There is no doubt the cult of the ‘Grey Nomad’ has fuelled a massive uptake of motor hoes, camper vans and caravans right across Australia in recent years and one of the companies that has reaped the reward of this has been Iveco, thanks to is Daily range of heavy vans.
The Daily is one of the favourites of the motor home conversion business in Australia, and its native Europe as well for that matter
As Iveco points out in a recent statement , when it comes to selecting a motorhome body and cab chassis, there are plenty to choose from, but most likely these choices come with some compromises.
One company that has hitched its ‘product wagon to the Iveco Daily is Gold Coast -based, Latitude Motorhomes, which claims to manufacture its motorhomes “so there are no compromises”,
Latitude says that is the reason why it builds exclusively on the Iveco Daily 70C cab chassis platform.
Brothers Ben and Michael MacLean started Latitude Motorhomes in 2017 and concede that while the search for perfection may at first glance seem risky because of the fact that it comes at a price, that now eight years on and with a 48 month wait for prospective Latitude buyers to become owners, the decision has proved to be sound.
“While most motorhome manufacturers work to a price point and then equip the vehicle within that budget, we’ve always concentrated on providing customers with the very best features, equipment and finishes,” Ben MacLean explained.
“We cut no corners with cost – we build and price afterwards, all materials are the very best and they complement our design process. Every new model is fully developed, tested and assembled in 3D modelling software before being commissioned for build.
“And although we can customise our motorhomes to suit the needs of our buyers, we find that overwhelmingly they’re so well designed and specified that very few opt for a bespoke build.”
Despite this the company emphasised that despite this there are still options for customers and that it offers 24 different cabin colours, 12 shades of flooring, 50 different leather options and a host of other choices, allowing buyers to personailse their motorhome if they wish to.
Latitude Motorhomes currently offer a choice of two models, the Element 27 and Meridian 30, both built on the Iveco Daily 70C with 7.2t GVM.
The company says its motorhomes feature slide outs, ample storage, and electrical and plumbing systems that provide easy, luxurious and convenient accommodation, ‘whether at a caravan park or if being self-sufficient when free camping’.
The company says its motorhomes sell to all corners of the country.
“There’s no doubt that both models are extensively equipped, and it’s the added carrying capacity of the 70C light truck underpinnings that make it an ideal platform for Latitude Motorhomes,” according to Ben MacLean.
“We’ve been using the Daily 70C cab chassis since 2018 – the model has the horsepower, GVM and wheelbase we need, plus it’s a nice truck to drive, especially compared to cab over equivalents,” he explained.
“At 7.2t GVM the model allows us to install all the equipment and features we want, and still have around 1.5t of payload, plus there’s the 3.5t braked towing capacity for those who want to tow a runabout.”
The company explained that the Iveco Daily 70C’s 155kW / 470Nm engine and its fully automatic eight-speed transmission, plus its suite of active and passive safety features, its suspended memory foam seats ,make it well suited to the motorhome application.
Latitude says that among the other options its buyers selected are rear electronically controlled airbag suspension, rear electronic differential lock and all of Iveco’s upgrade packs, including the Hi-Business, Hi-Comfort and H-Technology packs, which add items including tyre pressure monitoring System, automatic headlights and wipers, lane departure warning and proactive lane keep assist, city brake, traction plus, and inductive charging.
“Most of our clients are retirees or pre-retirees, they appreciate the cabin appointments, smooth ride and comfort that the Daily 70C provides,” Ben MacLean said.
“The Daily has proven to be a reliable platform and we get positive feedback from our customers, and they’re all very impressed with the fuel efficiency as well, especially when transitioning from a four-wheel-drive and caravan combination, with the Daily only using about three quarters of the fuel.
“We aim to produce the best motorhomes in Australia so it’s important that any vehicle that bears the Latitude Motorhome name is also of the highest standards.”
