After work Friday I stopped off at Qualcomm Stadium RV show to look at a used Leisure Travel Libero I'd noticed in an online ad in hopes of measuring ground clearance at the hitch receiver, and checking storage space and ingress/egress of the Chevy Express chassis. But, it had been sold a week earlier. Here's a few random observations:
The salesman said they're no longer making the Libero because buyers of these RVs want the Mercedes Sprinter chassis, claim fuel consumption as their justification, and LTV doesn't have the ability to keep up with demand for those if they do both. In fact, he said there's a waiting list. Of course, recall that when Sprinters were sold with a Chrysler logo at Dodge dealers, some buyers installed Mercedes grills on them, so there may be other issues at work, especially when price differences might make for a 30 year payback.
From the cab, a Class C motorhome with the cabover bed provides the same view as driving a car with a sheet of plywood tied to the roof, which was also my opinion of them decades ago. I suppose on flat terrain it might be tolerable, but I'd hate to be the lead vehicle on a downsloping street at a signalized flat intersection, straining to bend my head towards the front of the dashboard near the base of the windshield in order to see the traffic signal, or having to park and get out whenever one wanted to take in the view of a mountain ahead. And, they certainly all look like they'd catch a lot of wind, justifying the 10-20 percent mileage penalty vs. a similar weight, width, and height Class C like a PC without that cabover. I suppose the only reason the penalty isn't worse is that a pocket of high pressure air trapped where you'd expect it to be trapped deflects oncoming air over and around the rig, not unlike studies showing a pickup with the tailgate up counter-intuitively has less drag than one with it down, as air smoothly passes over cab to top of tailgate level rather than tumbling all the way down to bed level with tailgate down. Ten to twenty percent penalty would be OK if one didn't drive much per year, but if one doesn't need the bed/storage area, prefers a vehicle likely less subject to buffetting from gusts at oblique angles, and a lifetime of better mileage and performance at freeway speeds, a Class C without the cabover (AKA "B+") seems a better way to go, as most of you also concluded. And, no feeling you have a load of lumber on the roof.
A good scattering of makes and models have charcoal-colored cabinets and closets. Why? This just makes it hard to see inside them, and I'm surprised people wouldn't balk at buying them.
The Ford Transit chassis really does have geat visibility, as does the Sprinter. There is something about Sprinter instruments, controls, and seats that seems more robust. But, time will tell re. long term reliability comparisons and if similar, I'd rather pay Ford parts prices than Mercedes parts prices. It'd be nice if the next generation Transit can get at least another half ton or more of load-carrying capacity for cutaway usage and we can finally ditch the obsolete E-Series Twin I-Beam suspension.
On that note, not a single Chevy Express-based vehicle was to be seen except for some Roadtreks. Perhaps GM's renewed push of their capable 4500 will change that. I know several major Class C makers offer a choice of either that or the Ford E-Series. Recall that the E-series with its suspension dates back to about '75, the Dodge Ram vans with more advanced upper and lower control arm suspension went back to about '72 but ended production in '03, and the Chevy Express, also with upper and lower control arms, "only" dates back to about '97, actually making it the most modern body on frame van available. So, at this point, time to go full circle with the Transits and Sprinters, and save weight with unibody design as was the Dodge, the Chevy prior to '97, and Ford prior to '75.
Quality of cabinets, latches, exterior doors, etc. seems iffy on many makes.
There are a lot of drain outlets mounted right where a tire tread in the road could get kicked up by a rear tire and perhaps damage drain lines. Has anyone had that happen?
It was after 6:00 PM when I was there, but I did notice a few families, and some of the growing cross-section of age, ethnic, and racial diversity I've read is starting to occur with RVs, something healthy for any industry or organization to remain viable.
