2018 Navion/View 24D

[Wayneey]

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has taken delivery of this new model or perhaps has seen and driven one. I watched the Winnebago and Lichtsinn RV videos but think 1st hand impressions would be very helpful. Dealers local to me have orders in but no deliveries yet.

Can anyone comment on Winnebago's strategy of offering one specific configuration? I can see how that might benefit Winnebago but not so much customers.

Thanks for any input that's available!

Wayne

[luvlabs]

I looked at the D when it was launched at the WIT rally in July. I asked the question about the lack of options (only on the first 200 units sold, btw) and didn't really get much information. Winnebago had made multiple changes in this model and I have a feeling that they were using the first 200 to get some live field data on those changes (a big one being the Norcold 12V/120V refrigerator) before they started adding options. Mercedes is planning some 2018 chassis changes as well.

I'd wait to the 2019 models to buy one.

[Wayneey]

Thanks for the info Roger & Mary, it makes a lot of sense. Performance of the new Norcold refrigerator is something that's important. I read several consumer review comments, mostly positive. However, one person mentioned in was noisy (compared to a gas absorption unit, I would guess so) and another said it didn't get very cold (without mention of actual temps). Without specifics, it's hard to calibrate the comments.

Do you have any information as to changes MB is planning for the Sprinter chassis? I looked around the Internet and didn't find any references at all. I would imagine an increased GVWR would be of importance to a lot of people. Of course, the way RV manufacturers build, more accoutrements would be added and any ccc advantage would most likely be quickly lost.

BTW, how was the transition from your Phaeton to the View? While not a Phaeton, my Allegro Bay is pretty spacious compared to the View. However, prior to the Allegro Bay I had a 22' Lazy Daze Class C which I just loved, so I do have experience in a shorter coach. If I hadn't developed a fondness for a fixed bed I would get another Lazy Daze in a heartbeat!

[Sven55]

We plan to purchase our first RV (for 2018 season) and thought we wanted the Winnebago 24J until we saw the 24D online. We went through the factory tour in Forest City in July2017 and they never mentioned the D nor did the nearby dealer. I found another 24D in Rockford IL which is hours closer to our home. I plan to see it in October and try to decide. My biggest concern is the comfort of the 24D couch(under Murphy bed). Ideally I would want a decent place to nap while my spouse takes a turn at the wheel on those long road trips. We also intend to take long trips with our adult children and grand-kids as well so a fixed bed is high on our list. Undecided.

[Stevec4]

Even though the coach has a 2018 tag the MB chassis most likely is a 2017. My View is a 2014 with a 2013 Sprinter.

[luvlabs]

Originally Posted by Wayneey

BTW, how was the transition from your Phaeton to the View? While not a Phaeton, my Allegro Bay is pretty spacious compared to the View. However, prior to the Allegro Bay I had a 22' Lazy Daze Class C which I just loved, so I do have experience in a shorter coach. If I hadn't developed a fondness for a fixed bed I would get another Lazy Daze in a heartbeat!

Every trip is a learning experience - mostly learning what you don't need to haul with you. For example, we've cut the weight and storage needs for the kitchen by switching to paper plates, bowls, and glasses. We also rid ourselves of some of things we were hauling around to support the kitchen. We've done a better job in the bedroom and bathroom and everything we need stores in the cupboards and overheads with room to spare. Outside is the same major housekeeping. We just came off of a 2.5 month trip and did pretty good as far as livability goes.

[bmark]

Test drove the 24d at Hershey Pa show and really liked it ! Got cold feet and walked away. My wife and I cant stop talking about it so maybe in the near future.

[Lynnowensmom]

We have a 24J which we love but i hate doing battle with the bed every time I have to make it! Have never seen the 24D in person but are planning to tour one as soon as the dealership gets one in. I too wonder how comfortable the sofa will be and I'm not thrilled with the interior color scheme.But we shall see.
Please keep us informed about your impressions everyone. Eagerly awaiting news

[Sven55]

24D impressions

We were almost ready to purchase the 24J (Delivery in 2Q2018)until the 24D was announced which caused us to rethink our decision. We visited a Winnebago dealer in Rockford IL recently who had all the View models in stock, including the new 24D. Seeing all models at the same time allowed us to contrast and compare without relying on past memories of the other models.
One of our main objectives in picking a floor plan was to have ample space for several people to travel on long distant trips. This includes grand parents, adult children and grandchildren. Ideally the coach should have 3 sleeping areas for adults and kids, plenty of seat belts and areas to sit while traveling, storage, etc. Also plenty of eating space. Both the 24D and 24J fit this space.


