Thor Aria 3901... Very Impressive!!!

[Sandy Swede]

WyoFree, I can't seem to recall which brand & model coach you have ordered. Was it the Thor Palazzo? What is the best ETA on pick-up? Very exiting - you must feel like an expectant parent!

“In nature, there’s no blemish but the mind.
None can be called deformed but the unkind.”
- Antonio, in Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

[G Man]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

"WyoFree".......I've got to tell you that I was going to say the same thing as "luvlabs", but held back. I know you did your research and the reality is.....buy what you can afford.

I've found over the years that there are VERY FEW people that will admit they made a mistake on a purchase or will criticize what they bought, even if you PM them. I know you like to write and you write well, but you can't write a Yugo into a Mercedes. I went to the Thor website and read the Aria brochure right after you posted. First....it has an ISB in a 40' coach, that's a no go for most. Second, when a brochure discusses gadgets, it means they're trying to direct you away from what's important.

You can ask me anything about my Newmar, which many rate as a well made coach. I'll tell you that it's the best I found in my price range, but it has it's issues. The front door is a bad design and doesn't seal well. My full wall slide works well because I'm careful, but Newmar had enough issues that they redesigned the frame. Lastly, I'm really dissatisfied with the paint work, which they finally corrected in 2017. It still had items that qualified it as the best coach I could afford....tag axle, Comfort Steer, 450 ISL, side radiator and independent front suspension.

So......some are impressed with less and some take a lot more to make them happy. You're talking to a lot of experienced RVers on here who know what quality is, so understand you'll take some flack when you tell others about the quality of a coach that many know does not have the reputation or standard equipment to give it such a high rating as you did.

Dutch,
I'm new here. What is the difference between a ISB and a ISL?
Isn't 360 ISB more than enough to push a 40' DP with 5k toad attached?
Thanks.
G Man

[mike brez]

Originally Posted by Sandy Swede

WyoFree, I can't seem to recall which brand & model coach you have ordered. Was it the Thor Palazzo? What is the best ETA on pick-up? Very exiting - you must feel like an expectant parent!

“In nature, there’s no blemish but the mind.
None can be called deformed but the unkind.”
- Antonio, in Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

2018 Coachmen SportsCoach 407FW

[G Man]

WyoFree, I am looking at the Thor 3901. Haven't drove one yet but soon.
Thanks for your post. Very much appreciated.

[WyoFree]

Hey Sandy,

I ordered a 2018 Coachman Sports Coach 407 FW. It's 41 feet with the 360 Cummins and 3000 Allison and is on the Freightliner raised rail chassis.

I believe (and it irritates me that I don't know) that the coach will arrive the dealer tomorrow or Wednesday. How long it takes the dealer to perform their magic and I can pick it up I don't know that either! I don't know much do I?

[WyoFree]

Hi Mike and G-man,

We were posting at the same time so thanks for your help Mike and G-man, come back and let us know what you thought of the 3901?

[G Man]

Originally Posted by WyoFree

Hi Mike and G-man,



We were posting at the same time so thanks for your help Mike and G-man, come back and let us know what you thought of the 3901?

Will do.
Why the Coachmen over others?
G Man

[WyoFree]

Good question G Man,

Inside: Bath and half, bunk model (like the flexibility offered by the two bunks and storage) huge kitchen and 3 door 23cf refrigerator, Stack washer & dryer, 100% porcelain floors (no carpet), 50" TV with fireplace, King bed, hardwood cabinets throughout, two burner true induction cooktop, large shower, dinette and couch on patio side (a big deal to me), electric masserator toilets, multiplex system, large Axxera 10" touch screen.

Exterior: 40" TV & DVD, 10,000 pound hitch, 8000 watt generator on a slide out, full wall slide on Patio side with 18 foot awning mounted on slide, Sikkins paint with 4 coats of clear coat, fiberglass roof, full size chrome bus mirrors, basement slides, two 15,000 BTU heat pumps, 2000 watt inverter with 4 house and 2 coach batteries, all lippert slides and jacks (huge deal)!

I'm sure I missed some things but this is close! Oh and the coach is gorgeous, the paint is incredible with the 4 coats of clear and the interior is WOW! It also has all Williamsburg furniture and oh boy is it comfortable!

You could say I like it a little and no other coach had all of this with the floor plan I wanted!

[Dutch Star Don]

"G Man".....Cummins makes several engines. Basically, they start out with the ISB (I believe the ISB is 6.7 liters). Their next engine is the ISC 8.3 liters and can have HP ratings generally around 340-360 HP. The next engine in the line up and one of the most popular and best built, is the ISL 8.9 liter. They had HP ratings from 370 - 450. There use to be a good engine after that called the ISM, usually rated to 500 HP. It has been discontinued. Lastly is the big boy, ISX, it comes it two sizes, 600HP and 650HP.

Okay, that's the lineup. You'll typically find any of those engines in newer coaches 40' and under. In coaches over 40', the ISL or ISX is typically used. A good weight to ratio engine in a 40' is a the ISL. With that said, you'll find some new coaches with the ISB in a 40' or shorter coach and many older large coaches. Even though the ISB is rated with almost as much HP as the ISL, it has substantially less torque. The ISL comes with 1250 pounds of torque. The ISX is around 1500 pounds. Torque is what keeps these big coaches moving.....won't get into a torque versus HP discussion as it will take pages.

