Four-year wait for a new Iveco-based Latitude motorhome!

How long would you be prepared to wait for a brand-new customised caravan or motorhome?

Many Aussie RV manufacturers aim for an order book that stretches out around six to nine months, although in some cases this ballooned out to two years or longer during the pandemic when demand for RVs went through the roof.

However, customers prepared to plonk down a decent deposit for a new motorhome from Burleigh Heads, Queensland manufacturer Latitude currently have to endure an Olympic-like wait of 48 months before their dream motorhome is ready for delivery.

Why so long?

“While most motorhome manufacturers work to a price point and then equip the vehicle within that budget, we’ve always concentrated on providing customers with the very best features, equipment and finishes,” explained Ben MacLean, who was general manager at Paradise Motorhomes before starting Latitude Motorhomes with his brother Michael in 2017.

Related: Latitude grows motorhome business

Similar to Paradise Motorhomes (also based on the Gold Coast but with a current waiting time of around 12 months), Latitude specialises in large luxury slide-out touring motorhomes, based on the 7.2t GVM Iveco Daily 70C cab-chassis. The seven-year-old manufacturer also offers a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van-based campervan if you're after something smaller and a bit more affordable.

The bespoke builder advertises its motorhomes on social media as "Australia's best", although that's probably a label you could equally apply to two of its main rivals and nearby neighbours, Paradise Motorhomes and SLRV.

The build time and quality is reflected in the pricing, with the range-topping model costing upwards of half a million dollars, depending on the fitout.

"We cut no corners with cost – we build and price afterwards, all materials are the very best and they complement our design process," Ben explained.

"Every new model is fully developed, tested and assembled in 3D modelling software before being commissioned for build."

Latitude currently offers two premium Iveco-based models, the Element 27 and Meridian 30, with customisation options extending to 24 cabin colours, 12 flooring colours, and 50 different leather upholstery colours.

“At 7.2t GVM the [Iveco] model allows us to install all the equipment and features we want, and still have around 1.5t of payload, plus there’s the 3.5t braked towing capacity for those who want to tow a runabout," he said.

"And although we can customise our motorhomes to suit the needs of our buyers, we find that overwhelmingly they’re so well designed and specified that very few opt for a bespoke build."

However, with bigger budgets than most to play with, many Latitude customers opt to up-spec the Daily 70C cab-chassis base, with factory options including the rear electronically controlled airbag suspension and rear electronic differential lock, and Iveco upgrade packs which add safety and tech items like tyre pressure monitoring, auto headlights and wipers, lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist, and inductive charging.

"Most of our clientele are retirees or pre-retirees; they appreciate the cabin appointments, smooth ride and comfort that the Daily 70C provides," he said.

"We aim to produce the best motorhomes in Australia so it’s important that any vehicle that bears the Latitude Motorhome name is also of the highest standards."

But don't despair if, after reading this, you're now lusting after a Latitude motorhome but don't care to wait until 2029 for delivery...

There's another sensible option: a well-kept second-hand motorhome like the 2019-build, 8.6m-long Element 27 currently for sale on caravancampingsales, with an asking price of $289,600 and just 27,850km on the odometer...