Anyone out there got any experience to share on these camper trailers? Will our IX35 turbo diesel engine pull any of these with ease?
Thanks for sharing your experience and information
Tupai King
Dougwe said
06:57 AM Oct 10, 2017
I welcomed you in 'Introductions' so onto the nitty gritty stuff.
I had a Avan 'Sportliner' for 3 years towed ny a Falcon sedan then a Toyota Prado, both gas/petrol. They towed without any problem at all. I was away from base camp 8 out of 12 months for 3 years and was reasonably comfy. I decided to sell base camp, upgrade Tug and TeePee to what is in my signature 3 years ago and went full time GN. I have not looked back and love the life.
My Sportliner had a single bed at back small kitchen and small fridge one side and small drawer unit other side, table and two seats at front. I found I lived outside most of the time so changed the front to a full width bench and open shelving either side with an opening in middle, worked a dream too. Being solo it all worked for me and even had a camp toot inside for when needed and that lived in the open area under the bench at front with a cover over it.
I would suggest if you like the Avan Camper and you are a couple, go for the Aliner or have a look at the Cruisliner. I always said if I was married in the Sportliner we wouldn't be for long, too small for a couple.
Another thing, don't expect too much help from Avan's after sales service. Not all that good if at all. Any problems I had I fixed myself including a full re-wire for 12v and 'off grid' camping. Make sure the Avan is set up for that too if you want to do 'off grid' camping.
Enjoy whatever you end up with.
hako said
09:00 AM Oct 10, 2017
We've had our Avan Cruiser for about 6 years - the Cruiser is a Cruiseliner without the boot out front. Both these models are about 300mm longer internally than the Aliner but really it is not that noticeable. Ours was 2nd hand,about 5 years old so any quality hassles had been resolved and our experience has been basically trouble free.
I think your towing capacity is 1600kg - our Cruiser fully loaded came in at just under 1400kg on a weighbridge.
They come in single or double bed configurations - we have double but sometimes singles would be better for us.
Sometimes we look enviously at "real" caravans but once we hook up and look in the rear view mirror we appreciate the campers towing advantages.
Good Luck.
PeterD said
09:28 AM Oct 10, 2017
Tupai King wrote:Will our IX35 turbo diesel engine pull any of these with ease?
You are limiting your replies when you speak in abbreviated text. For best readability you should include all your info on the message for best readability and no rely upon having some in the heading. More importantly, what is an IX35?
Bryan said
01:33 PM Oct 10, 2017
I was wondering that myself.
Barboots said
02:27 PM Oct 10, 2017
Is yer Google broken?
Bryan said
03:03 PM Oct 10, 2017
Barboots wrote:
Is yer Google broken?
Nope, in my case it was one of those idle wonders and because I couldn't give meaningful feedback as I've never owned an A'Van camper. As a result I didn't have a burning desire to find out, just idle curiosity.
-- Edited by Bryan on Tuesday 10th of October 2017 03:38:44 PM
toglhot said
04:31 PM Oct 10, 2017
I towed an Aliner with an ASX diesel prior to changing to a Penguin/Escape diesel. The Aliner was no problem for the Aliner so an IX35 with it's increased NMs will pull it with ease. However, that is not the full story, The ASX had a tow weight of 1400kgs and a TDL of 140kgs so the Aliner fit in well with these numbers. The IX 35 on the other hand may have a higher tow weight at 1600kg but the TDL is substantially lower than the 10% normally considered right for towing purposes in Australia. Getting the TDL of the Aliner (100kgs, depending on who you ask) down to a level the IX35 can handle won't be a problem as it's only a few kgs, but again, that's not the end of the matter: The Aliner is very short on usable, easily accessible storage and you may come to rue you decision in buying one. I would suggest you look at a Cruiser/Cruiseliner with the 5 configuration.
The 5 has a kitchen at the front with two single beds at the rear and a low cupboard between the beds with a fold out table. This configuration has plenty of easily accessible storage in the front cupboards and again, plenty of easily accessible storage under each bed.