Now that you have the information on the Cummins lineup, all the engines will work. The difference...... some will get you to the top of the hill faster. Twenty years ago, most big coaches came with 275 HP diesel engines and they did fine. Over time people demanded more HP and torque, leading us to today's lineup.

When driving a diesel on flat ground at 60 mph, they'll all do the same thing. The smaller engines will get pretty good mileage and so will the ISL size engines. When you get into an ISX, the coach is generally heavier and the mileage drops.

When hill climbing in a 40' coach, you'll see an ISB's speed (as an example) be about 35-40 mph, and ISC 45-50 mph, an ISL 55-60 mph and a ISX doing about anything it wants!

Since hill climbing is only about 5% of an average drive, being a little slower in the hills really won't set you back that far. I live out west and tow a truck. For me personally, I like the ISL for hill climbing, plus it's the first level they offer an engine brake versus exhaust, an important item for me when descending grades (yes some older coaches with smaller engines had engine brakes - talking about modern coaches here).

So........any motor will work, but once you chose an engine size, you're pretty much stuck with it......choose wisely grass hopper.....wow that statement made me feel like WyoFree was channeling through me!

[Dutch Star Don]

"WyoFree"....some day we'll have to meet up and have a cocktail. I'm sure we'll keep each other entertained!

[Sandy Swede]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

"G Man".....Cummins makes several engines. Basically, they start out with the ISB (I believe the ISB is 6.7 liters). Their next engine is the ISC 8.3 liters and can have HP ratings generally around 340-360 HP. The next engine in the line up and one of the most popular and best built, is the ISL 8.9 liter. They had HP ratings from 370 - 450. There use to be a good engine after that called the ISM, usually rated to 500 HP. It has been discontinued. Lastly is the big boy, ISX, it comes it two sizes, 600HP and 650HP.

Okay, that's the lineup. You'll typically find any of those engines in newer coaches 40' and under. In coaches over 40', the ISL or ISX is typically used. A good weight to ratio engine in a 40' is a the ISL. With that said, you'll find some new coaches with the ISB in a 40' or shorter coach and many older large coaches. Even though the ISB is rated with almost as much HP as the ISL, it has substantially less torque. The ISL comes with 1250 pounds of torque. The ISX is around 1500 pounds. Torque is what keeps these big coaches moving.....won't get into a torque versus HP discussion as it will take pages.

Now that you have the information on the Cummins lineup, all the engines will work. The difference...... some will get you to the top of the hill faster. Twenty years ago, most big coaches came with 275 HP diesel engines and they did fine. Over time people demanded more HP and torque, leading us to today's lineup.

When driving a diesel on flat ground at 60 mph, they'll all do the same thing. The smaller engines will get pretty good mileage and so will the ISL size engines. When you get into an ISX, the coach is generally heavier and the mileage drops.

When hill climbing in a 40' coach, you'll see an ISB's speed (as an example) be about 35-40 mph, and ISC 45-50 mph, an ISL 55-60 mph and a ISX doing about anything it wants!

Since hill climbing is only about 5% of an average drive, being a little slower in the hills really won't set you back that far. I live out west and tow a truck. For me personally, I like the ISL for hill climbing, plus it's the first level they offer an engine brake versus exhaust, an important item for me when descending grades (yes some older coaches with smaller engines had engine brakes - talking about modern coaches here).

So........any motor will work, but once you chose an engine size, you're pretty much stuck with it......choose wisely grass hopper.....wow that statement made me feel like WyoFree was channeling through me!

Great post, Don. The above two items I highlighted are the primary reasons I bought our DS, second only to having full maintenance records. The Allison tranny combined with the engine brake is hard to beat.

[SuperGewl]

Originally Posted by WyoFree

Good question G Man,

Inside: Bath and half, bunk model (like the flexibility offered by the two bunks and storage) huge kitchen and 3 door 23cf refrigerator, Stack washer & dryer, 100% porcelain floors (no carpet), 50" TV with fireplace, King bed, hardwood cabinets throughout, two burner true induction cooktop, large shower, dinette and couch on patio side (a big deal to me), electric masserator toilets, multiplex system, large Axxera 10" touch screen.

Exterior: 40" TV & DVD, 10,000 pound hitch, 8000 watt generator on a slide out, full wall slide on Patio side with 18 foot awning mounted on slide, Sikkins paint with 4 coats of clear coat, fiberglass roof, full size chrome bus mirrors, basement slides, two 15,000 BTU heat pumps, 2000 watt inverter with 4 house and 2 coach batteries, all lippert slides and jacks (huge deal)!

I'm sure I missed some things but this is close! Oh and the coach is gorgeous, the paint is incredible with the 4 coats of clear and the interior is WOW! It also has all Williamsburg furniture and oh boy is it comfortable!

You could say I like it a little and no other coach had all of this with the floor plan I wanted!

Nice setup, it took a bit to find the Upgrade info. I actually had to download the brochure to find it.

[NevadaNick]

If buying new there is no more ISC. If looking at 300k range msrp dont leave out Tiffin. Our Phaeton msrp was 305k and it has ISL.

[G Man]

Thanks! Sounds wonderful. Does it have a drop down bunk as an option? We too like that floor plan.
G Man