Thinking About Buying A View/Navion 24D

[midngn]

We currently have a 33' Coachmen Leprechaun Class C on a Ford Chassis. It is very uncomfortable to drive and after short time, I am in pain. It's also loud and noisy and frankly feels very cheap. The rig feels really big and too much for the Ford Chassis and rolls and pitches while driving. I am looking to get a better driver experience and smaller rig. Has anyone gone from the Ford to the Sprinter and was it worth the $$$$? Can you upgrade the mattress and the couch on the 24D? Both feel pretty uncomfortable. Can it really tow 5K? What is towing like and does it have plenty of pull? What is real MPG like? Does the black tank outlet come close to getting hit on curbs? Can the fresh tank be gravity filled? Is the cargo capacity with the fresh and fuel full? How do you keep the main door open? Is the oil filter in a place that I can do my own oil changes? The fridge barely opens with the slide in. Is there no way around that? Any other advice is very helpful. Thank you.

[lenore]

Take a look at a Vita/Porto Winnebago. they have 5k towing and are on Mercedes chassis. We upgraded the bed with a 4 inch memory foam pillow top. The cargo capacity is higher on the Vita and Porto over the Navion / View. They come with solar and all necessities. If you want to explore join ouir Vita Porto Wannebees face book site and learn more, we are a great bunch of folks and can answer any questions you have. now for oil changes the Mercedes is a piece of cake.

[midngn]

I went to the W site and there is no Vita or Porto under Class C. There is a Sneak Peak as if they are forthcoming however.

[Sparky19053]

We have the 2021 24V. new without modification the unit will sway when being passed on the highway. a very correctable problem with with some easy modifications. Sumo Springs front and rear made a big difference. As for towing, my 06 Ford ranger with a drive-line disconnect on the drive shaft is under 4200 lbs. With the tow attached you will feel the tug but its not a problem. We did a coast to coast 8000 mile trip last spring with no issues. Average MPG with the tow was 10-12 mpg. Lot of hills out west. The ride is comfortable and quite. I have hip issues and did some 600 and 900 mile days last year. Of course to get the the extended miles in Red Bull and the seat heater was employed. Last Fall I drove up from Tampa to Phila PA in 26 hours. A few hours for dinner and a nap, With some modifications the MB 3500 handles very nicely.

[lenore]

Originally Posted by midngn

I went to the W site and there is no Vita or Porto under Class C. There is a Sneak Peak as if they are forthcoming however.

They are re introducing the Vita this year, however there are always some for sale. they were launched in 2019 thru 2021. Many of the used ones have less than 15k miles. Winnebago dropped them, but now are bringing them back with improvements of a fiberglass roof, and the newer Mercedes chassis. A couple of people have posted theirs for sale this week on RV trader.

[Eagle5]

Hi midngn,
I would recommend that you also consider what I have, and that is a Minnie Winnie 22M (24'-2" long) with the E-450 chassis. It would be the same gross vehicle weight rating as your 33', but the 22M has a cargo capacity of over two tons, so the overall ride is firmer and more stable.
With the slideout retracted, I still have plenty of room for day-trips, easy access to the galley, a spacious refrigerator, and a roomy ¾ bath. I can tow my 3,000 boat easily, but no need for a toad, as the 24' fits into most places with a little creative parking. Also, the fresh/grey/black tank capacities of 40/45/40 is fantastic. The new models come with the Godzilla motor, and who doesn't like 350 horsepower?
You might rent potential motorhome choices to get a better feel for it, or at least get test-drives.
Eagle5

[bigb]

Be careful about that 5,000 lb. towing capacity, while it does indeed have a 5,000 lb. towing capacity it also has a 15,250 lb. GCVWR which means this is the maximum your entire combined setup can weigh. The motorhome itself has a 11,030 GVWR so if you weigh 11,030 fully loaded for a trip that means your towed vehicle cannot weigh more than 4,220 lbs.

