COTY REVIEWS: MOUNTAIN TRAIL PARAGON 6.4
Paragon of excellence
Words COTY judges, Pics Allison Watt, Josh Hanger, John Ford
Aptly named, the Mountain Trail Paragon 6.4 turned heads at this year’s COTY, impressing the judges with its exceptional build quality and refined design, and added another golden feather to Mountain Trail RV’s cap.
Mountain Trail RV has a habit of turning up, making a statement and leaving with silverware. A decade ago, they entered Camper Trailer Australia’s Camper Trailer of the Year and won. Two years later, they returned with a narrower, hybrid-style caravan and did the same. Now, a decade on, it arrived with a full-scale, top-end 4.5T caravan and once again found itself at the pointy end.
This latest effort, the Paragon 6.4, is underpinned by what Mountain Trail does best: unquestionable build methods and the use of proven, high-quality components throughout. But it’s not just about strength and specification. There’s a clear evolution in design here, with a sleek, modern exterior and an interior that feels carefully resolved, not overworked.
It’s a van that balances presence with restraint, and capability with refinement — a difficult line to walk at this end of the market. The result is well-deserved recognition at the top level. Congratulations to Nick, Heidi and the Mountain Trail team on taking out Best Build Quality and finishing as the joint winner of Caravan of the Year 2026.
Value for money
Value for money is always one of the hardest categories to judge, and Mountain Trail really brings that into focus. At $283,250 as tested, the Paragon 6.4 sits firmly in the top tier of the market, and in the current climate, that’s not a figure most buyers will ever seriously consider. It would be easy to dismiss it on price alone — but that’s not what this category is about.
Value isn’t the dollars you spend, it’s what you get in return. And with the Paragon 6.4, it becomes clear very quickly where that money goes. This is a van built without compromise, using labour-intensive methods, premium materials and proven components throughout. Nothing feels outsourced, nothing feels rushed, and nothing feels like it’s been done to hit a price point.
What stands out is that the quality isn’t just skin deep — it runs through the entire van. The result is a product that feels engineered rather than assembled, and that distinction matters at this level.
It won’t be for everyone, but for the buyer operating in this space, the Paragon 6.4 makes a compelling case. Expensive, yes — but difficult to fault and ultimately deserving of its high score in this category.
Towability
Towability is one area where we’ve had to draw a clear line this year. Anything more than 3.5T sits in a different category of ownership, and that carries a small penalty in scoring. At a calculated tow weight of around 3.296T, the Paragon 6.4 falls into that space — and it’s something buyers need to be realistic about. You’re in big tow vehicle territory here.
That said, how it tows is what really matters, and this is where the Mountain Trail impresses. The highest praise I can give it is that, despite running its own trailing arm suspension, it felt like towing a traditional roller rocker setup. It was that stable — settled, flat and predictable, with no lurching or nervousness.
That composure comes down to thoughtful engineering. The longer trailing arms allow a more gradual wheel movement, smoothing out smaller inputs, while 160mm of travel at each wheel keeps it controlled over rougher surfaces. Add in non-serviceable bearings and removable stub axles, and there’s a clear focus on durability and real-world serviceability.
Towed behind a Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD, it felt effortless, but even allowing for the Chevy’s smooth ride, this is an exceptionally well-mannered van on the road.
Suitability for intended touring
Suitability for intended touring is about matching the van to the job it’s designed to do. And in the case of the Mountain Trail Paragon 6.4, that job is very clear. This is a caravan built for serious, long-term touring in some of the harshest environments Australia has to offer. It’s designed to go deep into the outback, stay there and do it in comfort.
This isn’t a weekend van, and it’s not aimed at buyers looking for short trips to powered sites. The Paragon 6.4 is for those planning a proper lap of the country, or multiple years of extended travel, spending weeks at a time off-grid in places like Innamincka, the Gibb River Road or the Kimberley. It’s a van that’s been engineered with that exact use case in mind.
What stands out is the confidence it inspires. Everything about it suggests longevity. Not just in how it’s built, but in how it will hold up over time. The highest praise I can give it is that I fully expect to still see these vans decades from now, parked up in remote parts of Australia, with owners exactly where they want to be.
It’s a highly focused offering, and for the right couple, it fits the brief exceptionally well.
Build quality
When Nick and Heidi Edwards were planning to shift their camper trailer production to caravans in 2016, they took a different approach to production and design than most builders. Believing that viewing would lead to copying, they avoided inspecting what was already in the Australian market and instead headed to Europe to check out modern materials and processes.
With 10 years of experience building innovative campers, including the award-winning EDX V1 camper, and emboldened by fresh ideas, they announced they would build the best offroad caravan possible.
