60 |^ Caravan & Outdoor Life Magazine July 2019
Motorhome-World use a fully-
imported side door that is handsome
in design. It is made in a factory in
Europe that specialises in making
motorhome and caravan doors, so it’s
well designed, creative and stylish. The
door has a fixed double-glazed window,
while fiberglass on the outside it has
ABS plastic moulding on the inside –
including a waste bin.
I also really like the new glass side
windows used on the motorhome’s
body, they won’t scratch that easily and
won’t bend, adding to security. They
also have sliding curtains and mosquito
screens built into the frame and, with
the glass tinted for glare, the windows
lie flush with the exterior panelling,
reducing wind noise.
The new Discoverer 4 also has a new
shaped, sharp-edged roof fronting over
the Iveco’s cab, which I believe may have
a significant impact on fuel economy.
Unlike other models in the Discoverer
range the roof line on the Version 4 is
low and creates a storage area over the
driver’s cab, unlike the ‘Luton’ roof
which has a bed.
The result? The on-board fuel
computer can show as little as
9.4 L/100 km at 100 km/h.
Non-standard items are unfortunately
the sprung front seats – meaning that
the whole seat is sprung and floats.
These came fitted to this particular
vehicle, but may not be found on futuremodels unless specifically ordered. Pity.
On trial was a new South African-
made gas heater under the bunk. It is
undergoing trials and we will report on
thatata laterstage.PerforMance
The Discoverer 4 is available on a
Mercedes-Benz or Iveco chassis; the
more popular choice being the Iveco.
There are three Iveco engine derivates
to choose from: a 2.3-litre 130 horse
power engine with an 8-speed automatic
gearbox, an uprated 150 HP version
with a 6-speed manual (our test model),
or the ultimate 3-litre 170 HP with an
8-speed automatic (although at sea level
I don’t think you need it).