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New Horizons
Horizon’s Acacia 4X4 offers more than just off-road ability...
Review and Images by Richard Robertson
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Light sand work holds no fear for the Sprinter 4WD.
U
nless you’re heading
into the complete
unknown, ticking
the 4WD option box (if
available) for a campervan
or motorhome is more about
all-weather and all-road
security than ultimate off-road
ability. Hardcore adventure
vehicles, like the EarthCruiser
for example, are specialist
machines designed to trek
across continents and tackle
anything in their path. Tall,
relatively slow and often more
basically equipped than many
people would like, they are
built for extremes – and look
like it.
Enter the Horizon Acacia:
A Mercedes Sprinter van
conversion available with
the option of 4WD and that
doesn’t sacrifice creature
comforts or look like it
should be lining up for the
next Outback Monster Truck
Challenge!
Sprinter Plus!
M
ercedes Benz’ Sprinter
is the gold-standard in
light commercial vehicles used
for camper and motorhome
conversions. Blessed with
the German giant’s unrivalled
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engineering input and
manufacturing prowess, it’s
also the most expensive base
vehicle available. To illustrate
this, Horizon Motorhomes tell
me the Fiat Ducato outsells
the Sprinter by about 3:1 and
although the Fiat is good, I’m
certain Horizon would sell
many more if the price point
was the same.
The test Acacia was a
converted Mercedes 519
long-wheelbase (LWB)
Sprinter van with dual rear
wheels plus the optional
3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel
engine and selectable fourwheel drive. It’s a highly
desirable package, but ticking
all the boxes certainly pushes
up the price. For example,
the entry-level 2WD Acacia/
Sprinter is $118,500 drive
away, while the top-ofthe-wazza 4WD version is
out-the-door for $154,000.
The Acacia motorhome
conversion is identical, so it’s
the engine, running gear and
4WD system that accounts for
the difference.
Muddy roads are where the security of the Sprinter’s 4WD
system comes into its own.
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The 4WD Sprinter’s raised ride height is evident,
especially in the wheel arches. Ground clearance
is its ultimate limiting factor, however.
The 4WD Sprinter sits
higher, as expected, but
doesn’t tower above you.
Still, at about 7-metres long,
2-metres wide and 3-metres
high it’s an imposing vehicle
that certainly stands out in the
crowd.
The 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel
puts out 140 kW and 440
Nm, making it the most
powerful engine available in
this class of vehicle (entry level
is 120 kW/360 Nm). Drive
is via a conventional fivespeed automatic transmission
plus an electrically-operated
two-speed (Hi/Lo) transfer
case that sends drive to the
front wheels when selected.
Normal drive is through the
rear wheels.
It’s worth noting here that
while dual rear wheels provide
increased on-road stability
they are less than ideal in
soft conditions. I’m told that
dual rear wheels force mud/
sand/snow up between
them, increasing drive effort
and making bogging easier.
You’ll notice serious off-road
vehicles, like expedition trucks
and military vehicles, use
large-diameter single wheels
with fatter tyres.
The 4WD Sprinter rides on
independent front suspension
and a live axle with leaf
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Raised, independent front
suspension is sophisticated
and works well.
springs at the rear. Ground
clearance is around 270 mm
and the extra height means
you’ll probably need to use
the electric entry step for easy
motorhome access.
The 4.325-metre wheel base
limits the ramp-over angle
(the height of a mound or
obstacle you can drive over
without beaching the vehicle),
while the rear overhang
similarly limits entry/exit
angles for getting in or out of
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Horizon’s Acacia conversion is neatly finished and attractive.
things like creeks. Coupled
with an almost 4.5-tonne
gross weight, these factors
combine to make the 4WD
Sprinter ideal for open-country
back-road touring rather than
mountain tracks or places
requiring repeated water
crossings.
Smooth Torquer
ot previously having
driven a 4WD Sprinter
I was impressed by its smooth
ride and ‘normal’ handling.
There was no hint of ride
roughness as I had expected
from the raised and up-rated
suspension and no noticeable
increase in body roll to
N
adversely affect handling.
All Sprinters are a pleasure to
drive and the Horizon Acacia
4WD was no exception.
Precise steering, confident
cornering, strong brakes,
excellent visibility (enhanced
by the raised ride height) and
the sheer grunt of the big V6
turbo-diesel are guaranteed
to make you smile. Coupled
with the smooth-shifting auto
transmission and Mercedes’
plethora of passive and active
safety features, including
electronic stability control,
traction control and dual
airbags, motorhome driving
doesn’t get any better than
this: Especially when you’re
not lugging around a big
bolted-on body.