Nothing is easy though, is it? Whilst the front kitchen gives plenty of storage and living area, that storage is mostly limited to the front of the camper making for a heavy TDL, a TDL the IX35 may not be able to cope with.
As already mentioned, Avan are not tops in after sales or warranty like many caravan manufacturers so I would opt for something else, keeping in mind the IX35's relatively low TDL.
I did, many, many storage mods for our Aliner in the time we had it which increased it's usability. Those mods are all outlined in the Tech section of campertrailers.org. Alternatively, you can join the Avan camper club and peruse the mods members have made or search on line. The Avan campers have quite a following as they are an excellent design, however, storage is not one of their best attributes.
Incidentally, I found nothing wrong with putting some of the information in the title, and who doesn't know what an IX35 is???? Your question was short and to the point, well done!
As an afterthought the Aliner is quite low to the ground, we ground the stabilizer legs on a few occasions in CPs. The Cruiser/Cruisliners are quite a bit higher.
-- Edited by toglhot on Tuesday 10th of October 2017 04:38:04 PM
-- Edited by toglhot on Tuesday 10th of October 2017 04:41:25 PM
-- Edited by toglhot on Tuesday 10th of October 2017 04:44:52 PM
newhorizons said
04:37 PM Oct 10, 2017
I have an aliner and my advice would be similar to Doug's. A trip as a couple in a Sportsliner would be grounds for divorce I would think.
However, one advantage with these (sportsliners) is that you can see over the top when driving which I can't with my aliner. Also, it would surely be easier to push the roof up, not being as heavy or as high. A sportsliner may even come in under the weight where you legally need brakes.
The Avan club site has lots of info which is available to non-members but if you're buying one or the other, it might be worth joining it. (only $30 per year is good value).
Try going to some second hand sales places and decide from there. I actually picked mine out online just from looking at the interior photos before travelling to another town to check it out properly. There are also a number of different layouts and models to choose from so well worth doing some research before you buy.
Ron-D said
04:58 PM Oct 10, 2017
Our first camper was an Aliner great little van no problems ,my brother in law had the sportliner and it was too cramped they got rid of it for that reason...
Desert Dweller said
06:30 PM Oct 10, 2017
PeterD wrote:
Tupai King wrote:Will our IX35 turbo diesel engine pull any of these with ease?
You are limiting your replies when you speak in abbreviated text. For best readability you should include all your info on the message for best readability and no rely upon having some in the heading. More importantly, what is an IX35?
It should be OK towing an ''ant hill'', no problem at all particularly a turbo diesel.
We watched someone erect one next to us on a wet windy day, felt sorry for them.
They are a great gadget though & very popular with many folk.
As Doug stated earlier don't expect much after sales service from A'van.
-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Tuesday 10th of October 2017 06:30:44 PM
Tupai King said
07:09 PM Oct 10, 2017
Thanks everyone for your response.
No intention of speaking in abbreviated text. I was not aware that I omitted to type in "Hyundai". Thanks for pointing that out.
We have just started to look at what camper trailers that are available in the market which will be within our budget of $20k to $25K.
Thanks again for sharing your experience and info with us.
Safe travels to those on the road
Tupai King
toglhot said
07:51 PM Oct 10, 2017
Desert Dweller wrote:
PeterD wrote:
Tupai King wrote:Will our IX35 turbo diesel engine pull any of these with ease?
You are limiting your replies when you speak in abbreviated text. For best readability you should include all your info on the message for best readability and no rely upon having some in the heading. More importantly, what is an IX35?
It should be OK towing an ''ant hill'', no problem at all particularly a turbo diesel.
We watched someone erect one next to us on a wet windy day, felt sorry for them.
They are a great gadget though & very popular with many folk.
As Doug stated earlier don't expect much after sales service from A'van.
