Lovely. Leura! imotorhome. because getting there is half the fun... Avida RV adds a compact B-class sure to appeal to many buyers.

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1 imotorhome because getting there is half the fun... Lovely Leura! magazine Avida RV adds a compact B-class sure to appeal to many buyers Review and images by Malcolm Street

2 2 Day Test: Avida Leura At just 6.8 m (22 ft 4 in) the Leura is compact enough to go almost anywhere yet provides a large amount of living area and a comparatively huge bathroom. F or several years Avida has had a steady range of motorhomes, with the emphasis on improving the breed rather than introducing new models. Recently, however, a new model rolled out of the factory doors: The Leura presumably named after the town in the Blue Mountains. It s quite a small looking motorhome, partly due to its B-class low profile style but also because of its 6.71 m (22 ft) length. Indeed, looking at the window locations a large one on either side did make me wonder how everything is fitted in! The Vehicle Avida has used the familiar Fiat Ducato cab-chassis as the base vehicle. In the case of the test vehicle it s the Multijet 180 with the 3.0-litre 132 kw turbo-diesel, which is an option over the standard Multijet

3 3 Day Test: Avida Leura Fiat s Ducato cab-chassis makes the ideal base vehicle and helps keep the price down without sacrificing comfort or safety or economy. The lack of a rear window means a high mounted bike rack would fit perfectly, too! 130 with the 2.3-litre 96 kw engine. It s built on a steel sub-chassis with fibreglass composite walls, moulded fibreglass ends and an out-ofsight aluminium frame inside the body panels. Apart from the gas bottle storage and toilet cassette lockers there is just one other external locker, which accesses the underlounge storage area as well. A Fiamma F45 awning neatly covers the kerb-side wall area. With a tare weight of just 3106 kg, the 3.0 litre Ducatopowered Leura is certainly a spritely performer. I gave it a little run up through the Bells Line of Road to Lithgow, then back along the Great Western Highway to Emu Plains. Even though there were plenty of hills and dales the Leura confidently maintained posted road speeds without a problem. Inside Undoubtedly the key feature of the Leura is its elevating bed. It sits in front of the full-width rear bathroom and above the sideways facing lounges. That

4 4 Day Test: Avida Leura Large side windows provide excellent light and ventilation, while the Zwaardvis table mount allows plenty of table movement for ideal positioning. The electric bed stows in the ceiling to provide a large amount of usable living area ideal for entertaining. allows for a kitchen bench to fill the wall behind the driver's seat and a small cabinet behind the passenger seats. One of the striking features inside is the striped pattern of the lounge upholstery that is (optionally) coordinated with the cab seats. Like any good Ducato conversion the cab seats swivel around, but they just act as extra seats rather than integrating in with the other seating. That is not necessarily a bad thing as with this design, once the bed is lowered for one person, the lounges cannot be used for seating but the swivelled cab seats certainly can. A feature of the sideways lounges is that they are 1.5 m (5 ft) long and so offer plenty of seating space. Both seat backs are L-shaped at one end, which does solve the problem of seat backs moving around when travelling but does make them rather awkward to stow out of the way to fully lowering the bed.

5 5 Day Test: Avida Leura The front entry door position means those seated inside aren t in the way of the cook or anyone entering or leaving. With the table, the Zwaardvis mounting is offset to the kerb side, but is quite flexible in its swivelled positions. As noted above, the under-seat area on the kerb side can be used for storage and accessed either from inside or out, but the driver s side area is taken up by the water heater and in the test Leura, by the Saphir split-system airconditioner. Between the driver s-side lounge and the bathroom wall a half-height cabinet is fitted, with the space above occupied by a flat screen TV. This isn t a bad location given it can be seen from either the lounge or swivelled cab seats, and as long as the pillows are on the kerb side, the lowered bed as well. On the opposite side, in the space between the seat and the bathroom, a full height wardrobe is fitted. The Kitchen Compact would be a good word to describe the Leura s kitchen, with the bench being just long enough to have a stainless steel sink and drainer plus a sideways fitted two-burner cooktop. Under the bench resides a Dometic 106-litre 3-way fridge plus

6 6 Day Test: Avida Leura The small kitchen is best suited to short break travel and simple meals, while the dining table will become the default kitchen bench extension.

