A budget-friendly and feature-rich motorhome
For the most part, the campervans and motorhomes that I review are brand-new. Occasionally, though, I'll look at a more budget-friendly pre-loved model—in this case, a KEA Discovery M660.
My review motorhome came from KEA dealer Sydney RV. The Discovery M660 was a 2019 model with 128,000km on the clock. Given that many km, it had a previous life in the THL (Maui/Britz/Mighty) rental fleet.
Consequently, a few scratches and dings in all kinds of places are to be expected. I was surprised that I didn't find anything too serious. Purpose-built rental motorhomes are built with something of a rough life in mind, mostly from inexperienced users. They are designed to be relatively simple to maintain and repair as required. On an initial look inside and out, the M660 has cleaned up rather nicely for sale.
Unique Features of the KEA Discovery M660
The Discovery is unique in the THL rental fleets because it's the only one with a drop-down bed. That has several advantages, which I will get to in a moment.
Built in New Zealand
Like much of the KEA fleet, the Discovery M660 is built by Action Manufacturing in NZ. The knowledgeable will recognise a few clues, like the tinted rear windows with lower openings. Based on a Sprinter 313 CDI cab chassis, the KEA Breeze M660 is designed to carry and sleep four people, yet it is only 6.7 m (22ft) long. Built very much in the THL style, it has fibreglass composite walls and roof, along with fibreglass mouldings for the curved bits.
External storage and features
Rental motorhomes don't consistently score well with external storage, but the M660 does with a large area across the rear, created mainly by the rear seating arrangement. There's a decent-sized hatch on the nearside for more oversized items like chairs and tables, whilst the smaller offside hatch is suitable for power leads and hoses.
Apart from those are the usual hatches for the toilet cassette, Swift water heater and gas cylinder bin. Although, the gas bin is only large enough for one 9.0 kg cylinder, not a more convenient pair of 4.5kg cylinders. There's nothing like having a spare and avoiding running out of LPG at inconvenient moments. The Cvana awning is designed for the rigours of inexperienced rental use and therefore quite simple to use.
Road performance and handling
With a Tare Mass of just under 3,000kg, the M660 is a relatively lightweight motorhome. It's also pretty short too at 6.6m (21ft 8in). All that sums up to make a motorhome that's quite an easy handler on the road. On my little test run across the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, the 95kw/305Nm turbo diesel powered the motorhome along well enough. Although I didn't have an opportunity to do a fuel consumption test, it should do better than 13 litre/100km. Notably, the lack of a Luton bed makes it very easy to get to and from the driver's cab.
There were the expected creaks and squeaks for an older motorhome but nothing surprising or that couldn't be fixed with a towel or pillow. The road noise was at a reasonably acceptable level. Whilst it's pretty easy to do a visual check, anyone purchasing a second-hand motorhome should certainly consider getting a mechanical check if they can.
Interior and living space
Stepping into the rear area of the M660 reveals a familiar interior look. KEA tends to stick with tried-and-true colour/material schemes, and anyone familiar with the KEA brand will feel right at home. All the cabinetry has a nice, solid feel about it.
Back a couple of decades in New Zealand, the most popular layout in caravans and motorhomes was anything with a rear club-style lounge with windows all around. I call it the "NZ back," and it allows for a pleasant view of the surrounding countryside without having to worry about inclement weather outside. To some extent, that popularity has declined mostly because people prefer fixed beds to those that must be made up every night, but the M660 offers a way around that problem and still retains the rearview.
Seating and sleeping arrangements
Across the motorhome's rear is a club lounge with an electrically operated drop-down bed above. Consequently, it's pretty easy to leave the bed made up while having the full facilities of the club lounge. A swivel arm-mounted table fits easily into position and can be stored in the adjacent cupboard when not required.
Since this motorhome can legally carry four people, the lounge can be made into a bed as well. The disadvantage is that you cannot use the upper bed and lounge seating at the same time, but it's quite a clever compromise arrangement. It has the asset of being like a Luton bed but without the inconvenient clamber to get in and out of bed.