-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Tuesday 10th of October 2017 06:30:44 PM
Amazing, 'pull an anthill'. Considering a 2014 IX35 can manage 392nm and the same year Hilux can only manage 360nm, it begs the question, what can a Hilux pull? A rice pudding skin -maybe!
Hilarious...
Desert Dweller said
04:54 AM Oct 11, 2017
toglhot wrote:
Desert Dweller wrote:
PeterD wrote:
Tupai King wrote:Will our IX35 turbo diesel engine pull any of these with ease?
You are limiting your replies when you speak in abbreviated text. For best readability you should include all your info on the message for best readability and no rely upon having some in the heading. More importantly, what is an IX35?
It should be OK towing an ''ant hill'', no problem at all particularly a turbo diesel.
We watched someone erect one next to us on a wet windy day, felt sorry for them.
They are a great gadget though & very popular with many folk.
As Doug stated earlier don't expect much after sales service from A'van.
-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Tuesday 10th of October 2017 06:30:44 PM
Amazing, 'pull an anthill'. Considering a 2014 IX35 can manage 392nm and the same year Hilux can only manage 360nm, it begs the question, what can a Hilux pull? A rice pudding skin -maybe!
Hilarious...
The manufacturers specification for the turbo diesel show a maximum braked towing capacity of 1600kg. It's not exactly a heavy weight tug at all.
dirvine said
06:26 AM Oct 11, 2017
Now I will answer Desert Dwellers question,and enlighten Toglhot, even if its off the topic. The motor is not in question, nor its its torque. Pulling/towing capacity is based on other factors as well. Ie the chassis construction -- Full rail chassis or monoque. Weight of tug Tug needs to be of reasonable weight to tow a reasonable amount. Lastly how is the tow bar mounted. On many passenger cars they are bolted to the body and not directly to the chassis or sub chassis. As such sheet metal is not as strong as angled metal railings, even if it is reinforced. Hence the limitation on towing capacity. Nothing to do with the engine at all.
toglhot said
10:47 AM Oct 11, 2017
Being able to read is not enough, you must be able to understand what you are reading. Clearly you are lacking in this department.
The ops question was to do with the engine, read the above again. Are you getting it it yet? No mention of how will the IX 35 tow, the question was "Will our IX35 turbo diesel engine pull any of these with ease'.
So in your effort to show us how clever you are, you have done the exact opposite.
So, in essence, the question has everything to do with engine and nothing to do with with chassis, towbar, weight and so on.
How's that old saying go again " give him enough rope'.
Can't wait for your next post, should be interesting!
-- Edited by toglhot on Wednesday 11th of October 2017 10:49:21 AM
-- Edited by toglhot on Wednesday 11th of October 2017 11:01:57 AM
Recoup said
10:52 AM Oct 11, 2017
We got the Aliner C3 and are happy with it after a few modifications , but it could do with some more. for instance ,the 240v power point inside on the right hand side under the foldup table,what a bummer ,I took the table off. To get the battery out from under the bed will give you a hernia, the smoke alarm is in the wrong place. Putting up the awning can be very fustrating , first time took me over one hour,I should have checked it out on Youtube first.The 240v electrical lead ,comming out of the van was to stiff, I had to cut it off and put a new plug on .
The reason we bought the van was ,it's easy to tow with a VW Tiguan, and fits in the garage. For two people and a small dog, the Aliner is OK. Cheers
toglhot said
11:16 AM Oct 11, 2017
The Aliner does have some silly ideas, as already said the awning is a bugger to put up and tends to have few more creases than I would like. It helps if you're not too overweight when exiting the dinette. The drop down door under the bed is a PITA, i removed it and installed a pull out drawer. The lights are hopeless where they are, too low. I installed an LED higher up which solved the problem. In very heavy rain, little spits will come in from the top. The window rubbers stick to the windows, requiring constant soaping. The overhead vents will melt if the camper is kept under a cover in the sun. The top entry cupboards at the front behind the table are a PITA, deep and narrow, the cupboard under the table requires you to get on all fours to access it. There is no socket to plug in a 15 amp lead, you have to poke a lead out from under the bed, a really stupid idea.
