Motorhome manufacturer TALVOR is a company that developed out of the very successful Apollo rental motorhome organisation, with depots in Australia, New Zealand and more recently the USA.

I mention that fact because there’s nothing like a rental operation for getting plenty of experience in what works and what doesn’t in a motorhome design. TALVOR produce a range of motorhomes – in fact everything from a base level budget campervan design to the top line Hayman, complete with slide-out. There are plenty of mid-range designs too and the subject of this review, the 7.7m / 25ft Murana, fits into what might be described as an upper mid-range; especially since it comes with one very interesting feature, but more of that later. My review of the Murana came from the recently expanded Penrith sales yard of the Sydney RV Group and weighs in with a tare of 3,960kg. That gives a load capacity of nearly 500kg, depending on what other accessories are fitted and how full the water tank is.

On the Road

An advantage of the Murana design is that it comes with either VW Crafter or  Mercedes Benz Sprinter underpinnings, depending on your preference. The Crafter is about $4k cheaper than the Sprinter and one of the major things you get with the latter is a fully automatic six speed gearbox. Although the AMT box in the Crafter generally functions quite well, it can be hesitant in the lower ranges when a quick kick down is desired.

The Sprinter is powered by the standard 2.2lt turbo diesel that delivers 120kw of power and a useful 330Nm of torque, which did all the things I desired. On the safety front, the Benz comes with ABS brakes, as well as an Electronic Stabilisation Program and both driver and passenger side airbags. A TALVOR addition is the reversing camera mounted  on the right hand side of the dashboard, which is useful for tight reversing spots. The cab comes with all the usual features; the only disappointment for me was the base level radio/CD player which doesn’t have anywhere to plug the iPod/MP3 player in.

Department of the Exterior

For the general body work, the Murana is built with a composite fiberglass structure and moulded ends as a B class motorhome, that is without a full luton peak. The Hehr style entry door that is right behind the driver’s cab comes, as usual, with a separate non-security screen door. It is time for a change to the full security item I am thinking. In some ways it’s a little old fashioned looking, the Hehr multi-hoppers work quite well. They can be left open in the rain, are relatively theft proof, even when open, and the glass does not scratch easily.

Around the outside, there’s a good variety of external storage bins, all fitted with lighting. Some are dedicated, like the offside bin for the 125AH batteries and the nearside compartment for two 4.5kg gas cylinders. In the former the batteries are mounted on a steel framed tray which isn’t  particularly easy to drag out. In addition, there are low down bins on either side and there is a large through-boot across the rear which is big enough for something like golf clubs or a chest fridge/freezer. Conveniently located near the entry door is the non-storage bin which has a combo slide-out BBQ and entertainment unit that comes with two speakers, radio/CD player, 240V and 12V sockets and a TV antenna connection (but no TV mounting bracket). The bin door also acts as a picnic table but I thought this might have been better with metal struts rather than the wire used for holding it in position.

Department of the Interior

Undoubtedly, the most notable feature of the Murana is the east west rear bed that can be raised or lowered as required. The advantage of this is that it means a club style lounge can be fitted underneath, thus both bed and lounge take up less overall space. There are disadvantages of course, but aren’t there always in any design?

Having both bed and lounge in the rear means the nearside wall can be used for the kitchen bench, which leaves enough space on the opposite wall for a bathroom and a dinette behind the driver’s seat. TALVOR has retained the driver’s cab more or less intact, so the seats don’t swivel around and the shelf  above the cab doesn’t lift up out of the way. In some ways this is a bit of an odd compromise between not having a luton bed and also not having an open cab with storage cabinets around the top. The cabinetry work has a nice light and airy look about it but looks somewhat squareish – all a little echo of the Apollo rental origins, perhaps?

For evening time, there are plenty of light fittings but in the kitchen and dining areas there are no ceiling lights. As a result, it might be a bit dim looking into the cupboards at night! It’s a little different in the rear where there are plenty of wall lights all round which can be used easily from either the bed when it’s lowered or the lounge seats.

