On our trip to New Zealand, we spent 5 weeks in a Class B+ motorhome rental from Wilderness Motorhomes. The model we had is the Alpine 4, which was the Wilderness name for what’s really a Lyseo TD Harmony Line 728G built by the respected German RV manufacturer Bürstner. Watch the video above to see our complete in-depth tour of our rig, inside & out.
We travelled to New Zealand with our friends Tom & Caitlin of Mortons On The Move, who are also co-hosts of our TV show, The RVers. Which reminds us… shameless plug… Season Two of The RVers premieres on The Discovery Channel (in the US) on Saturday, May 16, 2020 at 8 AM Eastern)!
Here are some stats on our Wilderness rental motorhome:
- Chassis: Fiat Ducato
- Engine: 2.3 liter, 120 horsepower Mjet Euro 6D
- Fuel Type: Diesel
- Fuel Tank Size:. 75 liters (19.8 gallons)
- Fuel Economy: 10-13 litres / 100km (roughly 18-24 mpg, which were our actual numbers during our trip)
- RV Dimensions (L x W x H): 24′ 6″ x 7′ 6″ x 9′ 8″ (749cm x 230cm x 295cm)
- Fresh Tank: 120 liters (31.7 gallons)
- Gray Tank: 90 liters (23.8 gallons)
- Blank Tank (cassette): roughly 5 gallons (good thing it’s on wheels… you need to dump it often!)
With New Zealand beginning the process of easing restrictions, we thought we’d follow our NZ Freedom Camping video with this RV tour. And now that there’s a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, we hope this inspires you to dream/plan your New Zealand Wilderness Motorhome holiday, too!
And if you want help figuring out where to go exploring while in New Zealand, Wilderness Motorhomes had copies of Scott Cook’s awesome guides to NZ available for us to borrow during our rental (and they were INVALUABLE resources for finding great hikes and off-the-beaten-path sights)… but why wait until you get there? Pick up a copy now so you can be prepared!
This summer, we’re looking forward to Tom & Cait publishing their series of videos about our time in New Zealand, in which we’ll surely be making some cameo appearances. Since Tom is famous for his incredible cinematography, it’ll be like having our home movies created by a Hollywood producer! (Thanks, Tom & Cait! ????????)
Subscribe to Mortons on the Move and Tom & Cait’s YouTube channel so you don’t miss an installment!
Finally… Season Two of The RVers premieres on The Discovery Channel (in the US) on May 16, 2020, just ONE week from now! That’s right, we’ve moved to Saturdays at 8 AM Eastern & Pacific, 7 AM Central & 9 AM Mountain (check your local listings, as times may vary depending on your provider).
In addition to Discovery, the show also airs/streams on iTunes (US, Canada, U.K. & Australia), PBS (check your local listings), Amazon Video, Google Play, YouTubeTV, and the Wild Pursuit Network in Canada. We’ve also been picked up by a new network called Fun Roads TV. Hmmm…. Fun and Roads… just like RVing… a natural place for The RVers to air!
We hope you enjoyed this video!
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Diana
Friday 13th of November 2020
I just watched your great walkthru and can answer your question about NZ emissions and DEF. New Zealand follows EU emissions standards so it uses engine emission controls such as EGR and DPF. This is arguably more efficient than adding DEF to the fuel. Diesel itself is also manufactured slightly differently to reduce sulphur and particulates. New Zealand also has annual “warrant of fitness” tests that include emissions and on-road vehicles must pass or they can’t be legally driven.
TheRVgeeks
Friday 13th of November 2020
Wow! Thanks so much for all the detailed information, Diana! Much appreciated.
