Paradise Pinnacle 2020 Review

Australia’s newest luxury off-road caravan is one you’ve probably never heard of – the 22ft Pinnacle XB22HD.

Coming from established Queensland-based high-end motorhome builder, Paradise, it’s a bold move straight into the top end of the off-grid caravan market. And, priced at $197,500 and built by RV experts, it invites critical evaluation.

Exploring new market niches

Paradise’s expansion into the caravan market comes from a desire by its new management team to plug all the market gaps as Australia awakes from its COVID-19 slumber.

A $40,000-odd Danish-built ‘Hero’ teardrop camper, a six-figure Panoramic campervan conversion based on the Volkswagen Transporter 4Motion LWB and a new 16ft full height hybrid caravan, are other new products either just launched or on the drawing board by the Gold Coast, Queensland company that has produced more than 700 motorhomes in its 18 years.

The new Pinnacle caravan is pitched predominantly at the retiree market of experienced travellers who want to enjoy self-sufficiency with few compromises in remote areas.

You might think that this market is already well catered for by the likes of Bushtracker, Kedron, Sunland and Zone RV, but Paradise has identified a niche of buyers who want a quality motorhome standard of finish... and can afford to pay for it.

4.5 tonne showpiece

The first Paradise Pinnacle caravan is the premium model 4.5 tonne ATM XB22HD, that will serve as a showcase for what Paradise is capable of, before it's joined by the similar-sized, reduced-spec and cheaper ($167,500 tow-away) 3500kg ATM XB22 in the first quarter of 2021.

The XB22HD’s ATM, which dictates legally that it requires a muscular tow vehicle up front, limits its market, as 3.5-tonne rated large 4WDs – like Toyota’s LandCruiser, Nissan’s Patrol and the most powerful of the crew-cab utes – fall short.

This means that the majority of XB22HDs will be seen behind large American pick-ups, like the heavy duty model RAMs, Chevrolet Silverados, GMCs and larger Ford F-trucks that are now available in converted right-hand drive form in Australia.

The other benefit of having a big tow tug is that their long wheelbases and solid tare weights ensure reassuring stability, with side winds, crowned road surfaces and the blustering of large trucks that you're more likely to overtake (rather than being overtaken), are not really an issue.

The downside of a rig with a laden GCM of more than seven tonnes, is that you would be foolhardy to venture onto even major unsealed roads after heavy rain, or to venture down narrow tracks without a solid ‘B’ plan in case they tighten or peter out.

But that’s not the Pinnacle’s market. Paradise expects most of those who choose its ‘towed motorhome’ will already have sowed their adventurous wild oats on more nimble rigs. Their Pinnacle will allow them to spend quality time in favourite places and certainly the Pinnacle XB22HD is superbly equipped for this task.

Auto-style finishes

The Paradise Pinnacle is an impressive caravan to behold: long, sleek and shiny with its distinctive dual-tone silver automotive-style two-pack paint finish with contrasting mid-grey Raptor coating stretching along its low waistline.

Together with its low-slung, top-hinged, lower storage lockers, lined with marine carpet and gull-winged doored front toolbox, you get the initial impression that you're looking at a luxury European coach.

However, a glance underneath quickly dispels any notion that the Pinnacle might be too posh for the Pilbara.

Joining a solid DO-45 coupling and 150mm x 50mm galvanised and in-house made chassis, is premium Cruisemaster ATX  independent airbag and trailing arm suspension with Cruisemaster remote reservoir monotube shock absorbers to insure against potential overheating after a hammering on brutal corrugation.

Provision for an eight-inch jockey wheel, or a sturdy height-adjustable A-frame stand, while solid plate protective shielding for the Pinnacle’s huge 450-litre fresh and 150-litre grey water storage should give travellers confidence to stray well off the bitumen.

It's rather curious then that some of the plumbing, including some of the plastic pipes leading to the manifold of inlets and outlets to the rear of the right-hand side tandem wheelset, are not even-better shielded, although in fairness, much of it runs within the protection of the chassis rails.

Twin 16-inch alloy spare wheels shod with knobbly 245/75-16 Yokohama Geolandar tyres, hang off the Pinnacle’s rear wall, with handy metal cradles mounted underneath to rest them on.

Ground clearance looks to be an issue until you utilise the potential of the air suspension, which has a set travelling height that can be varied overall, or side to side to level at night, as the terrain demands.

To start the day, turn the power on and select the ‘Automatic’ setting. Then once the Pinnacle has reached its travelling height, flick the toggles to ‘Manual’ and switch off the power.

Unless you make manual changes, the system will hold its ride height for several days. Provision is also here to plug in an air gun to inflate your tyres up after dropping them about 6-10psi for rough road travel.

Motorhome-style interior feel

Entering the Paradise Pinnacle is another ‘motorhome’ experience, with the opening of its flush-fitting door cushioned against wind gusts by an hydraulic strut, while switches just to the right deploy the bi-level aluminium step and the large electric awning that incorporates ribbon lighting in its roller.

An adjacent C-Zone panel controls the main power and inside and outside lighting, with main functions grouped in four buttons – ‘Camp’ which turns on the main power and pre-selected interior lights; ‘Travel’, which switches off all non-essential items and locks most drawers, but leaves the 216-litre compressor fridge operating; ‘Night’, which cancels exterior lights and ‘Storage’, which shuts down everything that draws power during periods of inactivity.

You can also turn on all exterior lights if you hear strange noises in the middle of the night without venturing outside to investigate.

A separate panel on the other side of the doorway allows you to monitor the levels in the Pinnacle’s three principle water storage reservoirs: fresh water,  drinking water and grey water.