[lenore]

Originally Posted by bigb

Be careful about that 5,000 lb. towing capacity, while it does indeed have a 5,000 lb. towing capacity it also has a 15,250 lb. GCVWR which means this is the maximum your entire combined setup can weigh. The motorhome itself has a 11,030 GVWR so if you weigh 11,030 fully loaded for a trip that means your towed vehicle cannot weigh more than 4,220 lbs.

excellent point, the only downside of the Mercedes sprinter chassis.

[midngn]

I was really thinking that the Mercedes was an upgrade to the Ford. I had to install upgraded sway bars and steering stabilizer to the Ford for sway and wander at a cost of a few grand. I was hoping that when you pay almost $200K that these type of issues would be taken care of.

[midngn]

If we tow a car it weighs 3200lbs or I pull an enclosed trailer with dirt bikes. Towing should not be an issue.

[Airboss68]

We have a 2021 View 24D.
2 important points noted above

It really rocks when turning or going over bumps to the point of being scary. This can be mitigated, as noted, with Sumo springs, a thicker sway bar. and I also added an extra leaf to the rear springs.

GCVWR will, as noted limit you to a less than 5000# toad.
We have the diesel gen as opposed to propane and that adds a few pounds as does additional solar.

This gives us a payload of 1010 pounds. After we load ourselves and our dog we are left with 640 pounds for stuff. we tow a trailer with a cycle as opposed to a toad and this puts 280 pounds on the hitch leaving us only 420# for everything. That ain't much. Towing a toad will put essentially 0# on the hitch so you would be back to 640# for stuff.

As you stated the Murphy bed is uncomfortable. We have tried various toppers, foam etc and have made it more comfortable but not great. The problem here is, everything adds weight to the bed and the mechanism that raises and lowers the bed is not very robust so with our additions we have to manually assist it up and down.

It pulls or 2800# trailer with no problem. Braking with the trailer is excellent.
Coming up the several mile long 6% grade on I-17 from Camp Verde AZ headed South I can maintain 45-50 MPH on a 60-degree day as long as traffic doesn't slow me down. Once slowed re accelerating isn't an option.

On an 80-degree day we had to unload the motorcycle and lighten the trailer as engine temp became a problem.

Pulling the trailer on more normal terrain (flat or rolling) we get 15 mpg which brings up the next limitation. Range is limited as it only has a 24.5 gallon fuel tank.

We had an F53 Ford chassis in the past and driving it, for me was a roundly unpleasant experience.

The Mercedes is quieter, more stable, easier to drive and far more comfortable.

You are going to miss the extra 8 feet in length and really miss the load carrying ability.

For us it is a great weeklong RV but anything more we go back to the DP.

[midngn]

Wow so the motor would overheat at 80 deg? What about going across TX when it's over a 100? I'll be going from a $110K Ford to close to $200K for the MB, do you have buyer's remorse now? What was the cost to do the suspension upgrades? Cannot believe that those are needed, had to do that on the Ford!!! Thanks for the info.

[bigb]

I'd like to hear more about this overheating as well, I'm preparing a Jeep to tow as we speak. We rarely travel in temps under 75F and commonly over 100F and constantly up and down grades here in the West. Was it actually overheating or were you just uncomfortable with the temperature? Were you using the factory temp indicator or after market monitoring? Were you also monitoring engine oil and transmission temps?

[Fedexflyer]

I have a 2020 Vita 24F that I got after trading my 41' DP in 2021 and have towed a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited from NC through Texas, up to Montana and back to NC in the summer heat (twice) with no issues. The Mercedes diesel is a strong and reliable little motor. Not sure what sway you folks are complaining about, in 2008 I had a 32' gas class A on the Ford frame, my wife made me sell it because I was white knuckled whenever I drove it. The Mercedes doesn't come close to that kind of movement in the wind or passing a big rig; it's a pleasure to drive and without all the bells and whistles it's easy to maintain. I've put around 18k miles on it in just under 2 years and would not hesitate to get one again. Glad they're re-introducing it again.