Importantly for many people,
the Acacia 4WD still only
requires a standard car
licence because of its 4490
kg gross vehicle mass (GVM).
However, the added weight of
the 4WD system and engine
upgrade do increase its tare
(empty) weight to 3440 kg,
leaving a respectable 1050
kg for occupants, goods and
chattels.
Body Works
like van conversions
because they retain the
shell of the host vehicle and
add just a few extra holes,
I
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for things like windows and
roof hatches, which can
ever become a future source
of water leaks. Horizon
Motorhomes’ buy what are
known as ‘blind’ Sprinter vans
(without windows) so they
can position and cut their
own windows in, although
all Sprinters come with fixed
glass in the rear doors.
Horizon uses Dometic Seitz
windows, which are double
glazed acrylic units with inbuilt blinds and flyscreens.
Providing good insulation,
great natural light and loads
of fresh air when open, the
integrated blind/flyscreen
system does require a more
delicate touch to operate
than many blokes would be
accustomed to providing...
The big, sliding side door
is also retained as the
main entry/exit door to the
motorhome area, although a
proper motorhome-style door
External shower is a great
idea in an off-road vehicle.
Raised ride height makes the
electric entry step a welcome and
necessary inclusion!
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Acacia’s cab seats
swivel easily but the
dining table only works
with the third seat.
is available in its place – as
a $6900 option. As pricy as
this might sound, if this is a
long-term vehicle for you it’s
well worth considering. Not
only is it much easier and
quieter to operate than a big
sliding ‘whizz-bang’, it frees
up valuable internal space and
would probably be quite sort
after when you do sell it on.
As expected, the Acacia
comes with mains power and
water connections, a filler for
the 100-litre fresh water tank,
an external hot/cold shower
and external 12 and 240-volt
power outlets. It also has
2 x 4 kg gas bottles, a 95-litre
grey water tank and holds
19-litres of unmentionablecoloured water in the
removable toilet cassette.
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The kitchen is well equipped, but the tapered bench limits valuable work space. Electrical
controls are neatly grouped while the TV swivels for viewing from bed or dinette.
What’s the Plan?
T
here was a time when
Horizon built solid but
unremarkable motorhomes
that did the job, but without
any pizzas. That time has
passed. Interior style, fit and
finish are now well above class
standards while the level of
attention to detail and design
innovation – often in unseen
areas – speaks of a product
that is the result of a carefully
though-out and evolutionary
design process.
Strictly for two, the Acacia
features a front dinette
with swivelling cab seats,
mid-mounted kitchen and
bathroom and an east-west
double bed at the rear. Let me
walk you through...
The cab seats swivel to
form the primary after-hours
relaxation area. From there
you can watch TV, read a
book or just stretch out,
but when it’s time to eat
someone has to move to
the single forward-facing
seat on the other side of the
small adjustable dining table,
opposite the driver’s seat.
There’s good viewing from
the dinette, with a good-sized
side window (matching one in
the sliding side-door) as well
as the windscreen, plus a roof
hatch. There is also a double
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Angled end-cupboard is easily
accessed, while the recessed
cooker’s glass lid can provide
extra work space when you're
not cooking.
power point and a 12-volt
outlet on the wall beneath
the table, for keeping your
electrical devices charged
and happy.
Thought for Food
he kerb-side mounted
kitchen has limited bench
space, but into it Horizon fits
a glass-lidded Dometic threeburner gas cooktop plus a
matching glass-lidded singlebowl sink and drainer, with
flick-mixer tap. The bench
tapers forwards towards
the entry door, which costs
T
work space but provides a
more open and spacious feel.
Because of the taper there is
no room for a flip-up bench
extension, but the double
cupboard doors below the
tapered worktop open wide
and are easily accessed.
There are also plenty of cutlery
and pot drawers beneath the
cooktop and sink, although
no overhead cupboards, and
if ordered the optional gas
oven and grill would reduce
the drawer/cupboard count
considerably.
A 136-litre Waeco 12-volt
compressor fridge is mounted
above a small cupboard,
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about a foot above floor level
and across from the kitchen,
between the bathroom and
bedside wardrobe. Above
it sits a Sharp carousel
microwave and above that is a
deep double-door cupboard.
Above the kitchen bench is
the Acacia’s electronic nerve
centre, with all electrical
switches, battery indicators,
tank gauges and hot water
controls arranged neatly in a
line at eye level. Interestingly,
the swivel TV is right above
the sink, so you can watch
from bed or the dinette, but if
you’re washing up it’s literally
in your face!