You can also monitor the voltage remaining and the power being drawn by its two standard 200Ah Enerdrive  B-TEC lithium batteries, which live under the seat of the central L-shaped lounge/dinette and are fed by roof-mounted solar panels delivering a total of 840 watts.

A 2600 watt true sine wave inverter and the Enerdrive batteries’ wiring allows all of the caravan's many USB, cigarette lighter and three-pin plugs to deliver 12v power when the Pinnacle is not plugged into 240v mains.

This means wherever you camp you’ll never be without power to run all life’s ‘essentials’ like coffee pod machines, its 12v Sirocco fans, its four-speaker sound system, the 32-inch TV, the standard Oyster self-seeking sat dish and all your various chargers.

The Truma rooftop air-conditioner can in theory run off the van’s house batteries, but because of its power usage you’d be better firing up a 2000kVa or more powerful generator; provision for which is made on one side of the Pinnacle’s front A-frame tool box.

Keep warm all winter

You're not likely to run out of gas for the Pinnacle’s Truma Combi hot water service and cabin heater if you're cold weather camping either, with three 9kg bottles housed in the central area of the gull-winged aluminium toolbox with its tapered central nosecone.

In theory, you shouldn’t really need to use all these power-hungry heating and cooling solutions, as the Pinnacle has the same full sandwich panel insulated walls, Thermashield-coated curved roof, one-piece composite floor, profusion of double-glazed opening windows and four-seasons roof hatch as the company’s motorhomes.

This should maintain a comfortable interior temperature, regardless of the outside ambient. A standard Dometic Dust Reduction system minimises dust entry.

Inside, the Pinnacle has a layout that's justifiably popular on many British and European caravans, with its island 1900mm x 1500mm queen-size bed to the left of the entry door tucked well into the window-less nose, flanked by half robes with lower chests of drawers.

The well-equipped galley with its 3 + 1 hob Dometic cooktop, Euromaid 25-litre oven and grill, low-mounted microwave oven and large stainless steel sink with separate drainer and chopping board and separate filtered drinking water tap is to the right of the door.

Opposite is the van’s large leather upholstered L-shaped lounge, whose rectangular dining table slides in and out via a foot-operated floor button. This table can be dropped right down to lounge-base level where, with the addition of an infill cushion, it can function as an emergency bed.

Sleeping for six

Adding the three large single bunk beds that spread across the rear of the van potentially takes the Pinnacle’s sleeping capacity to six, as the rear bunks – including one just a mattress-height above the floor – are more sized for teenagers than adults.

This layout is standard on both the XB22HD and the cheaper XB22, as Paradise see their new caravans as an opportunity for families and/or friends to holiday together off the beaten track.

This makes complete sense of the central location of the large separate 900mm x 600mm shower cubicle and opposing cassette toilet (that includes room for a top-loading washing machine and a large vanity bowl).

The toilet has a door that when swung one way seals off the main lounge/kitchen bedroom area if a separate rear space is required. A separate CZone panel in the rear controls this area’s own overhead and kick-panel lights, along with the shower fan, while there are separate 12-volt fans and power points to keep everyone charged.

Storage for all the clothes and toys everyone needs on such a trip shouldn’t be a problem in the XB22HD, with a plethora of interior drawers and cupboards, some with piano hinges, soft-close latching and central locking, via the CZone.

There’s also more room under the lift-up front bed for crates of wine, beneath a modular outdoor table that stores securely away when not required.

My belief is that this table and the Pinnacle’s slide-out Dometic external kitchen will get plenty of use in the sort of places that the Pinnacle will take mature adventurers.

Verdict

So, does the Pinnacle deserve to be seen in the elite company of Australia’s proven Outback caravans?

Despite its weight and the compromises that this brings, it will take you to all the same places with a very high level of comfort and off-grid camping capability with one important point of difference: the attention to detail from its motorhome experience, sets a new benchmark in this rarefied market.

In terms of finish, features and build quality, it deserves to be compared with the best currently available from established Queensland off-road caravan builders.

Just imagine a luxury, five-star motorhome that you tow, not drive, and you won’t be disappointed…

How much does the Paradise Pinnacle XB22HD cost?

Price: $197,500 driveaway
Travel length: 8850mm
Inside length: 6640mm
External body width: 2490mm
Internal body width: 2290mm
Travel height: 3160mm
Internal height: 2000kg
ATM: 4500kg
Tare weight: 3400kg
Ball weight (Tare): 265kg
Body: Composite walls with fibreglass sandwich construction, Thermashield-coated curved roof and one-piece composite floor. Two-pack automotive-style metallic paint finish.
Chassis: 150mm x 50mm hot dipped galvanized steel and A-frame, with DO-45 off-road coupling
Suspension: Cruisemaster ATX 4.5 tonne independent tandem air suspension wit trailing arms and monotube shock absorbers
Brakes: Cruisemaster 12-inch electric drums
Wheels: Primal 16-inch mag wheels with LT 245/75-16 Yokohama M/T Geolandar tyres
Fresh water: 1 x 450l fresh water tanks with separate filtered water tank and 150l grey water
Battery: 2 x 200Ah Enerdrive B-Tec Lithium, plus 2600W inverter
Solar: 840W of rooftop glass panels
Gas: 3 x 9kg
Hot water: Truma Combi 2E gas space heater and hot water
Cooking: Dometic cooktop with 3 gas burners plus one electric hob Euromaid oven and grill and separate microwave oven
Fridge:  216l compressor fridge-freezer
Shower: Separate, extra-large 900mm x 600mm internal
Lighting: LED throughout
Entertainment: 32in smart TV, plus Oyster automatic Satellite dish. Supplied by: Paradise Motorhomes, Biggera Waters, Queensland