Paradise Castaway

WE LIKED:
>> Body and chassis engineering
>> Caravan weight (or lack thereof)
>> ‘Touchpad’ sound system and light switches

NOT SO MUCH:
>> You pay for quality; it’s pricey!

Deciding on a name for its first caravan model wasn’t the easiest task for Queensland’s Paradise Motor Homes.

Not surprisingly, proprietor Colin MacLean was keen to have a name that was relevant but different. All the obvious ones were taken but, in the end, it was back to the future with the name Castaway – the first motorhome Paradise ever produced.

But the name was really a trivial matter. In producing this caravan, Paradise’s approach of careful precision engineering, and not necessarily following what everyone else was doing, certainly brought about a few challenges.

For a start, a look under the Castaway reveals familiar Vehicle Components’ Cruisemaster independent suspension but also reveals an unusual chassis.

Paradise general manager Ben MacLean explained: “We’ve designed a modular chassis that utilises a continuous length 150mm steel draw bar that runs in one length all the way to the first suspension member.

“Production caravans will have a galvanised drawbar, powder-coated suspension framework and high strength alloy rear frame section.

“A major part of the caravans overall strength comes from the high grade composite floor, 50mm thick structural foam that is fiberglass infused. It's all one piece, fully water resistant and incredibly strong.”

Look closer and you’ll notice the water tanks and spare wheel are securely mounted in position underneath the van.

TOUGH FOAM

Like the floor, the walls and roof are one-piece composite panels but are slightly less thick at 35mm. Paradise says the structural foam is environmentally friendly, fire resistant and has incredible tensile and compressive strength compared with other composite foams.

“Our method for assembly is a patented interlocking system that ensures build accuracy and strength and we believe, results in a caravan that is strong, quiet and very well insulated,” Ben said.

The looks are different too. The van casts a striking profile with its aerodynamic front which extends the front wall over the drawbar, increasing the van’s body length without changing the overall length.

I really liked the colour scheme – white above with a deep burgundy below – in this case matching perfectly with the tow vehicle supplied by Paradise!

In a nod to Paradise’s motorhome origins, the Castaway has a slide-out fitted into the rear offside wall and it runs very smoothly.

Windows are tinted and double-glazed Seitz items, whilst the door has a separate security screen.

In terms of external storage, there's only a small front boot but that's mainly for the gas cylinders. There are also storage hatches on either side which give access to the front under-seat area. It's sort of a tunnel boot and is deceptively larger than it looks.

SURPRISE PACKAGE

Stepping into the Castaway reveals one surprise and something slightly less surprising straightaway.

The surprise is that the layout is not the common front bedroom, full-width rear bathroom set-up. The less surprising aspect is that, from the entry door back, the caravan looks just like a Paradise motorhome!

The Paradise team is obviously confident that they’re on to a good thing.

Up front, the club lounge is very inviting – club lounges are not really possible in most motorhome designs but the Castaway’s matches the Paradise style and welcomes anyone standing close by to sit down and relax.

It's also nicely upholstered in automotive grade leather and the table can be easily lowered down to make a second bed.

If you’re not familiar with Paradise layouts, here’s how they work: the kitchen bench runs along the mid-offside with the fridge and microwave oven on the opposite side. That leaves space in the rear for an east-west bed with bedhead set into the offside slide-out and a large bank of wardrobes along the nearside wall.

Paradise has opted for a contemporary colour scheme – it’s mostly white but with various shades of grey to nicely offset it. Along with the large Seitz windows, the internal colours make for a very light and bright interior.

As mentioned previously, the kitchen is split across both sides and, apart from the fridge and microwave, all the essentials are mounted in the offside kitchen bench. That includes a combo four-burner cooktop with grill and oven, plus a stainless steel sink with drainer.

Under the bench is a decent amount of storage including four drawers and one cupboard. Above the bench, the two overhead lockers offer plenty of storage space.

The doors are ideal for those with arthritic hands – absolutely no catches or handles whatsoever.

The fridge and microwave oven aren’t mounted in the conventional manner with the microwave above the fridge. Instead, the microwave is alongside the fridge at a very user-friendly height.

Under the microwave, a cupboard contains three slide-out wire baskets of various sizes. Above, a shelf is the mounting point for a 22in LED TV.

It’s not mounted in the usual way, but on a Paradise-designed swivelling bracket that has motorhome origins – it’s designed not to come loose in an accident. This must be the entertainment centre, because it’s also where the touch-screen multimedia player is located – and the shelf is handy for items like an external plug-in device.

