Paradise Liberation 2005 Review

By Malcolm Street

Over the last few years, Paradise Motor Homes has created a stir within the motorhome world with its innovative and well engineered designs.

All based on Mercedes Benz Sprinter vans or cab chassis, the Paradise units are not only carefully engineered but have set new standards in luxury motorhome living.

One of the more interesting designs to come from the fertile mind of Colin MacLean, owner of Paradise Motor Homes, has been the Liberation.

Based on a Sprinter cab chassis it has not one but two slide-outs and is just 24ft (7.3m) long.

The Liberation is designed as a luxury motorhome, and luxury is what you get. Its other claim to fame is that with a Tare weight of 3660kg it’s small enough and light enough to be driven on a normal car licence.

That’s good news for people who want luxurious space in their travels but don’t want to drive a 32-foot motorhome. It’s surprising just how much difference those two slide-outs make to the internal dimensions.

Undoubtedly one of the more interesting features about this motorhome is that the driver’s cab has been widened. This might sound simple but it’s quite a complex engineering process that involves cutting off the roof, slicing the floor, removing the windscreen and from the door hinges back making the entire cab about 400mm wider.

The advantages are several: there’s more room inside; the body is more aerodynamic; the seats can be swivelled without opening the doors; effectively a C class vehicle becomes an A class and the engineering has been completed in such a way that Mercedes Benz will still do warranty and service work.

On the road the Liberation handles just like any other Mercedes Sprinter – that is to say with ease. Power steering, power brakes and fully automatic transmission all make it just like driving a car.

Air bag suspension fitted to the rear axle smooths the bumps out nicely. If you are used to Sprinter cabs, the doors will feel a little further away but apart from that, Colin has changed little in the driver’s cab.

One thing he has done is to wire up the power windows, so they can be closed after the motor is switched off. Centre dash is a small screen for both the reversing camera and the satellite navigation system.

Construction-wise, the Liberation is built on a chassis that’s made of galvanised steel, alloy and stainless steel, whilst the walls and roof are made from a laminated composite of fibreglass, structural foam and marine ply that’s bonded around a lightweight high tensile alloy frame.

The entire body is designed for maximum strength and minimal weight. Even the two slide-outs add strength to the frame rather than detract from it.

The end result from the outside is a chic-looking B class motorhome. Having a widened cab gives the Liberation a streamlined look: sadly from the rear, it still retains the traditional motorhome boxy appearance. What does look good is the two-pack paint silver finish – no white to be seen here.

All the external lockers are made from high tensile but lightweight nylon and are both pressure sealed and filtered. The alloy locker doors are alarmed and have pinch-weld seals on the door rather than around the bin.

Windows and doors are all Dometic with tinted glass, rather than the usual acrylic, to reduce scratching. In addition, the door has an Amplimesh security screen fitted. Luxury items include the sensor lighting that is also two-switched from inside and the electrically powered awning – no more winding the handle.

Stepping into the Liberation reveals a very interesting layout. It has a rear bathroom, a slide-out on the rear nearside and a second slide-out behind the driver’s door.

In the rear slide-out is an east-west double bed and fridge (an interesting combination) and the front slide-out has the kitchen bench plus a small lounge. Both driver and passenger seats swivel around and there’s a second passenger seat behind the front one with a fold-out table in between.

There are numerous features that suggest ‘female input’, mainly from Colin’s wife Libby.

Eye catching is the term for the internal decor, with its anthracite coloured laminate and purple curtains together with a ‘metallic’ laminate for the doors and drawers and mirrored walls. There’s no doubt about the comfort and look of the grey leather seats either, and most windows have slimline venetian blinds.

It’s possible to use the motorhome with the slide-outs closed but when they slide open, the space increase is quite dramatic. CW has seen quite a few slide-outs in operation and one or two have sounded like a drawbridge opening, but not the Liberation – it’s a very smooth operation with safety cut-outs, like when you open one of the cab doors.

With the slide-outs open, it’s time to swivel the front seats, fold down the arm rests, sit down and take in all the features of the Liberation. In the lounge area there are three swivel driving seats plus a two-person lounge in the slide-out.

