Lunar Landstar RL (1 Viewer)

[Jim]

The CC has voted this as the Motorcaravan of the year and for once I agree with them.

On a Merc, 2 full size sofas, (=Big Bed) a decent fridge, three burner hob, loo with big separate shower. It's narrow and IMO The perfect van for going around the world in, I love it.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxva_GfnmCY"]Lunar Landstar RL - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuH_6DlhtXw"]The Lunar Landstar RL - video review from Rona Bromley - Which Motorhome magazine - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Flyingscotsman2]

,

Too small. The new merc engine a few wee problems with it as well.

 

[Forestboy]

Nice bit of kit
Not sure Id trust a modern Merc to take me around the world though.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Jim]

Too small. The new merc engine a few wee problems with it as well.

The size is plus point for me and it is long, its longer than my Hymer and at only 2m wide, for me its perfect for exploring which is my favourite type of motorhoming. Though I hear what you say, if the Merc stops, no matter how narrow I am, I won't be able to travel down those sandy lanes to a beach, otherwise its perfect.

 

[Flyingscotsman2]

,

The size is plus point for me and it is long, its longer than my Hymer and at only 2m wide, for me its perfect for exploring which is my favourite type of motorhoming. Though I hear what you say, if the Merc stops, no matter how narrow I am, I won't be able to travel down those sandy lanes to a beach, otherwise its perfect.

Aye Jim it's your choice. Not trying to put u off but the engine on the new merc has and still does have problems. Over heating sensor faulty not teaching u to suck eggs Jim but I think there's better van out there.

 

[scotjimland]

Aye Jim it's your choice. Not trying to put u off but the engine on the new merc has and still does have problems. Over heating sensor faulty not teaching u to suck eggs Jim but I think there's better van out there.

Isn't it sad.. we have been building motorcars for over a century and we still can't get a reliable panel van.. in fact they seem to be getting worse.. oh:

IMO it's too much electronics, and a lot is under the bonnet, one of the most hostile locations you could find to mount electronics. ..

No wonder the old Merc vans are so popular for expeditions and those going off the beaten track.. they can be repaired by a blacksmith in Outer Mongolia ...

I do wish we could get a 'back to basics' modern diesel engine van with no black boxes ..

So what do we chose ?

who makes the most reliable panel van ??

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Jim]

who makes the most reliable panel van ??

I think all the manufacturers today are a bit incestuous with many sharing the same components. That said I think we all hark on back to the good old days with rose tinted glasses. I remember every Sunday most everyone would have a bonnet up working on a car that wouldn't work.

cars used to break down every few miles, yes they were easy to fix, yet modern cars and vans just work. Years ago on a hot bank holiday the verges would be littered with break downs, these days seeing a break down is almost rare. The crappiest little motor does a quarter million miles without blinking. IMO The good old days of motoring are now :thumb:

 

[Flyingscotsman2]

,

My opinion and it's just an opinion is the Peugeot French engine great gear box great.. Rest of the van is not bad too. Yes I know fiat and Peugeot build in same factory same van but different badges. Merc your paying for the name. The Los merc is a different animal. That's my opinion. :thumb:

 

[Forestboy]

I think all the manufacturers today are a bit incestuous with many sharing the same components. That said I think we all hark on back to the good old days with rose tinted glasses. I remember every Sunday most everyone would have a bonnet up working on a car that wouldn't work.

cars used to break down every few miles, yes they were easy to fix, yet modern cars and vans just work. Years ago on a hot bank holiday the verges would be littered with break downs, these days seeing a break down is almost rare. The crappiest little motor does a quarter million miles without blinking. IMO The good old days of motoring are now :thumb:

Same with motorbikes
People harp on about British bikes but all I remember is how crap they were.
My GS has done 60000 miles in some of the harshest environments in the world and all that's gone wrong has been 2 blown lightbulbs. Having said that I bought one with no electronic crap on doesn't even have ABS. Electronics are the downfall and Merc seem to be pretty bad, on a trip I did the electrics failed on our support vehicle Merc Sprinter ended up being towed and carried 1500 miles. That was the nearest town to get parts flown in to, not great for a support vehicle.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[scotjimland]

I think all the manufacturers today are a bit incestuous with many sharing the same components. That said I think we all hark on back to the good old days with rose tinted glasses. I remember every Sunday most everyone would have a bonnet up working on a car that wouldn't work.

cars used to break down every few miles, yes they were easy to fix, yet modern cars and vans just work. Years ago on a hot bank holiday the verges would be littered with break downs, these days seeing a break down is almost rare. The crappiest little motor does a quarter million miles without blinking. IMO The good old days of motoring are now :thumb:

maybe.. but there were a lot of disappointed X250 owers.. and as I said.. no one wants a van depending on a puter under the bonnet to go on an expedition..

old workhorse diesels are hard to beat.. Cummins, Mercedes, Ford, etc .. with reliable manual controls, no electronics, and will go on forever..

 

[scotjimland]

Same with motorbikes
People harp on about British bikes but all I remember is how crap they were.
My GS has done 60000 miles in some of the harshest environments in the world and all that's gone wrong has been 2 blown lightbulbs. Having said that I bought one with no electronic crap on doesn't even have ABS. Electronics are the downfall and Merc seem to be pretty bad, on a trip I did the electrics failed on our support vehicle Merc Sprinter ended up being towed and carried 1500 miles. That was the nearest town to get parts flown in to, not great for a support vehicle.

