Thor Palazzo Motor Home Information

[Dan104]

New to this forum. Trying to be a smart shopper. I would like to know how I can get information from Thor Palazzo owners. Information like the following: How you like the Palazzo? What you like and don't like? What problems have you had? Are the problems minor or will they leave you on the side of the road? How does the 33.2,33.3 or 33.4 handle? What fuel mileage you get? My wife and I like the floor plan of the 2016 33.2. We would like to get a motor home when we retire or before 1/2021. I'm limited on the height of my garage door 12'-3". Would anyone know of any other Motor homes that would fit in a 12'-3" door and 34 to 38' long? We owned and camped in tents, popup and five fifth wheel campers over the years. I am a do-it-your-self person for most repairs. Any and all information will be greatly appreciated.

[TonyDi]

[msturtz]

We have a 2014 33.3 we had a long list of items that they didn’t do correctly however Thor to their credit fixed them all. The first year can be tough no matter what brand you purchase. I am happy with the handling, fuel economy, chassis, engine, transmission etc. I wish Thor had put in an ISB 340 and Allison MH 2500 in my coach. But the ISB 300 & MH 2100 work for us. I just have to watch our weight. I can and have done a lot of things to improve our unit such as replacing the ice maker line with stainless steel, removing all the extra heater ducting as well as a lot of other stuff. For a handy person the improvements are not hard to do. I know what needs to be done. Overall the Palazzo can be a good value even if you have to retrofit some things because of idiotic design decisions by Thor. Last note get an independent inspection. It’s worth the money !

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Get out there and start kicking those tires!


Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[iluvuk]

Originally Posted by Dan104

New to this forum. Trying to be a smart shopper. I would like to know how I can get information from Thor Palazzo owners. Information like the following: How you like the Palazzo? What you like and don't like? What problems have you had? Are the problems minor or will they leave you on the side of the road? How does the 33.2,33.3 or 33.4 handle? What fuel mileage you get? My wife and I like the floor plan of the 2016 33.2. We would like to get a motor home when we retire or before 1/2021. I'm limited on the height of my garage door 12'-3". Would anyone know of any other Motor homes that would fit in a 12'-3" door and 34 to 38' long? We owned and camped in tents, popup and five fifth wheel campers over the years. I am a do-it-your-self person for most repairs. Any and all information will be greatly appreciated.

You have come to the right forum! This place is awesome for getting information from real owners. I have a 33.3. So far, I love it. I have had my share of problems but I fix everything myself (see my other posts). I have had a need for new parts on a few minor items and Thor ships them right out to me. Thor Customer service is awesome! Mine handles great and rides great, especially compared to my two prior Gas RVs. The DP is very smooth and quiet by comparison. I get about 10mpg average. I have had 13mpg with a tailwind and as low as 9mpg in bad weather. I love the size and height. In fact, the height of my 12ft garage door limited me on choices also (due to a second story the door header couldn't be raised). I did a lot of research. For Class A DPs you will be limited to Thor Palazzo, Fleetwood/HR Pace Arrow, or Tiffin (I think it is the RED??) model that are all under 12ft. There might be another but I can't recall now. For me, The Tiffin was out because it has a front entry door and I wanted easy access with an over cab bunk. The Pace arrow was out because I wanted to be under 35ft for national and state parks that we frequent.

Palazzo is an entry level DP and definitely not as fancy as a Newmar or Tiffin. However, the actual features and quality you get for the dollar spent can't be beat in my opinion. Be careful on the Palazzo full wall slide to make sure you get one new enough to have the 3 rail system. Since they went to the 3 rail system there are very few people reporting problems. I think the full wall slide system is the weak link on the Palazzo if I had to name one. However, mine has always worked just fine. I have the 3 rail system. It won't take much of an internet search to find the serious complaints of people that had the 2 rail slide system on their Palazzo full wall slide. Good luck and ask us lots of questions.

[Robf]

X 2 on iluvuk post !!! I don’t get quite as good mileage tho.... but we always tow a car and kick it down the road at a pretty good pace. A little over 2 years of ownership and 27000 miles!!! Very impressed with the Palazzo....

