First look: Concorde Liner Plus

When touring in a large motorhome, one of the biggest problems is having somewhere to park when you arrive in town.

Some people get around that by towing a small vehicle on an A-frame, but that adds to wear and tear on the vehicle while it’s being towed and makes your large motorhome even more difficult to park.

Well, Germany company Concord has come up with an elegant solution – create a garage for a small vehicle in the back of the motorhome!

Million dollar baby

The Liner Plus is not only the premium model in the Australian Concorde range (which also includes entry-level Credo, Carver and Charisma models) but has the distinction of being one of Australia’s most expensive motorhomes at $600,000 (plus on-road costs).

For that price, you get an uber-luxury motorhome, with the option (as you get with premium automotive brands) to boost the price even higher with a long (and expensive) list of extras to choose from.

Delve deep into that options list, which includes such items as an electrically-operated pull-down bed, a bar, dishwasher, full alarm system, dual air-con, built-in gas generator, premium digital audio and satellite TV, and cut-pile floor carpets, and you’ll be up for more than a million dollars.

As it was, the Liner Plus we looked at had the following options -- hydraulic auto-levelling jacks, 2.9Kva petrol generator, thermo insulated electric driver and passenger side windows, cabinet fronts in high gloss cream white, two 4.0m remote controlled electric awnings, an electric power pack  (including additional gel battery, 100 amp combination charger and 12v/240v sine inverter), ‘Yacht Flooring Effect’ floors, panoramic bedroom skylight, height adjustable living room table, navigation system, reverse camera, 2 x 140 watt solar panels, satellite TV with 24in LED flat screen in entrance area with additional 22in LED flat screen in the bedroom, a combination 240V/12V/antenna/ socket in an external locker, 3kg Sphere washing machine, DVB-T external antenna for terrestrial TV, external shower in the garage, gas alarm in the living room, an external gas bayonet, roof and under-floor air-con, 2400W heating element, grey leather upholstery and grey/brown carpet in-fills -- to bring the final price to $687,000 plus on-roads.

German built for Aussie travellers

The Australian-market Concordes are built at the Aschbach, Germany plant in full left-hand traffic configuration (that is, right-hand drive with access door on the nearside).

Starting with the base Mercedes-Benz Atego platform, a 7.7-litre turbo-diesel drives the rear wheels though an eight-speed automated manual transmission. There’s a rear diff lock and stability and anti-skid braking features, of course, and the ride height of the Liner Plus is adjusted via its air suspension.

Other driving features include cruise control, air-conditioning, an electric sun blind, heated windscreen and suspension seats covered in leather.

Getting used to the bulk

As I don’t have the medium-rigid licence necessary to drive this A-class motorhome, I got to enjoy the view from the passenger seat for the drive around Newcastle’s outer suburbs. So I can’t exactly tell you how the Concorde drives, but I can make a few observations.

The Concorde’s length is not really an issue; at 10.7m, many tow vehicle/caravan combinations are longer and more difficult to manoeuvre. Parking the Concorde at home is, of course another issue.

The problem for those stepping up from a more modest motorhome would be getting used to the extra width and weight. At 2450mm wide, there isn’t much room to spare with the Concorde on some Australian roads.

While the air brakes appeared to pull up the Concorde quickly, with a running starting weight of 9170kg, you’d be wise to leave more braking space and also be aware of weight-restricted roads and bridges – though you’ll need to do this with most lighter motorhomes and vehicle/van combinations anyway.

At least the medium-rigid licence is not too difficult to obtain, and if you’ve been driving a smaller motorhome you’ll have the basic principles required for driving a large vehicle like this.

Single car garage, anyone?

Of course, the Concorde’s appeal lies in the ability to have a small runabout securely stored and ready to go when you arrive at camp. It will have to be a micro-car to fit inside the Liner Plus though, like the Fiat 500 (pictured) which measures 3546mm long, 1627mm wide and 1488mm high.

There isn’t a lot of room to open the doors to get in or out of the car once it’s in the garage, but the Concorde has a winch to pull the car in, and it takes only minutes to winch the car in and secure it.

