Morelo Home 82 LS motorhome

Berths: 4 Travel seats: 4 Base vehicle: Iveco Daily 50 C 21 Gross weight: 5,800kg Payload: 1,180kg

The term ‘entry-level’ hardly seems appropriate when you’re talking liner-class motorhomes, but the Home is the starting point for Morelo’s line-up, which then moves on to the bigger, more expensive Loft, Palace and, finally, Empire Liner. And yet, here we’re looking at a 5.8-tonne motorhome that’s over 3.2 metres tall and costs more than €200,000 (£179k)! All prices quoted in this test are in euro (the sterling prices are guides only) because that’s how customers are invoiced, with no fixed sterling price list.

But, if that seems less than UK-friendly, consider this – the Morelo Home is the first motorhome of its ilk to be imported not only with right-hand drive but also with its habitation door on the British nearside. 

Based on an Iveco Daily chassis, the cab of the Home is a far cry from lesser motorhomes, even if you’re an experienced A-class owner. You sit high – the base of each massive, double-glazed cab side window is around 1.70m above the road, so you literally tower over cars and pedestrians. And you sit closer to the windscreen, thanks to major re-engineering work on the chassis by specialist firm, Meier.

But the first thing that will strike you is the lack of the usual plasticky van dashboard. Here, the fascia is all bespoke to Morelo, from the stitched leather dashtop to the cooled bottle holder in the centre console. The Alpine head unit with DAB radio, sat-nav and colour reversing screen is a pricey extra, though, at €3,690 (£3,214). The superb Isri height/tilt-adjustable captain’s chairs with variable-length squabs are mated to a very bus-like driving position with a steering wheel that cannot tilt (although it can be moved up and down). Visibility is nothing short of panoramic and you soon realise that good vision is key to making the driver’s life more relaxing.

From the impeccably finished two-tone leather upholstery (€3,890/£3,388 extra) to the electric roller shutter cover for the windscreen, from the illuminated locker for eight wine glasses to the vast array of lighting, this is a five-star hotel on wheels. The Deco Package (€650/£566) adds enough cushions to cater for both lounge and bedroom, but it’s the clever expanding table that impresses most up front.

Pull the two sides apart and a centre section pops up in the middle for full-scale gastronomic dining. Of course, tabletop finish, upholstery (leather, fabric or a mix) and curtains can all be chosen from a selection of styles. And, while the L-settee might seem a touch firm and formal, the quality of its cushioning shows through in its comfort. Then there’s the sensible height of the telly, the height adjustment for the rear seatbelts and the control panels which are all hidden behind a locker door.

The Kitchen Package, which includes a built-in Krups pod-based coffee machine (and a wall rack for the pods) is usually another expensive option on the Home range, but it is one of a number of features that is standard on this special RHD edition. Also included is a 190-litre fridge/freezer incorporating the Tec-Tower oven/grill above. There’s plenty of kitchen storage, including soft-close drawers (with waste bins in the bottom drawer) and, under the TV, a pull-out rack for tins and bottles. 

With huge wall-mounted mirrors, the washroom wouldn’t look out of place in a boutique hotel. The marine loo with 200-litre holding tank (a €2,990/£2,605 option) also provides vastly more independence from site facilities than the usual cassette. And it soon becomes clear that the bedroom and bathroom areas have taken a slight priority over the lounge and, more so, the galley in the Home’s design brief. That’s before you look across to the opposite side of the aisle, where you’ll discover a domestic-sized shower – 810mm by 670mm with 1.94m headroom – complete with real glass door.

As in many German hotels, the Morelo’s bedroom includes twin beds – in that you get two separate mattresses – but there’s no gap or division between the two and they only really separate at the foot, where a cut-out (up an easy step) makes for effortless access to your duvet. This Morelo lacks neither space nor comfort at night. The beds are each two metres in length and more than a metre wide and, on a base of flexible plastic springs, even a whole bag full of petit pois could not cause a disturbed night’s sleep for that apocryphal princess.

If you enjoyed this review, you can read the full version and more in the July 2018 issue of MMM magazine. You can get a digital version of this latest issue of MMM magazine here.

At close to £200,000, this luxury Morelo Home is in a rarified part of the motorhome market where its UK-handed layout sets it apart from the few Teutonic rivals sold here. Its superb quality, attention to detail, all-seasons comfort and sheer opulence make it a highly desirable vehicle for those who can afford it.