Opinions on the Allegro Breeze 28?

[baraff]

As much as I love our Winnebago Aspect, I really like the Allegro Breeze 28' Class A. Small enough to use in the State and Federal parks we like to visit, yet appears to have all the features of a quality "A" diesel pusher.
I would love to hear opinions from owners of this model, especially older ones, as I will probably not buy new. I am most concerned with the Maxxforce 7 engine, it is my understanding that some of the earlier models had some problems with this power plant.
Any thoughts?

[D Moffitt]

I believe the first model year for the Allegro Breeze was 2011, so there won't be any "older" than that. I bought a new 2012 Allegro Breeze 28BR in April 2012 and have about 17,000 miles on it, having taken two long trips in it-- one from Texas to Washington state and another up to Maine.
The more I drive it the better I like it. It is very maneuverable and the floor plan works well for me. I tow a 2dr Jeep Wrangler with no problems. The only issue I've had with the engine was a faulty relay that was replaced about 6 months ago under warranty. As I also own a 2008 F250 with a variant of that engine with over 130,000 miles with no problems, I am not too concerned about the longevity of the MaxxForce 7.
Keeping the tires at about 85lb, the fresh water tank filled and having a steering stabilizer installed (and just getting used to it) have eliminated any handling issues for me. Tiffin customer support has been wonderful.
Hope this helps.

[johnandanne]

Ours is a newer unit (2013), but I still want to put a vote in for the Breeze. We switched from sailboat to MH about 19 months ago. We've embarrassingly gone through 3 different motorhomes in this time, searching for the 'right' unit. Wife and I unanimously agree this is the perfect unit. We wanted under 30 ft. for campgrounds, AND we wanted good brakes. Just completed a 2400 mile trip through the Southwest - no issues. The quality is excellent, storage was amazingly efficient and the engine was adequate (although I'm still getting used to slower freeway entries). This is the second vehicle with a MaxForce engine and zero problems so far. I wish the dump out access were a little further off the ground but that's life. We learned to just adjust the mh height prior to connections and dump. MOST importantly, for 28 feet, the layout is really engineered for liveability ! Good luck with your quest.

D Moffitt, although I'm happy w/ the handling, I'm always wanting to improve - which steering stabilizer did you add and in what way did it require getting used to ?

[D Moffitt]

[QUOTE=D Moffitt, although I'm happy w/ the handling, I'm always wanting to improve - which steering stabilizer did you add and in what way did it require getting used to ?[/QUOTE]

Perhaps I could have worded my response a little better. My reference to "getting used to it" actually referred to the motorhome itself, as it was my first motorhome. Prior to that I towed a 20' Airstream trailer with my F250.

About a month after purchasing my Breeze I had a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer installed. It "tightened up" the steering feel for me, so the motorhome did not seem quite so "twitchy" in windy conditions. Also, I felt it would give me better control if I encountered a blow-out on a front tire. Fortunately, I haven't had to deal with that issue.

After almost a year of ownership, my 28BR Breeze has exceeded my expectations. I did a lot of research before making my purchase, and, for me, the Breeze represents the best combination of small exterior size, maneuverability, floor plan layout, utilization of space, performance and overall value.

[avid_dk]

David,

How does it tow that Jeep Wrangler Sport? What braking system are you using? What kind of mileage to you get while towing? You think you can be happy for life with the 28?

We are thinking of trading up to a Breeze and unsure if to go with the 28 or 32.

[D Moffitt]

I've had no issues towing my 2012 Wrangler Sport (2-door.) In fact, having the Jeep behind the motorhome seems to add to its stability. I use a Blue Ox Aventa LX tow bar and Blue Ox base plate, all of which have worked just fine. At the recommendation of a local RV service center, I had them install the M&G braking system on the Jeep. It is a very simple hook-up-- a single coiled air hose with quick disconnects at each end. The M&G system provides proportional braking with no adjustment required. With the Jeep, after hooking up tow bar, brake hose and electric cable for lights, I simply put the transfer case in neutral, put the transmission in Park and take the key out, and I'm ready to tow.
As a solo traveler, the 28' Breeze has all the space I need. Perhaps, someday down the road when I'm less concerned about getting into tight national and state park campsites, I may want something larger, but I have yet to feel cramped.
I believe the 32' is more popular, due to its second slide in the living area and the additional closet space. When I was doing my research, my local Tiffin dealer tried to steer me away from the 28' model, claiming it had so many problems that Tiffin was going to discontinue building it. They said they would order me a 28, but I was not about to do that without driving one. Fortunately, a dealer about 300 miles from me had a 28 and had a much better attitude about them. I took a test drive and ended up buying from them.
My final rationalization for choosing the 28 over the 32 was determining the advantage of increased maneuverability of a 50" shorter wheelbase (152" vs 202") was more important to me than a second slide and more closet and basement storage space. However, I can certainly understand the appeal of the 32 to others.

[D Moffitt]

I forgot to address mileage towing the Jeep. I tend to drive with a pretty heavy foot (70 mph where possible) and seem to get around 10-10.5 mpg. That it is sometimes difficult to completely fill the tank and the onboard computer is not that accurate, it's hard to compute exact mileage.

[avid_dk]

David,

Thanks for the detailed answer. We have been to three dealers and none of them have had a 28 in stock. We need to take a road trip with seeing a 28 as our sole objective.

