WJ Pacer a real home from home

Published Aug 30, 2010

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"What time is it?", I ask my buddy as I hand him another cold Black Label. The sun's directly overhead but I haven't looked at a clock in days.

"It's Sunday", he replies.

Ah yes, another long weekend in South Africa. Gotta love 'em. Perfect opportunities to get out of town and take your mind off the office. And, if you're a motoring journalist like me, road test a Winnebago.

Well, not really a Winnebago - I used the American generic term which was spawned by the original motorhome's birthplace in Winnebago, Iowa. The motorhome pictured here isn't American at all, it's South African and, if we were to call it by it's birthplace, we'd be talking about the new Ga Rankuwa which doesn't quite have the same ring.

Well-known South African caravan builders Jurgens acquired the licence to build this formerly European-built motorhome, proerly known as the WJ Pacer, in 1996. Until recently the Pacer was based on a Mercedes Sprinter chassis but the new version on review here is built on Fiat Ducato underpinnings.

This particular unit is the first of only two yet built, making it for all intents and purposes a prototype. Not that I'd ever know; I'm a motorhoming virgin. If some exposed wiring or a slightly skew cupboard door was visiblerd have thought it par for the home-on-wheels course.

However, before I trekked away from Jurgens' Ga Rankuwa premises I was assured that fit and finish wasn't quite up to scratch and with every one built, it gets better. They're assembling the third Ducato-based Pacer as we speak.

Our holiday would only involve three nights at a friend's farm, so my girfriend and I didn't get even close to testing the limits of the new Pacer's storage space. I'm not sure who draws up the blueprints for these mobile hotel-room interiors, but whoever drew this one has a lot of stuff.

There are storage nooks and crannies everywhere, all with neat little knobbetjies that double from door pulls to locking mechanisms when pushed in. Special cabinets for crockery and glasses, a drawer for utensils and even a head height closet for hanging your Sunday best in as you would at home.

Not to mention a giant storage space under the rear of the cab where the on-board gas bottles, power cables and other bulky stuff such as tents and fishing rods could go. In all, a couple of months worth of supplies could be neatly tucked away into the Pacer's clever storage facilities.

There's a proper fridge/freezer that runs off of normal 12-volt battery power, so keeping bevvies cold en route is no problem. The battery also runs a host of interior and exterior LED lights, and an electric water pump for basin (with hot and cold taps), shower and toilet duties.

Other facilities such as the dishwasher (I'm not joking), microwave, 19-inch plasma TV screen and a roof-mounted heater/aircon unit require the vehicle to be plugged into a 220V power source.

Unfortunately two 9kg gas bottles on the test unit (did I mention it was a prototype?) were empty and the 80-litre fresh water tank had been removed, so I wasn't able to actually "live" in the Pacer without external assistance from my buddy's farmhouse.

Lucky for us we were parked only a few metres away from a hot shower, spacious kitchen and most importantly a full-sized toilet.

MOTORHOME ROYALTY

We did attempt to sleep in the double bed on one of the three nights though, and another friend who's more clued up on caravanning than us rookies said that I must mention it's an "island" bed.

Apparently among the home-away-from-home fraternity, the ability to exit the bed on either side is a feature enjoyed only by motorhome royalty.

The Pacer's bed is diagonally mounted in the back of the motorhome so that either half can clamber out without waking the other one. Very handy.

Out on the road I was amazed at how capable this rather large vehicle was. There's an 88kW/320Nm, 2.2-litre turbodiesel powering the Ducato chassis/cab and it chugged along at similar pace to most other road users. I was able to cruise at 120km/h with no problem, and could even overtake slower trucks with a quick downshift to fifth - or fourth if we were headed uphill.

It's deceptively big from the driver's seat, especially since the camper body tapers outward from the standard Ducato cab. Frequent glances at the huge wing mirrors are necessary to keep within the lines, especially if on a single carriageway.

Every time I stepped out of it, I was in awe of the size of the beast because it just doesn't feel like it from behind the wheel. But even with the Pacer's apparent mass the whole package weighs only 3300kg so you can drive it on your standard B or EB type licence.

VERDICT

Sometimes, caravanners and motorhomers are looked at as a different breed of human. I'm not sure why. Probably because they hit the road en masse like some nomadic tribe come holiday time and take up more road space than most. But, after just one weekend, I understand the allure.

Hotel rooms are nice, but at the end of the day you're basically renting someone else's bed and bathroom. With a vehicle like this, you can take yours with you wherever you like.

Even park it next to a Kruger Park watering hole and enjoy a stove cooked lunch in perfect peace. Pack the cupboards with all the junk you think you'll need and hit the highway like a travelling hermit.

The new WJ Pacer costs R650 000.

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