No way would I revisit an Aliner!
Recoup said
02:06 PM Oct 11, 2017
toglhot,
the bloke who design the van never spent more then a week in it ,cheers
toglhot said
04:34 PM Oct 11, 2017
Search and search I did, nowhere can I find anyone suggesting that the IX35 is a heavyweight tug. Seems another case of someone's inability to understand the written word.
toglhot said
04:38 PM Oct 11, 2017
Yes, that brings back memories: if you want to cook toast you have to disconnect the smoke detector. Actually, I doubt the designer even stepped inside one at all!
toglhot said
10:39 AM Oct 16, 2017
Deleted.
-- Edited by toglhot on Monday 16th of October 2017 11:37:20 AM
Hi
Anyone out there got any experience to share on these camper trailers? Will our IX35 turbo diesel engine pull any of these with ease?
Thanks for sharing your experience and information
Tupai King
I had a Avan 'Sportliner' for 3 years towed ny a Falcon sedan then a Toyota Prado, both gas/petrol. They towed without any problem at all. I was away from base camp 8 out of 12 months for 3 years and was reasonably comfy. I decided to sell base camp, upgrade Tug and TeePee to what is in my signature 3 years ago and went full time GN. I have not looked back and love the life.
My Sportliner had a single bed at back small kitchen and small fridge one side and small drawer unit other side, table and two seats at front. I found I lived outside most of the time so changed the front to a full width bench and open shelving either side with an opening in middle, worked a dream too. Being solo it all worked for me and even had a camp toot inside for when needed and that lived in the open area under the bench at front with a cover over it.
I would suggest if you like the Avan Camper and you are a couple, go for the Aliner or have a look at the Cruisliner. I always said if I was married in the Sportliner we wouldn't be for long, too small for a couple.
Another thing, don't expect too much help from Avan's after sales service. Not all that good if at all. Any problems I had I fixed myself including a full re-wire for 12v and 'off grid' camping. Make sure the Avan is set up for that too if you want to do 'off grid' camping.
Enjoy whatever you end up with.
I think your towing capacity is 1600kg - our Cruiser fully loaded came in at just under 1400kg on a weighbridge.
They come in single or double bed configurations - we have double but sometimes singles would be better for us.
Sometimes we look enviously at "real" caravans but once we hook up and look in the rear view mirror we appreciate the campers towing advantages.
Good Luck.
You are limiting your replies when you speak in abbreviated text. For best readability you should include all your info on the message for best readability and no rely upon having some in the heading. More importantly, what is an IX35?
Nope, in my case it was one of those idle wonders and because I couldn't give meaningful feedback as I've never owned an A'Van camper. As a result I didn't have a burning desire to find out, just idle curiosity.
-- Edited by Bryan on Tuesday 10th of October 2017 03:38:44 PM
I towed an Aliner with an ASX diesel prior to changing to a Penguin/Escape diesel. The Aliner was no problem for the Aliner so an IX35 with it's increased NMs will pull it with ease. However, that is not the full story, The ASX had a tow weight of 1400kgs and a TDL of 140kgs so the Aliner fit in well with these numbers. The IX 35 on the other hand may have a higher tow weight at 1600kg but the TDL is substantially lower than the 10% normally considered right for towing purposes in Australia. Getting the TDL of the Aliner (100kgs, depending on who you ask) down to a level the IX35 can handle won't be a problem as it's only a few kgs, but again, that's not the end of the matter: The Aliner is very short on usable, easily accessible storage and you may come to rue you decision in buying one. I would suggest you look at a Cruiser/Cruiseliner with the 5 configuration.
The 5 has a kitchen at the front with two single beds at the rear and a low cupboard between the beds with a fold out table. This configuration has plenty of easily accessible storage in the front cupboards and again, plenty of easily accessible storage under each bed.
