Melbourne-based Sunliner has been building campervans, motorhomes and the occasional fifth wheeler since 1974, which in the Australian RV industry is a notable achievement. The manufacturer produces a wide range of campers and motorhomes to suit every taste and budget.

Among the Sunliner lineup is the Quest range. I road-tested the Q541, thanks to the team at Australian Motor Homes & Caravans in Bennetts Green, Newcastle. The Q541 has an external body length of 7.82 metres (25ft 8in) and a tare mass of 3,820 kilograms. With a GVM of 4,495kg, it boasts an excellent payload of 675kg.

Underpinning the Quest is a rear-wheel drive Iveco Daily 45-180, a chassis equipped with a 3.0 litre turbo diesel engine, an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and dual rear wheels.

On the road, the 132kW engine is well rated for the Quest and a good match for the eight-speed automatic gearbox. The motorhome handles quite well, the dual rear tyres offer good stability, and there’s little road noise.

SUNLINER CONSTRUCTION

Like just about all Sunliner motorhomes, the roof and walls are made of fibreglass composite. But instead of fibreglass moulding for the Luton peak, the walls and roofline are incorporated in the over-cab area. There’s less external storage than might be expected in a motorhome of this size. Apart from the bins for the 4 kilogram gas cylinders and the water heater, there’s a rear nearside bin (partly occupied by the battery), a rear wall bin (also housing the Projecta PM335C 30A battery/ charger) and a mid-offside bin. The latter is at a height that doesn’t require bending over!

Around the body, tinted double-glazed acrylic windows are standard, as are the Dometic security door and the Sunburst awning. The electrics include a 135Ah Lithium LiFePO4 battery and a 200W solar panel. Both the fresh and grey water tanks are 100 litres. With careful loading, there’s enough payload capacity for a second fresh water tank. The alternative is an upgraded cab chassis; but that would require a Light Rigid (LR) licence.

COUPLES’ MOTORHOME

Like many motorhomes these days, the Quest Q541 is designed for two people; and with an external length of almost eight metres, that gives the designers plenty of scope for a comfortable interior. Anyone who hasn’t been in a Sunliner for a few years might think the interior looks a little plain. However, it’s quite the contemporary look and very easy to keep clean that’s for sure. Most Sunliner motorhomes have large windows and that is the case here, allowing for a generous amount of natural light. By night, the semi-concealed and not-so-concealed LED lighting works a treat.

Upfront, the lounge/dining area has a simple but effective layout. There’s a two-seater forward-facing dinette on the right and a sideways lounge on the nearside. Like any good motorhome design, both the cab seats swivel around – but Iveco’s do require a little bit of fiddling around. There is a storage shelf above the cab seats, which was fixed on my motorhome – something I am not a fan of, but I’m told that all future models will have a lift-up shelf fitted. This makes getting to and from the front seats much easier.

MODERATE SIZED KITCHEN

The L-shaped kitchen bench behind the dinette is a model of simplicity, with a Thetford two-burner gas hob and round stainless steel sink. The latter doesn’t have a draining board. A slight hazard for clumsy types like moi, who accidentally turn the tap when it’s not over the sink! Under the kitchen bench there’s good storage capacity, with five well-sized drawers and a wire basket pantry.

Occupying the space above the kitchen bench are two overhead lockers, a range hood and (out of sight but

accessible) a double power point. Facing the kitchen bench is a slimline Thetford 141-litre three-way fridge, with a bottom drawer freezer. An NCE microwave oven sits above the fridge. On the side of the fridge cabinet and accessible from inside and outside the motorhome is a small cupboard with open storage compartments on top.

SPLIT BATHROOM

A sliding door separates the front half of the motorhome from the rear. In the rear there’s a split bathroom in front of the north-south island bed, with a shower cubicle on the nearside and a toilet cubicle opposite. There’s enough space in both to turn around without knocking your elbows. The shower cubicle has a fan hatch and towel rail. In addition to the Thetford cassette toilet and vanity basin, the toilet cubicle is quite the busy place. Features include an adequate amount of drawer and cupboard space, wall mirror, power point under the upper cupboard and a digital panel for the Fogatti instantaneous water heater.

In the rear, windows on all three sides surround the 1.9 metre x 1.53 metre (6ft 3in x 5ft) bed. Access from both sides is relatively easy and the bedhead area has wardrobes and cabinets with shelving on both sides, plus three overhead lockers across the back. Device chargers are fitted to both sides, but the reading light switches are a stretch when you want to go to sleep after reading a book!

CUSTOMER CARE

Sunliner motorhomes come with a two-year manufacturer’s warranty, which covers workmanship and materials against defects, inside and out. The Iveco Daily has its own warranty – 100,000 kilometres or three years.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The Q541 is part of Sunliner’s Quest line, and is a value-for-money option for those wanting the comforts of a motorhome without top-tier pricing. It’s well appointed and built in the typical Sunliner style with a very spacious layout.

SPECIFICATIONS

VEHICLE

MANUFACTURER SUNLINER

MODEL QUEST Q541

BASE VEHICLE IVECO DAILY 45-180

TARE WEIGHT 3,820KG

GVM 4,495KG

PAYLOAD 675KG

LICENCE CAR

PASSENGERS 4

MECHANICAL

ENGINE 3.0 LITRE TURBO DIESEL

POWER 132KW @ 3500 RPM

TORQUE 430NM @ 1500 RPM

GEARBOX EIGHT-SPEED GEARBOX

BRAKES ABS DISC

DIMENSIONS

EXTERNAL LENGTH 7.82M (25FT 8IN)

EXTERNAL WIDTH (INCL AWNING) 2.41M (7FT 11IN)

EXTERNAL HEIGHT 3.3M (10FT 10IN)

INTERNAL HEIGHT 2.11M (6FT 11IN)

BED SIZE 1.9M X 1.53M (6FT 3IN X 5FT)

EQUIPMENT

COOKTOP THETFORD 2 BURNER AND GRILL

FRIDGE THETFORD N4141A 3-WAY

MICROWAVE OVEN NCE

LIGHTING 12V LED

BATTERIES 1 X 135AH LITHIUM

SOLAR PANELS 200W

AIR CONDITIONER HOUGHTON BELAIRE 2400

TOILET THETFORD CASSETTE

SHOWER SEPARATE CUBICLE

HOT WATER HEATER FOGATTI INSTANTANEOUS

HEATER OPTIONAL

WATER TANK 100L

GREY TANK 100L

GAS CYLINDERS 2 X 4KG

PRICE: $209,990

Category: Features
Written: Mon 24 Nov 2025
Printed: December, 2025
Published By: