MMM Motorhome Awards 2024: Best Luxury Motorhome

WINNER – Best Luxury Motorhome 2024

Laika Kreos H 5109

(Staff photos and photos courtesy of Laika)

Why the Laika Kreos H 5109?

How many motorhomes can claim that they were conceived by automotive design royalty? Well, the Kreos can. For its flagship A-class, Laika turned to GFG Style, the company of Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro with a back catalogue of creating cars wearing Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, Ferrari and Maserati logos. That’s no surprise, as GFG had already created the low-profile Kreos L 5009, which was highly commended in this category a year ago.

The H 5109 takes the layout of its low-profile cousin and adds A-class comfort and even more designer panache. With its simple black and white exterior colour scheme, minimalist LED headlamps, grille peppered with tiny slots, and flush glazing, you won’t mistake the new Kreos for anything else. Nor will you forget that it’s Italian, thanks to the tricolour on the mirrors!

The décor inside is, perhaps, an even greater change from the bland designs sometimes seen from rival brands. The dark blue walls contrast with a contemporary mix of white, grey and wood accents and there are also curves and rounded corners everywhere.

A superior design

You can also customise the seat bases and backrests in different fabrics and colours to suit your style, and there are alternatives to the round dining table. There’s also a 32in TV, which can be viewed from the electric drop-down bed, as well as from the lounge seating in the day.

In the 1.2m-long kitchen you can choose between three different formats, including one with an optional Bosch dishwasher and the Grand Chef option with a low-level oven. Worktops are in Getacore (like Corian), while the fridge has a 153-litre capacity.

The washroom sits behind the kitchen with a door to close off the rear and another door to give privacy from the bedroom. Unlike in even some luxury models, the toilet can be comfortably used with its cubicle door closed, while the shower on the opposite side of the motorhome has a traditional showerhead as well as rain shower above and sauna-style wood panelling.

Italian style

At the back, the single beds each measure 1.95m by 0.80m. They feature lifting headboards and sliding wardrobes beneath for easy access to your clothes. The garage below has full-sized doors on either side, plus a chequerplate for your motorbike’s stand and even a wine store.

You’ll be drawn to this ’van for its stunning looks, but the beauty is not merely skin deep. The construction, with a heated double floor containing the water tanks, is everything you’d expect of a premium A-class costing around £180,000 with options.

Other features include an electric windscreen blind, twin panoramic rooflights, Alde gas/electric heating plus a heat exchanger, and an electric waste water drain valve.

Specifications

Highly commended

Coachman Travel Master Imperial 845

(Photos courtesy of Coachman)

Last year’s winner in the Luxury class was the Travel Master 545, Coachman’s first motorhome, built in collaboration with Swedish parent company, Kabe. This year, Coachman’s first A-class, the Imperial 845, was in the running once again.

Up a step (or three) in size and price from the existing Travel Masters, the A-class has a similar ethos and appeal, just on a grander scale. Its Scandinavian roots ensure best-in-class insulation (for hot summers as well as snowy winters) and there’s an everything included approach to the specification.

A £206k price tag sounds as substantial as the 8.82m overall length until you factor in what’s included. Power comes from Merc’s 170bhp motor with automatic transmission, while not just the chassis but also the hydraulic levelling system are provided by Al-Ko. There’s Alde heating and roof-mounted air-conditioning, while the kitchen has Corian worktops, an oven and grill and a microwave. There are even heated carpets in this true flagship motorhome!

Specifications

Highly commended

Le Voyageur Eterna LV7.0GJF

(Photos courtesy of Le Voyageur)

What if you want a premium A-class, without the usual limitations caused by size and weight? A more manoeuvrable motorhome is, surely, more appealing, while keeping the gross weight to 3,500kg avoids having to have a C1 category on your licence and also has benefits concerning speed limits and tolls on the Continent.

The LV7.0GJF is a new layout in this French A-class specialist’s new Eterna range, which introduces a deeper double floor and a lower centre of gravity for improved handling. But the star feature is the feeling inside that this is a larger ’van than just 7m. Part of that is down to the clear line of sight along the offside.

There’s no compromise in the bedroom, where beds are 1.88m and 2.01m in length. The face-to-face lounge also enhances the open-plan feel and the TV neatly disappears from view.

Perhaps the cleverest aspect, though, is the washroom, where both the bench cassette loo and the basin slide away to create a huge space for showering.