Morelo Empire Liner 93 LO A-class motorhome

Ever wondered what half a million quid worth of motorhome looks like? Wonder no more

Words & photos: Peter Vaughan

The Morelo Empire Liner 93 LO

This was by some margin the most expensive vehicle at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show in February. Its total cost, as exhibited, of £491,200 is the equivalent of six Chausson X650s (our 2024 Motorhome of the Year). 

It’s more than twice the list price of Ferrari’s latest sports car, the 205mph 296 GTB. Or about the cost of a two-bedroom apartment with sea views in St Ives, Cornwall. It had better be good…

Of course, you’ll not just need a healthy bank balance before rushing to Morelo’s sole UK agent – you’ll need the appropriate licence for its 12-tonne gross weight (that’s HGV Class 2), as well as the confidence to get behind the wheel of something that’s close to 10m in length. 

There are no exterior mirrors here, either, those being replaced by the far more techy solution of an Orlaco MirrorEye digital camera system that avoids the usual blind spots at roundabouts, etc – yours for £8,730. 

Morelo’s other ranges

Incredibly, this isn’t the biggest or most expensive Empire Liner – they go up to 11.99m on an 18-tonne  Mercedes-Benz Actros chassis (this one is on a slightly more modest Atego but both are in the heavy truck category, rather than light commercials like most motorhomes are built on). And then there’s Morelo’s flagship, the Grand Empire, which can have a 26-tonne gross weight and €853,000 price tag…

But back to this, ahem, lower cost (!) Empire Liner – the range that Morelo describes as providing ‘the feeling of being at home’ (ironically, the company’s entry-level – £200,000-or-so – line-up is called Home). 

This is the 93 LO, the shortest in a range of 10 models, with the bar layout that we prefer to the twin-sofa 93 LB. 

The spec

Its Atego chassis is powered by a 7.7-litre diesel engine producing 299hp and 1,200Nm of torque – that’s almost three and a half times the output of a typical Fiat Ducato.

And, with a motorhome of this size, you’ll probably be thinking about towing extra transport for nipping out and about; with a 2,910kg braked trailer capacity, it won’t have to be a Smart or a Toyota Aygo…

The exterior

The statistics continue to exceed our usual expectations, with 19.5in wheels (the Alcoa light metal rims here  are a £5,690 extra), a 180-litre diesel tank (optionally 280 litres) and 120-litre gas tank. 

Water capacities are designed for off-grid living, too – 410 litres fresh (upgraded here to 560 litres), 280 litres grey waste and a further 280 litres black (for the marine-style ceramic toilet) – all contained in the 48cm-deep heated double floor.

You’ll be self-sufficient power-wise for quite a while, too, thanks to 520W of solar power (a £2,445 option) and 340Ah of lithium batteries (£9,630). 

The interior

On site, hydraulic levelling jacks – £8,410 extra, with automatic levelling – will ensure your comfort – and you can luxuriate in the bar-style lounge with its trio of captain’s chairs – two facing each other across a fixed table – and a long L-shaped settee that incorporates the fourth and fifth seatbelts. 

The leather here (available in a choice of colours) is a four-grand extra. 

The kitchen

The spacious kitchen has mineral worktops, a full-height pull-out pantry unit and a Nespresso

machine as standard, while this show vehicle had the gas hob replaced with an induction cooker (£1,570) and a dishwasher (£2,095) is incorporated drawer-style below the counter.

The fridge had been upgraded, too, to a 200-litre domestic model with 60-litre freezer.

All the rest

The shower (with rain shower) is also the size of the one in your house, while the rear bedroom with conjoined single beds has a mattress area measuring 2.06m long and 2.18m wide. 

About the only thing that isn’t generous is hanging space for your posh clothes, but maybe you won’t have the cash left for Michelin-starred restaurants…

Where to buy

The sole UK dealer for Morelo is Premium Motorhomes of Bawtry, near Doncaster. 

Expect to see a handful of Morelo demonstrators there in the company’s indoor showroom, alongside its  other German franchises, Carthago, Knaus and Weinsberg. 

Premium Motorhomes also has an NCC-approved workshop.