The Mountain Trail team builds virtually the entire caravan frame and body on site. The composite walls are manufactured in Australia to Mountain Trail specifications, using European components and CNC-cut to shape in-house. The BlueScope steel chassis is laser-cut in-house from Mountain Trail’s design, with computerised finite element analysis used to maximise strength and reduce weight. It’s welded together in Mountain Trail’s engineering department and then sent out for hot-dip galvanising.
The trailing arm suspension is also fabricated in-house and uses advanced remote-controlled airbags and removable stub axles that can be replaced on the track in the event of accidental damage. Non-serviceable 3T parallel wheel bearings have a 100,000km lifespan, eliminating the painful regular maintenance.
All interior cabinetry is aluminium, CNC-cut, pressed, nutsert bolted, riveted and finished with a neat ALUCOBOND facing that adds a minimalist, clean touch. Leather upholstery and quality soft furnishings finish off the stylish interior, creating a luxurious impression that will last.
Liveability and Ease of Use
The layout makes the most of 21ft (6.4m) of internal length, generous for a couple's van, and the amount of storage for extended travel is exceptional. And heading outside, the full-height front boot can be configured for a range of uses, from bikes to movable shelves.
Having the ability to cook and spend time outside is important for long-term travel, and there’s a very usable slide-out kitchen with an easily deployed, sturdy workbench or servery. The gas cooktops have twin 4kg bottles, but the van’s interior is gas-free. A slide-out 30L Bushman fridge is nearby, and the kitchen area is protected by an electric awning.
Further along the side is an entertainment hatch with power points and a built-in 32in television, protected by a vinyl cover and a removable touchscreen that monitors and controls all van features. More on that below.
An electric twin step leads into the well-lit, airy interior, where numerous white surfaces create a modern, clean effect. For holding up in unpleasant weather or preparing breakfast before breaking cover, a well-equipped kitchen includes ample bench space, a twin-burner induction cooktop, a microwave, and a designer sink. An Italian 250L Vitrifrigo fridge with a drawer freezer will keep plenty of fresh food and drinks cold when bush camping.
This Paragon 6.4 has a redesigned interior to gain a larger ensuite, and it’s a beauty, with room to move, a wide variety of storage and a large shower. Interestingly, it has a Thetford cassette toilet as a standard feature because the team believe that EnviroPro Portable Toilet Treatment (PTT) is an effective and environmentally friendly way to treat waste. A Nature's Head or OGO composting toilet is an option.
The face-to-face, leather-clad lounges at the cafe dinette are comfortable and spacious, and flip-up extensions enhance feet-up relaxation against the well-padded upholstery.
Up front is a true queen-size bed with an upmarket innerspring mattress and easy walk-around access. By including the external front walk-through storage, the van has a vertical bedhead rather than the sloped arrangement seen in most vans, so there is comfortable seating in bed for an early-morning cuppa.
Innovation
Mountain Trail’s build processes were developed through thorough testing on the track, and the vans have many unique features, including proprietary composite walls and aluminium cabinets with nut-set fixings. Mountain Trail was an early adopter of a fully gas-free interior, which provides a well-sealed environment that eliminates dust.
High on the list of important innovations, Mountain Trail worked with Garmin for months to develop a digital platform for all the van’s electronic systems. Being able to select an icon on the tablets — one fixed inside the van and one transportable to the tow vehicle — takes monitoring and control to a new level. Selecting a button to prepare the van for travel is both cool and practical. The awning folds in, the suspension reverts to travel mode and the interior lights are turned off.
In addition to the travel option, the new touchpad screens control all electrical appliances and monitor battery and water levels in an easy-to-use system. The high level of innovation contributed to the new Paragon 6.4 scoring so well at this year’s event.
Customer care
Mountain Trail doesn’t have dealers, so when you buy, you’re dealing directly with the team in Albury, NSW or the factory owned outlet in Southport on the Coast Coast. Nick, Heidi and their team have been building caravans for 20 years and apart from appliances, they build everything in-house from raw materials, giving them complete control over construction.
Mountain Trail’s warranty document is short but sharp and there is a staff member dedicated to warranty issues. Owners receive a five-year warranty on all workmanship, with the usual limitations such as normal wear and tear, corrosion and rust, or damage through abuse, neglect, flooding, or the result of any accident. Exceeding water crossings by more than 600mm in depth will also void the warranty. The fridge has a five-year warranty, and most other appliances have a minimum of two years. There are key service locations around Australia should anything go awry for owners.
Self-sufficiency
The self-sufficiency credentials of the Paragon 6.4 are seriously impressive.
