Time to Roam Magazine Issue 7 - February/March 2014 | Page 35

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tried + tested motorhome review
Of course, the downside in the past
has been the bulk of the van. Fine for
leisure trips, but not very zippy or much
fun for a quick dash across town.
But times have changed. The Powerful 132kw
diesel engine in the latest VW T5 drives so well,
you have to pinch yourself to remember you’re
actually getting around town in holiday garb.
Frontline Camper Conversion’s Peter
Farrugia and and Jeffery Verhagen have
been designing and building camper
conversions in Sydney since 1987.
Today they focus on three base vehicles
the Toyota Hiace, Landcruiser and VW.
The VW T5 is more “car like” due to the
out front engine and this translates to a
vehicle that is just a little bit nicer on the
road. It also has a walk through cab which
is brilliant and the front passenger seat
also swivels to face the rear, adding to the
usable space in the vehicle when camping.
Frontline offer four different layouts in
the VW T5, the Freedom, the Adventurer,
the Vacationer and the Avalon.

TRIED
+
TESTED

Family Friendly
The Adventurer is one of their best sellers
due to the addition of a rear bench seat and
the fact that the vehicle is fitted with four
seat belts, making it popular with families.
Frontline Camper Conversions point of
difference begins in the back of the vehicle and
their approach to fitting the vans pop-top roof.
From their very first pop-top campers back in
the 1980s through to the current 2014 iteration,
not a lot has changed in Frontline’s approach
which is to create a robust, highly usable,
value packed camper that is as affordable
as possible without sacrificing quality.
For example, Frontline still opt for the full
pop-top rather than the tilt style of many
European vans and in the T5, the top is
completely seamless with the look of the van
underpinnings right down to an exact match on
the paint. (not sure what underpinnings are?)
Frontline even takes the trouble to
disassemble and colour match paint the
Fiama awning that they optionally offer
with all Frontline campers. This attention
to detail is typical of Peter and his teams
commitment to quality and there is no denying
that the final finish reflects the extra effort.
Our test vehicle took the custom camper
look a step further with a black and orange
colour scheme, extending to the custom

wheels and chunky all terrain tyres.
Around the vehicle, the air ventilation
grills, 240v power plug and even the water
inlet have been painted a gloss black. The
overall look is very striking and it makes
you realise how sophisticated Frontline
production technology has become in
recent years. This vehicle looks like it came
in one piece straight from the VW factory.
In the back, the general layout to around
the van’s midway point is consistent
throughout the Frontline T5 range. There
is a sink plus bench space directly behind
the driving seat with a compressor driven
two-way (12v / 240v) fridge below.

Out the back
Behind the passenger seat, there is a swing
out cupboard which houses an ever-reliable
mentholated spirits cooker. Peter says they
moved away from LPG cookers and gas
lit refrigerators several years ago with the
gain of more space, reliability and safety.
“The fridge, lighting and pump will run for
around two days with the included camping
battery but it can be extended to 7-8 days

“ For travellers who
like to travel a little
fast or people who
want to take weekend
getaways at every
opportunity, this
camper van has
great appeal.”

> continued on page 36

Issue 07 Feb/Mar 2014

35