It’s not easy in today’s modern world to find the perfect relationship. Some of them will beguile you with glitz and glamour and then shock you when it all turns out to be a cheap facade. Some will promise to take care of you and then leave you holding all the bills. But the 2008 Monaco LaPalma XL is not like all the others.

“This is a great coach,” said Monaco Sales Manager Ryan Lee. “Our goal here is to build a product that will get people into our family a little younger, so that we can show them that our quality extends to entry-level motorhomes, allow them to experience our dedicated service and give them a reason to have a lasting relationship with the product, our company and our employees.”

At First Sight

It’s okay to admit that, while lasting substance is paramount, looks do matter. The pitter-patter in your chest will probably pick up its pace when you see the golden skin of full-body paint and tasteful retooled graphics of the LaPalma XL.

“We’ve also definitely spruced up the interior this year,” Lee said, pointing to the most obvious upgrades such as new raised panel cabinets, which come in standard cherry wood (available only as an option last year), a hardwood pocket door separating the bedroom

space, and a new 26-inch television with a thinner LCD screen profile. The interior materials are new, and red-tinted leatherette cockpit seats and rocker chairs are the most striking aesthetic improvements.

A Quality Companion

The XL in the LaPalma name reflects the addition of a standard luxury package for 2008. The package includes redesigned baggage doors with integrated handles for easier access, upgraded linoleum with a runner from the entry to the kitchen area, which makes the area easy to clean, and a host of aesthetic improvements such as beveled mirrors, new decorative woodwork and wallboard and upgraded countertops. Not to mention that the toilet is genuine porcelain with a sprayer.

But perhaps the biggest factor in the great value of the LaPalma XL is the availability of diesel power at a gas price.
“The great thing about the LaPalma XL is that it’s a gas priced coach, but it’s got the value, power and longevity of a diesel,” Lee said. “Some new high end gas coaches out there are close to $170,000, so the LaPalma XL is competing with those in terms of amenities, power and driveability, but at a much, much lower price point.”

Lee also pointed out that the LaPalma XL engine has more horsepower this year, with a Cummins ISB 340 horsepower engine, and it also has an edge over comparable gas engines in the category of torque, which improves towing power and hill-climbing capability. The LaPalma XL towing capacity is 4,000 or 5,000 pounds, depending on floorplan.
“The LaPalma XL puts out a maximum of 660 pounds per foot of torque,” he said. “That is compared to a similar gas-powered coach that is only putting out a max of 470 pounds per foot.”

In addition, the diesel engine is generally 20 to 30 percent more fuel-efficient than a gas engine, which could translate to considerable money saved over time on fuel costs. It’s also standard for diesel engines to long outlast their gas brethren. It’s not unheard of for a diesel engine to last 300,000 miles without a rebuild or major work.

Still, there are those who would say that they don’t plan to put 300,000 miles on a motorhome before trading up, and while they appreciate the improved fuel economy of a diesel, they don’t travel enough to realize great benefit. For those folks, the LaPalma XL also comes in a gas-powered 38-foot floorplan.

More Than a Good Layout

Monaco designers are constantly taking in customer feedback, evaluating the ideas and putting them to work in new models, and the ’08 LaPalma XL is no different. The layouts offered this year include two 34-foot double slideout floorplans, two 36-foot double slideout floorplans and a 38-foot triple slideout gas-powered floorplan.

“We’ve got some tremendous floorplans for families,” Lee said. “They make the LaPalma XL a good choice for a family with kids or folks who want to bring family along on trips.”

Toward that end, Lee pointed to the fact that all of the LaPalma XL floorplans have the capacity to sleep four adults and two kids comfortably, or two adults and four kids even more comfortably (because kids are smaller.)

When you step into the bedroom of the 2008 LaPalma XL, the first thing you’ll probably notice is the thick leatherette headboard above the queen bed. It lends a luxurious feel to the entire room and conjures cozy images of resting comfortably while reading a book or working on a laptop. For digital entertainment, the bedroom offers a 20-inch television (LCD available in the 36SBD).

As far as bedroom arrangement goes, the two options include a north/south facing bed in the 34SBD and 36WBD or

an east/west bed housed in the slideout of the 34PDD, 36SBD, and 38PLT. Some owners might prefer the

uninterrupted flow of the north/south arrangement, while others might go for the slightly more private feel of a bed housed in a slideout.

Notable items on specific floorplans include the larger nightstand countertops on both sides of the 34SBD, the separate spaces given to toilet and shower in the 34PDD and 36WBD and the entry to kitchen linoleum runner that is standard in all floorplans.

In addition to dual bathroom sinks and separate water closet, the 38PLT gas-floorplan provides a rear seating area with two chairs and a work desk, along with facing sofas in the living room and an optional washer/dryer.

No Slacker

It’s often said about relationships, after the romance fades the work begins. With the 2008 LaPalma XL, you’re in luck, because this is a motorcoach that works.

“The LaPalma XL really shines when it comes to function,” Lee said. “Outside, you’ve got large pass-through storage compartments that will pack a lot of gear and are easy to clean. And you also have huge amounts of storage inside.”

The great thing about the LaPalma XL is that it’s a gas priced coach, but it’s got the value, power and longevity of a diesel. Some new high end gas coaches out there are close to $170,000, so the LaPalma XL is competing with those in terms of amenities, power and driveability, but at a much, much lower price point.

This is a value-priced motorhome designed to make life easy and convenient for owners. Some tools for this include standards like the new central water filtration system and space-saver convection microwave and a cockpit complete with six-way power pilot seat, power sunvisors and optional three-camera rear vision system and GPS.

“If an owner were to select all the options on the LaPalma XL, they’d have a coach with many of the amenities of vehicles [that are] two times the price,” Lee said. “It really does offer an amazing value.”

Some very worthwhile options include a large, 10 cubic foot, double (or quad) door refrigerator with icemaker, a high output range with oven, a home theater surround sound system and a bedroom DVD player.

The LaPalma XL comes standard with a digital satellite prep and a home theater surround sound system as an option. There are also exterior hookups for DSS dish and cable television.

This motorcoach also coddles owners with plenty of comfortable furniture options, including a fabric or leatherette sofa hide-a-bed with air mattress, a euro-recliner chair with ottoman, a unique ensemble booth that converts to a bed with air mattress or a freestanding dinette with four chairs. Interior height is a spacious 84 inches, leaving plenty of headroom.

While it’s not a boondocking beefcake, the ’08 LaPalma XL can hold it’s own away from shore power, with an Onan® 6.0kw diesel generator (5.5kw gas model), standard 55-amp, 12-volt power converter (or optional 600-watt inverter), a 75-gallon fuel tank, a 20-gallon LP tank capacity, 70- (or 90-) gallon fresh tank, 40-gallon black tank and a 60-gallon grey tank.

“We know it’s not our job to decide whether owners use their coaches for part-time or full-time use,” Lee said. “So we do our best to make sure that all of our coaches can handle as many different types of use as owners might possibly give them.”

With an experienced and dedicated production, sales and service team, Monaco knows that owners are looking for a product that will treat them well under all circumstances, and it shows in the 2008 LaPalma XL. Whether you’re looking for weekend flings or an every day companion, this motorcoach could very well be the one you’ve waited for.

Ty Adams is a freelance writer, editor and photographer. After serving as an editor at Lifestyles magazine for five years, Ty purchased a motorcoach and hit the road full-time powering his coach with biodiesel. His project is available online at www.biotrekker.com.