Resuming my campervan journey

Today is a special for me. After a 6 years hiatus, I once again became a campervan owner. My latest campervan is a Toyota Camroad Liberty 5, built by Annex. It is an early Camroad model with manual 4wd and a 2.8 litre diesel engine. Mechanically, it is in good condition, but the cab body will need some work to tidy up. The ongoing pandemic lockdown will give me some time to understand this campervan and also do some minor repairs myself, especially the storage compartment locks, which are frozen quite badly. I will provide more update as I explore my "new" campervan.

My Camroad first day at home. I am looking forward to go on roadtrip with it soon!

Technical spec of Toyota Camroad chassis

There is currently a lot interest in campervan in Malaysia, especially the models from Japan. One of the model name that constantly shows up in the discussion is Toyota Camroad, the base vehicle which the campervan is built on. Visually it is very similar to the HiAce or Dyna light lorry model, yet the Camroad interior and the spec sets it apart from the familiar HiAce/Dyna family which it is obviously based on. We don't see any Camroad in lorry configuration, it is exclusively for campervan.

"CAMROAD" is a word that combines Camper (camper) and Roadability (driving performance), and means "a vehicle optimized for campers". It first introduced in 1997, and it is not listed in the model lineup of Toyota's official website because it is not sold to the general public and only camper builders (equipment manufacturers) can purchase it.

Comparison between HiAce/Dyna lorry and it's progeny Camroad

Camroad was a variant of the HiAce/Dyna family that was developed exclusively as a base for campervan builders in Japan. Camroad is a word made from Camper and Roadability. Here is a brief description of the Toyota Camroad chassis and its campervan specific features.

Campers require a lot of electricity, especially when deployed during stops, as such the Camroad is equipped with uprated alternators to handle the running charge of the leisure battery that powers the camper's appliances. It also has a larger 80litre fuel tank for greater range.

The wider rear track, single leaf elliptical spring/mounting and 80 litre fuel tank can be clearly seen in this bare chassis.

The need to accommodate standup interior head room in campers means a higher center of gravity compared to goods carrying application which the HiAce/Dyna originally designed for, as such the suspension mountings are lowered to compared to standard HiAce/Dyna, the rear suspension use single elliptical leaf spring to cater for ride quality and comfort as opposed multi leaves for load carrying capacity. The large camper body is also susceptible to crosswinds, in consideration of that, Camroad provide options for a  wider track of 250 mm to provide greater stability. However some Camroad model retains the standard track width. 

Technical information on Camroad chassis on the Internet is sparse, but I managed to find some Japanese sites that provide them. Here's the technical specification for various Camroad chassis model. I think these are for the newer model from 2013 onwards. I can't find information for older Camroad models.

Base car model table
Model		QDF - KDY231 kai	LDF - KDY281 kai	ABF - TRY230 kai
Drive		2WD	Full-time 4WD	2WD
Transmission		Electronic control 4-speed automatic
Engine (Model)		2982cc (1KD-FTV) Common Rail Diesel Turbo		1998cc(1TR-FE) Gasoline
Engine power	Hp	144ps/3400rpm		133ps/5600rpm
	Torque	30.6kgm/1200～3200rpm		18.6kgm/4000rpm
Steering		Rack & Pinion
Suspension	Front	Double wishbone type independent suspension bar spring
	Rear	Axle semi-elliptical plate spring
Brake	Front	Disk
	Rear	Leading Trailing
Alternator		12V-130A		12V-80A
ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System)		Standard	Standard	Standard
Airbags		Standard (driver's seat only) passenger seat is manufacturer option
Tire size		195/70R15 106/104L LT (maximum load capacity 950 kg/piece)
Disc Wheel		15×5J 6 holes +30
Front/Rear Axle		Independent suspension system/wide tread
Wheelbase		2545mm
Tread	Front	1440mm
	Rear	1615mm
Chassis Allowable Limit	Front	1800kg
	Rear	1850kg
Minimum radius of rotation		4.9m
Fuel tank		80 L
Main battery		85D26L		50D20L
Fuel consumption rate km/l		11.2	10.2	8.4

It also has built-in wiring to facilitate the installation of rearview camera and monitor to enable rear situation awareness despite have a large camper body.

Camper accessory terminals identification

Always On Power: Yellow Accessory Power Supply: Red Illumination: Green Vehicle Speed Sensor: Purple / White Reverse: Red / Black

Audio coupler terminal identification

Black coupler: 14P always-on power for radio receiver (BAT): Blue/Yellow Illumination (ILL): Green Accessory Power Supply (ACC): Gray Left Speaker (LH): Pink (+), Purple (-) Right Speaker (RH): Light Green (+), Blue (-) Ground (GND): White/Black

Hope this is useful for those who wants to know the Toyota Camroad technical spec.

Back to the campervan fold

This is my first update to this blog since 2014, I think a owed readers an explanation why the sudden halt in my update. My mom passed away in the year 2013, it was sudden and unexpected and it has a great impact to my family. My dad found himself living alone and since I was his only child in Malaysia, I decided to move in with him. Extended campervan outing was not feasible for me anymore since I became his prime caregiver. I sold my campervan and also my 4wd Delica van since I had no use for them for the time being. On top of that my children were also reached the age of entering their tertiary education one after the other, with all this on my plate, this blog was relegated to a dusty corner of my mind.

Fast forward to 2020-2021, my children are grown up now and I can now delegate some of the caregiving responsibilities for my dad to them. It is also a time of pandemic. This pandemic has been a shock to the world, it has probably change the way we travel for leisure forever. I personally don't feel safe to sleep in a hotel anymore, and guess what? Campervan is the perfect way to travel now, you practically bring your own home with you on your journey. Coupled with the abolishment of import AP for campervan, we are now seeing a surge of interest in Malaysia. This is exciting stuff for me, and it really rekindled my interest in campervaning again. Below are some of the local groups I have found in the internet.

Peminat Camper Malaysia :  A group for campervan enthusiasts, owners and self-builders in Malaysia. 

Motorhome & Caravan parts : A group focus on campervan related item ,parts and accessories, especially from Thailand.

My Campervan Malaysia : Started by local campervan pioneer Mark Ruffin, an American who lived in Malaysia for 36 years.