Frontline HiAce Adventurer difflock 2013

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Review and images by Malcolm Street
Day Test: Frontline Campers Adventurer
The electric diff lock and raised suspension give the Adventurer light off-road capabilities.
A
n eon or two ago,
campervans based on
the venerable Toyota
HiAce and Volkswagen Kombi
were much more prevalent
on Australian roads and there
were a considerable number of
conversion companies around.
Time and taste (mostly larger
and more expensive) have
moved on and the number of
manufacturers has reduced;
most being a minor part of a
motorhome manufacturing
organisation. However,
Brookvale, NSW-based
Frontline Camper Conversions,
under the direction of Peter
Farrugia, has stuck to its roots
and a fair chunk of its output is
the true and tried campervan.
Although a number of base
vehicle manufacturers have
come and gone, Frontline is
still using both the HiAce and
Kombi – both in many ways
legends in their own time.
For this review I opted for
the HiAce-based Adventurer
conversion, but one with a
difference: designed with a
bit of rough/off-road use in
mind. Not a full off-road vehicle
mind you, but one with a lift
kit to give a bit more ground
clearance and a differential
– or ‘diff’– lock to give more
traction when needed in
slippery conditions.
This is probably a good
time to give a bit more of
an explanation on a diff lock
for those who would like to
know. A vehicle’s differential is
designed to allow each wheel
to turn independently, thus
allowing a wheel to freewheel
during a turn. However, this
becomes a problem in an
off-road situation where the
engine will try to power the
wheel with the least resistance;
i.e. the one without traction.
The end result is much
spinning of wheels but not
much else. Vehicles fitted with
limited slip differentials improve
things but not greatly and
some vehicles are fitted with
Day Test: Frontline Campers Adventurer
Room for three but no through-cab access: The HiAce’s cab can’t hide its commercial vehicle origins.
an auto-locking mechanism
that is also partly successful.
What a diff lock does is use a
12 V (usually) air compressor to
activate a locking mechanism
within the differential. When
turned on it prevents the
differential gears from
rotating and thus prevents
the axle shafts from turning
independently of each other.
So when the driver pushes
on the accelerator, equal
traction is applied to both
wheels. When back on-road,
the air compressor can be
switched off and the differential
returns to normal operation.
A diff lock therefore gives the
driver control on both on-road
and off-road situations. It’s
more common in 4WD/AWD
vehicles, but does have a good
application in something like a
HiAce.
The Vehicle
n many forms the Toyota
HiAce van is a vehicle
that has been around for
many years. It has gained a
good reputation for typical
Japanese reliability and in
I
With its flush-fitting roof
you could easily miss this
as being a campervan.
some owner’s eyes is the only
base vehicle that should be
used for a camper conversion.
In its current form the HiAce is
available with either a petrol or
diesel engine and with either
a five speed manual gearbox
or four speed automatic. It
isn’t, however, available with
4WD/AWD capability. Like
most small vans the HiAce
Day Test: Frontline Campers Adventurer
The HiAce has been around
for many years and in some
people’s eyes is the only base vehicle
that should be used for a camper
conversion.
comes with a nearside sliding
door and a top-hinged door
at the rear. When compared
to its main rival, the VW T5,
it certainly does have a price
advantage, but it’s slightly
smaller overall and does not
have walk-through access
between the driver’s cab and
the rear of the van.
To the untrained eye the
Adventurer might look like a
normal Toyota HiAce van, but
there are a few clues to its
camper conversion including
the impressive looking pop-top
roof that integrates neatly into
the HiAce roofline. The awning
also gives the game away,
although from some angles
this camper looks like a normal
The wide opening side door provides easy camper access.
van and its optional flushfitting, glazed tinted windows
certainly look good. Our review
van came in white, which is
the cheapest option and I’d
suggest fairly easy to keep
looking clean. With a different
coloured van, matching the
pop-top roof and awning costs
extra.
Day Test: Frontline Campers Adventurer
On the Road
lambering into the
driving and passenger
seats of the HiAce,
especially given the slightly
raised height, is helped
somewhat by the grab handles
located on each window
pillar. When sitting behind
the steering wheel, all the
necessary control and safety
functions are close to hand.
One feature – the umbrellastyle handbrake – looks a bit
dated but certainly works okay.
I guess given there are three
front seats it makes fitting
anything else a bit difficult,
unless a foot operated parking
brake were fitted.
C
The middle seat-back folds forward
to become a handy nicknack storage area.
Although there is no walkthrough access to the rear,
the centre console (the foldeddown back of the middle seat)
provides excellent storage and
is also a good place to park
the iPod/MP3 player and other
essentials like maps.
Safety wise, both the driver
and passenger get front
airbags as standard. For
the uninitiated, sitting over
the front wheels rather than
behind them can be a little
disconcerting but it doesn’t
take long to get used to.
Certainly the rack and pinion
steering is very precise.