There are numerous lockers on both sides of the motorhome for storage, including a large bin adjacent to the entry door. The fuses and relays are located in an easily accessible locker on the nearside, as are the key plumbing connections and generator.

Mind boggling equipment list

It’s hard to know where to start in the fit-out of this super-luxury motorhome. Even with a mere $87,000 of options ticked, the example we looked at seemed to have just about every luxury and convenience feature imaginable.

With the power steps out you climb aboard to a spacious, bright and above all lush fit-out with exquisite attention to detail. Climate control and comfort levels are taken care of with under-floor heating, ducted heating and a couple of overhead air-conditioning units.

To make thing less confusing, all the main controls are located in the one spot, in a hatch above the entry door. The main LCD touchscreen provides information on the state of charge of the house battery, truck battery, solar input, fresh water, toilet water and waste water levels. You can also turn the gas, water and lights on here.

Another screen provides more detailed information on the electrical system, plus there are switches to kick start the generator, satellite TV and underfloor heating.

Keep you comfortable for days

With its three on-board batteries, on-board generator and large, 320L water capacity, you’ll be able to free camp in the Concorde for extended periods. Getting low on fresh food is probably the main thing that’ll get you to fire up the car and head into town for supplies.

If you enjoy the occasional, indoor dinner party when travelling, you’ll appreciate the Concorde’s cafe dinette. It’s huge, with enough seating for at least seven around the table (with the swiveling captain’s chairs in play, you can seat up to nine).

The expansive side windows and large opening skylight above the dinette, allow plenty of natural light to enter, but if it’s a dull day, you can fire up any of the countless 12V LED down lights for extra illumination.

The sumptuous fit-out also features mood lighting along the length of the ceiling on both sides.

More party tricks in the kitchen

Around the central, offside region of the interior you'll discover the kitchen galley, with the fridge and pantries on the nearside.

The kitchen doesn’t provide as much unfettered bench space as you’d expect, so if you have the sink cover removed and cooker lid opened, there isn’t much room left for food prep. You’d probably use the large dinette table if preparing a large meal.

The kitchen’s signature features include a powered drop-down coffee machine and an enormous double pantry and lower storage space on the nearside. A couple of large lockers above the kitchen bench, storage drawers below and a wine glass cabinet at the entry door caps off the designer kitchen section of the fit-out.

Bathroom for pampering

Further back in the motorhome you'll find the large and inviting bathroom area (with sliding doors at each end) which includes a toilet, a big separate shower cubicle and vanity unit. Again, numerous storage drawers are dotted around this room.

Step up into the bedroom, and there’s ample wardrobe space at each side of the 2000mm x 1570mm bed, as well as lockers behind the bed itself. There’s more internal storage under the TV unit and at the nearside entrance to the bedroom.

Headroom is a generous 1990mm throughout the Concorde except the bedroom, where it’s reduced to 1500mm.

Verdict

It’s going to take a big wedge of money to buy an Australian-compliant Concorde, along with a truck licence to drive it.

Yet if you want to live in five-star luxury whereever you may be, and have your town vehicle neatly garaged away inside the motorhome, the Liner Plus will be hard to resist.

Concorde Liner Plus 1060 G Max

Base vehicle: Mercedes-Benz Atego
GVM: 15,000kg
Licence: Medium Rigid
Occupants:  Three seatbelts, three berth
Engine: 7.7-litre, six-cylinder turbo-diesel
Power/torque: 220kW/ 1200Nm
Transmission: Eight- speed automated manual
Wheels: 19.5in steel
Brakes: Discs all round, ABS and ESP
Travel length: 10,785mm
External body width: 2450mm
Travel height: 3730mm
Cooktop: Dometic three-burner gas with rangehood
Fridge: Dometic AES 190L three-way
Microwave:  AEG
Lighting: 12V LED
Battery:  3 x 170A/h
Solar:  2 x 140W
Air-conditioner: 1 x Truma Aventa, 1 x Truma Saphir
Fresh water: 320L
Grey water: 320L
Black water 230L
Gas: 2  x 10kg
Price:  $687,000 (plus on-road costs)
Supplied by: Concorde Motorhomes,  Bennetts Green, NSW