[bigb]

Originally Posted by Fedexflyer

I have a 2020 Vita 24F that I got after trading my 41' DP in 2021 and have towed a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited from NC through Texas, up to Montana and back to NC in the summer heat (twice) with no issues. The Mercedes diesel is a strong and reliable little motor. Not sure what sway you folks are complaining about, in 2008 I had a 32' gas class A on the Ford frame, my wife made me sell it because I was white knuckled whenever I drove it. The Mercedes doesn't come close to that kind of movement in the wind or passing a big rig; it's a pleasure to drive and without all the bells and whistles it's easy to maintain. I've put around 18k miles on it in just under 2 years and would not hesitate to get one again. Glad they're re-introducing it again.

My experience with the suspension has been similar to yours, when I first got my Sprinter chassis RV I was prepared to do all sorts of suspension mods based on what I read. My plan was to just start driving it and change one thing at a time. Well after 2 years and 12,000 miles I haven't really had any issues that would make me want to change the suspension so I haven't done anything. I may change the rear shocks to the Fox 2.5s just because of age, and they are now available again after the Covid backorder fiasco.
Having driven box trucks and 1 ton service vans for years maybe my standards are not as high, I dunno. Rocking back and forth is just something you learn to deal with by going very slow in and out of driveways. I've heard of folks slapping on heavy sway bars and after market bump stops like Sumos to stop the rocking only to worsen other ride aspects because, as you know, every suspension change is a trade off. As far as getting pushed by semis passing, hasn't happened to any extent that makes it scary.

[Airboss68]

Towing on flat or rolling terrain in 100 deg+ weather not a problem, only the really steep grades.
Our old F53 chassis was a 38-foot Georgetown with a V 10. It had trouble going up the grades in hot weather. On the same stretch of I 17 with the F53 we had to pull over more than once in105 deg temps to cool down when not towing but did just fine on other terrain.

Full timing for the last 4 years we would see many Class A gassers (mostly F 53s) uncoupling their toads and driving separately up the steep mountain grades.

The motor in the sprinter didn't overheat and may not have but when the gauge approaches the red mark, I get worried.

No buyers remorse we are happy with the unit. It does what we bought it for, just pointed out some items that may give you pause if it doesn't meet your specific needs. It is not for full time living.

Our suspension upgrades cost about $1K doing the work myself
https://www.winnieowners.com/forums/...4d-365294.html

They aren't essential just provided a greater comfort level. I did all the same upgrades to our F53 but the result was far better on the Mercedes Sprinter Chassis.

You should be able to pick up a 2023 View 24 D for far less than $200K.
https://www.rvtrader.com/2023-Any-Wi...&year=2023%3A*

[Airboss68]

Originally Posted by Fedexflyer

I Not sure what sway you folks are complaining about, in 2008 I had a 32' gas class A on the Ford frame, my wife made me sell it because I was white knuckled whenever I drove it. The Mercedes doesn't come close to that kind of movement in the wind or passing a big rig;

Its not the sway going down the highway it's the sway going over speed bumps, during tight turns going in and out of driveways while turning. The view 24 D is top heavy especially when fully loaded.

The video below sort of shows this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjFAp9HEhpk

[Eagle5]

The rear wheel track on the 22M Minnie Winnie with an E-450 fully fills-in to the outside edge of the wheel wells. On the Mercedes, it does not.
Eagle5

[midngn]

Why I have to log in every single time.... thanks for all the replies. We looked at a Navion 24D earlier today and I had a chance to drive it. It is night and day different than the Ford. It turn, accelerates and stops so much better and just feels "tight." The Ford would have to constantly be counter steered as if the box was loose. I cannot understand why the fresh tank is less than both the grey and black tanks or where the stinky slinky tube is for storage, but otherwise was pretty impressed. Also was not able to find any kind of tow/haul mode, but again walked away impressed with the test drive.

[Eagle5]

Hi again midngn,
I use Seamonkey for this forum (and for many other places too); no problems at all!
Glad you had a great test-drive.
How much do they want for the Navion 24D?
Eagle5