Suncamper's Santa Cruz Is "5-Star Hotel" Living in Australia's Treacherous Outback

Folks, since 1977, the name Suncamper Motorhomes has had a presence on the Australian market. If we do the math, that's nearly 50 years of experience designing and crafting motorhomes. If we consider that they build for the Australian outback, one of this planet's most treacherous landscapes, you can imagine the level of craftsmanship they employ. After all, you don't stay alive for this long in this industry by building machines people can't rely on.

Now, the Santa Cruz is one of this team's newest models, but, as with every other unit this crew spits out, it's just as loved. Oh, and to give you an idea of what we're up against, Suncamper likes to state that this puppy "boasts all the luxuries you'd expect from a 5-star hotel." Personally, when I first saw this bugger, I started to believe that statement, so let's dive deeper.

Overall, each Santa Cruz is based upon an Iveco Daily chassis, and in all, it's 8.6 m (28.2 ft), 2.45 m (8 ft) wide (without the mirrors), and is fitted with a 3.0 l turbo diesel engine. The downside is that all the luxury you see in the image gallery makes up for a rather heavy unit with an unladen weight of 3,730 kg (8,223 lbs). Load it up with some of your belongings, and it's a big one. Let's take the first steps inside.

To enter the living space, two possibilities exist: you can access this space from the cab directly, which is ready with swivel seating for both driver and passenger or via the side door. Once you do, you'll find yourself in the middle of the dining/entertainment space or right next to the galley. To make things easier to understand, let's start with cab access.

After driving around for what seems like hours, you'll finally arrive at your destination, ready to settle down for the next few days or so. Park your Santa Cruz, stand up, stretch your legs, and take your first steps toward the fridge to grab a drink. Make sure to mind the dropdown TV hanging overhead at the entrance of the habitat.

You'll pass the dining area and head straight into the kitchen to grab a cold one and maybe even whip up a quick sandwich. After all, dinnertime is only a couple of hours away, and a snack will do for now; the plan is to use the outdoor galley block to cook something nice and smokey. Maybe burgers, maybe steaks, maybe some hotdogs, and more brewskies.

Still, suppose you're planning on unfurling the entire campsite tomorrow or the day after. In that case, the interior galley is still more than ready with a three-burner top, a sink, a large countertop, a fridge, and more storage space than you would ever need to store all your meal requisites. There's even a dishwasher in place, a feature that even my landlocked two-bedroom apartment doesn't have.

From here, the remainder of the Santa Cruz is reserved for nothing other than sleep and keeping clean. As we venture toward the rear, a large queen bed pops into view. Beyond that, a fully equipped bathroom with separate features ensures one person can shower. At the same time, the other brushes their fangs or arranges their appearance for the day or night ahead.

A few notable aspects of this section include the overhead storage found over the bedding, the large walk-around space, and finally, that bathroom. Yes, I'm going to attract your attention even more to this space because Suncamper did one hell of a job placing everything we need at our fingertips, and it even looks amazing! All I have to say is that I can understand why Suncamper compares this unit to a five-star hotel.

Take a moment and imagine waking up or going to bed and this space being the first or last area you spend time in. That backlight shower wall is sure to adapt to the level of eyes half-shut you may be experiencing, and the rainfall showerhead will tickle away the day and ready you for bed. If it's morning, it'll just wash away the Zs and get the blood flowing all over your body.

Finally, let's go beyond all that and imagine waking up on the edge of some beach with the morning light starting to warm up the walls of your Santa Cruz. No worries, AC and heating are at your fingertips; this time, you wake up early to catch the sunrise with your significant other and have a cup of tea or coffee before embarking upon the day.

Take a moment to really feel the moment, and after a quick meal whipped up on the outdoor galley setup, it's time to unload those kayaks and e-bikes and start exploring the local landscape. As you do, your Santa Cruz will be working its own magic, taking in power from the sun and replenishing systems. However, the spec sheet says nothing about solar panels, so you may need to pay extra for those.

Speaking of extra, just how much are we expected to dump on this sort of lifestyle? Depending on the features in store, dealerships are selling new units for a tad over $250K Australian, which is roughly $159K American (at current exchange rates). That's a price tag to make me consider Suncamper as a sort of Winnebago of Australia, in terms of RVs, to say the least.

At the end of the day, quite a whole lot more goes into each Santa Cruz. After all, this is their luxury lineup, and by the looks of it, the word 'luxury' is more than fitting to describe what this machine is all about.