Even if the bed is lowered, there's extra seating up front. Both cab seats swivel around, and there are two forward-facing seats behind the driver. They are seat belt-fitted, and there's a decent view out of the side window when travelling along. There's a TV mounted on the wall beside the habitation door. With a swivel arm fitted, it can easily be seen from the offside seating.
Kitchen and amenities of the KEA Discovery M660
The Discovery's kitchen bench is moderately sized but fully equipped for any motorhome traveller. Fitted into the benchtop is a Dometic four-burner cooktop and grill alongside a stainless steel sink/drainer. Both have flush lids. The fridge is an under-bench Isoterm 130 litre compressor model and the Nero microwave oven is located in the usual position, the air space above the bench. Bench-top space is minimal meaning the rear table might get used for food preparation.
For a smaller kitchen, the general storage is quite generous – a couple of overhead lockers, three drawers and a cupboard. Two inclusions of note are the drawer with a special cup, glass and plate holder and the cupboard drawer with the fitted garbage bin. If more cupboard space is needed, then there's a half-height, shelf-fitted cupboard on the other side of the habitation door behind the passenger seat.
Bathroom and cleaning facilities
This is a relatively small motorhome with a not-so-small bathroom. The moulded fibreglass unit is large enough to turn around in and comes with a Thetford cassette toilet, flexible hose shower, and corner wash basin. A wall mirror and a towel rail are also included in the fitout.
Electrical and water systems
Rental motorhomes aren't designed for extended off-the-grid travel but have a standard house battery and solar panel capacity, 100Ah and 140W. Inside the motorhome, the simple electrical and water gauge panels are above the passenger seats. There are power points and charging points located in mostly appropriate places except for those under the rear passenger seats, mostly because there's nowhere to put the devices being charged apart from on the seat. For washing and cleaning, the water capacity of 92 litres is good for limited over limited overnight stays.
Pricing and value
Of course, purchasing a used motorhome does save dollars. My 2019 review model was priced at $136,000, whereas a brand-new one is priced at $200,000. This is a fair difference if the budget is a bit tight.
Conclusion
KEA's M660 motorhome, either used or new, catches the attention. Its design is a little different from the usual rental motorhome, making it a good prospect in the retail market. Its size makes it very easy to handle on the road, but the drop-down bed design effectively uses the interior space, resulting in an interior with room to move. Above all, the prime feature for many will be the time-honoured "NZ back."
Specifications
VEHICLE
Manufacturer Action Manufacturing (NZ)
Model KEA Discovery M660
Base Vehicle Mercedes Benz Sprinter 313 CDI
Tare Weight 954kg
GVM 3550kg
Licence Car
Passengers 4
MECHANICAL
Engine 2.2 litre turbo diesel
Power 95kW@3800rpm
Torque 305Nm@1200-2400rpm
Gearbox 7-speed auto
Brakes ABS disc
DIMENSIONS
External length 6.6m (21ft 8in)
External width (incl awning) 2.34m (7ft 8in)
External height 3.05m (10ft)
Internal height 2.06m (6ft 9in)
Bed size (drop down) 1.9m x 1.32m (6ft 3in x 4ft 4in)
Bed size (lounge) 2.0m x 1.4m (6ft 7in x 4ft 7in)
EQUIPMENT
Cooktop Dometic 4 burner cooktop & grill
Fridge Isotherm CR130EL, 12V compressor, 130 litre
Microwave Oven Nero
Lighting 12V LED
Batteries 1 x 100Ah
Solar panels 140W
Air conditioner Dometic Ibis 4
Toilet Thetford cassette
Shower Combo cubicle
Hot water heater Swift 28 litre gas/240V
Heater No
Water tank 1 x 92 litre
Grey tank 1 x 92 litre
Gas cylinders 1 x 9.0kg
Price $136,000.00
Supplied by:
Sydney RV
9/20 Lemko Pl
Penrith NSW 2750
Ph: 02 4722 344
www.sydneyrv.com.au