Deborah Kerr
Wednesday 13th of May 2020
As they say..."the devil's in the details"!! We have a 2008 FourWinds Siesta 24SA on a Sprinter chassis with a Mercedes 3.0 turbo diesel and I saw some similarities. I wish we had the cab chairs that swung around and the expanding table. I like the twin beds and all of that storage!! Your fridge looked smaller though. I like the safety feature of spare tire in back garage - ours is underneath the vehicle! LOVE LOVE LOVE everything about the windows!! Thanks for sharing - I think the dream of RV'ing abroad is a realistic possibility!! :)
TheRVgeeks
Wednesday 13th of May 2020
Glad you liked it, Deborah. That was, indeed, one pretty sweet little RV! And we hope you get to follow that dream of international RVing... we've loved EVERY trip we've done that way!
Pat
Saturday 9th of May 2020
What a great rig has so many unique features....maybe manufacturers here should look into this. Really liked this rig and thanks for showing us all the features...Pat and Rita
TheRVgeeks
Saturday 9th of May 2020
We agree that North American manufacturers could take a lesson in design, and clever features, from this! Hope you two are hanging in there okay, and staying cool in all this heat! ????
Vicki Sherouse
Saturday 9th of May 2020
We own a 2001 Ducato C made in Germany. We bought it used 5 years ago and live in it 4-5 months a year in Europe and Great Britain. We have found the quality to be much better than US models, as well as the design. It is small-- only 5.4 meters (about 18ft). Many US manufacturers are now using European systems like Truma heating/hot water--so superior. We are selling ours as we are in our mid 70s if anyone interested. www.theroadgoeseveron.com
TheRVgeeks
Saturday 9th of May 2020
Hi Vicki! We're happy to hear you echo our experience with European RVs, and we absolutely LOVE what you've been doing! We've talked about owning a 2nd RV in Europe, but with two 85-year-old Moms in the U.S., we've been holding off that kind of lengthy immersion abroad. We just looked at your rig, and it's adorable. Good luck with the sale, and your future travels. Stay safe - Peter & John
John
Saturday 9th of May 2020
Having worked in the motorhome industry for many years in the UK and EU and now running around europe in a north American RV I have come to realize one solid fact, and that is that someone somewhere is making a lot of money from European motorhomes, because they are building on a 3.5t chassis rather than a proper truck chassis, the lower weight capacity chassis is cheaper to buy and because they have weight considerations the build quality suffers, lots of plastic and cheap lightweight materials and a vehicle and engine that aren't built for mileage or longevity.
Forget about considering fulltiming in one, and I would imagine that you guys can't wait to get back to your built for purpose Newmar RV after spending a few weeks in an overpriced, cramped local delivery van...
Checkout the price of a new Burstner motorhome model with all the extras you are driving, with no slides, air con or leveling jacks, it's close to $100,000... and once you fill it with all your gear and jump in you will probably be overweight for the chassis.
I would love to see a video where you guys sink a couple of bottles of vino and then tell us what you really think of european motorhomes compared to purpose built north american RV's :D
TheRVgeeks
Saturday 9th of May 2020
Hi John! As we only spent five weeks on holiday in the Bürstner, it's hard for us to go too deep into what it's like to live in one, the durability, longevity, etc. But we can say that the biggest thing we liked about it, which we also liked in Italy and England, too (and wish U.S. manufacturers would take note of), is the design and features. The cabinetry, the operation of the drawers, windows, screens, and other touches (how brilliant, but simple, is it to have two opposing drains in the shower for example)? The quality of materials definitely seemed higher than smaller North American Class B+ and Class C rigs we've been aboard.
We know that there are some serious weight considerations outside North America, largely due to licensing requirements, which forces RVs to weigh less in general. For example, you almost NEVER see a travel trailer being towed by a passenger car in the States, because the towing capacity of the cars and the weight of the trailers can't be combined.
We felt that other than a pretty anemic power plant, and transmission that hunted for the right gear far too often, the RV drove stably and comfortably, and we were very happy with the fuel mileage (which varied between 18 and 24 MPG for us, depending on terrain).
Yes, we still love our own rig (especially because of the black tank vs cassette!), but for holiday purposes, we were happy with the performance of the Bürstner, and would love to see some of the clever designs and style make their way across the Pond.