Winnebago Ekko Q&A

AJMike · 12-18-2020, 02:12 PM

Lichtsinn had an (almost) hour long Q&A about the new Winnebago Ekko and I was surprised at how much interesting information was presented. I have not dealt with Lichtsinn but if this video is any indication their service people know what they are doing.

Lots of interesting questions and lots of interesting answers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiaPMT97K2w

DavidM · 12-18-2020, 03:48 PM

Yes, that was a most interesting video and the tech guy answering the questions was superb. I do have a couple of concerns:

22A Vs 24C. The longer 24C wins hands down. Who wants to deal with the cassette toilet on the 22A. Also the 24C with its slide out provides much more living room.

OCCC- This is my biggest concern. Both models have a GVWR of 11,000 lbs. The speaker said that the OCC on the 22A would be about 1,000 lbs with options. Two feet longer and a slide, the 24C has to be much less. Don't try carrying the full 50 gallons of water with the 24C and not much extra gear either.

3.5 liter Ecoboost- I believe that the Ecoboost works great for a pickup truck that is only running maybe 6,000 lbs loaded and doesn't have the frontal area of the EKKO. But this motorhome is almost double the weight and has more frontal area. Does it have enough cubes for decent life? And a motor home will run at highway speeds most of its life.

An EKKO will be lucky to average 12 mpg and at 65 mph that translates to about 65 hp continuously. That may be pushing it for a 3.5 liter gasoline engine. We will have to see how these modern high output turbocharged engines hold up in that kind of service.

But all in all the EKKO is an attractive Class C that can get off of paved roads and run some single track dirt roads to interesting boondock sites.

David

**creativepart** · 12-18-2020, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidM

3.5 liter Ecoboost- I believe that the Ecoboost works great for a pickup truck that is only running maybe 6,000 lbs loaded and doesn't have the frontal area of the EKKO.

David, I towed a 25' 6000 lb Arctic Fox travel trailer with my 2015 Expedition EL (long wheelbase) with the 3.5 EcoBoost. It was a great tow vehicle and had tons of power. Even in the mountains out west.

Previously, I had the V8 version of the SUV and it wasn't nearly as powerful or torquey as the Ecoboost.

MPG was in the 11 to 12 mpg range but it was a joy to drive and tow with.

**creativepart** · 12-18-2020, 04:24 PM

I'm anticipating the EKKO will be a fairly big if not humongous hit and those that wait to see the RV at a dealer will both be waiting a long time and find themselves at the back of a long wait list. I suspect it will be 2 to 3 years before any of these are available just sitting at a dealer lot. Kind of like the Revel was initially - though I think this will be even bigger.

I expect to hear that the entire model line is sold out for all of 2021 production before April or May, if not sooner.

DavidM · 12-18-2020, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creativepart

David, I towed a 25' 6000 lb Arctic Fox travel trailer with my 2015 Expedition EL (long wheelbase) with the 3.5 EcoBoost. It was a great tow vehicle and had tons of power. Even in the mountains out west.

Previously, I had the V8 version of the SUV and it wasn't nearly as powerful or torquey as the Ecoboost.

MPG was in the 11 to 12 mpg range but it was a joy to drive and tow with.

Oh, I have no doubt that the Ecoboost has plenty of power and torque to drive that RV. Turbochargers can do wonders. I am just concerned about the long term longevity effects of all of that load on a 3.5 liter engine. The Mercedes Sprinter has the same displacement with less hp but maybe about the same torque is a diesel, and diesels have inherent longevity benefits over gasoline engines. The next step up in the gasoline realm is the new 7.3 liter V8 Ford gasser at twice the displacement.

But the average RV probably goes less than 5,000 miles each year so it will be a long time until we find out how it holds up. By then the coach may be falling apart (although I doubt that will happen for the Winnie EKKO).

AJMike · 12-18-2020, 05:25 PM

I was pretty impressed by both the questions asked and the ability of the tech guy to respond and, by extension, with Lichtsinn itself. A couple of things surprised me.

One, that Ford has dropped the diesel in the Transit. I have no idea why they did that unless there have been some serious issues in servicing it or if warranty costs have been too high.

Two, what is the appeal of a "pop top" in an RV? I can understand it for a Class B on a van chassis, but the Ekko is wide and high enough to not need it.

Three, I was impressed with the specs on the Truma heater as it apparently uses next to no propane for heat. With an RV like the Ekko I would be tempted to actually dry camp in cold weather.

There are some very nice features - the serious wall, floor and ceiling insulation, the insulated barrier between the cab and the house, the serious screen door, the upgraded Lithium batteries and all of that solar on the roof. I have to admit that the video did its job - it made me want to go to see one. We are quite happy with our Fuse, and the cost of the Ekko, at $170,000 list price, just seems too high, but I still wanted to go to see one. Fortunately there are none to be seen and probably will not be for another 6 months or more. Saved by the late delivery dates ...

Lostwolfak · 12-27-2020, 04:56 PM

Sorry for being a somewhat outside voice here, but is anyone considering the appearance of the Ekko and the only competitor, from Advanced RV? I get the features that make the box portion of these units appealing, but the outside image is not appealing at all. The Transit front end appears as a freakish imoji gone wrong, and the overhead air dam/wind break appears to be such an after thought that it does not fit the style, on either chassis. I like cube vans and the opportunities they present, but these designs create such a gone-wrong or poorly-done DYI image that is impossible to consider the MSRP either is asking. What are your thoughts on this?