Here is what we learned:
The 24D dinette sleeping area is only 71” in actual length but their website says it is 72”. Measured without back cushions. This is about 11” shorter then the 24J so it may loose its classification as an adult sleeping area in my book. The height of the 24D dinette back cushions is higher then the 24J dinette back cushions, making the 24D dinette a slightly more comfortable area to sit on long distance trips. However the 24D can only hold 4 adults sitting at the Dinette table area. The 24D has only 2 seat belts in the dinette area, however I would assume additional seat belts could be added but I am sure that Winnebago had a reason for not adding the two additional seat belts. Maybe they will weigh in on this conversation.
The 24D couch is 60” wide, and three adults could fit side by side, however the underside of the Murphy bed is directly behind your head. If you sat there while underway, your head would bounce on wood with every road bump. Next to your shoulder were other sharp edged surfaces, making it unpleasant to doze off and slouch sideways while the coach is parked or moving. The 24D couch was comfortable to sit on, in the upright position. The 24D couch is definitely not an area where you want to doze off watching TV while parked or doze off while traveling. I was disappointed. As my wife commented: “the Murphy bed over couch is a great idea, just not there yet”.


The Murphy bed mattress is actually two pieces which is composed of a mattress and a narrow cushion, not one continuous piece as expected. The Murphy bed was comfortable but I could detect the different heights between the two pieces, where the joint was between my shoulders and the top of my head. I am 73” tall and my head was touching the padded head board and my heels hung over the edge of the bed. But I was comfortable. As a comparison, I laid on the short side of the 24J corner bed and there was plenty of mattress below my feet and even more on the long side of the 24J bed.


Note: The width distance between the walls on the 24J bed is actually 51.125 “ even though it is reported as 50” and the width of the 24D mattress is actually 59” even though it is reported as 60”. A difference of 7 7/8ths” and not the 10” as reported on their website. When you consider the fact that you usually cant use the edge of any mattress and need to leave 3-4 inches on the edge to keep your arms from dropping off the mattress while you sleep, and subtract that width from the 24D mattress, you actually end up with the same usable width in the 24J as the 24D. The only really advantage of the 24D mattress is that you can walk around it and make the bed easily. Also the 24D mattress does not elevate the head like the 24J does. (chase lounge position). The 24J corner bed with its chase elevation option provides two passengers a very comfortable place to just hang out or snooze comfortably while the coach is moving.


The 24D mattress has horizontal slats instead of the European plastic springs (24J). There is also a center rail, this however made a noticeable bump in the center of the mattress. (no springy feeling down the mattress middle) Ideally two people sleeping in their designated area would not be an issue on the 24D. This is not an issue on the 24J mattress. If one person tries to sleep in the center of the 24D Murphy bed, you would be uncomfortable as there is no spring below you. Also I would assume that the wooden spring slats on the 24D would sag over time and therefore need replacing.


Storage area under the 24D couch: This area shares a pump, so I only measured the usable storage area. 46W X 16D X 8H = 3.4 cu ft.


24D Bathroom was spacious. The best of all the models. I did notice that the 24D shower has 2 more square inches of floor space then the 24J. Essentially the same shower.


24D Hanging closet dimensions: 36W X 16D X 44H = 14.6 cu ft. (also additional space if you remove the closet bottom floor panel which allows you to store a golf bag or tall objects in the hanging closet)


24J Hanging closet dimensions: 23W X 23D X 40H = 12.24 Cu Ft.


Inside overhead storage:
The 24D had 3 medium and 3 shallow compartments, the shallow compartments were hidden behind the Murphy bed, so they are not accessible while under way. Also the kitchen had an over-sized overhead cabinet.
The 24J has 3 medium and 2 shallow compartments in the bed area, three more shallow compartments in the dinette area and the kitchen has the over-sized cabinet as well.
So, when you add up all the inside storage space (including the 24D extra kitchen base cabinet and pantry) then the 24D is the clear leader in this category.


Floor-space: I did not measure it, but the 24D clearly has more floor square footage floor space while extending the slide.


24D Kitchen: A big winner here. A full 2x2 ' of additional counter space with drawers below and also a huge pantry cabinet. My wife was almost ready to buy the 24D on the kitchen alone.