In addition to the fold-out table between the nearside seats, there is also a free-standing table that can be used between the driver’s seat and lounge. That same table can also be used outside.

Beside the rear passenger seat is a handy wine bottle rack/glass holder and that essential of modern motorhoming – an electric wine cooler! Situated on a cupboard halfway along the Liberation is a flatscreen TV that can be seen from both lounge and bed.

While there are overhead lockers above both the table and lounge, there are none above the driver’s cab area – a plus as far as I could see, as there’s nothing to bang your head on when you stand up!

The kitchen bench is packed with features: Cramer three-burner stove, Samsung convection microwave oven with grill, stainless steel sink, Dometic dish washer and slide-out pantry.

Benchtop working space looks minimal but the pantry has a laminated top shelf and there’s a laminated piece that extends the kitchen bench over the lounge. Unless you happen to have six people visiting, it’s a clever idea that can be used most of the time.

All the cupboard doors have piano hinges, the drawers have full extension runners and all (including the fridge) have an automated locking system that kicks in as soon as the motor is started. No more ‘clunk-bang’ as the drawer you forgot to lock pops open as you drive off.

As mentioned previously the fridge, a Waeco 220 litre, sits beside the bed in the rear slide-out. It hides behind doors that match the rest of the cabinetwork.

With a full-width rear bathroom, there’s plenty of room for a complete fit-out; moulded fibreglass shower cubicle, separate Dometic Vacuflush toilet and a very classy-looking vanity unit.

The latter has a trendy sink atop the bench, which fits in quite well with the general decor and provides space around the vanity cabinet top for all your washing essentials. A large mirror, powerpoint and water heater controls complete the bathroom fit-out. Well, almost – under the bathroom cabinet top is another surprise. Pull the hinged cabinet out and hey presto, there’s a top-loading washing machine and dirty clothes basket.

In the bedroom area, the queen-sized bed sits against the wall of the rear slide-out. On either side are bedside cabinets plus mirrored cupboards in the air space above. There’s actually no shortage of mirrors: the bathroom wall is mirrored as is the linen cupboard at the base of the bed. There’s absolutely no excuse for not having combed your hair.

The utilities, if I can use that word, are almost an article in itself. Lighting throughout the Liberation is almost all 12V halogen downlights or reading lights.

All the fittings are either brass or stainless steel – Colin imports a special brand designed for maximum heat resistance to give an extended life. In keeping with this theme of maximum life and usage, the main 240V switchboard is IP rated, all the wiring is done in 20 amp cable.

On the 12V side, the control panel is all circuit breakers rather than fuses and the 12V power comes from four six-volt deep-cycle batteries, wired up in a series/parallel arrangement.

On the entertainment front, there’s a built-in DVD player to go with the flat screen TV plus an AM/FM radio, MP3, CD player with six-stacker and enough speakers to give surround sound.

There are two roof-mounted air-conditioners in the Liberation, one above the lounge area and the other above the bedroom. Although from certain angles inside they look like normal hatches because of the low-profile design.

There’s a weighty matter to be mentioned before we finish. It’s considered by several within the industry that the Liberation is overweight, so as part of this review I arranged for a colleague of mine to put the Liberation over a weighbridge.

Mercedes lists the Sprinter 416 as having a GVM of 4490kg, with front and rear axle load ratings of 1750kg and 3200kg respectively.

With a full capacity of fuel and water, bedding and cooking and eating utensils, the Liberation weighed in at 3940kg. The front axle was carrying 1440kg and the rear axles 2500kg, well within limits. Even if you allow a generous 200kg for two people, that still leaves 350kg for any additional items before the maximum GVM figure is reached. Within reason, there does not appear to be a problem here.

An article of this length is almost too short to list the full specification list and it’s hard not to be impressed by the Liberation.

The use of two slide-outs in a motorhome this size is definitely innovative and the Paradise team has introduced some very advanced technology to the motorhome world. This probably explains why there is a fairly long waiting list. So think ahead if you are considering a Liberating way of RV travel.

Paradise Motorhomes: 17 Kamholtz Court, Ashmore, Qld 4214, (07) 5597 4400, fax: (07) 5597 5500, email: paradisemhomes@bigpond.com.au; web: paradisemotorhomes.com.au