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This new Iveco truck-based motorhome brings a new dimension to jaded motorhome buyers. Words and photography by Richard Robertson There are a lot of same-same motorhomes on the market and you can be pardoned, occasionally, for having a bit of a yawn at the annual shows. But from time to time something so unusual pops out of left field, it challenges the accepted norms and forces you to re-evaluate your thinking. Such a vehicle is Trans-Dimensional Motorhomes’ startling and stunning Iveco truck-based motorhome; complete with double slide-outs and bristling with innovative thinking. The vehicle is the brain child of Adelaide-based Dean Knuckey, an electrical engineer and refrigeration mechanic who is one of those annoying blokes that can turn his hand to anything. A genuine jack-of-all-trades, Dean has interests from commercial real estate developments to Outback desert racing, and a few years ago decided to convert a 9m bus as a race support vehicle. He sold this in a virtual bidding war at the Horsham CMCA Rally and, having also sold his air conditioning business of 16 years, decided to try his hand at making proper motorhomes. Only Dean’s idea of proper motorhomes isn’t like most people’s. Having looked around he decided the available motorhome chassis were just too expensive. So he turned his attentions to trucks and found just what he was looking for in the form of an Iveco Eurocargo truck, with a GVM a whisker below 12 tonnes and Trans-Dimensional Motorhomes was born. Being a perfectionist Dean builds each vehicle himself, on spec, preferring to find buyers once completed – which so far has been easy. Now he’s looking to build to order as this latest unit created so much interest at the CMCA’s 20th Anniversary Rally at Mt Gambier, he sold it on the open day. The Vehicle Compared to the U.S.-sourced truck chassis that often end up beneath entry-level A-class motorhomes, the Iveco is a mechanical work of art. Diametrically opposed to the American philosophy of heavy, thirsty and unrefined, the stylish Italian is compact, frugal and a paragon of efficiency. The model used is a sleeper-cab EuroCargo 120E24, with cab suspension and an Isringhausen driver’s air-suspension seat. Power comes from a 5.9L Tector six-cylinder intercooled, turbocharged diesel, producing 176kW (240hp) @ 2700rpm and 810Nm @ 1250-2100rpm. The engine features four-valves per cylinder and uses high pressure common rail fuel injection. Power is delivered to the rear wheels via a manual, six-speed all-synchro overdrive transmission, but alas, there’s no automatic option. The cab tilts for servicing, but daily checks are accomplished by simply lifting the front panel. Electric windows and mirrors are standard, as are ABS and front disc brakes. There’s also an exhaust brake, cruise control and a speed limiter. Naturally, the cab is air-conditioned too. Suspension is parabolic springs up front and self-leveling airbags down the back. I should note that a new model has superceded this one, and front airbag suspension is listed as an option – which would be well worthwhile. This particular vehicle seats five, with a two person passenger bench in addition to the driver’s seat, and a pair of inward-facing single seats behind them. A hatch has been cut through the rear of the cab, allowing access to the motorhome, but this can be closed off with a simple, velcroed panel. Overall vehicle length is 10.5m, while it’s 3.7m tall and 2.45m wide. In response to enquiries, Dean is looking at reducing the length to less than 10m, by foregoing the sleeper cab and extra seating capacity, while a version without slides is also on the cards, built on a lighter weight chassis. Tare weight is approx 10,500kg while GVM is 11,990kg. A GCM of 18,000kg means you theoretically can tow up to six tonnes, so a Hummer on a trailer shouldn’t pose any problems! Driving You certainly climb into the Iveco’s cab, but once seated, visibility is excellent and the control layout is quite conventional. Visibility is enhanced by an array of side mirrors, plus two reversing cameras; one high-up, looking down, and the other low mounted, looking back. These low-light, all-weather colour cameras can be individually selected and display on a dash-mounted LCD monitor, making reversing much easier. An MR drivers license is required but anyone familiar with trucks or busses will soon feel at home. The driving position is excellent and the clutch light, but the gear shift is a bit rubbery. It’s also slightly unusual in that the shift-gate is narrow although the shifts themselves are quite long, and there’s no real ‘feel’ to them. Being a truck the synchromesh acts slowly and you can’t rush your gear changes, but like all vehicles it’s just a case of becoming accustomed to it, and Dean reckons half a day behind the wheel is all it takes. The engine is a delight; with a flat torque curve and plenty of grunt off idle. It’s smooth, quiet – for a truck – and progress is deceptively fast if you’re not paying attention. The steering is well weighted, with not too much power assistance and good road feel, and the Iveco has a gratifyingly tight