 

[jhorsf]

I went inside one that was enough to put me off it is so narrow especially around the kitchen its claustrophobic and not for me

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Jim]

I went inside one that was enough to put me off it is so narrow especially around the kitchen its claustrophobic and not for me

Not been in one yet, saw one at Peterboro and Newbury but I was too busy to take a look

 

[Forestboy]

Like the idea of a PVC but not seen one yet that would suit our needs.
Quite like the look of the new Auto Sleeper Kingham but not been able to find one to view.

 

[scotjimland]

Like the idea of a PVC but not seen one yet that would suit our needs.
Quite like the look of the new Auto Sleeper Kingham but not been able to find one to view.

Marquis leisure . .. maybe a branch near you ?

Broken Link Removed

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Reallyretired]

Theres quite a bit of bare metal on the rear doors. I think it would be too poorly insulated for winter use, especially as thats where the bed is.

 

[Forestboy]

Marquis leisure . .. maybe a branch near you ?

Broken Link Removed

Yeah they're in Tewksbury been in and asked them, no chance only one in the whole country and that's sold and not available for viewing apparently limited numbers and all sold out before they're even produced.
Obviously got it right or they're being clever and controlling the market by limiting supply.

 

[Bailey58]

Not for me, we got fed up squeezing past each other in the Starspirit and the cab seats were only useful for driving or storage when parked up. Horses for courses I know but I'm happy with what I've got now although it is only our second van, one more to go?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Horses for courses but too narrow and claustrophobic for us. No complaints about the Merc 2.1 engine though - powerful and economical. I'm on my third one so far (in a car)

 

[hilldweller]

Cramped, claustrophobic.

"You could sit 6", only if they are in intimate contact with one another and hope that 4 of them did not need a pee.

I hate the way all the doors open. It emphasizes it's a cobbled up delivery van. Why don't they weld up the back doors ?

And the sliding door, you exposes your home to the world. It also loses you valuable wall space. All your heat vanishes in an instant in the winter. And that noise ! You can spot PVC owners a mile off, they have the right arm of an Olympic javlin thrower.

You just can't have comfort in the width of a PVC, that's my view.

Do the job properly !

 

[mike mcglynn]

New Landstar

I sat in the van at the peterborough show and was quite impressed the fittings ,colour scheme ,and general workmanship was excellent although a bit narrow at the sink/cooker area, this model was fitted with a few extras and even my good lady was taken by the style the only big drawback was the price, from memory the salesman said it was £53000 and after having a similar layout some years back I remembered that I had to be still while my wife was cooking otherwise there were harsh words so Im sticking to my old van

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[brenige]

Well, so far so good, our Landstar works well for us and we've been out in all this winter, since we got it in November. Point taken about the sliding door though; I am now in training for the shotput & the Mrs will give those Russian girls a go at the next Olympics. As for the engine, no problems yet folks but will keep you posted. The overall fit & finish is superb, the beds are comfortable and the bathroom is the best we've had in five previous motorhomes. As you all say, time will tell. Keep watching this space.

 

[mjltigger]

Well it shows how minds are changing that a PVC is motor caravan of the year.. We spent the day looking at motorhkmes yesterday and came away with the distinct view that for us, a PVC is the way to go.. I thought we were in the minority but perhaps not any more..

 

[brenige]

Well nearly two years down the line lets bring you up to date with our time with our Lunar RL. During the first winter we used it regularly and after six months we had a snagging list of fifteen issues. these included draws that wouldn't remain shut, broken door frame around the kitchen cupboards, rear speakers not working, display panel that insisted that the waste tank was between a quarter and three quarters full, both tank taps were near impossible to open and in fact the one on the waste tank snapped, the bracket to hold the said taps in position consisted of a piece of razor sharp angle iron with a sprung clip attached. Then there were the panels that were displaying strange damp marks oh and then there was the rear doors that weren't fitted correctly. On seeing this catalogue of issues our dealer arranged for it to go back to Lunar for the faults to be rectified and the damp patches to be investigated.
Well rather than bore you with the grizzly details, it came back to us for the THIRD time two weeks ago, after being away since April 2016 and this time it looks as though the damp has been finally sorted and all the panels throughout the van have been changed. However we still have a display that says our waste tank contains water, even when the tap is wide open. Also the taps are still very stiff and the brackets are still sharp. We have also found that although the damp has been sorted, the roof panel at the rear of the vehicle still looks as though it has been affected by water ingress at some time.
We have had to spend nearly £1,200 in solicitors fees just in getting this far and in truth, until I drove it again, I wasn't really bothered whether we ever had a Moho again or not. All that said, the Mercedes van is absolutely ace. Smooth as silk, fabulous auto box, great ride, quiet and 30+ miles to the gallon for every one of the 5,200 miles we have managed to have it. The van is very comfortable and cosy, and all the white goods and heater have behaved perfectly. I do agree fully about the narrowness of the van but it is something that you get used to very quickly and you find workrounds. The big sliding door is also a bit of a pain. There is no signs of any leaks now and after having the roof checked independently I am again fairly optimistic but still keeping everything crossed. All in all its been a very bad experience and one I never want to have again. There has been nothing positive to come from this and I'm still wary of anything else happening but I would never, ever let a vehicle go back to the manufacturer again. Lunar would not even speak to me on the telephone and would only discuss the issues once a solicitor was hounding them.
Would I have another Landstar -no. Would I have another Lunar - unlikely. Would I have another Mercedes - everytime, as long as I could keep some weight over the rear axle on muddy ground.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}