Review the luxurious Sunliner Monte Carlo MC73 motorhome with spacious features and premium specs.
For anyone who has been to the French Riveria area, Monte Carlo brings to mind the upmarket tourist resort and gambling casino in the Principality of Monaco. A very exotic thought indeed, which may be one reason why Sunliner chose to call its luxurious flagship motorhome by the same name. So, what makes a top-line luxury motorhome? How about three slide-outs, two kitchens (one inside and one out), comfortable accommodation for four, and an external length of 9.7 metres (31ft 10in) for starters? The Sunliner has all of those and much more. There’s one thing missing: it’s not an A-class motorhome (but that’s something quite rare in Australia, so the upmarket C-class unit is the next best thing).
POWERING AHEAD
A long motorhome with a GVM of 8,700 kilograms requires a solid truck chassis underneath – in this case, an Isuzu NQR 87/190. Isuzu is, of course, a Japanese truck manufacturer with a long-established reputation in Australia; but with less of a presence than the Europeans in smaller motorhomes because of the lack of a flat floor cab design.
However, the NQR is well suited to something the size of the Monte Carlo – where space use isn’t quite so critical, but load-carrying capacity is. The motorhome has a tare mass of 6,960 kilograms and subtracting that gives a very generous payload of 1,740 kilograms. It also has a GCM of 12,200 kilograms, which is good news for those who like to tow a smaller vehicle.
A GVM of over 8,000 kilograms requires an MR licence for the Monte Carlo.
As expected, the vehicle handles like a truck on the road. That’s not to say it’s difficult to drive, because it isn’t; but it’s different from lighter European vehicles.
I quite enjoyed my test drive around Lake Macquarie (NSW), where Sunliner dealer, Australian Motor Homes and Caravans, is located. Although the 5.2 litre turbo diesel powered the Monte Carlo well enough, the sixspeed AMT gearbox was reluctant to kick down when going uphill. Handily, or perhaps by design, the manual shift is close to hand and changes gears without much effort. What I liked about the driver position is that it gives good forward visibility, and the rearview mirrors are large and well positioned. The thing to remember when driving a rig this size is not so much the width (2.45m/8ft), but the overall length when turning corners or manoeuvring around. There are only a few water bottle holders around the cab; but the Sunliner addition, a My Coolman 14 litre fridge, is a winner.
DAY-TO-DAY LIVING
For camping (or, more accurately, ‘glamping’) what’s needed is quite a large space – this length motorhome won’t fit in many caravan parks! Once in position, setting up doesn’t take long. If the ground is uneven, the Redfoot levelling system operates by the touch of a button.
Around the outside, the fibre glass composite body structure has several external storage bins. If I was being picky, none are really large enough for something like a couple of folding bikes or golf clubs; but for small items, there are bins aplenty. Most of the offside bins are dedicated to items like the house batteries, gas cylinders, USR 4.0kW generator and external shower. However, there is still plenty of available space. Behind the driver’s cab, the offside hatch gives access to the mains water pressure connection and hose reel; whilst the nearside hatch hides the truck battery isolating switch. It’s a good idea to ensure the truck battery isn’t drained by devices operating from it overnight.
For al fresco camping, the Monte Carlo is very well equipped. The domestic kitchen, which slides out from the rear, has a three-burner hob and stainless steel sink. A Waeco 30 litre drawer fridge in the adjacent locker keeps the wine, beer and snacks cool. It’s a great little set-up for everything from happy hour drinks to a full meal. The entertainment unit includes a decent-sized TV to complement the evening activities.
STEP INSIDE
So, what does this palace on wheels look like inside? Climb aboard; the steps are electric. Inside, things look a little cramped; but once the front and rear slide-outs are open, there’s room to move. Indeed, I’ve seen hotel rooms with less space. Sunliner always does a great job with the interior look and décor, and the Monte Carlo lacks nothing. Adding to the effect is the very wellthought-out mood lighting scheme, with switches in all the logical places.
To the left of the habitation door, it’s all lounge area. Traveller comfort is assured with the sideways-facing lounge on the nearside, and the café dinette in the slideout opposite. Beside the dinette seats, there’s a little cubby hole storage and a lidded storage box.
There are ample cupboards on both sides between the lounge and the driver’s cab. Above the driver’s cab is a Luton bed, measuring 1.83m x 1.37m (6ft x 4ft 6in), which can also be used as storage or lifted out of the way if not needed. The feature items in the kitchen are the fridges … yes, there are two side by side. Both are Thetford T2152C 150 litre compressor units, offering a higher-than-usual fridge capacity.
