel. Like all Transits, until now the Tessoro has only been available with a six-speed manual gearbox. However, if you can wait until May the new automatic version will be available. The six-speed auto was developed for the North American market, where the Transit has replaced Ford’s E-Series vans and minibuses, and is now being made available worldwide. This will undoubtedly promote plenty of interest in the Ford Transit again as a motorhome base vehicle, which iMotorhome believes can only be a good thing.
MORE FROM TRAILLITE Last year TrailLite asked owners for suggestions on improving their motorhomes. The manufacturer received more than 150 suggestions and even awarded a prize for the winning idea, which came from Ron and Lee Sturch: Motion operated LED lighting. TrailLite is including a range of new ideas in its brand new 2017 motorhome line-up, which will be launched at the Covi Show. In other news, the TrailLite team is getting pretty excited as the time draws nearer for the opening of its new premises in Christchurch. Early April is the target and the new location is 61 Hayton Rd, Wigram. The new facility will allow for displaying much more of the TrailLite, Auto-Sleeper and Benimar ranges of motorhomes, in addition to the Bailey caravans that up until now really have not fitted in. The specific opening date will be advised in the near future, but until then the Hornby site at 280 Main South Road remains open for business. For anyone interested in staying up to date with the new Christchurch branch, including joining the mailing list for notification of the official launch event, please email newsletter@traillite.co.nz
14 News
COVI SUPER SHOW In addition to those previously mentioned, we understand several other manufacturers/importers will have new models on display at the Covi Motorhome, Caravan and Outdoor Supershow on 17-19 March at the ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland. It's a great way to get around and see all the major manufacturers in one place and do a few comparisons. And, you can even meet the team from iMotorhome! See you there?
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16 NEWS 16
AVIDA IN NZ Australian manufacturer Avida has just released a new version of its top-selling Birdsville – the C-class C7436 – which rides on the Fiat Ducato. It features a redesigned nose and tail, and while lacking a slideout it gains an electric roof bed above a pair of long sofas in the rear lounge/dinette. In standard trim it seats and sleeps four, but can optionally handle six. If your fancy in motorhomes is something more Australian than Kiwi, both Avida Hamilton and Freedom RV (Christchurch) have plenty to show you in the Avida range.
LONG RANGE WEATHER EYE WeatherWatch.co.nz says it has become the first New Zealand-based forecaster to offer 10 days of hourly forecasts for 1500 locations across the country. “Our detailed forecasts for the six largest centres remain, but now you can open up hourly forecasts for today, tomorrow or any of the ten-day forecasts. This will be exceptionally helpful to people who want to know things like if the rain will clear by 2 pm for their child's birthday party or what the temperature will be during a rugby game that night,” a spokesperson said. They went on to say that while New Zealand taxpayers already own both the MetService and NIWA, neither provides this level of detail – offering just 100 forecast locations in total and only limited hourly information in some of them. “The upgrades have no cost to the New Zealand taxpayer as the data used and displayed is supported by Wunderground and IBM. While the service is not yet available on our app it will be added in the near future”. To find out more visit the company’s website here
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18 Day Test: Bürstner Ixeo IT728G
Mr Versatile!
Four berths or two, front bed or rear? Take your pick… by Malcolm Street
DaY TEST 19
I
quite like looking at Bürstner motorhomes and I should also say I like using them too. Apart from anything else the Bürstner line-up at the Smart RV premises when I arrived was a very imposing look. In the case of our review model – an Ixeo IT728G – the Champagne colour certainly added a touch of class, but the overall body shape gives the motorhome a very streamlined look. What's most impressive is the deceptive looking front rooftop bulge, gives this B-class "semi-integrated" motorhome a C class function; that is, a bed above the cab. Well, sort of. A north-south 2.00 m x 1.38 m (6’ 7” x 4’ 6”) bed is fitted into the ceiling above the front lounge and can be lowered with nothing more than the touch of a button. That might sound like a funny way to introduce this motorhome, but the front bed is something of a clue as to how the rest of the motorhome is designed and put together: everything has a function and in some cases, two or more.
Making a point: Malcolm reckons the garage is big enough for most people – and their needs!
20 Day TEST
The Vehicle Underpinning this Bürstner motorhome is a Fiat Ducato Multijet 130 cab-chassis. This means it comes with the least powerful engine in the Fiat range – the 96 kW/320 Nm engine turbo-diesel – along with Fiat's 6-speed automated manual transmission (AMT). Remote central locking is used on all doors and there are just two keys involved – one for the Fiat ignition and another for everything else! Bürstner has used its standard structure for the body, which means the walls are an aluminium/ XPS hard foam/wood veneer composite, whilst the composite roof is fibreglass finished. Below the floor there is fibreglass on both sides of the
XPS, along with a sheet of PVC for the upper surface that is designed to keep the noise factor down. Something I have to say works quite well. For windows, Bürstner fits awning-style, double-glazed-and-tinted acrylic units all round, except by the entry door, which is a slider. The entry door is 700 mm (2’ 4”) wide and has what Bürstner calls a ‘coupé’ entrance. Translated that means a moulded-in low step, but I find myself fascinated where the coupé bit (yes the e is accented) comes from, especially as it's a French word. But I’ve digressed; the door itself comes with a window and a slide-across insect screen. It is also fitted to the driver’s side of the vehicle, something that seems to faze
That massive garage dominates the rear and it’s made possible by high-set beds – singles as it happens – in the bedroom. Yes, the passenger entry door is on the driver’s side, but in use this becomes second nature and is really a non-event.
Day TEST 21 a few people. Having used them a few times it's something you quickly get used to and certainly a small price to pay for getting around in a classy motorhome.
Weight Choice Generally speaking the gross vehicle mass (GVM) of a motorhome is fixed at whatever the cab-chassis manufacturer specifies. However, in this case because of the relatively light tare weight of 3160 kg there's a choice of either the 3850 kg or 3500 kg chassis. It depends on whether you want the easier-to-obtain Warrant of Fitness (WoF) or more costly Certificate of Fitness (CoF). Given the large storage area at the rear and the 120-litre water tank I'd be opting for caution and ordering the higher rated GVM to get a 690 kg payload, rather than 340 kg.
Externally the Ixeo IT728G is dominated by the streamlined roof bulge, which houses the lengthways roof bed. It’s an unusual arrangement that’s unique to Bürstner (as far as we know), while the full-body finish in Champagne is another Bürstner signature.