Paradise Spark IV 2019 Review

When it comes to top-shelf Aussie RV manufacturers, Queensland has more than its fair share. For tent trailers and hybrids, you’ve got the likes of Patriot and AOR, while Bushtracker, Kedron and Zone lead the pack in luxury off-road caravans.

Those looking for high-quality, homegrown motorized RVs are also catered for in the Sunny State with the likes of SLRV and Paradise. But whereas SLRV specialises in the tough truck expedition vehicle market, Paradise mostly targets buyers after the very best in luxury coachbuilt touring motorhomes.

Unfortunately, you usually need a thick wad of cash to get into a Paradise motorhome, with some buyers paying in excess of half a million dollars for their custom built, multi slide-out mobile dream home.

More affordable options

However, all is not lost for those on tighter budgets lusting after a large Paradise luxury motorhome, with the Gold Coast manufacturer’s latest entry-level 26ft Spark making a strong argument against more mainstream motorhomes from the likes of Jayco, Avida and Avan in the $150,000-$200,000 segment.

Based on the latest Iveco Daily cab-chassis, the Spark comes with either a low-roof two-berth layout priced from $179,000 drive-away, or there’s the slightly taller four-berth Spark IV variant, which comes equipped with two double beds as well as four seatbelts to carry and accommodate up to four people.

The subject of this review, the Spark IV at $193,000 drive-away is $14,000 more than the two berth Spark but you do get a larger Luton peak above the driver’s cab with safety net and double bed, that also serves as a decent storage area.

The Spark IV also gets a different dinette/lounge configuration that includes two forward-facing passenger seats, just behind the swiveling driver’s and front passenger seats, with a removable table with slide-out extension in between for family eating.

Great to drive

The Spark IV is built on the Iveco Daily 50C platform, with the 153kW/470Nm four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine driving through an eight-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels.

We drove it from Paradise’s Gold Coast factory to a Sunshine Coast caravan park and back, and suffice to say it’s a pleasure to drive. Not only does it deliver strong, smooth acceleration off the mark, but it remains stable and refined cruising at speeds up to 100-110km/h on the highway.

The rear airbag suspension and air-assisted front cabin seats help deliver a cushy ride for front passengers on bumpy bitumen, while the view all round from the driver's seat is excellent thanks to large side mirrors and a dual screen rear camera that delivers a handy view of rear traffic when driving via a separate screen above the dash.

This particular motorhome has a GVM rating of 4495kg, making it driveable on a car licence, and delivering a payload of around 550kg. But if you need to carry more the GVM can be bumped up to 5200kg (thus requiring a light rigid truck licence to drive it).

Quality touches throughout

To keep the two Spark variants under $200,000 Paradise has omitted a few luxury items you often see on its more upmarket siblings, like powered stabiliser legs, a generator, polished timber edged furniture and automatic locking drawers.

However, they boast the same build quality of more expensive Paradise models like the built-in structural integrity including alloy frame roll-over protection, and the full composite body construction with an automotive-style two-pack paint finish.

It's all completed in-house at Paradise’s Gold Coast production facility, from the one-piece domed roof and fully moulded fiberglass external lockers to the two-tone paintjob and lightweight marine ply furniture. As a result the fit and finish both inside and out is hard to fault, right down to the black leather stitched seating, sharp-edged laminated benchtops and piano-hinged cabinetry doors.

It’s all pretty user-friendly too; we particularly liked how easy it was to open and close the external lockers and lift up the strut-assisted bed bases. Also making life easier in the Spark is the replacement of the Iveco’s standard floor-mounted handbrake with an electric handbrake switch on the dash, to allow a clear walkway from the front seats to the rear living area.

Appealing layout

Unlike many other Paradise models the Spark IV doesn't include a side wall slide-out for the main bed or lounge. However, at close to 8.0m long and 2.4m wide, it doesn’t feel too cramped inside (at least with two people), with good headroom throughout and enough space to walk around the east-west queen bed to get to the rear ensuite, even with the 10cm bed extension in place.

Fitted with a really solid sliding privacy door, the rear ensuite is also a good size, with enough room between the cassette toilet and corner vanity to towel off. Another bonus is the Spark gets the same extra-large (700mm x 900mm) fiberglass shower cubicle find in larger and more expensive Paradise models.

To maximize space there’s a clever flexible shower screen ‘door’ that retracts into the wall when not in use, plus a handy retractable towel rack above the shower, and built-in shampoo and liquid dispensers.

The ensuite also benefits from a rear opening window and roof fan hatch, while the good-sized vanity gets a fancy black sink with a couple of mirrors on the cabinet doors above the sink.

Permanently mounted TV

The Spark IV also gets Paradise’s sturdy TV swivel mount, positioned on a benchtop just to the right as you enter. Not only does it hold the 24in TV firmly in place at all times but allows the screen to be viewed from either the front seats or the rear bed area.

