Small Class A Diesel

[CircleL]

My wife and I are looking for a small diesel powered class A . We though we wanted a sprinter based class C but they can't carry much weight and have little storage. I looked at a Sorrento which seemed like it might work. Supposedly gets 12 to 13 mpg and has a lot of storage. I also need a shower that fits my height.
Does anyone have any experience with this RV or might have a suggestion for a different unit? Do any of them have a king bed?
Thanks!

[WILDEBILL308]

I would look at a Newmar New Aire.
Bill

[s@ndm@n]

I seriously doubt any class A will get 12-13mpg. My 37’ pusher gets 9 tops (average).

[Winemaker2]

Depends on what you consider small.
We live our '13 Newmar Ventana 3433.
Comfort drive has made me a believer and discount all comments about short DP MHs handling poorly.
We avg about 9 - 9.5 MPG towing a CRV

[R.Wold]

Tiffin makes the smallest legit Class A DP - Allegro Breeze 31BR, around 31’. You’re not going to find a king bed in anything under about 35’. I get a little over 10mpg with my 6.7 ISB, mid 9’s towing. If I got serious about it, and stayed out of the mountains, I guess I could do a bit better, but not much, and it’s good enough for me as is, which makes mpg one less thing to think about.

Just looked again - the 33 BR has a King bed option and it 33’6”.

What’s a Sorrento? Im assuming not the Prevost Liberty Sorrento....?

[CircleL]

Thanks for your reply. I think Four winds made them about 7 or 8 years ago. I will check out the Breeze. Appreciate it.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I think you may mean the Serrano from Thor? The Serrano didn't have a great reputation, but I've forgotten what the complaints were or how credible they were. There are always owners who were oversold on its qualities and get severely disappointed when problems show up.


I suggest you search on Serrano motorhome both here and on the net and see what you find.

[lawjohnson]

Yep. 100 happy people, not a peep 1 unhappy one and they complain for the next 50 years!!

[crb478]

I have a 33 foot Beaver Patriot Savannah. It is actually 34'4" and is the same a the Beaver Concord minus the 18" wall slide. It usually gets 11 to 13 mpg, but speed and towing can and will affect that. If you are willing to look at older coaches also look for foretravels. They had some 30ish plus foot models that might fit your needs.
I get a little edge over the larger Beavers with a 330 hp Cat and less weight. I am also happy to drive between 60 and 65. I also agree with the earlier poster about not to believe the handling myths. While I have tried to ensure that I have enhanced my MH as much as possible, it drives well and does not get blown around by TT's. Then again they are hard to find in any shape.

[Big_Boy]

If you want a big selection of class A that are relatively small, I have to recommend the Thor Palazzo. They start at just under 35' and get relatively good fuel economy. My '15 33.3 (34'11") had a GVWR of 26,000 lb and routinely got 11 mpg.



The Palazzo is probably more numerous than anything of comparable size.

[Mile Marker 42]

Originally Posted by Big_Boy

If you want a big selection of class A that are relatively small, I have to recommend the Thor Palazzo. They start at just under 35' and get relatively good fuel economy. My '15 33.3 (34'11") had a GVWR of 26,000 lb and routinely got 11 mpg.



The Palazzo is probably more numerous than anything of comparable size.

Monaco and their "Family" made 2 slide motorhomes at 32 FT. They actually had a 2002 version with a 5.9 Cummins with PacBrake. Pretty popular. I know because I test drove one while I still had a Class A gasser. I bought a DP within 6-9 months of that test drive. LOL

[CircleL]

Originally Posted by R.Wold

Tiffin makes the smallest legit Class A DP - Allegro Breeze 31BR, around 31’. You’re not going to find a king bed in anything under about 35’. I get a little over 10mpg with my 6.7 ISB, mid 9’s towing. If I got serious about it, and stayed out of the mountains, I guess I could do a bit better, but not much, and it’s good enough for me as is, which makes mpg one less thing to think about.

Just looked again - the 33 BR has a King bed option and it 33’6”.

What’s a Sorrento? Im assuming not the Prevost Liberty Sorrento....?

I looked into the Allegro 28br, 31,34. I liked them a lot. I have not done much RVing and until an am sure it works for us I am going to buy used. I found a number of Allegros with 25- to 50k miles that looked great and varied in price from 80k to about 120k. How do I keep from being taken advantage of and don't end up with someone else's headache? The asking prices were below the NADA prices. Any suggestions?

[R.Wold]

Originally Posted by CircleL

I looked into the Allegro 28br, 31,34. I liked them a lot. I have not done much RVing and until an am sure it works for us I am going to buy used. I found a number of Allegros with 25- to 50k miles that looked great and varied in price from 80k to about 120k. How do I keep from being taken advantage of and don't end up with someone else's headache? The asking prices were below the NADA prices. Any suggestions?

you can always post or pm links for coaches of interest here so folks that have been around that block a few times can offer info and advice. And most people would recommend a professional inspection. That and a lot of research.

Tiffin is at the upper end of the production coach builders so you are starting off in positive territory. So that and low mileage, obvious care for the coach (everything working and no damage) and service records will go a long way to ensuring you are looking at a decent candidate.

One other thing - the smaller DPs, like the 28BR, have the IH max force engine and I would strongly recommend stepping up to the smallest DP with a cummins in it, regardless of other attributes of the smaller coaches.

[CircleL]

Originally Posted by R.Wold

you can always post or pm links for coaches of interest here so folks that have been around that block a few times can offer info and advice. And most people would recommend a professional inspection. That and a lot of research.

Tiffin is at the upper end of the production coach builders so you are starting off in positive territory. So that and low mileage, obvious care for the coach (everything working and no damage) and service records will go a long way to ensuring you are looking at a decent candidate.

One other thing - the smaller DPs, like the 28BR, have the IH max force engine and I would strongly recommend stepping up to the smallest DP with a cummins in it, regardless of other attributes of the smaller coaches.

The max force engines have issues? Do you know if Tiffin makes a small DP with a Cummins?