Nothing is easy though, is it? Whilst the front kitchen gives plenty of storage and living area, that storage is mostly limited to the front of the camper making for a heavy TDL, a TDL the IX35 may not be able to cope with.
As already mentioned, Avan are not tops in after sales or warranty like many caravan manufacturers so I would opt for something else, keeping in mind the IX35's relatively low TDL.
I did, many, many storage mods for our Aliner in the time we had it which increased it's usability. Those mods are all outlined in the Tech section of campertrailers.org. Alternatively, you can join the Avan camper club and peruse the mods members have made or search on line. The Avan campers have quite a following as they are an excellent design, however, storage is not one of their best attributes.
Incidentally, I found nothing wrong with putting some of the information in the title, and who doesn't know what an IX35 is???? Your question was short and to the point, well done!
As an afterthought the Aliner is quite low to the ground, we ground the stabilizer legs on a few occasions in CPs. The Cruiser/Cruisliners are quite a bit higher.
-- Edited by toglhot on Tuesday 10th of October 2017 04:38:04 PM
-- Edited by toglhot on Tuesday 10th of October 2017 04:41:25 PM
-- Edited by toglhot on Tuesday 10th of October 2017 04:44:52 PM
However, one advantage with these (sportsliners) is that you can see over the top when driving which I can't with my aliner. Also, it would surely be easier to push the roof up, not being as heavy or as high. A sportsliner may even come in under the weight where you legally need brakes.
The Avan club site has lots of info which is available to non-members but if you're buying one or the other, it might be worth joining it. (only $30 per year is good value).
Try going to some second hand sales places and decide from there. I actually picked mine out online just from looking at the interior photos before travelling to another town to check it out properly. There are also a number of different layouts and models to choose from so well worth doing some research before you buy.
Our first camper was an Aliner great little van no problems ,my brother in law had the sportliner and it was too cramped they got rid of it for that reason...
It's a Hyundai IX35. http://www.hyundai.com.au/cars/suvs/ix35
It should be OK towing an ''ant hill'', no problem at all particularly a turbo diesel.
We watched someone erect one next to us on a wet windy day, felt sorry for them.
They are a great gadget though & very popular with many folk.
As Doug stated earlier don't expect much after sales service from A'van.
-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Tuesday 10th of October 2017 06:30:44 PM
Thanks everyone for your response.
No intention of speaking in abbreviated text. I was not aware that I omitted to type in "Hyundai". Thanks for pointing that out.
We have just started to look at what camper trailers that are available in the market which will be within our budget of $20k to $25K.
Thanks again for sharing your experience and info with us.
Safe travels to those on the road
Tupai King
Amazing, 'pull an anthill'. Considering a 2014 IX35 can manage 392nm and the same year Hilux can only manage 360nm, it begs the question, what can a Hilux pull? A rice pudding skin -maybe!
Hilarious...
The manufacturers specification for the turbo diesel show a maximum braked towing capacity of 1600kg. It's not exactly a heavy weight tug at all.
Being able to read is not enough, you must be able to understand what you are reading. Clearly you are lacking in this department.
The ops question was to do with the engine, read the above again. Are you getting it it yet? No mention of how will the IX 35 tow, the question was "Will our IX35 turbo diesel engine pull any of these with ease'.
So in your effort to show us how clever you are, you have done the exact opposite.
So, in essence, the question has everything to do with engine and nothing to do with with chassis, towbar, weight and so on.
How's that old saying go again " give him enough rope'.
Can't wait for your next post, should be interesting!
-- Edited by toglhot on Wednesday 11th of October 2017 10:49:21 AM
-- Edited by toglhot on Wednesday 11th of October 2017 11:01:57 AM
The reason we bought the van was ,it's easy to tow with a VW Tiguan, and fits in the garage. For two people and a small dog, the Aliner is OK. Cheers
No way would I revisit an Aliner!
the bloke who design the van never spent more then a week in it ,cheers
Deleted.
-- Edited by toglhot on Monday 16th of October 2017 11:37:20 AM