Thor Palazzo - anyone drive/ride in one yet?

[Redridge]

Anyone have any real world experience with a toad on the Palazzo? I want to get a 4 door Jeep Wrangler so that we can explore the country offroad. At slightly over 4000lbs... does the engine struggle up in the higher elevation? Thanks for any feedback on this matter... TIA!

[gmadams]

Originally Posted by Redridge

Anyone have any real world experience with a toad on the Palazzo? I want to get a 4 door Jeep Wrangler so that we can explore the country offroad. At slightly over 4000lbs... does the engine struggle up in the higher elevation? Thanks for any feedback on this matter... TIA!

We have a Jeep Liberty which is about 3800 lbs that we have towed from NC to Nova Scotia and back through Vermont. Going up some of the mountains we did slow down from the posted speed limit but it was generally to no less than 45 mph. I learned to manually downshift to maintain a higher rpm and that helped to keep the speed up a bit. Overall I am satisfied with the performance and really like the fuel mileage that I get with the engine.

[Freedom65]

We have towed a Honda CRV from British Columnbia to California and around California and Arizona for a month now and find it is fine. Similar to gmadams, we slow down a little bit on big hills but not like the trucks you see flashing their four way flashers. I think the Honda CRV is about 3700 lbs

[billyo]

Originally Posted by gmadams

We have a Jeep Liberty which is about 3800 lbs that we have towed from NC to Nova Scotia and back through Vermont. Going up some of the mountains we did slow down from the posted speed limit but it was generally to no less than 45 mph. I learned to manually downshift to maintain a higher rpm and that helped to keep the speed up a bit. Overall I am satisfied with the performance and really like the fuel mileage that I get with the engine.

I have a Palazzo 33.2 and tow a Ford Escape (3300 lbs). We live in the high mountains in NM and travel in southern CO. I drive a little under 65 mph because of limits on my Escape and avg. about 10.5 mpg. I'm really impressed with "flat-land" driving and the acceleration. Climbing CO mountain passes limits me to 35-40 mph -- I try not to over-speed the engine. The exhaust braking system is very impressive with the long down-hill grades that we encounter. For the most part, the curves in the road would keep be at 35 mph anyway.

[SteelerFan22]

We have a 33.1 and a 2012 Jeep Unlimited at about 4,600 pounds.

Have towed it on the flat lands and had no issues.

I like the fuel mileage of 10.5 - 12 that we get overall.

Bill

[Mack1roc]

another question before we make the 200 mile drive to the closest 36.1 does anyone know if the any of the models bedroom doors lock. in the pictures it shows a double pocket door but i cant see on the opposite wall a latch receptacle or anything. thanks again in advance

[gmadams]

Originally Posted by Mack1roc

another question before we make the 200 mile drive to the closest 36.1 does anyone know if the any of the models bedroom doors lock. in the pictures it shows a double pocket door but i cant see on the opposite wall a latch receptacle or anything. thanks again in advance

No lock that I am aware of. Just a smiple latch on the doors. I'm not sure that I have ever seen a lock on inside doors on a RV. But then I wasn't looking for one either.

[Butte64]

Originally Posted by Mack1roc

another question before we make the 200 mile drive to the closest 36.1 does anyone know if the any of the models bedroom doors lock. in the pictures it shows a double pocket door but i cant see on the opposite wall a latch receptacle or anything. thanks again in advance

On mine it is not a true pocket door, just a sliding door with no lock or latch. So if you want to keep the kids out while engaged in adult activities you could put a stick in place to brace the door like putting a broomstick in the track of a sliding glass patio door at home.

In the 33.1 the bathroom door has a magnetic catch to hold it in the fully open position which closes off the back end. Very convenient.

[HappyGuy]

I've been following this thread for a while and it appears that folks have overall been pleased. The one thing I'm curious about as well is cabin comfort while on the road.

Did you have to come up with fixes to keep things in place while driving or did Thor do a good job of providing secure mounting points? I've test drove multiple RVs to get a feel for this but I haven't driven a Palazzo because, well they don't stick around on the lot long enough to try. I drove a Hurricane which supposedly has the same components and wasn't impressed. Lots of rattles and bangs an a closet door that kept opening around turns (ignoring the engine noise). My current Thor had the same issues but I seen other RVs with much fewer issues especially diesel C's and A's. I'm hoping that Thor took a page from the competition and upped the QC on the Palazzo as well.

Also, how easy is it to carry on a conversation while driving? My current Thor requires a raised voice to talk (that's being nice). The benchmark RV for quietness so far has been a Class C 31JP Winnie. I could use my inside voice and talk to the DW when she was in the dinette at the back of the main living space. IMO the things that weren't on the sales sheet that gave the JP an edge over other test drives were that it had air suspension, an interior that was fully encapsulated with sound deadening / insulation, doors with gas struts that were painfully difficult for the DW to open, dual pane windows, some seriously beefy mounting hardware for the cabinets and dinette (1/16x4 inch plates with matching bolts instead of smallish tabs with wood screws in them) and positive locking storage.

Yes I like to take things apart as much as I can w/o tools to see what I can see. I've learned that not doing that can cost you

Does the Palazzo have any of these things? The 33.3 seems to be the best family fit on paper but I've been trying for months to see one and either the local dealers can't get one in or it sells immediately.

