It seems the Knaus Skywave has a habit of making an impact. When I was shown through one at the Melbourne Supershow, in early 2015, I came away very impressed and with the aim to have one in these pages to share with you. It was the same for Antony Bitcon, owner of Avan NSW, when he saw the vehicle at a commercial RV show in Düsseldorf, in Germany, around 18 months earlier. Avan’s first presentation to an Australian audience resulted in sales numbers too hard to ignore and the Skywave was cemented as a model on the company’s roster.

THE LEADING EDGE

Like so many of today’s motorhomes the Skywave is built on a Fiat Ducato chassis and takes drive from the Multijet turbo-diesel engine, in this case the 180, 3.0-litre four. The donk provides more than ample power and torque that’s distributed through the six cogs in the automated manual gearbox, or AMT. It’s the ‘thinking’ part of the AMT that only ever seems to draw criticism and the time it can take to do so in certain situations.

Driven gently and with consideration the transmission usually operates without complaint but push on a little and it can get flustered. This time the Fiat threw me a slight curve under very gentle consideration. I’d just idled over the river causeway in Glenbrook NP, in the Blue Mountains, and gently pressed the accelerator to tackle the suddenly steep climb out of the valley. The engine just  spun, revving, with no forward progress, then a lurch with accompanying front wheel spin that alerted the school group lunching by the creek to my antics. Despite being sunlit by the Skywave’s wonderful cabin skylight, thankfully my embarrassment was out of sight. I have a feeling this issue was due to my throttle input being much lighter than it would be under normal driving conditions.

However, while the Fiat motive power is an (almost) universal application, the ‘home’ in motorhome, the Knaus coach work, most certainly is not.

In the cab, still, the layout is familiar to most; easy to live with, functional, plenty of storage, twin armrests on the swivelling, leather-trimmed captain’s chairs, plenty of legroom, standard TomTom satnav system and reverse camera set-up, those very deep door pockets but only one cup holder.

What isn’t as familiar is the aforementioned skylight. It’s big, and while the vehicle can’t be driven with it open you want to be mindful of the sun’s strength, even with a tint, and so it can be screened in the same way as the rest of the Skywave’s windows; with blinds and bug mesh. The hatch sits low on the aerodynamic leading edge of the roof that, despite having a bed located at the front, its design negates a Luton peak. Which has to be good for fuel economy.

And with no bed above your head the area here is devoted to a pair of cubbies that live on either side a semi-circular shelf (with dividers) and can hold all manner of things that you might want readily available. You immediately notice the quality of trimming – light timber and  stitched vinyl – that is used throughout the vehicle, especially in what might be considered to be a ‘low-key’ area. Full standing height in the cab area to access this storage is great. As with the skylight, the cab windows all have integrated concertina blinds, although flicking the central locking on the key fob doesn’t extend to the motorhome door.

And on that subject, instead of you resembling a prison officer at lights out, the Skywave comes with one key (besides the ignition) that fits all external hatches. On the nearside that duty extends to the toilet cassette.

However, on the offside, your hatch access fun runs to the water and power well. Here, there are the valves for the grey and fresh water pipes, the hot water system release valve, fresh water tank filler and cleaning port and, really neat, the power inlet for mains power. Instead of being plugged in to the vehicle’s outside wall you can run the power lead though a port in the underside and plug in within the bin. Then you can securely lock it all away so no idle hands can mess with your supplies. And it’s weatherproof. Mains pressure water is piped by an external port as usual.

Next along is the bin for the two 9kg gas cylinders before you reach what Knaus terms ‘the garage’. The storage boot is large indeed. Easily big enough to climb inside and features tie-down rails on the floor with moveable eyelets for accommodating and securing oddshaped cargo. As the floor of this storage area extends to the width of the vehicle, albeit the nearside end being a couple of inches high, you could conceivably hold a surfboard in here. The area is also home to four shelves, the winder for the Thule Omnistor awning (and tent pegs) and a light. Once inside the garage you can see the storage room turns off to the right with more capacity – and all this is accessible from under the bed, although the bottom would be a stretch. Dust and water sealing appears excellent throughout. The most surprising aspect to this feature, besides the volume, is that it is trimmed to the same standard as the interior of the motorhome; no rough edges or stray Sikaflex down here.

THE LIVING AREA

The stylish Remis motorhome entry door is fitted with a deep window, equipped with a blind, an umbrella holder (or  shallow rubbish bin if lined with a bag) and can be fastened open with a hook but also features a plastic ‘bumper’ to prevent it slamming the body if opened in a breeze. Even the blind here, and the door jam, are fitted with a soft-close brush on the edge, as are all the windows in the van section. As you’d expect, there’s an electric step to allow ingress.

Upon entry, to your left, is the only sliding window in the vehicle, behind the two-seat bench. An outward opener would clash with the open entry door on the exterior wall. If you turn around, above the door you will find the control panels for the 100 AH house battery power, water tanks and the Truma heating system; very clear with LEDs and screen graphics. The Finch TV seems at first in an odd place, by the door, but when you take into account the kitchen and dining setting (and the drop-down bed when deployed) it makes sense. A mirror by the door allows you to check your look on  the way out for happy hour and adds a perception of depth to the vehicle when viewed from the dining area.

