Choosing a Motorhome

For a recreational vehicle that’s specifically designed and constructed to your personal needs and preferences, a custom-built motorhome may be your best solution.

Custom-built motorhomes may be designed and built by a manufacturer who specialises in bespoke builds — or built by a capable DIYer to your specifications.

In this buyers’ guide, we discuss how custom motorhomes are built and what features they have. We also look at the different kinds of tailor-made motorhomes and how the cost of these compare to ready-made ones.

German motorhomes have built a global reputation for exceptional design and comfort — but also reliability, innovation and safety.

Carado, Bürstner and HYMER are three of the premium German motorhome brands available to purchase in New Zealand. In this article, we discuss the safety features and innovative technologies of these three popular German brands.

Whether you’re at home or on the road, sleep is important for our energy levels and general wellbeing. And when you’re on a campervan holiday for weeks or months, the impact of a quality bed and bed layout that’s easy to use can’t be understated.

After years of recreational boating, Peta Stavelli of Motorhomes, Caravans & Destinations magazine, returned to motorhoming. As a potential buyer, you might also be asking yourself — how do these two kinds of recreational investments differ?

Gaining a restful night’s sleep on the road is vital for being able to do what you want to do the next day. However, time spent preparing your bed in the evening, and then dismantling it before breakfast, can zap your energy levels before your day even begins.

German motorhome manufacturer Bürstner have always been a modern, sophisticated company with a desire to innovate — and by creating their drop down beds, they exceeded expectations.

In this article, we’ll explain the background behind Bürstner’s drop down bed while also outlining its groundbreaking design and substantial benefits.

If you’re planning to spend a decent amount on a new motorhome, you’ll have the pick of two types of body construction.

In the more affordable corner is the semi-integrated motorhome — which still retains the front sheet metal parts and cab components of its donor van that provided the platform.

Fiat may have recently lost ground to upgraded European vans like the Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit and Volkswagen Crafter. But the new Series 8 Ducato shows improvements that should allow it to continue its reign at the top of the motorhome platform segment.

Motorhome vehicle transmissions have evolved over time — from the days of manual transmissions to 21^st century automatics.

In this article, we’ll shed some light on what a vehicle transmission is while looking at the pros and cons of various motorhome transmissions. We’ll also offer advice on how to get the most out of your motorhome’s transmission.

Like their battery-powered counterparts in the passenger car, bicycle, and motorcycle sectors, more motorhomes will begin to travel electrically as we wean ourselves off fossil fuels.

That’s despite the many packaging challenges that electric motorhomes present such as substantial changes to existing electronic architecture to hold the huge batteries needed to drive the vehicles. Electric motorhome models may therefore take a little longer to enter the market than electric campervans — but a shift away from diesel power is inevitable.

In this discussion, we take a close look at increasing investment in electric vehicles and how that’s going to affect campervan and motorhome markets. Plus, we chat about range, infrastructure, and the relationship between battery weight and payload.

You’ve invested a lot of your hard-earned cash in your new motorhome. So why leave it parked up in the cooler months? You can savour those cold winter evenings on the road in a toasty warm motorhome.

A motorhome that’s fully winterised has been built for four seasons. It has full insulation, double glazed windows, and a grunty heater that can be used without needing to plug into mains power.

If you plan to use your motorhome in winter, a central heating system is a must. These are now standard in caravans and motorhomes imported from Europe.

Finding a motorhome with the right balance of light, heating and ventilation is vital for your sense of wellbeing and relaxation. Although they’re invisible elements, they can have a considerable impact on your comfort and enjoyment.

Browse through our guide for some useful advice on these three important parts of purchasing an RV.

With such a huge array of campervans and motorhomes on the market, it’s hard to know where to start when you’re new to the game. Don’t be put off by unfamiliar terminology. After all, it’s not rocket science!

We will walk you through the main types of campervans and motorhomes available in New Zealand and the pros and cons of each so you can get one step closer to finding the one that will suit you and your lifestyle.