Speaking of electrics, lighting
is LED inside and out and
like all Horizon’s the Acacia
has a single 200-amp AGM
house battery, charged by
Cavernous under-bed storage can be accessed from inside, or via the back doors.
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an Australian-made Redarc
system. The advantage of this
is that most car alternators
aren’t designed to fully charge
house batteries and aren’t
really designed for extra
batteries at all. The Redarc
system takes care of this,
however, and is also designed
to get the most from solar
panels, too, even if they’re
fitted later.
After Hours
ompact but practical,
the bathroom, which has
a full-length mirror door that
does much to prevent the
Acacia feeling tunnel-like, is a
combined shower and toilet
unit that is standard fare for
this class of vehicle. It has
a corner hand basin with
flick-mixer tap, a separate
tap for the hand shower, a
C
Rear double bed has plenty of windows for light
and fresh air, but is too short for tall people.
wall-mounted mirror (but no
medicine cabinet) and a fan/
hatch overhead. The toilet
is a swivel-head Dometic
toilet with SOG fan extraction
system to remove toilet
cassette smells. Hot water
comes from a fast-reheating
14-litre Truma gas system.
Across the rear of the Acacia,
the east-west double bed
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Compact but functional, the Acacia’s bathroom has
a full length mirror finish door that adds a sense
of spaciousness and looks good, too.
(1800 mm x 1420 mm) is
good for shorter people but
not quite long enough for taller
folk by the time you factor in
pillows and foot room. That’s
one of the drawbacks of the
Sprinter, which at 1993 mm
is relatively narrow when
compared to Fiat’s Duacto’s
2050 mm, for example.
Length aside, the bed is well
positioned and has opening
windows at both ends plus
a roof hatch for added
ventilation. There are LED
reading lights in the corners
and good overhead cupboard
space, plus a large underbed storage area that can be
accessed both from inside
and outside the vehicle.
In Conclusion
ombining the engineering
benefits and ownership
pleasure of Mercedes Benz
with the contemporary,
high quality standards of
Horizon’s latest motorhome
conversions, the Acacia 4WD
is a formidable vehicle.
C
Not an ultimate off-roader but
more an all-road-and-bushtrack machine, the Acacia
4WD can take you to places
no ordinary motorhome could
go. Which is fitting, because it
is no ordinary motorhome.
So if you’re ready for
adventure but don’t want to
rough it, put this vehicle on
your shopping list. It’s just the
machine to open up whole
new horizons...
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Dirt road driving is what the Acacia 4WD
is best suited to and it rides and handles
beautifully, despite its uprated suspension
and raised ride-height.
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Specifications
Manufacturer
Horizon Motor Homes
Model
Acacia
Base Vehicle
Mercedes Benz Sprinter 519 LWB
Engine
3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel
Power
140 kW @ 3600 rpm
Torque
440 Nm @ 1500 rpm
Gearbox
5 speed full automatic
Fuel Capacity
75-litres
Brakes
Disc ABS
Tare Weight
3440 kg
Gross Vehicle Mass
4490 kg
Towing Capacity
2000 kg
Licence
Car
Passengers
2
External Length
6945 mm (22 ft 9 in)
External Width
1993 mm (6 ft 7 in)
External Height
2860 mm (9 ft 4 in)
Internal Height
1910 mm (6 ft 3 in)
Rear bed size
1.80 m x 1.42 m (5 ft 11 in x 4 ft 8 in)
Cooktop
Dometic 3 burner
Fridge
Waeco 12V 136-litres
Microwave
Sharp Carousel
Gas
2 x 4.0 kg
Lighting
12V LED
Batteries
200 amp hour AGM
Solar panels
Optional
Air conditioner
Optional
Hot water heater
Truma 14 litre
Toilet
Dometic SOG cassette
Shower
Flexible hose, variable height
Heater
Optional
Fresh water tank
100-litres
Grey water tank
95-litres
Price
$154,000 on the road in NSW
Copyright © 2012 iMotorhome.com.au All rights reserved.
Pros
• Sprinter quality with 4WD ability
• Supremely driveable
• Comfort and convenience
• Quality conversion
• Thoughtful design
Cons
• Lacks ultimate 4WD ability
• Bed short for taller buyers
• Expensive
Contact
Horizon Motorhomes
Ballina Campervan &
Motorhome Centre
Click for
Google Maps
299 River St
Ballina. NSW. 2478.
Ph: 02 6681 1555
E: [email protected]
W: www.ballinacampers.com.au