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Tested
A’van Cruiseliner Adventure Plus
The A’van Cruiseliner has been
relaunched and is ready to
head offroad.
V
E
I
TH DE
PICS NATHAN JACOBS
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RISE
a nd
SHINE!
r a v a n w o r ld
In brief...
New suite of options
Excellent under tow
Best suited to couples
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Tested
A’van Cruiseliner Adventure Plus
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 CRUISING
Over 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,
“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”
WORDS MAX TAYLOR
Measuring up
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
Clockwise from far left: The Cruiseliner’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.
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Tested
A’van Cruiseliner Adventure Plus
A’van Cruiseliner
Adventure Plus
Weight and measures
Overall 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 1110kg
ATM 1410KG
Ball weight 110kg
(unladen, approx.)
External
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 fiveminute fix with a drill and Phillips head bit. But
it was a stain on the otherwise tidy presentation.
CRUISELINER LIVING
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.
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
Let’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
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Internal
Cooking Two-burner Smev cooktop
Fridge Three-way Thetford 90L
Microwave 800W Panasonic
Toilet No
Shower No
Lighting 12V
Hot water 14L Truma gas/electric
Options fitted
Adventure Plus package
Price as shown
$35,837 (RRP)
Supplied by
A’van, 9 Webster Way, Pakenham, Vic 3810,
(03) 5945 4545, www.avanrv.com.au
Up in A’jiffy
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.
Presented by
SEAT
FRIDGE
BOOT
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.
Frame n/a
Cladding Insulated sandwich panel with
ply reinforced aluminium outer skin
Chassis Upgraded 5in
Suspension Independent coil with
single shock absorber per wheel
Brakes 10in electric drum
Wheels 15in alloy
Fresh water 2x63L
Battery 95Ah deep-cycle
Solar 1x80W
Air-conditioner Ducted Aircommand
Sandpiper
Gas 2x4.5kg
ESC No
TABLE
QUEEN BED
SEAT
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tests and video features.
CABINET
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43
Tested
A’van Cruiseliner Adventure Plus
Adventure Plus
Ratings
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
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.
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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!
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 floorlevel 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 airconditioner, 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.
Tested
A’van Cruiseliner Adventure Plus
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.
Above: Max’s tow tug Ruby hauled the
Cruiseliner without drama.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Aesthetically, 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.
TEBBS CANVAS PRODUCTS PTY LTD
33 Brooklyn Ave. Dandenong Vic. 3175
Ph. (03) 9793 2044 … Fax (03) 9793 4011
Email. [email protected]
Website. www.tebbscanvas.com.au
Custom made…
Rv. AWNING WALLS & ANNEXES
 Spare wheel cover
 Front pebble guard
 Front (full height) bug guard
 Awning storage cover
 Replacement pop-top (vinyl) tent
sections
We Also Repair Dometic A&E roll out Awnings
Distributors For… Aircommand Airconditioners & Dometic/Waeco Caravan Accessories
CVW-HH-5014543-CS-529-XCC
KIT FORM FLYOVERS TO SUIT ON SITE
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