An umbrella-style handbrake keeps the floor area clear for a
third passenger’s legs.
On the driving note, although
the HiAce has light commercial
origins and is less passengerlike than say the VW T5, it has
improved in both appointment
and comfort levels over the
Day Test: Frontline Campers Adventurer
Hanging tough: Dark tinted flush-glazed side glass looks menacing...
years and is a much better
proposition than it was. It is,
however, still a van rather
than a car in terms of driver
and passenger comfort. Keep
that in mind if planning long
distance driving.
My HiAce came with the
standard 111 kW 2.7 litre
petrol engine and the optional
four speed auto gear box.
Diesel fanatics can get the 100
kW 3.0-litre turbo with its 300
Nm of torque; a clear winner
over the 241 Nm from the
petrol engine. There is a price
to pay, however, and long
distance travellers considering
the diesel option might also
like to consider the cost – an
extra $4000 for a manual
or $6,200 for the diesel/
automatic combination.
White is the standard colour. Other colours incur a charge
for matching the roof.
Day Test: Frontline Campers Adventurer
Discreet air compressor and diff-lock switches, positioned just beside the steering column base.
Finding the right tyres apparently took some doing,
but Bridgestone Dueler A/Ts saved the day.
Close to the city there weren’t
a huge selection of places
to try out the off-road/roughroad characteristics of the
optional diff lock, but not long
ago Sydney had about two
weeks straight of rain, so there
were plenty of muddy tracks
around! That is certainly where
the diff lock performs well and
switching it in and out was
quite easy. It’s not hard to
imagine that the same facility
might also be useful in the
snow country, where traction
is more important than ground
clearance.
A slight problem that proprietor
Peter Farrugia had with
this vehicle was finding an
appropriate set of tyres. Whilst
there are plenty of boofy offroad tyres around, finding
a size that also fits under
the Toyota wheel arches,
Day Test: Frontline Campers Adventurer
With the cooker in a swing-out unit behind the passengers seat there is plenty of bench space on
top of the main kitchen cupboards.
particularly at the steering
end, was much trickier.
You’ll be pleased to know an
appropriate size has been
located!
Awnings are just great,
especially on campervans.
Unless the weather is really
cold, an awning does a good
job of protecting the side of
van from both sun and rain. A
Living Inside
partially open awning is terrific
ow long does it take to for sliding door vans and very
set up the Adventurer
effective in keeping the rain
for a night? Well, about away from the opened sliding
as long as it takes to park on
door. In addition, for long
a reasonably level site, open
term stays, awning walls are
the sliding door, release the
available, as is a small tent for
four pop-top roof straps and
the rear door.
push up the roof – something
made quite easy by gas struts. Inside the Adventurer the
layout is quite simple, with a
Oh, and if boiling the kettle is
kitchen/storage area cabinet
desired, then unstrapping the
along the offside and a day/
kitchen cabinet that sits on a
night lounge taking up the mid
pivot behind the passenger
section. The day/night lounge
seat, swinging it out (although
can be used for passengers
it can be used inside) and
(two optional seat belts fitted)
firing up the methylated spirits
or just for sitting on when
cooktop.
camped by day or folded down
H
into a bed by night. The rear
area has a platform and large
cushion for that purpose.
The bed measures 1.91 m x
1.22 - 1.12 m (6ft 3in x 4ft 3ft 8in) and is narrower at the
front end, but setting it up is
relatively simple and is done
by releasing catches on either
side of the rear seat and laying
it flat. An optional wider bed
is achieved by not having
the offside rear cabinet, but
that does mean a substantial
reduction in storage space.
Fitted into the offside rear area
is a sliding door cabinet, the
front half having shelves and
the rear having a small hanging
space. Right in the rear corner
is a small shelf that on this
camper held the optional
external shower hose.
Day Test: Frontline Campers Adventurer
Simple but effective: The Adventurer provides good storage in its rear cupboards
and under the rear bed section.
Under the bed at the rear is a
good storage area; the front
half being a good sized drawer
(optional) that’s accessible from
inside, whilst the rear area can
be reached by opening the
rear door. Part of this space is
taken by the house battery and
charger, but the rest can be
used for general storage.
In reality the only internal
camper seating is the two
seater lounge in the rear, since
neither of the cab seats can
be swivelled. A single polemounted table can be used in
conjunction with the rear seat
for eating, but is not overly
large given its intended use by
two people. When not being
used the table is stored behind
the driver’s seat.
The non-adjustable pole-mounted table is a bit on the small side...
Day Test: Frontline Campers Adventurer
Lack of through-cab access certainly reduces the HiAce Adventurer’s usable living space.
Catering in a campervan this
size is going to be simple. The
Origo two burner cooktop
uses methylated spirits for
fuel, thereby making the
Adventurer LPG free. The
spirit fired cooktop might be a
little slower than LPG but also
saves on the space needed
for a cylinder. It is definitely
easier to use outside, being at
standing height, and a plus is
that internal cooking odours
are minimised.