turning circle. Hitting the brakes for the first time leaves you thinking there’s not much there, as the pedal is wooden and rather lifeless, but you soon learn to give it plenty of Wellie and it pulls up fine. The exhaust brake can be operated in conjunction with the foot brake, or on its own when you lift off the accelerator, providing good initial retardation. Cruise control is a Godsend on the open road, but so too is the speed limiter, which can be set to prevent you exceeding a certain speed no matter how hard you put your foot down. Overall the Iveco takes a bit of getting used too, but it’s an advanced vehicle that needs to be approached and operated accordingly. It’s seriously fun, too. And don’t worry about it breaking the bank; Dean recorded 15L per 100km – about 19mpg – at a steady 90kph on the run home from Mt Gambier. On The Outside For a ‘beginner’, Dean seems to do a better job than many manufacturers. The body is constructed of welded 2.5mm Duragal tubing, covered in marine ply and finished in fiberglass. The walls have 43mm of foam insulation, but the roof has 200mm (8in) of the stuff! The result is a vehicle that’s very thermally efficient, and on the day of the test when the temperatures rose into the mid twenties, inside there was no discernable temperature increase. The twin slides – the main one for the dinette/lounge and the smaller one for the bedroom – are American units, powered by 12v electric motors and actuated through screw mechanisms. For peace of mind both can be manually wound back in, too. Although you can operate the bedroom slide-out at the touch of a button, the main slide requires the lowering of a pair of electric stabilizer legs first. These are modified drop-down 5th-wheel support legs and before you can lower them electrically you need to pop outside, lift a side cover, pull the pin to drop each leg to ground level, then operate the motor. You have to do this on each side and it’s the only real negative to setting up the vehicle for the evening. But at least you can level the vehicle with them too, should you camp on uneven ground. Fortunately, there are no hydraulics and all components can be accessed with the slides extended or retracted. In fact Dean is so insistent on being able to get to things he’s even shaped the stainless steel water tank, for example, so you can get an extension socket up to the slide-on mechanicals. Water tank capacities are 440L for fresh, 240L for grey and 240L for black water. Now I’m not a fan of black water tanks, but in this case the toilet is a macerated unit and the black water is pumped out through a small diameter hose, then flushed with fresh to make sure everything’s clean. The vehicle’s other systems are an eye opener too, with the experiences of both electrical engineering and air-conditioning coming to the fore. Take the electrical system, which has at its heart, a bank of eight house batteries – with 1,000A/h capacity These are fed by three, 160-watt Kyocera solar panels and supplemented by a 3kVa Honda remote-start generator. A 2300-watt sine wave inverter switches automatically and provides plenty of internal 240V power, when required. The whole system is superb in its capacity and simplicity, making this a truly self contained motorhome. Then there’s the air-conditioning, which uses a domestic, reverse-cycle split system with ceiling outlets in the bedroom and lounge. I asked about the vibration and movement of on-road usage, but Dean reckons the rotary compressors used these days are pretty much impervious to it. With two remote controls featuring timers and digital temperature adjustment, it’s a far cry from the On/Off Hot/Cold you find in most motorhomes. Gas capacity is a more modest 18kg, in two 9kg bottles, and this is used for the 23L Suburban HWS as well as cooking. Other external features include electric entry steps, LED clearance lights, an external shower, a roof ladder, four outdoor fluoro lights and a Winegard wind-up aerial. And then there’s the awnings. Two, 3.5m Fiama wind-out awnings have been converted to electric operation and mounted end-to-end in a common casing; an operation that requires one awning to be converted to left-hand operation for manual winding (should that ever be required). You still have to operate each awning individually and you do need a small step to reach and unfold the legs, but it’s a neat and clever system none the less. In The Kitchen Enter through the side door and you’ll find yourself opposite the dinette, at the aft end of the lounge area and the beginning of the kitchen. Continuing aft through the kitchen takes you through the galley-style bathroom (with separate toilet, vanity and shower) and, finally, into the bedroom. The interior has an all-white, high-gloss finish, with a vinyl floor, and to some this seems stark. But to those in the know it’s a cinch to keep clean and adds to the feeling of space and light. Even without the slides there’s plenty of room in the kitchen and lounge/dining area. Although at first glance there’s not a lot of bench space in the kitchen, the most cunning slide-out bench extension I’ve seen is concealed behind a drawer façade and extends up to about a metre. It’s typical of the clever and thoughtful touches throughout the vehicle, and cooks of all caliber will appreciate the giant, slide-out pantry, pot drawers, full size, domestic gas oven and cook top, microwave, rangehood and the 190L Waeco 12V two-door fridge freezer. Power controls are in a cupboard above the rangehood, and everything electrical throughout the vehicle is individually switched and fused. A PL60 solar regulator is located in here too. The electric awning switches are above the entry door, along with a digital power display for the house electrics, and the keypad for the sensor-equipped alarm system. Finally, the generator’s remote start controls are hidden discreetly behind the under-sink cupboard door, alongside the tank level gauges. At The Dinette Dominated by a 3.8m driver’s side slide-out that holds both the dinette and the lounge, this area is the focal point of the vehicle’s interior and, with the slide extended, is positively huge. There’s a generous four-seater lounge which, like the dinette, is upholstered in durable and practical micro-suede. Directly opposite, in an angled wall unit sits the rather comprehensive entertainment system. Comprising a 100W AM/FM/CD mini-system, with a 51cm (20inch) flat-screen LCD TV below it, there’s lots of storage for CDs, DVDs. You can bring along your videos too, because a combo DVD/Video player is included – as is a digital set-top box. Apart from even more cupboard space there’s a really neat lift-up-and-out table between the entertainment unit and entry door. This would make a great desk for your laptop, and an ideal serving point for drinks and nibbles. The cafe-style dinette is separated from the lounge by a small bulkhead and can comfortably seat four – five if you pull up a seat on the end. The table, which would benefit from slightly rounded edges for easier access, can be removed completely to allow the dinette to be converted into an extra bed. All windows are sliders and come complete with proper security flyscreens. Slimline day/night window shades complete the set-up, while overhead cupboards are plentiful and lighting is good. Oh yes, there’s a four-dial weather station too – just for good measure. In The Bedroom Total sleeping capacity is six, if both the sofa and dinette beds are made up. In normal use, however, accommodation is just for two; in the slide-out rear bedroom, on an east-west bed that’s something close to queen size. Unlike the main slide-out, the smaller bedroom unit doesn’t require the stabilizers to be deployed, so you can pull up just about anywhere, press the button and jump into bed. Of course, you can use the bed without extending the bedroom, but you’ll have to clamber over it and you won’t be able to open much of the wardrobe. The wardrobe is one of the largest I’ve seen in a motorhome. There are two double-doored hanging sections – each with three deep drawers below – and a floor-to-ceiling shelved unit on one side. Even my wife would have trouble filling it! Perhaps. Maybe not. Extra storage can be found beneath the bed, which lifts on gas struts, while there’s a remote operated, wall-mounted 38cm (15”) LCD TV linked to the main entertainment system. And don’t forget, the bedroom has its own ceiling-mounted air-conditioner too. Keeping Clean The bathroom straddles the vehicle, between the kitchen/dinette and bedroom. Walking aft there’s a separate loo with macerating toilet on the left, and an open vanity area with a full size, glass fronted shower on the right. Privacy is assured thanks to a pair of sliding doors; one at either end, so you can screen the bathroom from the living area but keep it open to the bedroom, or close it off completely. The vanity area is partially walled-off from the bedroom and is well equipped and lit, with plenty of cupboards but not much bench space around the hand basin. Next to it, towards the kitchen, is the domestic sized shower. At first glance you’ll notice the two exhaust fans, chrome fittings and wall-mounted hand shower. But Dean likes a good soak, so there’s a flush-mounted shower rose in the ceiling too and you choose between them via a knob above the mixer tap. Very civilized. Worth Buying? Were I to win Lotto tomorrow I’d be on the phone immediately to ask Dean to build me one. Please. Although there’s nothing overtly futuristic or outlandishly cutting-edge about the design it’s the overall quality and attention to detail that makes it so desirable. The Iveco itself is overkill for the application, yet is matched by the engineering and construction of the motorhome body – the whole of which can be lifted off if you undo about 16 bolts. This is a serious rig for seriously independent travelers and while it might not look as sexy as some top-flight A-class vehicles, to me it has more appeal. True, you don’t get the panoramic view you do from the captain’s chairs of an A-class, but Dean is working on a layout with a rear lounge and huge picture windows. It’s all about adding a new dimension to his designs, as indeed, he’s adding a new dimension to the motorhome industry. SPECIFICATIONS CONTACTS
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