Phoenix Scorpion

The Scorpion is Phoenix Caravan's "Bush-Basher".  With its Alloy cladding (fibreglass option available) and Checkerplate protection all 'round, the Scorpion is designed for Australia's most inhospitable and roughest terrains.  The 45° rear cut-away allows the Scorpion to navigate through tight spots that most conventional caravans wouldn't dream of going.  Although the Scorpion may be tough on the outside, the interior finish will make you feel right at home.

HIGH-FLYING PHOENIX
The Phoenix Scorpion Super Gunbarrell is a genuine off-roader with all the comforts of home
Words by Gil Schott

Not all that long ago, I had to get the snatch strap out of the Troopy to ‘rescue’ a vehicle on the beach. The driver was fine on the hard sand, but when he took on the soft stuff up the back of the beach he came unstuck (or rather, stuck). The problem? He figured his ‘4WD’ could handle it, but in truth it was not a fourby, but one of the many all-wheel-drive vehicles you see on the roads these days – a soft-roader, if you like. It was fine on dirt roads and flat, hard inter-tidal sand, but when it came to the difficult stuff, he was simply not equipped to cope.
You can draw similar parallels with caravans. There are plenty that fall into the ‘soft road’ category, but a splash of chequerplate and a bit of a lift does not constitute a real off-road caravan. If you are really going to do the off-road thing, you should look at a van manufactured from the ground up as an off-roader.
This brings me to the Phoenix Scorpion. Phoenix only makes off-road caravans, so the build is not cosmetic. Everything is designed to allow the van to be towed where a soft-roader dare not tread. The model we looked at was the Super Gunbarrell. On The Outside An off-roader doesn’t necessarily have to look brutally tough, agricultural and boxy (like my old Troopy). The Super Gunbarrell certainly does have the look of an off-roader, but its toughness is masked by attractive lines and neat decals. It sits high on the road, with the mandatory upward kick of the tail end. The Gunbarrell’s frame is long grain-treated pine, with full insulation added and an outer cladding of aluminium. She sits on a DuraGal chassis with alloy wheels and AL-KO independent rubber torsion suspension. This suspension system has some folks a bit flummoxed, as it doesn’t look as ‘serious’ as the more commonly used
systems. But while I was out with the Gunbarrell, Greg Rosenthal from Phoenix told me of an owner who’d just contacted him about his van. He had it for nine years and had dragged
it all over the country. The suspension? Never a problem. Nuff said… Up forward on the A-frame, this rig featured two 9kg gas bottles forward of two jerry-can holders, with a three-battery pack behind and against the front wall, shielded within a chequerplate shroud. Given the damage flying rocks can cause, I reckon a shield would be advisable around those gas bottles. The coupling is a 3500kg Hyland. Corner jacks are AL-KO heavy-duty models and the underfloor water tanks are protected by galvanised steel plate (she carries 160L of water). Twelveinch AL-KO electric brakes are fitted. The Gunbarrell also features a Coolabah side awning, triple-lock security door, through boot with lockable hatches and a rod/pole locker up forward (fishermen please note). An airconditioning unit is fitted on the roof to keep things cool. Around the flanks the walls are protected against bumps and scratches with chequerplate. The Gunbarrell looks good on the road, and carries the impression that as the going gets tougher, she’ll just keep on rolling along.

On The Inside
I think every Phoenix I’ve ever seen carries a pale internal finish of lightcoloured timber, coatings, upholstery and flooring. This adds a bright, open feel to the van and is a particularly good feature. To my way of thinking (and despite my ancestry) dark, brooding timbers and heavy upholstery is a bit Germanic and tends to be a bit smothering.
The Gunbarrell presents a bright and open feeling as soon as you step through the door. Immediately on your left is the kitchen area, with a sink and cook top fitted on the passenger side opposite the dinette. The main bench area occupies part of the rear wall, and while it’s separated from the cooking area, it’s still within easy reach. There are loads of cupboards and drawers (including pot drawers) beneath both sections and there are lockers overhead, so storage is not a problem. The cooker is a four-burner gas unit by Dometic, with a grill beneath. The stainless steel sink has a flickmixer tap and plenty of room on the drip tray for the dishes. Alongside the stove (and at the end of the bedroom) is a 150L Vitrifrigo two-door fridge freezer – plenty big enough for long range off-road touring. It’s a 12V unit with Danfoss compressor and these are very effective in operation, even in hot conditions.
The dinette is quite comfortable, with good, comfortable seats and loads of room. There’s storage under the seats and a big window lets you see what’s happening outside as you dine.
The bedroom occupies the forward end of the Gunbarrell and is very comfortable. The mattress is egg-crate foam and access around the bed to the side robes and bedside tables is okay. There are also overhead cupboards and storage under the bed. Big windows allow you to watch the stars when you’re camped out on the Barkly or somewhere.
The bathroom is fitted in the corner opposite the entry and is quite comfortable, with shower and swivel toilet. There isn’t loads of room, but there’s enough for the necessaries. Lighting is good throughout. Aside from the main cabin lights there are downlights over the rear bench, the kitchen area, the dinette and personal reading lights in the bedroom. There are also two downlights over the cooking area built into the rangehood.
There’s a big Four Seasons hatch over the kitchen/dinette area and a smaller hatch above the bed. Overall this is a nice, bright, airy van. The electrical system is 240/12 volt, with heavy-duty wiring built in, and a heavy-duty, solid-state 25A battery charger is fitted. A CD player/radio is fitted above the dinette area, along with roof-mounted stereo speakers.
Overall, I found the Gunbarrell’s interior to be practical, open and pretty comfy. The quality of the interior work is very good and the finish is beaut.
All the furniture is glued and screwed through the floor, wall and roof frames and looks to be very secure for rough country travel.

Wrap Up
Gone are the days when going bush and camping was a matter of roughing it. The Phoenix Scorpion Super Gunbarrell will take you into the donga in comfort and style, and allow you to stay there enjoying all there is to see and do. This is a very well-put-together caravan and a genuine tough-country rig.