Leisure Vans Drops Their Ingenious Murphy Bed Lounge Layout, and It's the Bee's Knees

The RV industry will always be here. Heck, people will always want to explore hidden and hard-to-reach nooks and crannies of this world. Oh, and a mobile habitat is about the most comfortable way to do so, and I'm not talking about tents here; I'm talking about drivable turtle shells that offer the comforts of home, and then some.

If we also consider that Leisure Vans is built upon nearly 60 years of RVing experience, following their merger with Triple E, they know precisely how to build an attractive and ready motorhome. At least, that's the feeling that arose in my mind as I watched snippets of one of the videos below. I'll warn you first; it's a nearly 45-minute video.

To give you an idea of what we're in for with these layouts, let Angelo Natuzzi, Lead Product Designer at Leisure Vans, tell you all about what's up. "The idea behind the Murphy Bed Lounge was to design a reimagined, more contemporary version of our iconic Murphy Bed model and to offer it on both the Unity and Wonder product lines."

And so, there are two options available to tempt future owners, applicable to the two existing models in this crew's lineup, resulting in your choice of a Ford or Mercedes-Benz, gasoline or diesel, respectively. Chassis aside, it's the living space that we're here for, so let's just hop right into that.

Now, what makes these buggers so attractive is that whole "redesigned" Leisure Lounge; the entire unit is nothing more than a space designed for loafing around, watching TV, entertaining possible guests, or enjoying the view out of those countless windows that tatter the unit. Maybe you just sit there staring at the LED lighting. It's your life; live it as you wish. However, this is just part of the daily activities that you can undertake in this unit.

Part two of the magic we find here is only visible at night. Don't worry; I'm not talking about vampires. The lounge you've been kicking back in will now be replaced by your bed, all sitting on a slide-out. To reveal the "nearly king-size" Murphy bedding, drop the lounge table down, fold the seats forward, and begin to unravel your bedspread. Judging by this video, this process should take under a minute or so; lights out.

It's this feature, and this feature alone, responsible for the feeling of openness in this RV. Because the Murphy bed can be easily tucked away during the day, the rest of the unit consists in spaces like the residential bathroom and the galley setup. Storage is also plentiful in this layout and can be seen overhead and integrated into furniture. Take a moment to imagine yourself living out of one of these units.

How much is all this going to run you? It all depends on the sort of base vehicle you're opting for. For example, the Wonder (Ford) starts off at a price no less than $162,500 (€158,400 at current exchange rates), while the Unity (Mercedes-Benz) starts at $172,100 (€167,800). This means that you may be spending more on these buggers than your average Class C motorhome, but you can clearly see where your money is going. If you're in the market for an RV, these options may need to be on your list.