CLEVER CABINETRY

It’s also worth mentioning the Castaway’s cabinetry construction. One of the features that I reckon separates manufacturers is the way their cabinetry is constructed.

Like a number of other motorhome builders, Paradise uses lightweight water-resistant plywood for the base material, often with a laminate finish for the face panels.

The old days of staples and glue seem to have disappeared but a number of manufacturers still use butt joints and screws for connecting things. However, the rise of CNC machines has meant a much greater accuracy in cutting timber.

So Paradise uses a form of a mortise and tenon joint (ask an old time carpenter if you don't know what that means), better known as an interlocking system, to give the furniture the necessary strength, as well as an accurate fit and finish.

SPACIOUS BEDROOM

One of the advantages of having the east-west bed in the slide-out is that it creates plenty of space to walk around the bed and a very generous wardrobe cabinet.

That includes a substantial amount of hanging space and a multi-shelf area. And the bathroom in the rear can still be accessed with the slide-out closed up.

The bed can be lifted very easily – an arrangement designed by Colin MacLean – to get past. Lifting the bed reveals a storage area underneath, although a chunk of it is taken by batteries, chargers and the like.

In the bathroom, the van’s motorhome heritage can clearly be seen. The 0.9 x 0.7m shower cubicle sits in the offside corner which leaves room for a centre-stage Dometic cassette china bowl toilet, complete with an SOG vapour extraction system.

Filling the nearside wall area is yet more cabinet space – for both a vanity and a washing machine. There are shelves in the cupboards above and below the shelf and there is also a wash basin.

There’s no shortage of mirrors in the bathroom either. Both shaving cabinet doors above the wash basin are mirrored and the external wall and door of the bathroom is mirrored.

POWERED UP

The Castaway comes with essential electrical items such as a 100Ah battery, 30A smart charge and two 150W solar panels.

Discreet LED lighting is fitted into all the appropriate locations and a multi-circuit touch control panel is handily located by the entry door.

Instead of separate hot water and space heaters, this van has a Truma Combi 240V/gas unit installed – it does two jobs and saves space at the same time.

An additional feature that will be in all future Paradise vans is an integrated control that links up to the Truma Aventa air-conditioner, thus giving you control of every temperature condition.

The Castaway’s weight IS interesting – the tare comes in at 2100kg and the ATM at 2900kg, which gives you a huge load capacity but, if you carry a light load, then a good selection of tow vehicles can be used.

Certainly, our Holden Colorado dual cab buzzed along without any dramas. And Paradise seems to have made an effort to create a van which tows very smoothly.

VERDICT

Now, just before you rush out with your cheque book to pay a deposit for this van, I’d better tell you the price – the better part of $120,000. And that’s for the on-road model! The slightly higher and heavier (but not much) offroad version is more expensive.

What that says to me, though, is that Paradise actually worked on its van design with its eyes more on engineering that the cost price.

The Castaway layout reviewed here is the only one available at the moment. I'm sure that there'll be more later on, but I think the philosophy was to get everything working right and then move on, rather than use the shotgun approach.

All up, the Castaway is built very similarly to the Paradise motorhomes and that experience shines through. It all adds up to a very classy caravan.

PARADISE CASTAWAY

Overall length: 7.4m (24ft 3in)
External body length: 6.65m (21ft 10in)
External body width: 2.35m (7ft 9in)
Travel height: 2.95m (9ft 8in)
Internal height: 1.95m (6ft 5in)
Tare: 2100kg
ATM: 2900kg
Ball weight: 170kg
Frame: n/a - composite walls and roof
Cladding: Fibreglass
Chassis: Galvanised steel and alloy
Suspension: Cruisemaster independent, 
Brakes: 10in Al-Ko electric
Wheels: 15in alloy
Fresh water: 100L
Grey water: 100L
Battery: 1 x 12V 100Ah
Solar: 2 x 150W
Air-conditioner: Truma Aventa Comfort
Gas: 2 x 9kg
ESC: Yes
Cooking: Smev combo four-burner cooktop/grill/oven
Fridge: Dometic 190L three-way two-door fridge,
Microwave: Sharp Carousel 23L
Toilet: Dometic china bowl cassette with SOG vapour extraction
Shower: Separate cubicle
Lighting: 12V LED
Hot water: Truma Combi gas/elec 10L water and room heater
Options fitted: None
Price as shown: $119,680 (Qld)
Supplied by: Paradise Motor Homes, Biggera Waters, Qld