Starting with the solar capacity, on the roof are 1.395kW of bi-facial solar panels — engineered to absorb direct sunlight on the front and reflected sunlight on the back. The power from the sun feeds a massive 8kW underslung battery system – that’s equivalent to 628 amps, which can be upgraded to 942 amps. All this is managed by a Victron 3000W inverter, a Victron MPPT 150/100 solar charger, and a Victron DC/DC charger.
And then there’s that ingenious Garmin interface in which everything inside and outside the caravan is managed at the touch of a button via a digital screen.
This is a gasless van, except for the gas burners in the external slide-out kitchen, so there are two 4kg gas bottles. If you take a barbecue with you on your travels, there’s an external regulator for it. Internal cooking is provided by a built-in dual induction cooktop.
A 12L diesel tank holds fuel for the heating and hot water. Speaking of water, there’s 335L of fresh water, a 125L grey water tank and an 18L black water tank.
As mentioned, the ensuite features a standard Thetford cassette toilet, but the difference here from your standard van loo is that Nick and Heidi don’t use conventional toilet chemicals; instead, they use all-natural probiotics that break down waste before it needs to be disposed of.
X-factor
There are a handful of caravans that will turn heads among the Happy Hour hordes when they pull into camp, and the Mountain Trail Paragon 6.4 is one of them. I know this because I’ve had my head turned on more than one occasion.
Campers will be watching with envy when you pull up to camp, automatically set the van levels with the air suspension and press the ‘set up’ mode on the small Garmin digital screen. With just one press of a button, the lights will switch on, the electric step will descend, and the electric awning will wind out, leaving only the work of going inside, grabbing a beer, pouring a glass of wine, and joining the Happy Hour crowds.
Nick worked with Garmin for well over a year to perfect this fully integrated electronic system, which is standard across the Paragon range. In addition to setup mode, there’s sleep mode, drive mode, and storage mode, as well as monitoring of water tank levels, tyre pressures, and a host of other information.
It has presence and oozes quality, luxury and innovation. The Mountain Trail Paragon 6.4 scored highly across all nine categories from all three judges and is a worthy joint winner of 2026 Caravan of the Year, with the Best Build Quality award as the extra cherry on top.
MOUNTAIN TRAIL RV PARAGON 6.4
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
Overall length 8.5m (27ft 10in)
External body length 7m (22ft 11in)
Internal body length 6.4m (21ft)
Internal height 2.04 (6ft 7in)
Width 2.49m (8ft 2in)
Travel height 3.025m (9ft 9in)
Tare 3155kg
ATM 4500kg
Payload 1345kg (calculated)
Ball weight at tare 210kg
Ball to tare ratio 6.7% (calculated)
EXTERNAL
Frame Composite XPS
Cladding Fibreglass
Chassis 150x50x4mm BlueScope steel, hot dip galvanised
Suspension Independent trailing arm with airbags and twin shock absorbers at each arm
Coupling Cruisemaster DO45
Brakes Electric drums
Wheels PCD 17in alloy with 265/70 AT tyres
Water 335L freshwater, 125L grey water and 18L black water
Battery 8kW OzXCorp lithium LiFePo4 (equivalent 628A)
Inverter 3000W Victron MultiPlus
Solar 1.35kW
Air-conditioner Roof-mounted reverse cycle Dometic
Gas 2 x 4kg
Sway control Yes BMPro
Cooking Slide-out kitchen with gas cooktops
Fridge Slide-out 30L Bushman
Internal
Cooking Dual induction cooktop
Microwave NCE
Fridge 250L Vitrifrigo compressor
Bathroom Full-width ensuite with a separate shower and Thetford cassette toilet
Washing machine 2.5kg Daewoo wall-mounted front loader
Hot water Eberspacher diesel room and water heater
PRICE FROM $264,990
OPTIONS FITTED 4500kg ATM Upgrade $2450: Xenolith Benchtops $1895, Flip-Up Leg Rests $895, Tie-Down Rails to tunnel boot $965, Slide-out 30Lt Fridge $2870, Additional Tunnel Boot Compartment $3995, External 1500mm Straight Stainless-Steel Kitchen with Stove $4495, Gold-Look Tapware $695.
PRICE AS SHOWN $283,250
MORE INFORMATION
Mountain Trail RV
838 Knight Road
North Albury NSW 2640
P: 02 6040 4488
E: sales@mtrv.au
W: mountaintrailrv.com.au
Whether you're planning a weekend getaway or a long-haul adventure, having the right resources can make all the difference when you're out of range. To help you navigate with confidence, you might find it useful to pair your journey with a detailed set of topographical road maps or a comprehensive campsite guide. Explore some of the maps below or visit our store for a full range of products.
COTY REVIEWS: MOUNTAIN TRAIL PARAGON 6.4