Engel fridge is fitted under a
good sized drawer.
Along the offside bench
top there’s a stainless steel
washing up bowl supplied by a
flick-mixer tap directly behind
the driver’s seat. That leaves
room for a surprising bit of
benchtop space. Under the
sink is a two shelf cupboard
and beside that, an 80-litre
Alongside the fridge the
space contains three storage
compartments and the 12
V fuse and switch panel. It’s
surprisingly handy and can
be accessed easily when
sitting in the rear seat, unlike
some I have seen. Our review
van didn’t have one, but an
IT is definitely easier to
use the cooker outside,
at standing height.
Day Test: Frontline Campers Adventurer
The sink position is well forward and most easily used when the cooker unit has been swung outside.
Compact electrical control panel is easily
reached, even when dining.
Origo stove operates on methylated spirits.
optional microwave oven can
be fitted in this area, with a
subsequent loss of storage
space of course.
use. I reckon an LED light fitted
to the rear door and one above
the cooktop would be useful
items.
Lighting in the van consists of
two fluorescent fittings in the
ceiling and two LED reading
lights in the rear for bed time
What We Think
t seems to me the diff
lock feature on the Toyota
HiAce is a welcome
I
addition. Whilst the HiAce is a
very capable vehicle, it’s not
available in 4WD/AWD form
from Toyota Australia, but
only as a grey import. So the
addition of a diff lock is a nice
little compromise that also suits
people who really don’t want
an off-road van, just one with
Day Test: Frontline Campers Adventurer
A bed overlay would be a good idea, but fresh air and natural light are provided in abundance.
a bit more ground clearance
and traction.
From the living-in-thecampervan perspective,
there’s no doubt that interior
space is limited, particularly
with the lack of through-cab
access. Whilst a smallish
interior might be seen as a
downside, it’s the opposite
from a driving and parking
point of view. The HiAce’s
relatively small size makes it
easy to park and manoeuvre
around town. What is great
about this rear bench seat
layout, though, is that the
van can be used easily as
a multi passenger vehicle if
the optional rear seat belts
are fitted. It certainly has all
the basic essentials for light
Looking inside: You can see how the cooker is at standing height,
an effect enhanced by the suspension lift kit.
Day Test: Frontline Campers Adventurer
The cold-water shower hose pulls out,
just inside the tailgate.
The ARB air compressor for the diff lock
tucks neatly away.
weight camping and travelling, both
long and short term, too. If nothing
else, for the city slicker the Frontline
HiAce Adventurer with diff lock makes
an ideal weekend escape machine!
Water wading depth is enhanced with the suspension lift kit.
Day Test: Frontline Campers Adventurer
The Frontline HiAce
Adventurer certainly has all
the basic essentials for light
weight camping and travelling,
both long and short term.
Day Test: Frontline Campers Adventurer
Specifications
Manufacturer
Frontline
Model
Adventurer
Base Vehicle
Toyota HiAce
Engine
2.7 litre petrol
Power
111 kW @ 4800 rpm
Torque
214 Nm @ 3800 rpm
Gearbox
4-speed automatic
Brakes
ABS disc
Tare Weight
2000 kg
Gross Vehicle Mass
2800 kg
Towing
1400 kg
Licence
Car
Approved Seating
2
External Length
4.695 m (15 ft 5 in)
External Width
1.695 m (5 ft 7 in)
External Height (travelling)
2040 mm (6 ft 8 in)
Internal Height (roof-closed) 1390 mm (4 ft 7 in)
Internal Height (roof up)
1910 mm (6 ft 3 in)
Rear Bed Size
1.88 m x 1.22 m-1.08 m
(6ft 2in x 4 ft - 3 ft 6 in)
Cooktop
Origo 2 burner methylated spirits
Fridge
Engel ST90F 12 V compressor
Microwave
Optional
Lighting
12 V fluorescent
Batteries
100 AH
Solar Panel
Optional
Heater
Optional
Air Conditioner
Optional
Hot Water Heater
Optional
Toilet
No
Shower
Cold water pull-out hose at rear
Fresh Water Tank
47-litre
Grey Water Tank
Optional
Gas Cylinders
No
Price as tested
$69,190 on road NSW
Pros
• Small – excellent for around
town and bush camping
• Rear differential lock
• Toyota reliability
• Excellent/internal storage
• Bed easy to set-up
• Optional rear seat belts allows
extra passengers
• Mirror above rear door for
reversing
Cons
• No cab to rear van access
• No light above cooktop
when used outside
• Methylated Spirit powered
cooking slower than LPG
• Bed might be too small for
larger persons
Contact
Frontline Camper
Conversions
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36 Cross Street
Brookvale, NSW 2100
Ph: (02) 9939 0600
E: [email protected]
W: frontlinecamper.com.au