Headed to Elkhart, IN

GiGi and I are heading to Elkhart to trade In our 2013 Phoenix Cruiser 3100. WE hop for it to be exciting adventure. We get to meet the gang at PC, get a 2011 Tiffin Allegro Breeze 28BR ( Diesel ). The PC Group has been at work all week getting it ready for us..

Once again many thanks to all of the people at PC. Keith ( The Money Man ), Stacy ( the Sales Guy ), Dave ( Service and other Details ) and everyone else. Cant wait to meet them.

Wish us luck on our trip from Knoxville, TN to Elkhark, IN. WE also plan to see the RV Hall of Fame on Sunday. Should be a blast.

AS always, CYA DOWN THE ROAD !!  Rebel and Gigi

I would love to read your evaluation of your 2011 Allegro Breeze 28br, first weeks and beyond.

I am captivated by that specific model due to it being so compact for a DP.

I heard the early years had issues resolved in later years.  Maybe over time, you might be able  to educate me.

I am not switching rigs like you did, but do share my thoughts about the AB28br.

We stopped by the factory on the way back from the Duluth rally so this would have been Sep 17. I saw a really nice Allegro in the parking lot. Is that yours? It looks super!
Enjoy!!

Steve

During our downsizing search, we traveled to Red Bay, Alabama to check out Tiffin.  From what I had read and pictures I had seen, I was in love with the Breeze and wanted one.  It is a beautiful motorhome, but was still to big for us at this stage in life.  While in Red Bay, we had an opportunity to see several Wayfarers, even driving over to Winfield , AL where they are made.  The Wayfarer was too small and we were disappointed in the interior quality and floor plans.  So, we turned to Phoenix USA and the rest is history.

I took a trip to Elkhart during our build and I saw the Breeze they had on the lot.  Tiffin no longer makes a Breeze in that size.  Seems that everyone is wanting bigger with sophisticated and complicated (complicated to me) systems, multiple TV's, fireplaces, etc. 

I'm sure you will enjoy the Breeze.  Tiffin makes a good product and has excellent service after the sale.

Barry T

Thanks for all of the Kind remarks, First of all I wan t to say Thanks to the Whole Staff at Phoenix. They are wonderful, best group ever. The number 1 reason to buy a PC is the staff and support. Ok Now I have said that, lets talk about the trade and why and the result.
Old Unit = 2013 PC 3100 with 28K Miles
New Unit= 2011 Tiffin Allegro Breeze 28BR w 22000 miles

WE traded because of several reasons.
1: The twin beds just didnt work out for us. It felt too much like when I was camping and not like at home in the Big bed
2: Not enough Basement Storage. We had already filled up the entire area with our stuff and that didnt include stuff for our Full Time Journey in May 2019
4: The Dog House cover over the engine  and engine noise when pulling a grade. My wife has had 2 hip surgurys and getting into the passenger seat was very hard for her to do.
5: The single 15K air conditioner is too loud. Unable to watch TV and run the AC at the same time. TOO LOUD !!

Now the ins and outs on the Tiffin Breeze ( This is for RON )
1: More storage ( not alot more but alot more useable ) Storage doors are GREAT !! No more of those little Plastic holder thingys
2: It is a rear Diesel Pusher, so the front Floor is flat, open and very easy to get into the seats. The entry door is in the very front which at first was weird, but now we think its great as it doesnt take up any space throughout the middle of the coach.
3: The motor is in the rear and you can not even hear it, even going up grades. Yes it diesel and gets 11-13 mpg. Navastar made this engine as a clean burning diesel not needing DEF Fluid. Tiffin started with the Breeze and the new Navastar engine in 2011 ( The first year of the Breeze ). Continued with the same in 2012.
The Feds changed the emissions  requirements for Navastar for ALL Motors made beginning 2013. Navastar included EGR regulation to all of the motors until 2015. The EPA didnt like the method choosen and then stopped Navastar on any more production of these later EGR Engines. Tiffin at that point was forced to switch to Cummings which forced a HUGE change in the breeze. The 28 foot model was discontinued and the New Breeze was redesigned and completed built around Cummings. Result: Huge price increase, taller, wider, DEF needed ( Of course ) and now the Breeze is there in name only. Current models are 31 and 33 feet.

So in a nutshell, the 2011 and 2012 Breeze has the good engine, no DEF, clean burning basic diesel motor. On the Tiffin Forum there are ZERO problems reported on this model of the Navastar Diesel. After 2013 is when all the problems started happening until Tiffin was forced to change to Cummings.