[JBDALHB]

Welcome! Just back from last weeks Hershey RV show, and like last year, come away again feeling the Palazzo is the walk away winner for bang for the diesel pusher dollar, at least for us starting out in pushers. I've had the '18 33.2 for 14 months and 11K miles and am very satisfied. I've taken advantage of living in Indiana to have my warranty service done at Thor in Wakarusa and those guys are absolutely fantastic. Coach is getting ~10-11 mpg towing at 65 mph and we find the 660 ft lb torque does just fine on this lite of a coach. All in, we're super happy and couldn't be more pleased we went with Palazzo. Next up in a few weeks is a Fall Break run down to Disney. Best wishes, let us know which way you go.

[parks0412]

I also have a 12' tall door. My 2016 Palazzo 33.3 goes in without hitting. I get around 10mpg. The rig handles well and has plenty of power. I had a handful of minor issues, all of which I fixed myself. I have been very pleased with my coach. After 18 months and 10k miles I'm sure I made the right decision.

The Winnebago Forza is also 12' tall.

[Dan104]

Originally Posted by msturtz

We have a 2014 33.3 we had a long list of items that they didn’t do correctly however Thor to their credit fixed them all. The first year can be tough no matter what brand you purchase. I am happy with the handling, fuel economy, chassis, engine, transmission etc. I wish Thor had put in an ISB 340 and Allison MH 2500 in my coach. But the ISB 300 & MH 2100 work for us. I just have to watch our weight. I can and have done a lot of things to improve our unit such as replacing the ice maker line with stainless steel, removing all the extra heater ducting as well as a lot of other stuff. For a handy person the improvements are not hard to do. I know what needs to be done. Overall the Palazzo can be a good value even if you have to retrofit some things because of idiotic design decisions by Thor. Last note get an independent inspection. It’s worth the money !

Originally Posted by iluvuk

You have come to the right forum! This place is awesome for getting information from real owners. I have a 33.3. So far, I love it. I have had my share of problems but I fix everything myself (see my other posts). I have had a need for new parts on a few minor items and Thor ships them right out to me. Thor Customer service is awesome! Mine handles great and rides great, especially compared to my two prior Gas RVs. The DP is very smooth and quiet by comparison. I get about 10mpg average. I have had 13mpg with a tailwind and as low as 9mpg in bad weather. I love the size and height. In fact, the height of my 12ft garage door limited me on choices also (due to a second story the door header couldn't be raised). I did a lot of research. For Class A DPs you will be limited to Thor Palazzo, Fleetwood/HR Pace Arrow, or Tiffin (I think it is the RED??) model that are all under 12ft. There might be another but I can't recall now. For me, The Tiffin was out because it has a front entry door and I wanted easy access with an over cab bunk. The Pace arrow was out because I wanted to be under 35ft for national and state parks that we frequent.

Palazzo is an entry level DP and definitely not as fancy as a Newmar or Tiffin. However, the actual features and quality you get for the dollar spent can't be beat in my opinion. Be careful on the Palazzo full wall slide to make sure you get one new enough to have the 3 rail system. Since they went to the 3 rail system there are very few people reporting problems. I think the full wall slide system is the weak link on the Palazzo if I had to name one. However, mine has always worked just fine. I have the 3 rail system. It won't take much of an internet search to find the serious complaints of people that had the 2 rail slide system on their Palazzo full wall slide. Good luck and ask us lots of questions.

Originally Posted by Robf

X 2 on iluvuk post !!! I don’t get quite as good mileage tho.... but we always tow a car and kick it down the road at a pretty good pace. A little over 2 years of ownership and 27000 miles!!! Very impressed with the Palazzo....

Originally Posted by JBDALHB

Welcome! Just back from last weeks Hershey RV show, and like last year, come away again feeling the Palazzo is the walk away winner for bang for the diesel pusher dollar, at least for us starting out in pushers. I've had the '18 33.2 for 14 months and 11K miles and am very satisfied. I've taken advantage of living in Indiana to have my warranty service done at Thor in Wakarusa and those guys are absolutely fantastic. Coach is getting ~10-11 mpg towing at 65 mph and we find the 660 ft lb torque does just fine on this lite of a coach. All in, we're super happy and couldn't be more pleased we went with Palazzo. Next up in a few weeks is a Fall Break run down to Disney. Best wishes, let us know which way you go.

