European-built motorhomes: A look at the Adria Twin 600 SPB
In Australia, European-built motorhomes and caravans are a little bit rare.
Some brands have come and gone, one or two more than once. One brand, Slovenian-built Adria
I had the opportunity recently to look over an Adria Twin 600 SPB, a large van conversion based on a Fiat Ducato Multijet 160. Unlike many German manufacturers in particular, the Slovenian Adria produces a motorhome specifically for Australia and New Zealand with a habitation door on the left-hand side.
Although only 6m (19ft 8in) long, the Twin 600 SPB is a very versatile motorhome. It sleeps two but has belted seating for four, so it can be used equally as a weekend or long escape machine, yet still as an around-town transport.
As this is a van conversion, there isn't a great deal of spare interior space but what’s available is well-used in the typical European style. In usual Fiat Ducato fashion, both the cab seats swivel around. There's a table and rear seats behind the driver's seat and a kitchen bench, including the fridge along the nearside, part of which intrudes into the side door space. Facing the kitchen is a compact shower/toilet cubicle, leaving enough space in the rear for a 1.96m x 1.4m (6ft 4in x 4ft 6in) east–west bed.
There’s been a bit of clever thinking used here. It’s a fixed bed, in that it doesn’t have to be made up every night. However, its base and mattress are in three sections, the middle section being hinged. Lifted out of the way, there is enough space for something like a couple of bikes to be carried. Included in the floor fittings are tie-down rings. On both sides of the walk-through space are several storage compartments, including a separate one for the two 4kg gas cylinders.
One oddity in the design was in the bedroom area. Although Adria and its Aussie importers have done a bit of work to get the motorhome suitable for local use, the absence of side windows in the rear is a bit odd. Fortunately, there are opening windows in the rear doors, but the lack of side wall windows gave me a slightly claustrophobic feel, not to mention a lack of ventilation.
I know the Twin 600 isn't a large motorhome but it's well-equipped and ideal for a couple who travel lightly, a solo traveller who desires an easy-handling RV and sporting types who want a weekend escape machine. Cyclists, surfers, divers and snow skiers/boarders can all indulge in their sport and have somewhere to store their gear when travelling.
Australia's safe electrics
In Australia and New Zealand, electrical installations in recreational vehicles (RVs) are governed principally by two standards, AS/NZS 3000:2018 and AS/NZS 3001.2:2022. All 240V cabling, fittings and associated infrastructure must comply with those standards and it’s Australia-wide. Although most RV users never look at said standards, they keep our mobile homes safe. AS/NZS 3001.2:2022 has recently been updated to accommodate high-powered lithium battery and inverter installations for instance.
In the USA things aren’t quite the same, with compliance and regulation a little different to ours. Apart from anything else, the domestic voltage of 110V AC doubles the electrical current for the same power used, which more or less doubles the conductor diameter. Anyone who has travelled to the US will know that RV electrical fittings are quite large and heavy in the case of power leads, with 30A and even 50A fittings being quite common. Something else that is not unusual is using an RV generator to power a home in a blackout. This is done by way of plugging the generator into a domestic power point and back-feeding the house using a power lead with male plugs on both ends. Something readily available for sale on Amazon and similar places. There are a couple of dangers in using this aptly named ‘suicide cord’. The dangers of electrocution are obvious. Not to mention overheating the receptor power point and the mains supply (should it come on) and the RV generator possibly out of sync with the other. Let us be thankful for Australian standards.
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