4: Ducted AC which is whisper quiet and works great, Enough said. 15K Unit with Heat Pump.
5: Phoenix replaced ALL of the Furniture in the Breeze from the Ultra Leather and recovered with REAL Leather. Thank God !! Ask anyone about the old Ultra Leather Delamination problems. PC now uses real leather also
6: Single slide and a rear bedroom with a Queen Bed. Sleeps great
7: Very well built with the best wood and attachments on Cabinets. Individual Tile squares make up the floor for easy replacement of a bad piece if you mess one up.
8: Big Front window with electric Sun Shades and Day & Night Shades. No more curtuains

Now for the specs:

Heigth = 11' 1 inch vs PC at 10' 1 " ( a foot taller )
Length= 29' 7 " vs PC at 30'10"
Weight= 18000 GVWR vs PC at about 14500 GVWR
Chassis built by Freightliner on a PowerGlide chassis Custom built just for the Breeze and its short wheelbase

The breeze has Air Ride and Air leveling, NO MORE JACKS lowering to the ground. It just levels up the coach as it seats. NICE
The Breeze has a 26 foot turning radius. Thats right 26 foot. Need I say that was simply unbelievable during our trip back.

The PC 3100 tracks better because of its 218 inch wheelbase vs the 153 Inch on the breeze. Proper alignment, Proper Air Pressure ( This is critical ) move heavier weight to front, Safe-R-Plus steering stabilizer. and the Breeze tracks just fine. This was one problem area that Tifin had to solve and they have done well. I have driven 1 stock and one with the improvements and yes they WORK.

So there it is, feel free to ask Any questions you may have and I will try to answer them. We miss our PC, and Yes we love the new Breeze. Its all about the small things that mattered and sometimes they really add up. PS: Bring more Money

Cya Down the Road, Rebel ( James Deane & Gigi )

Link to video for Interior views:
https://vimeo.com/293748341

Thanks for review on your Tiffin. Seems to be awesome unit. 
What about diesel fuel? Is it commonly available? Can it run on the new ultra diesel?
What about service on the unit? Is it hard to service in its rear bay? Do you have a good service place to take it?

Happy for you.
Ron

It uses 15% Low Sulfur Diesel and we had no problem as I always stop at Flying J or Loves anyway.
I have a local business that does all International Service ( he owns a 40 Tiffin Diesel,) that does all the service at a reasonable cost.

Is this 30 foot or under with a rear diesel ? I couldn’t find it in the tiffin line up, maybe they don’t make that model anymore.  Make sure you take it for a long test drive. My understanding from reading owners reports is that they stopped making DP in the 30 foot and under because of porpoising issues due to the DE weight. I’m most likely wrong but best to be sure before signing on the dotted line.

Thank you Jim for that excellent review.  You hit on the very things I wondered about.  It was interesting to read about the diesel engine changes and why.  BTW, I love your amazingly small 26 foot turning radius.  That will do wonders in tight campgrounds.  I don't have to tell you to watch your tail swing.

I absolutely love your choice for an under-30' DP.  Like I said before, if we were shopping for a 30 foot rig, a Breeze 28BR would be at the tippy-top of my list.  I never owned any kind of diesel, and given I do everything myself, I would surely be up for the challenge of mastering it's maintenance myself.

I am so happy for the two of you.  I hope to read a reply from you now and then on this thread on how it's going.  But I am sure you will be spending a lot more effort on a Breeze forum.

Blessings!
Ron Dittmer

Is this 30 foot or under with a rear diesel ? I couldn’t find it in the tiffin line up, maybe they don’t make that model anymore.

Yes, model 28BR is only 29'-7" and the diesel engine is in the back like the big boys have.  As Jim stated, they were able to address handling issues, similarly as we did with our 2007 PC-2350.  There is a remedy.

Tiffen dropped the Allegro Breeze 28BR version after 2015.  You would have to buy a used one.  The longer Allegro Breeze 31BR and 33BR are Tiffen's only offerings today.  According to Jim, it is because of the required change in diesel engines, from Navistar to Cummins.  Apparently they could not fit the Cummins engine in the 28BR.  Based on the used market, I noticed that the 28BR was not nearly as hot of a seller as the 31BR back in the day.  If it was, Tiffin would have likely re-engineered the coach to accommodate the larger Cummins engine, instead of dropping the 28BR model.

It has a Navistar (International) diesel rather than a Cummins? I dint know Tiffin ever used navistars, some good info on navistars on IRV2 site. Wasn’t it navistar who made fords 6.0 Diesel?

The engine in the 2011 Breeze is not the same as the 6.0L in the 03-07 Powerstroke. The 6.0L had problems with head gaskets. The 08-10 Powerstroke did not have such problems. Their main problem was related to Ford upping the RPMs to get a 350HP rating. The 2011 and 2012 Breezes do not have the problems that the 2013 and on have with the exhaust system problems and the potential problems related to the high ratio of exhaust gas recirculation. But the trade off is, the 2012 may be more reliable, but the 2013 and on has more torque and horsepower, which is always appreciated in a motorhome, and it has the exhaust brake, which is really nice (which to my understanding can be added to the earlier Breezes by a third party).

I knew it wouldn’t be the same, that motor was a disaster that Ford got blamed for. Sounds like you did your research, Tiffin is diffanetly a trusted name in the industry.