Full review

Words & photos: Peter Vaughan

The Carthago Liner-for-two I 53

This is a motorhome that does exactly what it says on the tin. It offers liner-style luxury for two people, thanks to one of the best lounge areas of any motorhome and drop-down single beds that transform the cab into a bedroom.

There’s a choice of two body lengths and either front-wheel drive Fiat Ducato Al-Ko chassis or the rear-drive Iveco Daily, with the I 53 version shown being unique in the market in combining the wrap-around C-shaped lounge with an overall length of less than 8m.

It’s the rear seating space that’s the star feature, with a sofa that goes beyond the usual U-shape to curve round and also incorporate a rear-facing section backing onto the kitchen.        

Options

The Sand Performance leather shown here is a £3,360 option that adds the final touch of luxury, along with the 40in television that rises electrically from behind the offside sofa.

Including the satellite system, the TV package is another £4,300. You’ll want the electrically extending lounger (£845) for feet-up viewing of the latest blockbusters, and the Relax side head restraints (£270), too.

In fact, disregard the £140k starting price here – this show model took the total tally to £184,775.

The most expensive option listed was the 4,800kg chassis upgrade, including alloy wheels and pneumatic suspension (£10,450) but, even if you could live without that, you’d not deny yourself the Super Package (£6,415), which includes everything from the nautical-style dials for the habitation systems to the Alde heat exchanger, and from the ceramic toilet to rear corner steadies. You’ll almost certainly want the latest toys from Fiat, too, including the 10.1in multimedia display with sat-nav and the digital instrument cluster, all bundled together in the Fiat Infotainment Package at £2,305.                

What’s included

Of course, the Liner-for-two comes with plenty of standard kit, including Alde ‘wet’ central heating and a heated double floor boasting a usable height of up to 57cm. Then there’s the generous garage with its Pedelec system that’s designed to accommodate bicycles or a scooter, complete with a recess for the front wheel.                  

The layout

Internal height in this super-sized space is up to 1.14m, while load capacity is 350kg.

Just as impressive is the way the cab all but disappears on site to become the main bedroom. Twin beds lower electrically into this space, unfolding as they do so. Joined in the centre, the beds are 1.88m (offside) and 1.98m long (nearside) and, at shoulder level, the mattress area is over 2m across. The slide-out steps here make going up to bed as easy as at home.

Then, the en suite has a multi-mirrored toilet room on one side and a separate shower opposite (featuring new marble-style walls for 2022) with an overhead rain shower as well as the typical showerhead on a riser bar.              

The kitchen

With all this sumptuousness fitted into the 7.83m length, does the galley suffer? No, not really. You might have to forgo a domestic-style cooker but the latest versions of the Liner-for-two come with an optional Duplex oven/grill mounted below the hob. There’s a decent amount of worktop space, a couple of neat slide-out storage units for tinned and packet foods, two bins and a 153-litre fridge/freezer than opens from either side.                   

Summary

What more could you want? With two leisure batteries (lithium and solar panels optional), 210 litres of fresh water, and all-silver bodywork (£3,385 extra), it’s hard to imagine but, if there is an omission, you’re sure to find it on the options list.

You can watch a viedor review of a 2019 model by clicking here.