2552

My DW & I are interested in the 2552 model.
With slide or with out?
After looking at lots of pictures I have a few questions for the members with this model.
When sitting at the dinette or the extra chair, does the TV cause you to tip your head back?
Would the viewing angle be better if it was lower?
If slide out is out can you still view the TV from the dinette?
Do the outside mirrors fold flat againt the cruiser? (I have a tight parking area)
 

We had a 2551 with the sofa and weren't all that comfortable while watching TV. We now have the Dinette in slide model and viewing the TV from the forward facing seat is just fine.
Tom is correct on all points with the other features.

As far as the TV - consider mounting the TV yourself.  We are currently camping in our 2551 and using our self mounted TV for the first time.  It is on a swivel mount as pictured in the following post:
http://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php/topic,713.0.html

It is absolutely wonderful.  It is a Visio TV and since the speakers are in the front of the TV they are plenty loud even with the Air, Heat strip, or Furnance running.  The TV swivels out and around and you can view it from any angle.  We have the couch and not the dinette.  There is no neck strain at all.  We used to have a 2350 with a flat mounted TV and made sure that we mounted this one on a swivel because we were not happy with the flat mount.

As far as the table - We use the table provided by Phoenix with the spider legs.  It too is a great design.  It is very easy to set up and store.  

Sue

I cannot comment on some points, but can on others given my older 2350 and the 2552, both without a slideout, will have some common features.

I think the 2552 comes with a free-standing euro chair placed behind the passenger seat.  Am I right?

If so, you can request a 3rd captain seat, identical to the ones used up front.  The only real advantage is that the seat is bolted to the floor and has seat belts, safe for a 3rd person to travel in.  Here are some pictures of my wife modeling our 3rd captain seat in our NO-slide with dinette 2350.


As Tom mentioned, slide outs are extremely popular, so I won't get into why we are very happy with our decision in not getting the slideout in our 2350.  I will say that back in 2007 when we bought ours, the slideout was much smaller which I could not see enough benefit unless you needed the couch with fold-out queen bed to sleep 2 more people.

In recent years the fridge has been included in the slideout which makes the interior much more roomier than it used to.  And in the 2552 you get a pull-out pantry next to the fridge when you get the couch, which is a very nice extra feature as shown here.


Looking at the floorplan of the 2552 with dinette in a slide-out, you give up the pantry to maintain good leg room and large table.  I would assume then a dinette without a slide-out would re-introduce a pantry when you consider the dinette is then moved farther forward about a foot closer to the driver like we have as shown here.  You further gain wall space by deleting the slide-out walls & related wood trim.  Maybe the pantry gets near 2 feet wide.


I wonder if all other models with the dinette booth in a slide-out would be cramped as shown here in this older model that does not include the fridge.


For comparison, this is our NO Slide-out dinette.  It also demonstrates how one can sit anywhere on the front facing booth and watch TV when traveling as well as when parked.  One of us will lean against the outside wall with a pillow to get comfortable while the other takes the captain seat.


It would be interesting to see some dinette booth pics and dimensions in the larger slide-out in the 2350, 2551, and 2552

Seeing as we were the ones that got the design of the 2552 started and with the addition of the third Captains Chair while being manufactured, I would like to feed in some info.  We had the slideout with the couch and air mattress.  After seeing the new design couch with two independent electric adjustable sections, we made an appointment with the factory to remove our couch and install the new system.  We were there when Barry/Sue were there picking up their new unit.  The two adjustable sections in the new couch are great.  They can go all the way down as two single beds or as a large double bed.  They can be adjusted to any position for reading or watching TV.  Because of the design there is a built-in foot rest.  They use memory foam which is very comfortable.  Best of all, it does away with the air mattress, but you do lose the storage below the couch.  We also use the table with the "spider legs".  A question a while back was can the couch be removed without taking it apart.  Yes, the couch went right out the coach door and the new one came in the same way. 
     We did not have a slideout in our 2350, but if we had we may not have traded up to the 2552.  The livability of the 2552 increases dramatically when you add the slideout.  Would not be without it.
     One of the major drawbacks of having the dinette is its overall design.  It is too confining, the seats need to be wider with the backrest built with a slight slope to it.  If you like to sit bolt upright all the time, then you may like it.  It is uncomfortable to sit with your back against the window, as you might to watch TV.  When the slideout is out, yes you can watch the TV and with our new reclining couch, both can see it.
     We just finished a 7000 mile trip which encompassed the trip to the factory to install the new couch, a trip to Ohio to visit relatives and then on to New Orleans to visit my sister.  Then a return trip to home in Idaho, followed with a round trip to San Diego area and return.  We had our granddaughter(two year old) with us the whole trip.  Her car seat was secured in the third captains chair behind the passenger seat.  Our daughter who was also with us sat in the couch area which has two seat belts.  To entertain the granddaughter we had the inverter on and played videos on the TV.  They were educational videos called "Signing Times".  Teaches kids too young to talk, how to ask for what they want by sign language.  Very educational and informative.  So we gave the 2552 a good ringing out.  Had no problems with the coach or truck. 
     We do have a very tight space and need the mirrors folded in flat against the side. 
     Viewing angles are always better if they are lower, but in most cases you would need some type of drop down mechanism to lower them.  We found the angle not to be a problem.  We did find on the 2350 dinette, only  the forward facing seat was useable for the TV.
     My recommendation is go with the slide.  The extra 200 pounds is not a problem with the 450 chassis.  Trucks are designed to haul loads and unless you grossly overload them the performance difference with 200 pounds is negligible.  Those that consider the weight of the slideout too much are telling me they would hesitate to take another person with them as they would surely weigh on the average of 130 to 200 pounds.  I would even consider the third captains chair versus the Euro-chair.  The captains chair slides forward and back and reclines and is nice for the person not driving to kick back and relax out of the sun and you can use the passenger seat as a footrest. The captains chair also rotates so it can face the couch. 
    Bob       

Another suggestion - Don't limit yourself with the existing floor plans.  Phoenix Cruiser is very willing to work with the customer to give them what they want.  Check out what  George and Judi designed for themselves http://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php/topic,434.0.html

This is the only way I would personally have a unit without a slide.  We sat in their unit and there was plenty of room for four of us.  We have also sat in the units without a slide and just a dinette or just a couch and we would never go that route.  But everyone is different, everyones needs are different and you need to consider what is going to work best for you.

Another suggestion - Don't limit yourself with the existing floor plans.  Phoenix Cruiser is very willing to work with the customer to give them what they want.  Check out what  George and Judi designed for themselves http://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php/topic,434.0.html

.......everyone is different, everyones needs are different and you need to consider what is going to work best for you.

Barry-Sue, I agree completely with your statements.  What works fine for one couple, can be disasterous for another couple.

I really like gradygal's dinette no-slide alternative which is ideal for two people.  As much as we appreciate the bench storage, the single bed, and seating for four with our booth dinette, it sure can be quite uncomfortable after a while.  I have to get up every half hour or so to get my self straightened out.  More dense foam with angled backs would make a huge improvement.

I want to thank everyone for the extra advice.
My thought on the front TV is -- why not have a drop down TV?
It's not going to add that much weight and would make the viewing angle better for the neck!