7 7 Day Test: Avida Leura With interior storage space at a premium this tall cupboard, which also houses the house battery and charger, is invaluable, although it blocks the swivelled passenger seat. two drawers and a cupboard. Above is an overhead locker, complete with an extra shelf, alongside the microwave oven. A nice useful touch is the narrow shelf below the overhead locker. Under the bench-top lip in front of the sink, in the Avida style, are switches for lights, hot water, airconditioning and the elevating bed. As I said, all very compact. Between the entry door and passenger seat the space has been filled with a cupboard: the lower area occupied by the house battery and charger and the upper being general storage. The downside of this cupboard is that it blocks the swivelled passenger seat, but the upside is it provides storage space.

8 8 Day Test: Avida Leura Keeping Clean In the rear, the full-width bathroom almost seems disproportionally large compared to the rest of the Leura. It s terrific if a large bathroom is on your wish list, especially in a smaller vehicle. The bathroom has a kerb-side shower cubicle; a Thetford cassette toilet opposite and a midpositioned vanity, which is almost a stand alone unit featuring a two door cupboard below the basin and a wall mirror above. Additional storage is provided by a locker above the loo and there s a towel rail on the rear wall. For a small motorhome the bathroom is capacious and a big selling feature; especially the convenience of a separate shower and, um, convenience

9 9 Day Test: Avida Leura The bed can be left made-up when stowed, but just how far you lower it depends on how much work you want to do storing the lounge backrest cushions. A portable step is probably the simplest solution for easy bed access. Bedtime Lowering the bed is quite simply done by operating the switch. Just how far it s lowered depends on how lazy you are, as not removing the lounge seat-backs means you ll require a small ladder or box of some sort for easy bed access. But with a little more work and the seat backs stowed on the floor, under the bed, it s easy. Your choice! Size wise, at 1.96 m x 1.5 m (6 ft 5 in x 4 ft 11 in) the bed measures up well and is quite comfortable to sleep on. Slightly awkward, however, are the bed reading lights: The person at the rear gets one on the kerb-side wardrobe, the person at the front gets one on the driver sside microwave cabinet, at the opposite end of the bed. It might sound strange but it does give you the option of sleeping with your head at either end. However, I m sure pelmet mounted LEDs could not be too difficult to fit at either/ both ends if desired. Just how far you lower the bed depends on how lazy you are.

10 10 Day Test: Avida Leura Top: The TV s rear corner position makes it easily viewable from all seats and the bed. Bottom: Looking forward, the Leura s generous living area is apparent, as is the diminutive size of the kitchen. The louvered Herh windows might look a bit old fashioned, but they can be left open in the rain and provide good security. What I think One of the most attractive features of the Leura is its price. Another is the roomy lounge/dining area the elevating bed creates and a third is its compact dimensions. I suspect though for some, however, the smallish kitchen and smallish fridge are going to be an issue. It does of course depend very much on your cooking style and how you travel. From some points of view the Leura might be more regarded as a weekend escape machine rather than a long term tourer. However viewed though, it s certainly a good addition to the existing Avida lineup!

11 11 Day Test: Avida Leura Specifications Manufacturer Avida RV Model Leura Base Vehicle Fiat Ducato Multijet 180 Engine 3.0-litre turbo diesel Power rpm Torque rpm Gearbox 6-speed automated manual Brakes ABS Disc Tare Weight 3106 kg Gross Vehicle Mass 4250 kg Towing Capacity 2500 kg Licence Car Approved Seating 2 External Length 6.70 m (22 ft 4 in) External Width 2.32 m (7 ft 7 in) - incl. awning External Height 2.89 m (9 ft 4 in) Internal Height 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Rear Bed Size 1.96 m x 1.5 m (6 ft 5 in x 4 ft 11 in) Cooktop Dometic 2-burner Fridge Dometic 106-litre Microwave LG Lighting 12 V LED Batteries 1 x 100 AH Heater Optional Solar Panels Optional Air Conditioner Truma Saphir ducted Hot Water Heater Suburban 23-litre Toilet Thetford cassette Shower Separate cubicle Fresh Water Tank 124-litre Grey Water Tank 100-litre Price (as tested, on road NSW) $117,200 Price (Standard, on road NSW) $114,300 Pros Small motorhome with all facilities Good size bed Spacious lounge/dining area Big bathroom Good water capacities Zwaardvis table fitting Cons Smallish kitchen Smallish fridge Limited external storage Bed reading light positions No 12 V charger points Contact Avida 32 David Road Emu Plains NSW 2750 T: (02) E: contact form on website W: avidarv.com.au Click for Google Maps For more imotorhome Road Tests click here Copyright 2014 imotorhome.com.au All rights reserved.

12 12 Day Test: Avida Leura From some points of views the Leura might be more regarded as a weekend escape machine. However viewed, it s a good addition to the Avida lineup!