Time to Roam Magazine Issue 5 - October/November 2013 | Page 32

Feature packed baby has it all
Tested Suncamper Sherwood 4X4 Review and images by Richard Robertson

Suncamper Sherwood 4X4 punches well above its weight
Suncamper’s Sherwood is a small
C-Class motorhome, which due
to its compact dimensions rivals
many campervans in size and
is also about the same size as
a ute and slide-on. The product
of years of design evolution,
it’s a well built and thoughtfully
appointed motorhome ideal
for one or two people.
The Sherwood is built on Toyota’s
HiLux cab-chassis. On-road prices
start at $94,900 for a two-wheel drive
and $112,990 for a four-wheel drive.
The test Sherwood 4x4 was a customer
order loaded with options, including
roof reinforcement, mounts and rack
for a surf ski, bringing it’s on-road price
to a not-inconsiderable $139,990.
This Sherwood had optional 17-inch
off-road rims fitted with chunky LT265/65

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R 17 Cooper Discoverer tyres. Other
vehicle options fitted were a steel bullbar,
snorkel, 128-litre long range fuel tank,
steel side steps, wheel flares, bonnet and
headlight protectors, stereo controls on a
leather steering wheel and twin reversing
cameras (straight down/distance).
The HiLux 4X4 has 6 airbags and
anti-lock brakes (ABS), but not vehicle
stability control (yet), making it 4 star
safe. It also has remote central locking,
power steering, electric windows and
mirrors, and an MP3/CD audio system with
USB input and Bluetooth capabilities.
With its raised suspension and bigger
wheels/tyres this off-road Sherwood
looks impressive. The Lovell suspension
system is particularly well sorted and
provides a degree of ride suppleness
and control belying the vehicle’s size
and weight. Performance-wise it’s
happier at 100 than 110 km/h, due to
its frontal area, but the HiLux cab is a
pleasant place to spend your time.

Body Matters
The company uses a simple, rugged
and straightforward construction method
that has been proven over decades. The
Sherwood’s layout features an over-cab
main bed, a driver’s side mid bathroom and
kerb side mid kitchen, plus an inwardsfacing rear cafe-style dinette/second bed.
For a small vehicle it seems to pack a
surprising amount of space and I’m sure
a well organised couple could happily
tour Australia in it for months on end.
The test Sherwood’s fitted body options
were as follows, starting on the outside:
A 3-metre awning, over-bed roof hatch,
auxiliary shower, kerb-side external
storage access hatch, fold-down table,
mains power point, electric double entrystep, a bathroom side window and 2 x
120 W solar panels. Inside, the options
fitted comprised a 4 speaker cinematic
sound system plus a DVD/CD/MP3 sound
system and 54 cm (21.5 in) LED TV; a
diesel room heater, second 120 AH house