Since we are moving up from a Sprinter Class B anything looks huge to us. The Allegro Red is also a consideration although even the shortest ones look like behemoths from our perspective. We like the State and National Park/Forest campgrounds as well. Also many California State parks limit motorhomes to 35'. In fact, my wife's favorite beach campground has that limit.

In the Winter issue of Roughing it Smoothly Bob Tiffen says he has the handling issues all resolved. Although I think it was really only the first 50 units that were really problematic. Some drive the Breeze and say they think they handle fine. Like everything it is a matter of perspective and exactly why we think any Class A looks huge.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Do you read and post to the TiffinRVNetwork forum as well?

[D Moffitt]

avid,

I was coming from a 20' Airstream trailer, so, like you, everything seemed huge to me. Ironically, the 28' Breeze rides on a 4" shorter wheelbase than the F250 I was pulling the Airstream with.

Your mention of Bob Tiffin's article reminded me of a phone call I made to Tiffin during my research after my local Tiffin dealer had "bad-mouthed" the 28' Breeze. I explained to the lady who answered the phone at Tiffin that I had heard about handling issues (did not mention the dealer) and wanted to know if they had been corrected. She said she could quickly connect me to someone who could answer my questions, and the "someone" turned out to be Bob Tiffin! He told me they felt they had solved most of the initial problems, but urged me to drive one to see for myself. He also told me that the Breeze "works" for some people, but not for everyone. Needless to say, I was very impressed with his honesty. Since that call and my eventual purchase, I had the pleasure of meeting him at a Tiffin owner rally last fall.

I hope you can find a 28BR to view and drive. Vogt RV in Fort Worth (the dealer I bought mine from) shows to have a 2013 in stock, but that's probably a long way from you.

I am registered with TiffinRVNetwork (lots of great information there) but do not post on either forum that much.

Good luck with your search.

[baraff]

Lots of good information here, thank you for all the responses and insight (I am the OP).
When we bought our Aspect we had similar handling problems and I bought a Steer Safe stabilizer, it was worth every penny. If we bought an "older" Breeze that had the handling problem, I would not hesitate to buy another.
I really like the Breeze 28BR, it seems to have everything we could want and the size is right.
Gotta lotta thinkin' to do.......
Thanks again!

[rvwanderer13]

Just purchased a used Allegro Breeze 28' from Camping World in Fl. We were looking for a used 40' rig, but decided on the shorter unit. Our plan is to become partial snowbirds and travel throughout the southern states for 5 months a year. Researching campgrounds, we discovered that many cannot accommodate the larger rigs. We really couldn't justify paying for room we didn't really need. It seems to have been a good choice. We departed Fl towing our Cadillac on a uhaul trailer and headed for upstate NY. The Breeze did not seem to have any issues pulling the trailer and actually seemed to want to travel faster than I was comfortable. It handled very well going 60-65, but would push above 70 if the traffic demanded it. Two hours into our trip, we lost all air pressure on out "Air 1" gauge, but all braking and suspension systems appeared to be working fine. We stopped and had a mechanic check the systems, and we decided to continue on believing the issue was with the gauge and not the air pressure. Three days later we arrived home without experiencing any additional problems. I'm still checking thru the forum to see if other Breeze owners have had issues with the air gauges. My wife and I were quite comfortable with the 28' Breeze and believe it is going to work quite well for us. We did notice that tractor trailers tended to push us to the side as they were passing, but that issue seemed to lessen as my experience behind the wheel increased. Good luck in your search!

[D Moffitt]

I'll be interested to hear what the final outcome of your pressure gauge is.

On my coach, I experienced a gradual loss of pressure on both gauges that also triggered the red light on the dash to come on. If I stopped the coach to fill up with fuel (or for some other reason) and had the engine shut down, when I restarted the pressure would be back up and then it would gradually fall. At one point it got low enough that the low pressure alarm came on.

After speaking with Tiffin, they determined I had a defective dryer and sent me a new Haldex dryer assembly. Once installed, the problem went away and has not reappeared in 8,000 miles.

Given that your issue is with a single gauge and you have not experienced any other symptoms, I would conclude you may have a different problem. You may want to contact Nathan Davidson at Tiffin. He knows the Breeze very well and has been a real help to me.

I also agree that one becomes more comfortable driving the Breeze with experience. My recent travels have been far more enjoyable than my initial drive home when I purchased it.

Hope you get your issue resolved and continue to enjoy your Breeze.

[rvwanderer13]

Thanks for the contact Dave. I'll definitely give him a call. I failed to mention that I did have the red warning light on the dash and a hardly noticeable, extremely faint low pressure alarm. The mechanic did fiddle with the air dryer, but gave me no indication that he had any concerns with it.
I'll re-post when I get the issue resolved.

__________________
Dennis Doody
Allegro Breeze 28BR

[rick_p]

Originally Posted by D Moffitt

I forgot to address mileage towing the Jeep. I tend to drive with a pretty heavy foot (70 mph where possible) and seem to get around 10-10.5 mpg. That it is sometimes difficult to completely fill the tank and the onboard computer is not that accurate, it's hard to compute exact mileage.

David,

Have you tried leveling your Breeze before filling the tank?
We do that with ours and get pretty consistent tank fills.
Air only leveling often comes in handy.

Agree computer is not accurate, so we record gallons and miles to compute mileage.
Getting right around 10 mpg with our 32 foot Breeze towing a Honda Fit.
Less in the mountains and more in the flats, of course.

Cheers, rick p