[TheArnolds]

Originally Posted by HappyGuy

I've been following this thread for a while and it appears that folks have overall been pleased. The one thing I'm curious about as well is cabin comfort while on the road.

Did you have to come up with fixes to keep things in place while driving or did Thor do a good job of providing secure mounting points? I've test drove multiple RVs to get a feel for this but I haven't driven a Palazzo because, well they don't stick around on the lot long enough to try. I drove a Hurricane which supposedly has the same components and wasn't impressed. Lots of rattles and bangs an a closet door that kept opening around turns (ignoring the engine noise). My current Thor had the same issues but I seen other RVs with much fewer issues especially diesel C's and A's. I'm hoping that Thor took a page from the competition and upped the QC on the Palazzo as well.


Also, how easy is it to carry on a conversation while driving? My current Thor requires a raised voice to talk (that's being nice). The benchmark RV for quietness so far has been a Class C 31JP Winnie. I could use my inside voice and talk to the DW when she was in the dinette at the back of the main living space. IMO the things that weren't on the sales sheet that gave the JP an edge over other test drives were that it had air suspension, an interior that was fully encapsulated with sound deadening / insulation, doors with gas struts that were painfully difficult for the DW to open, dual pane windows, some seriously beefy mounting hardware for the cabinets and dinette (1/16x4 inch plates with matching bolts instead of smallish tabs with wood screws in them) and positive locking storage.

Yes I like to take things apart as much as I can w/o tools to see what I can see. I've learned that not doing that can cost you

Does the Palazzo have any of these things? The 33.3 seems to be the best family fit on paper but I've been trying for months to see one and either the local dealers can't get one in or it sells immediately.

First off I went from a Front End Diesel to a DP so that alone was a nice reduction in the noise level.

Secondly we did do some noise proofing like taking the metal trays out of the convection microwave and placing rubber mats on the shelves and in-between dishes, etc. Normal stuff you would do in any RV. All of our doors/drawers secure tightly so they do not open while driving. There has been a ton of discussion about the method that Thor used to secure the frig door (long screw between freezer and frig doors) we do not find this to be a big issue but others do and have developed alternate locking devices (review and make up your own mind).

My DW and I talk a lot and we find that we can use our normal voice level while driving down the road. When we have some of the Grandkids and they sit in the back with Nana playing games, etc. I can get their attention without yelling.

I do have one panel that I need to come up with a better method to secure and it is a panel in the bedroom (heater return air vent). Thor used 4 snap in latched, on the corners that will not hold the panel in place, hit a bump and it falls off (stupid design). I plan on installing a piano hinge on one side and a hidden snap in latch on the other once it gets a little warmer.

I hope you find these comment useful?

Jack

[Butte64]

The Palazzo is not as quiet as my Lexus or Honda, but is tremendously less noisy than a gas model we test drove. Normal conversation is not a problem. We had some rattles that we fixed easily and once we identified the screen door as a source got that one also.
As might be expected the type and quality of road is the most significant factor. The more bumps, the more noises. The most objectionable noise I have now is road noise from the tires. Older concrete is very noisy and going from that to smooth asphalt is like going into a quiet room.

I don't have any experience with $500K+ DPs so cannot compare. I am satisfied with what I got for what I paid.

[OC Bill]

We owned a 2012 Hurricane for 6 months and the difference between that and the Palazzo is night and day.

In the Hurricane going up a hill you couldn't hear yourself think let alone talk to someone in the coach, going up the same hills with the Palazzo is a non event, but that is the characteristic of a DP.

The ride and handling are much improved over the Hurricane. Air suspension and brakes get the credit here.

The quality, rattles and such are much better in the Palazzo.

Bill

[RVRandy]

Originally Posted by Butte64

The Palazzo is not as quiet as my Lexus or Honda, but is tremendously less noisy than a gas model we test drove. Normal conversation is not a problem. We had some rattles that we fixed easily and once we identified the screen door as a source got that one also.
As might be expected the type and quality of road is the most significant factor. The more bumps, the more noises. The most objectionable noise I have now is road noise from the tires. Older concrete is very noisy and going from that to smooth asphalt is like going into a quiet room.

I don't have any experience with $500K+ DPs so cannot compare. I am satisfied with what I got for what I paid.

X2. The biggest noise issue I had with our 33.2 was a wind whistle around the base of the windshield, a creak in the large slide out right behind the drivers seat and a squeek in the screen door. I adjusted the screen door, put weather strip around the generator access panel to fix the whistle and got a second slide lock that cured the slide out creak. I put one at the top and one at the bottom, seems to do the trick.

I had a front engine MH before and it was horribly noisy and you got a lot of heat from the engine compartment. The DP is really quiet and easy to have conversations at normal levels.

The wife even claims its relatively quiet laying on the bed (right over the top of the diesel engine) as the coach goes down the road.

Another point with the DP is that the generator is up front and the bedroom is in the rear. If you ever have to sleep with the genny running it is much quieter than if the genny is mounted amidships like most front engine MH's.

[HappyGuy]

These are exactly the experiences I was looking for. Many thanks folks!