24D Fridge: I did not measure the inside, however it was easy to tell that the 24D Freezer space was bigger then the 24J Freezer space. The Salesman told me that all new 24Js (built in 2018)(and I assumed others C coaches as well) will come with the newer Compressor only fridge which has the bigger freezer. So, apparently today, all the 24Js that are on the lot will come with the older fridge style but new coaches will have the new fridge (and 200w Solar as Std. Eq along with a higher base price)


Lawn Chair storage area test: The 24D failed, not even close. The largest outside storage door was way too small, and the compartment behind that door (below bathroom closet) was too small to store any kind of folding lawn chair, and this was the biggest storage door on the coach.
Note: I tested this with my Tommy Bahama reclining lawn folding chair which is slightly bigger then your basic folding lawn chair. I also tested this with the 24J largest outside compartment, and two chairs just fit while using the external door (even easier when lifting the 24J corner bed)


Room in storage area for a camp table? 24D = No
Room in storage area for a camp table? 24J = Probably not, unless it was narrow enough to fit under the corner bed storage area. So, no real winner here.


Solar: The 24D had thin flexible solar panels (thickness of cardboard) where as the 24J solar panels were as thick as a pizza box. Can you stand on these thinner solar panels? I don't know, but their design would be more forgiving if you accidentally stepped on one while on your roof. Note: the dealer told me all new RVs will have the new thin flexible panels after first of the year. Since Winn will be using the Compressor only fridge on all newer models, then I assume that the 200W Solar will come as Standard eq on all new models. (and hopefully the newer flex solar panels as well) The salesman also told me that the Maximum solar system is 300 Watts, (not the 500 watts mentioned in Winn 24D introductory video)


Here is something else I learned: The current 24J RV refrigerators have Absorption cooling systems and run on LP, 12V and 120Vac. I had always thought that absorption fridges also had a compressor (12v, 120vac) but that is wrong, the absorption fridge works only on a heat pump method, and the heat comes from LP, 12v, and 120vac. So that said, the problem with parking your RV on an incline and leaving your refrigerator on could damage the Absorption fridge if it runs for too long. I was told that the whole RV industry is moving away from absorption fridges, to compressor only fridges and that within 5 years there wont be any absorption fridges in any coaches. (time will tell) Also, since solar panels have gotten cheaper and more efficient, then it probably just makes sense to switch to solar power-able refrigerators since they would be more sustainable and not require non renewable fossil fuels.


Bottom line for our needs: We will stick with the 24J as planned. The 24D bigger kitchen, bath, extra storage, extra floor space and larger bed did not compensate for its lack of creature comfort areas. There just was no place to get comfortable in it without laying down in a bed!


Lastly, I was impressed by the Rockford dealer's pricing. It calculated to be about 29.7 % discount off of MSRP for a new coach built to my specs. We don't intend to order a coach till 1Q2018 and will need to deal with any corporate price increases then.

[bmurph44]

Sven, great comparison review lots of good information. We also visited the dealer in Rockford and really liked him but the Harrison RV the dealer in Jefferson Iowa is selling all of his Views for 100,500 which was several thousand less than Rockford and Lichtsinn. We should take delivery of our 2018 24D with the diesel generator high gloss interior and cargo red exterior in mid to late January fingers crossed we made the right choice.

[Wayneey]

Originally Posted by luvlabs

Mercedes is planning some 2018 chassis changes as well.

I'd wait to the 2019 models to buy one.

Do you have any specifics on the 2018 Mercedes chassis update?

Wayne

[CCCruiser]

Thank you for this comprehensive comparison between the Navion/View 24D & 24J! It emphasizes I made the correct decision, as a single traveler, to buy a '16 Navion 24J instead of an '18 View 24D.

Look forward to seeing you 'up the road'!

P.S. I'm re-newed on the forum & haven't figure out how to adjust my profile to Winnebago Owner, not Thor.

[Sven55]

Sorry, I have no specs, other then a friend said he heard they will increase load limit. We were speculating ....
1. will there be an actual eng change
2. or did they realize that their current design could actually carry more load.
3. have not heard any timing either.

I did get confirmation that Compressor Only Norcold fridge and required 200W flexible solar will be std in 2018.

Also found out why the alumin rims are required if you add the stabilizer jacks. Its because the stabilizer adds weight, and the alumin rims (more expensive) are much lighter and zeros out the weight added by the jacks.
This tells us that Winn actually cares about total cargo capacity. (nice that somebody does) some competitors have a 700 lb cargo on their Class C Sprinters(that includes humans ! )

[Nknuss]

Originally Posted by luvlabs

I looked at the D when it was launched at the WIT rally in July. I asked the question about the lack of options (only on the first 200 units sold, btw) and didn't really get much information. Winnebago had made multiple changes in this model and I have a feeling that they were using the first 200 to get some live field data on those changes (a big one being the Norcold 12V/120V refrigerator) before they started adding options. Mercedes is planning some 2018 chassis changes as well.

I'd wait to the 2019 models to buy one.

Luvlabs, can you provide your references supporting Mercedes making chassis changes or increasing the GVWR? Any info supporting a date this might occur?