If you include the two captain’s chairs then there’s room for six at the dining table. The table in place before the two other seat-belted perches just aft of the front row has an extension section that swings out to reach the near-side bench. The bench with the seat belts has a black, marble-esque panel behind it that lifts via a push button. It had to be explained to me its purpose is to accommodate the headrests for travel and not some elevating flat screen.

Lifting the seat here reveals the electrics’ nerve centre, fuses and safety switches and the Truma hot water brains. All fabrics are the light biscuit colours used throughout in either plain or striped pattern, and only one colour scheme is available via Avan. While it’s easy to live with, it (and some of the roof areas’) longevity for keeping clean is one of very  few concerns with the interior. Knaus calls the fabric used Active Line and claims even red wine spills are easy to deal with. The floor throughout is an attractive patchwork of timber colours that offers a storage hatch in the dining area.

There are three offside Seitz windows; all run on superb tracks and have curtains, blinds, brushes and screens and along with two roof hatches – one above the bed and one in the bathroom – allow plenty of light and ventilation.

Two overhead lockers are on either side of the dining area and it’s this design feature that makes it hard to see how the drop-down bed can operate. Until, of course, you grab the remote, and press ‘down’. The bed – the underside of which holds five LED downlights for the living area on its broad timber finish – smoothly lowers, bringing the cupboards with it until they sit neatly on top of the bench seat backs, and the bed is in place.

The bed has the outward vision from the forward sky hatch, with the cabin area blinds in place and has vinyl ‘skirts’ that extend at both bed ends from the large mattress to the ceiling and hide the bed’s electric mechanisms. The TV can be viewed from up here and a light switch reached from the bed’s left side; three LEDs are in the ceiling just behind the roof hatch and there are more shelves as well as access to the storage area above the cab we mentioned earlier. It’s a masterstroke of precision cabinetry and design.

THE KITCHEN

The bulkhead for the lateral bench seat back is also the kitchen wall. On its leading edge nearest the walkway is a neat, circular and split light switch to select roof zone lighting. The stainlesssteel sink and mixer tap live to the left of the Thetford three-burner gas cooktop on a gleaming black benchtop with reasonable preparation area expanded if you close the glass lid on the cooker. A covered power point is in the left corner  by the window on the wall and a Dometic rangehood with downlights sits under more two-shelf cupboards with a further power outlet on the underside.

Beneath the benchtop are three deep drawers and a two-tier slide-out wire basket, the latter are lockable so they cannot slide noisily during transit. These baskets are revealed when an attractively curved timber door is released. Opposite the kitchen is the three-way fridge with microwave above. No doubt a consideration to possible spills in the kitchen area the floor is stepped at both ends, but this also brings the benchtop to waist height. The steps are the only other tiny drawback to the interior that may be an issue for some people; in terms of a trip hazard not their height.

REAR BEDROOM

The second bed in the Skywave is an offside double, with tapered foot end that has a fold-out bolster from the cavernous storage area below. There are five overhead cupboards all round the  bed. This area can be sectioned off with a fully tracked curtain from the kitchen to the bathroom wall. A mirror backs the bed head area and there are two reading lights and a little shelf here also. Opposite the bed, between the fridge and the bathroom is a two level wardrobe with, in a point of difference to the rest of the vehicle, knurled twist knobs for handles.

THE BATHROOM

The bathroom is another design highlight. The circular shower room, with its nonslip ridged floor and dual drains – so it doesn’t matter if either end is not level – can be shuttered off from the toilet with an internal split door to keep everything in that area dry. There is ample room for humans in either activity and storage for associated trappings. The fit and finish and accessories match the design quality throughout. Even the bathroom cabinet has a dedicated tissue dispenser. The chrome shower ware is reflected nicely in the large wall mirror and accentuated with LED downlights. The shower head doubles as the sink tap due to the swingout nature of the wall the sink is attached to. The bathroom itself has an outer door, too; in a silver roller material.

VERDICT

The Knaus Skywave 650MF is imported by Avan as a one variant proposition. If the colour scheme is not to your tastes then that may be a problem but otherwise the Skywave represents a comprehensive, very well appointed and stylish touring vehicle. It is definitely European and modern in its execution and it exudes quality. The use of  reflective materials and mirrors and light colours and plentiful natural light access all add to the feeling of space. There is plenty of storage and accommodation and it’s built on a proven chassis and drive-train pairing. Whether for two people full time or as a family escape machine it’s very hard to see where you could go wrong with reaching for the Skywave.

GOOD THINKING

Drop-down bed; bathroom; skylight and cabin headroom; attention to detail; storage

COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER

One colour scheme, light trim colour longevity; floor step trip hazard (we’re clutching at straws here)

Category: Reviews
Written: Sun 01 Nov 2015
Printed: November, 2015
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