The Adventure Begins

The adventure really began 354 days ago when after lots of research, we visited Australian Motorhome and Caravans at Bennetts Green and spoke with Denise.

Denise was extremely helpful and pointed out things we had not thought of, such as bed sizes and fixtures. The Iveco Sunliner Switch S441 ticked all the boxes and was a better option for us than the Sage we had originally considered.

A discussion of a coffee later, we committed to buy. Fast forward 333 days later through three COVID-19 lockdowns and component shortages, our new motorhome left the factory in Victoria.

We travelled by public transport starting from Maitland Station followed by bus.

By 9am we met our new family member 

Denise has retired so wasn't able to give us a handover. Tom from the servicing department stepped in and gave us a great tour of the functions and operation of all the equipment and systems which make a motorhome.

This took quite some time but was well worth it. I had spend some time online and reading, becoming familiar with motorhome, but Tom made everything clear to Heather and I.

The final paperwork with the Dealership Principal Ron was made simple and pleasant experience and a quick test drive to familiarise the driving controls and position we then thanked Tom and we were on our way.

Newcastle suburbs are quite busy at 1:30PM but Heather found the Iveco very easy to drive. The ride is quite comfortable and the vehicle is very responsive and surprisingly nimble in suburban traffic. 

We decided to own up to Heather's parents who had no knowledge of our acquisition so headed down the Hunter expressway, cruising comfortably at the speed limit. 

After the initial surprise, Heather's parents were quite impressed in our new acquisition.

A lot happened during our wait. The design changed with a larger dry bathroom and the price increased. With the waiting time now 18 months + and the price rise, we could have sold ours and made a profit!! 

Our delivered S441 is a bit of a hybrid of old and new layouts. We ended up with the improved kitchen with the added lift up extension leaf and the older wet style bathroom which kept the wardrobe. We are happy with the mixed layout.

We also went with the options pack;

• An upgraded stove which included an oven
• The fitting of a Diesel Heater
• An additional 120Ah House Battery
• A small (1000W) 240VAC Sine Wave Inverter
• An external Gas Point for a suitable Outdoor BBQ
• A improved collapsible Table
• and the Grey Internal and External Finish (Now seems to be standard)

Link to the current Sunliner Switch

https://www.sunliner.com.au/motorhomes/switch