Above the fridges, the Sphere microwave oven is in the traditional position. Adjacent to the fridges is a full-height kitchen cabinet that includes a coffee maker on a slide-out. On the opposite side of the motorhome there’s an L-shaped bench area that makes up the rest of the kitchen and includes numerous drawers and the usual cooker and washing-up arrangement. As might be expected in a motorhome like this, the kitchen features (inside and out) are a cut above the average and will cater to all levels of cooking styles.
BEDDING DOWN
In the bedroom area, there are two slide-outs. The rear slide-out contains the 1.9m x 1.53m (6ft 3in x 5ft) bed, whilst the offside slide-out includes a large cupboard area – it contains a wardrobe, shelf space and three drawers with plenty of space for clothing.
Like the rest of the cupboard areas in the motorhome, it’s a little surprising to see raw timber framing in the corners – perhaps a white coat of paint is all that’s needed. The bed is slightly asymmetrical; the offside sleeper gets a bedside cabinet with cupboards and compartments, while the nearside occupant gets a narrow walkway. There are no side windows, but the rear window is quite large and there’s a roof hatch. Like the bathroom area, the rear bedroom differs slightly from conventional designs.
Between the rear bedroom and the kitchen area, the bathroom is quite spacious. Included in the fit-out is a semi-circular shower cubicle, a separate vanity cabinet with a wash basin plus cupboard space and a toilet cubicle that is large enough to contain a top-loading washing machine and a second wash basin. What’s unusual about the bathroom arrangement is that it can be closed off from both sides by a sliding door at the front and a bifold door at the rear. The latter also closes off the vanity cabinet area when it’s not being used; but has to be half open if access is required to both the vanity and the rear bedroom.
It’s a little fiddly; but overall, the bathroom is quite a practical set-up.
GOING OFF-GRID
As noted previously, the Monte Carlo is large for many caravan parks. It is well-equipped for free camping, though. The freshwater tank has a capacity of 450 litres and the grey tank is 200 litres. On the electrical side, there are three 135Ah Lithium LiFePO4 batteries, 600W of solar power and a 3,000W Redarc RS3 pure sine wave inverter. That’s more than enough to have quite a few days without mains power. As with many rigs, the only real limiter is the capacity of the Thetford toilet cassette tank.
THE BOTTOM LINE
There are compromises in any small motorhome. For anyone looking for an upmarket motorhome where budget isn’t an issue, Sunliner’s Monte Carlo is a good option. The casino at Monte Carlo has featured in several James Bond films – and whilst the motorhome isn’t a gamble, it certainly follows the Bond film theme of being full of gadgets and gizmos. All designed to give a very luxurious lifestyle on the road. Who could resist?
SPECIFICATIONS
VEHICLE
MANUFACTURER SUNLINER
MODEL MONTE CARLO MC73
BASE VEHICLE ISUZU NQR 87/190
TARE WEIGHT 6,690KG
GVM 8,700KG
LICENCE MR
PASSENGERS 4
MECHANICAL
ENGINE 5.2 LITRE TURBO DIESEL
POWER 140KW @ 2,600RPM
TORQUE 513NM @ 1,600-2,600RPM
GEAR BOX 6-SPEED AMT
BRAKES VENTILATED DISC WITH EBD AND EXHAUST BRAKE
DIMENSIONS
EXTERNAL LENGTH 9.8M (32FT 2IN)
EXTERNAL WIDTH 2.45M (8FT)
EXTERNAL HEIGHT 3.4M (11FT 2IN)
INTERNAL HEIGHT 1.98M (6FT 6IN)
REAR BED SIZE 1.9M X 1.53M (6FT 3IN X 5FT)
UPPER BED SIZE 1.83M X 1.37M (6FT X 4FT 6IN)
EQUIPMENT
COOK TOP THETFORD TRIPLEX, THREE BURNER AND GRILL/OVEN
FRIDGE 2 X THETFORD T2152C 150 LITRE 12V COMPRESSOR
CAB FRIDGE MY COOLMAN 14 LITRE
EXTERNAL FRIDGE WAECO DRAWER FRIDGE 30 LITRE
MICROWAVE SPHERE
LIGHTING 12V LED
BATTERIES 3 X 135AH LITHIUM
SOLAR PANELS 3 X 200W
GENERATOR USR 3.6KVA
COFFEE MACHINE BUILT-IN
CORDLESS VACUUM DYSON
AIR CONDITIONER HOUGHTON BELAIRE 3400
TOILET THETFORD CASSETTE
SHOWER SEPARATE CUBICLE
HOT WATER SWIFT 28 LITRE GAS/ELEC
HEATER WEBASTO DIESEL
WATER TANK 450 LITRE
GREY TANK 200 LITRE
GAS CYLINDERS 2 X 9.0KG
Supplied by
Australian Motor Homes and Caravans
31 Pacific Highway
Bennetts Green NSW 2290
Ph: (02) 4948 0433
australianmotorhomes.com.au