The only place the Spark IV might get a bit crowded is towards the front, where the smallish kitchen is located opposite the makeshift dinette. The removable tabletop comes with an extension that swings out to provide enough table space for four people, although it then blocks internal access to the driver’s cabin as well the space for the upper-bed ladder.

The only issue we had with the motorhome during our two night trip was the swivel mechanism for the table extension jamming after using it a few times. However, Paradise said it is planning to replace this in-house-built mechanism with a proven European-sourced component to prevent this happening in the future.

Otherwise, the Spark’s small kitchen benchtop is largely taken up by a combination three burner gas cooktop and sink with filter tap (both with glass lids), while other kitchen appliances include a rangehood, 188 litre 12V/240V compressor fridge/freezer and a large convection/grille microwave.

If you want more food prep space there's a separate laminated cutting board that slots across the entry way, that stores neatly in a dedicated slot under the bed when travelling.

Comfy sleeping arrangements

The overhead double bed sleeping area, accessed via the supplied aluminium ladder, features a comfy mattress, two opening windows and reading lights. It also delivers above-average headroom to make it a viable option for a couple of lanky teenagers.

There are no powerpoints up there though, although there’s no lack of USB/12V/240V sockets scattered throughout the rest of the motorhome.

Storage options inside are also pretty good. The largest space is the area under the main bed which can also be accessed from outside, but there are also a couple of ‘his and hers’ wardrobes around the bed, as well as another large floor to ceiling cupboard next to the fridge and another smaller cupboard below the TV.

Around the kitchen and dinette area you'll also find some handy drawers, cupboards and overhead lockers to store stuff.

Outside living covered

Stepping outside, the Spark IV comes standard with powered entry steps, which retract automatically when you twist the ignition key in case you forget to close them. Paradise has also covered the outdoor living basics with a large Dometic wind-out awning, outside light, 240V outlet and a gas bayonet.

To reduce a bit of rock ‘ roll when camping there’s a stabilizer leg on each side, which have to be wound down manually after deflating the airbag suspension via a switch on the dash.

The Camec two-part security door worked a treat, as did the functionality of the six external storage lockers (three on each side). One of the onside lockers contain the two 4kg gas bottles, with another holding the two 100ah batteries and Redarc charger.

That leaves plenty of room in the other lockers for relatively small and longer items, with bulkier items like camp chairs, tables and BBQs probably best reserved for the underbed storage area.

The spare tyre is slotted snugly underneath, within the chassis rails, just behind the 100 litre fresh water andf 90 litre grey water tanks, while the locker holding the toilet cassette with SOG ventilation is accessed at the rear.

The Spark’s roof is decked out with 300W  solar panels, TV aerial, central roof hatch plus the latest Dometic Ibis 4 air-conditioner, which proved whisper quiet when running overnight in ‘sleep’ mode.

We also liked the locally-made padded solar shades provided, which were quickly attached to the front windscreen and side windows to block out the sun as well as outside lights at night.

So what’s missing?

The Spark IV doesn’t come standard with a washing machine, although you could possibly sacrifice some storage space in the ensuite to option one in. It’s also missing a conventional grille and oven (although it has a more space efficient convection/grille microwave), and external speakers for the radio, as well as the aforementioned lack of power sockets in the over-cabin bed area.

We’d also prefer more fresh water storage with just 110 litres fitted as standard, and would pay a extra few hundred dollars more for a powered version of the Dometic awning.

However, adding too many pricey options to the Spark defeats the purpose of buying this entry-level model in the first place. The extra weight would also eat into an already limited payload, if you stick with the car-licence friendly 4495kg GVM.

Summing up

While you might get a few more standard features for the money on similar sized motorhomes from Jayco or Avida, it’s the superior Iveco driving experience coupled with superb build quality and overall fit and finish of this family-friendly Paradise motorhome that makes it an enticing prospect for discerning motorhomers on a budget.

Specs: Paradise Motor Homes Spark IV

Base vehicle: Iveco Daily 50C
Engine 3.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Power/torque: 153kW/470Nm
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Tare weight: 3950kg
GVM: 4495kg (upgradeable to 5200kg)
Payload: 545kg
Licence: Car
Passengers: Four
Berths: Four
External body length: 7920mm
External body width: 2400mm
Travel height: 3120mm
Interior height: 2000mm
Cooktop: Dometic three burner gas
Fridge: Dometic 188L 12V/240V compressor
Microwave: Euromaid convection/grille
Lighting: LED
Batteries: 2 x 100A/h and Redarc 15amp charger
Solar: 300W roof-top panels
Air-conditioner: Dometic Ibis 4 roof-mounted
Toilet: Dometic cassette
Shower: Separate cubicle
Hot water: Truma 14 litre
Fresh water: 110 litres
Grey water: 90 litres
Gas: 2 x 4kg
TV: 24in LED and digital antenna
Audio: RV Media Bluetooth/radio/CD player
Price (drive-away Qld): $193,000
Supplied by: Paradise Motorhomes, Biggera Waters, Queensland