FIT FOR ROYALTY

It’s big, beautiful, and it even has room to pack a small car into the garage. Zion Motorhomes has raised the bar with the latest Palace model, the 90G. Claire Smith takes a look.

The Palace 90G is built on an Iveco Daily 70C16 chassis with a 210 HP engine, an eight-gear torque converter automatic transmission, and front and rear VB-air suspension.

At 9500mm long, 2400mm wide, and 3640mm high, everything inside is just that little bit bigger than your average RV. It does mean you’ll need a Class 2 driver’s licence to drive it.

Inside, there is seating for six around the table, plus both cab seats swivel fully into the lounge. The kitchen is spacious and practical, and offers plenty of prep space with a large 1740mm x 1000mm mineral bench. There’s a three-burner hob and gas oven with grill, and opposite the cooking zone is a full-sized 190L Dometic fridge/freezer unit.

The island north-south queen bed is at the rear of the Palace 90G. The bedroom is elevated with two steps leading up to the bed, which features a five-zone comfort cold foam mattress, and at 2000mm long by 1630mm wide, it’s certainly roomy. For a spot of stargazing, there’s a large overhead skylight.

The split bathroom is located between the kitchen and the bedroom. On the driver’s side, the huge shower includes a slide-tap and space to store all the essentials. On the opposite side is the extra-large vanity unit that features a big sink, with drawers and mirrored, LED-lit cabinets above. The bathroom can be closed off from the bedroom and kitchen with sliding doors.

Outside, there is a 370L freshwater and a 250L grey tank, and a 250L black tank. It has four 130W solar panels, two 210AH lithium batteries, and a 3000W inverter. One of the defining features of the 90G model is the incredibly big garage. In fact, it’s big enough to hold a small smart car, to the max dimensions of 2.75m x 1.56m. An additional, smaller tunnel locker runs the width of the vehicle, handy for storing long items such as skis or fishing poles. Other notable features include a hot/cold retractable shower, LED daytime running lights, an electrically extendable awning with LED lighting, automatic hydraulic legs, and satellite dish.

The Morelo Palace 90G has been designed so that its owners can come ‘home’ at the end of each day. And with all those little extras that add up to a lot of luxury, it means those lucky enough to own one can enjoy that travel in maximum comfort and relaxation. For more information, visit zionmotorhomes.co.nz

Specifications

Make/model MORELO PALACE 90G

Chassis Iveco Daily 70C 1

Engine 210HPl

Transmission 8-speed auto

Berths 4

External length 9500mm

External width 2400mm

External height 3640mm

Water: fresh/grey/black 380L / 250L / 250L

Gas tanks 2 x 9kg

GVM 7500kg

Tare 6400kg

Payload 1100kg

Price, as reviewed $690,000

Heroic Camping

Paul Owen goes back to the future as he takes a wander through a new teardrop caravan that takes inspiration from some century-old aerodynamic mastery.

The ‘teardrop’ camping trailer is making a comeback, possibly for the way it oozes retro-cool as much as for its aerodynamic efficiency when towed.

Hero Campers are distributed in New Zealand by Hamilton’s RV Supplies Ltd., to a network that includes the best-selling New Zealand dealership, Tristram European.

The Hero slogan ‘Get Out and Stay Home’ is written in large letters on three sides of the Ranger, effectively summing up the kind of lifestyle that owning one will enable. For this isn’t a camping solution where you stay huddled inside four walls, staring out of windows. You’ll have to go outside to cook, for example; raising the large curved rear tailgate reveals a stainless steel kitchen unit divided into three sections. At the left is a stack of three drawers, while at the centre is a cupboard with a slider designed to house something like a Dometic 40L 12V/240V fridge, and the right-side cupboard located beneath the sink houses the 30L freshwater tank, leaving room for extra stowage.

The interior of the Hero can be accessed via a door on either side, and there’s a minimalist Scandinavian vibe to it. The arrangement of mattresses and squabs encourages you to sit facing the rear of the trailer with your back comfortably resting against the upright squabs resting against mounts attached to the inside front wall. A matrix of sprung plastic supports aerates and suspends the lower mattresses creating a king size bed (2.0m x 1.5).

All Hero Rangers come with a rack and attendant side ladders, giving the option of two hard-top ‘Skybox’ compartments to add another bedroom on top. The choice is between the three-berth Kepler Skybox or the easier to deploy two-berth Galileo. The narrower Galileo is lighter at 63kg instead of 90kg. Both require fitting a $575 mounting bar, and the Kepler costs $5,595 versus $4,495 for the Galileo.

With the starting points of $32,275 for the Ranger and $33,750 for the Ranger Limited Edition, you could spend up to $43,340 and $46,485 for the fully equipped versions by ticking every box. Be prepared for your caravan-owning friends to chime that ‘you could have got a proper caravan for that’. The best comeback is: ‘yeah, right, but it wouldn’t have looked as cool.’ Nor would that larger brick-on-wheels make your holiday fuel budget go as far. Find out more at rvsupplies.co.nz

Specifications

Chassis German-made galvanised Knott trailer with beam single axle

Overall dimensions 4.78mL x 2.3mW x 2.32mH (with no Skybox fitted)

Rack dimensions/ max. load 2.08m x 1.35m/500kg (parked), 200kg (mobile)

Berths Up to 5

Freshwater tank 30L

GVW 200kg (unladen mass: 827kg)

Price From $32,275