Originally Posted by parks0412

I also have a 12' tall door. My 2016 Palazzo 33.3 goes in without hitting. I get around 10mpg. The rig handles well and has plenty of power. I had a handful of minor issues, all of which I fixed myself. I have been very pleased with my coach. After 18 months and 10k miles I'm sure I made the right decision.

The Winnebago Forza is also 12' tall.

I'm not sure how to reply in a forum. But I need to say "Thank You" to everyone. Knowing the details and what I can expect is great. Please keep them coming.

[MEWright]

Originally Posted by Dan104

I'm not sure how to reply in a forum. But I need to say "Thank You" to everyone. Knowing the details and what I can expect is great. Please keep them coming.

I would highly recommend calling Cummings and frieghtliner before you take delivery. Using the VIN number make sure there have not been any issues with that unit.

I am not bagging on the Palazzo or Thor but we had ours for less than 5 days out of the first 45 days and put less than 300 miles on it. Dealer is getting us out of it into a different coach. It was a lemon that was traded in after all the codes had been cleared, that unfortunately we purchased. Luckily for us, we purchased it from a very reputable dealer in TX (Ancira RV in Boerne) and they stood up 100%.

iRV2 Forums - MEWright

Here is the story.

Good luck.

For the record, before it went south, it drove well. We were bummed out when it croaked.

[Dan104]

Thanks, I didn't know Cummings and Freightliner would give me the unit history. What year and model number was the Palazzo?

[MEWright]

Originally Posted by Dan104

Thanks, I didn't know Cummings and Freightliner would give me the unit history. What year and model number was the Palazzo?

Ours was a 2015 33.3

[vmyoung61]

We have the 2017 33.2 and are very happy with it. We bought it new and, of course, there were minor problems. Since we are retired, we opted to make an appointment at the Thor Factory Service Center to get everything fixed. They are awesome. We could have done most of the things ourselves, but it was under warranty, so let them do it. Most of our issues were because someone forgot to seal the voids that needed the foam sealant, so we had water infiltration. Thor took care of everything - even the floor that got water damage.

As far as the motorhome as a whole - we are quite happy. We have about 16,000 miles on it and average around 11 mpg. we flat tow a 2017 Equinox. We weren't too happy with the way it handled when we first got it, but it had 110 lbs of air in every tire. We had it weighed, the air pressure adjusted to 90 on front and 95 on rear, had the front-end aligned and have been happy ever since. We also had a Safe-T-Plus installed. WOW! What a difference!

This was our first motorhome and weren't sure we would like it, having always had towables. We love it! We did a lot of research and don't believe you can get more for your money. It's a great entry level DP.

[Danny Clapp]

Originally Posted by vmyoung61

We have the 2017 33.2 and are very happy with it. We bought it new and, of course, there were minor problems. Since we are retired, we opted to make an appointment at the Thor Factory Service Center to get everything fixed. They are awesome. We could have done most of the things ourselves, but it was under warranty, so let them do it. Most of our issues were because someone forgot to seal the voids that needed the foam sealant, so we had water infiltration. Thor took care of everything - even the floor that got water damage.

As far as the motorhome as a whole - we are quite happy. We have about 16,000 miles on it and average around 11 mpg. we flat tow a 2017 Equinox. We weren't too happy with the way it handled when we first got it, but it had 110 lbs of air in every tire. We had it weighed, the air pressure adjusted to 90 on front and 95 on rear, had the front-end aligned and have been happy ever since. We also had a Safe-T-Plus installed. WOW! What a difference!

This was our first motorhome and weren't sure we would like it, having always had towables. We love it! We did a lot of research and don't believe you can get more for your money. It's a great entry level DP.

Thanks Virginia for posting this. I am in the process of purchasing my first MH and we also only had TTs. So we are purchasing a 2015 Palazzo 33.3. We are very excited but nervous. Where did you find out about weighing your RV to determine tire pressure? Also can you explain what a Safe-T-Plus is? Any other advice you can give a MH newbie. Thanks so much.