2021 Frankia i8400 Plus Platin motorhome

Luxury and then some!

Fancy a slice of the best motorhome money can buy? Frankia should be somewhere on your list if you’re shopping at this level. The i8400 Plus Platin motorhome is one of its flagship models. It’s a whopping 28ft long, is based on rear-wheel drive Mercedes running gear and boasts almost limitless sophistication.

As is the way with the very top-level motorhomes (and indeed, plenty of those lower down the price scale), that initial price in the windscreen is just that…You’ll want to budget at least a further £10,000 to take in what you need from a very comprehensive options list, as well as considering how you’re going to protect such an asset with ultra-secure storage and comprehensive motorhome insurance.

The £162,470 starting price does include a UK Pack of options (oven, carpet, coffee machine, microwave oven, external shower and barbecue points, on-demand water filler etc), but there’s plenty more to consider in tailoring this Frankia motorhome to your desires.

Key, though, is a floorplan still slightly unusual at this level in that it has a rear lounge. It’s C-shaped, with high backrests, for extra comfort while watching the 32in Alphatronics TV, that slides out from its own locker on the offside wall and which, in turn, is supported by a full Teleco satellite receiving system as well as twin speakers and an Alpine sub-woofer!

It’s not the easiest switching from the opulence of daytime living to pulling out the seats for two extra passengers, however.

Below the lounge, there’s a large rear garage, accessed by three external hatches. Not that you’re going to want for storage in a vehicle like this – or, indeed, the power to lug around anything up to some 800kg of payload. An option worth considering here is a rather clever slide-out cycle rack.

Talking of power, the Frankia i8400 Plus Platin has a smooth three-litre, V6 Engine allied to seven-speed automatic transmission as standard. Mercedes’ MBUX Navigation and Entertainment system adds a further layer of luxury in a cab area that includes double-glazed side windows and an electric two-way windscreen blind.

There’s a drop-down bed overhead, of course. The difference is, it provides two singles in an electrically-operated, extending frame, with mattress pieces at the head end dropping into place for an overall length that tops 2m. Also, a double step slides out from a floor-level locker to help you on your journey up into the sleeping area.

The washroom facilities in the Frankia i8400 Plus Platin are divided between a shower cubicle with glass doors on the offside and toilet room nearside. A sliding door allows you to make this into a full-width washroom.

Above all this, it’s the build quality and top-level features that impress. Bodywork comes with an 11-year integrity warranty and includes a GRP exterior, aluminium inner walls, Styrofoam insulation, even a fully padded ceiling. There’s also a double floor that incorporates a full Alde heating system, extending to a heat exchanger and extra blown air outlet in the cab area.

Then there’s the life-support. This Plus Platin motorhome comes with four 110Watt solar panels, two 110Ah lithium batteries, a 1,700Watt sine wave inverter and 90amp smart charge system, plus roof-mounted air conditioning – more than enough to keep you up to power when you’re off-grid for days, if not weeks. It’ll carry up to 270 litres of fresh water, too (although the waste tank is limited to 130 litres. There’s even a second cassette holding tank for the Thetford toilet.

The kitchen is L-shaped, and is home to a more familiar sight – a three-ring gas hob accompanied by a Thetford Duplex oven/grill.

Again, storage is good here (three drawers with a soft-close action, two high-level lockers, towel rails, rack for small bottles etc, even a waste bin set into the worktop area.) Plus, to the right is a Dometic 10-series fridge/freezer with doors hinged on both sides and a suitably large 177-litre capacity.

There’s more, so much more to this fully kitted out luxury liner Frankia motorhome. From detail touches – like the aluminium-framed upper-level lockers to the freshwater hose on a reel, to the double insulation concertina blinds for the windows beyond the cab.

All the way through the Frankia i8400 Plus Platin though, there’s an air of quality and, again, sophistication, that some might argue it’s a price worth paying.

Verdict: Luxury on six wheels

Plus: Rear lounge, almost completely self-sufficient, class-leading technology

Minus: Rear travel arrangements, price (as ever)

In-a-nutshell: Dream machine

There’s more information on the Plus Platin range on the Frankia website and sole UK agent SMC Motorhomes. Find out more about insuring this or your current motorhome on our motorhome insurance discounts page.

Alternatives: Carthago Chic liner-for-two 53