Sleeping Hours

Speaking of the bed, it measures 1.9m x 1.37m (6ft 3in x 4ft 6in) and can be lowered to a level that requires a foot stool at least, unless the seat cushions on either side are removed which can be a bit fiddly. One of the great advantages of this arrangement over, say, a conventional style club lounge which has to be made into a bed every night, is that this bed can be left permanently made up. The downside is that it’s a bit tricky to make up when a sheet change is needed but specially made up fitted sheets would certainly be an asset!

Sitting Back

With the bed raised up, out of the way, the club lounge is readily accessible. It has  windows on all three sides and gives a good view of all that is happening outside. It’s a style of lounge that appeals to me for relaxing easily in, sitting several ways. In this motorhome, normal ceiling height is 2.01m (6ft 7in) but under the bed is shorter at 1.74m (5ft 8.5in). I just fit but anyone taller might have to think about that fact. Because of the elevating bed, there aren’t any overhead lockers but there is a wardrobe that has been designed into the end of the kitchen bench. There is under seat storage below the nearside seat cushion but that space is partly taken by a water tank and the rear seat cushion can also be lifted, but it just gives access to the rear tunnel boot.

Keeping Clean

Although the bathroom area isn’t that large, it still has a separate shower cubicle, Thetford cassette toilet, a small wash basin and a large wall mirror . There isn’t an external window but there is a hatch above the shower . The toilet does have a swiveling bowl, which is just as well because it can only be used sideways. In many ways this is going to be an ideal sized bathroom for travellers who don’t intend to use the facilities all the time but still want to have them available, especially during the evening hours.

Catering & Dining

Designed mostly for two people but with the ability to fit four without a problem, the dinette has a good sized table. Although designed to fold down quite quickly, thus allowing the dinette to be made up into a bed, it lacks the more versatile characteristics of a trifold table. Both the forward facing seats are belt fitted and both under seat areas can be used for storage, as can the overhead lockers above the dinette. A minus of this arrangement is that you can make no use of the Sprinter cab ability to have swiveling cab seats fitted.

For catering, there’s nothing too radical about the kitchen layout which comes with most of the essentials. The bench top area includes a stainless steel sink with plastic detachable drainer, and a four  burner cooktop, grill and oven. Having a detachable drainer might be annoying for some users but it does have the advantage of offering more bench top space.

At the rear end of the kitchen bench, the 150lt three-way fridge is mounted off the floor, resulting in a raised shelf area. Above that the microwave oven is located in the overhead lockers. There are pluses and minuses to this. Having the microwave oven in the raised position does give more shelf area below but it’s going to be awkward for shorter people to get at.

Kitchen storage consists of a cutlery drawer, a two door cupboard and three overhead lockers. Part of the lower cupboard area is taken by the external entertainment unit and one of the overhead lockers contains all the essential 12V controls, hot water switch, battery voltmeter and water tank gauges. Personally, I appreciate that feature – it’s always handy having the necessary controls all in the one place – handy but not in plain sight.

Verdict

One of the little challenges for any motorhome purchaser is deciding what items are essential and what would be nice. In some cases this can lead to a problem where something like both a rear lounge and non-luton bed are ‘essential’. Of course that’s possible where motorhome length and budget aren’t a problem, but otherwise very difficult unless something like an elevating bed is fitted. This TALVOR Murana gives both a bed that is easily accessible and doesn’t have to be made up every night, as well as a club lounge with a view. In some ways, the Murana betrays its rental heritage by the standard dinette and front cab layout. However, that does mean that the motorhome can easily be used by four people. Not everybody needs one but having a four berth unit means that occasional guests can be transported and accommodated, making it an attractive feature.

Category: Reviews
Written: Thu 01 Aug 2013
Printed: August, 2013
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