AJMike · 12-27-2020, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lostwolfak

Sorry for being a somewhat outside voice here, but is anyone considering the appearance of the Ekko and the only competitor, from Advanced RV? I get the features that make the box portion of these units appealing, but the outside image is not appealing at all. The Transit front end appears as a freakish imoji gone wrong, and the overhead air dam/wind break appears to be such an after thought that it does not fit the style, on either chassis. I like cube vans and the opportunities they present, but these designs create such a gone-wrong or poorly-done DYI image that is impossible to consider the MSRP either is asking. What are your thoughts on this?

Personally I really do not care what the outside of my RV looks like, provided it is aerodynamic enough to get decent fuel economy and has the features I want. I suppose it will have some effect on the resale value, but the style does not make me more of less interested in buying it.

There are some considerations I do think are important - how high is the RV, how wide is it, is it stable when turning and other safety features that hav to do with the outside of the RV but I don’t much care about the beauty of the vehicle itself.

But perhaps that is just me.

DavidM · 12-27-2020, 06:01 PM

Oh, I think looks are important.

When I was considering Class Cs several months ago, the ones with the overheard cap integrated with the front windshield like the Tiffin Wayfarer does was important to me. And that is why I ended up with a flowing front end in the Thor Axis and why I considered a Winnebago Via this summer before settling on the Axis.

Having said that I do think that the Ekko has a rugged integrated cab/cap look to it.

Yes those looks were also aerodynamic. Form follows function, right?

David

**creativepart** · 12-27-2020, 07:04 PM

I agree it's pretty plain. I don't compare it to the 3X more expensive B-Box. I'm not sure why they didn't try to make it look better. I guess they want it to look rugged and purposeful.

But I really like the spec. If they made it attractive too that wouldn't be a bad thing.

LuvWildlife · 12-27-2020, 11:20 PM

Rugged is good. Appealing to the younger crowd. If it wasn’t rugged it would look just like their previous Fuse.

I will continue to be so glad we have the Fuse, the 16-17 mpg. Which climbs mountains better than my previous Mercedes and checked off more boxes than any B or C that we looked at. Don’t mind the extra $40,000 in the banK either.

GatorFL2021 · 02-03-2021, 06:55 PM

I like the Ekko but for our purpose the Boldt is a better fit so I ordered one last December. I have driven the Mercedes Sprinter and it is a better ride to me then the Ford. And the diesel torque is amazing.

AJMike · 02-04-2021, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatorFL2021

I like the Ekko but for our purpose the Boldt is a better fit so I ordered one last December. I have driven the Mercedes Sprinter and it is a better ride to me then the Ford. And the diesel torque is amazing.

For us the problem with the van type Class Bs was that there was no external storage, so no place for us to put all of the stuff we take - water hose container, black tank flush hose container, electric extension cord container, dump hose container, wood for burning when camping (when permitted and in fire rings), leveling blocks and other stuff.

Our previous RV was a straight Class B, but a wide body so it had some external storage. The new ones don't.

GatorFL2021 · 02-04-2021, 06:37 AM

True. On our last B we used a cargo platform that attached to the tow hitch and then attached a “cargo box” to it. Instant trunk!

AJMike · 02-04-2021, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatorFL2021

True. On our last B we used a cargo platform that attached to the tow hitch and then attached a “cargo box” to it. Instant trunk!

When we were looking for a new RV we almost bought the Winnebago ERA and one of the things I suggested to DW was that we do exactly that - add a cargo box to the hitch. Her response was that (a) it would increase the length of the RV and she thought the idea was to get a short RV, (b) it would make opening the back doors more difficult and (c) it would be too tempting for others to try to steal the stuff. All in all I could not disagree.

I also thought about putting the stuff on the roof in some rooftop container, but then I would have had to climb the RV to get anything out.

So we ended up buying a C on the Ford Transit chassis.

GatorFL2021 · 02-04-2021, 08:31 AM

she was absolutely correct on all accounts. Knock wood we never had a theft. I think maybe the length of a C is more than a B with a cargo box hitch.

Elkman · 02-24-2021, 04:06 PM

That V-6 is what is powering the new cab chassis motorhomes built on the Ford E-450 and most have a GVWR that is at least 3500 lbs more than that of the Sprinter 3500 based RVs. This is a redesigned engine engineered for use with heavy vehicles.

A cassette toilet on a 22' long RV makes no sense. There is plenty of room for a standard toilet although one may have a wet bath and not a separate shower.

A problem with the EKKO as with the Leisure Travel motorhomes with the twin bed configuration is that there is a step up and this reduces the head room considerably. Lots of cargo space under the bed area with the LTV Unity for large items, even two road bikes, but this comes at a cost in terms of interior space.

**creativepart** · 02-24-2021, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elkman

That V-6 is what is powering the new cab chassis motorhomes built on the Ford E-450.

I believe the E-350 and E-450 chassis uses the new 7.3l V8 in the F53. And that's what the Ford website says as well.

The Ekko uses the Ford® AWD Transit Chassis 3.5L EcoBoost® V6 gas engine, 10-speed automatic Selectshift® transmission with overdrive - the same engine and transmission in the F-150 pickup truck.

**creativepart** · 03-22-2021, 02:20 PM

Steph and James of the Fit RV YouTube channel just released their camping video in the Pre-Production Ekko.

Their Ekko will be one of the first off the line and it will replace their Travato.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxXY8FGG-bo

Elkman · 03-22-2021, 04:19 PM

The folks who made the video and compared it to a Lance slide-in camper were way off the mark in terms of storage and living space. With our own Lance mounted on an extended cab truck we have the entire back of the truck cab for storage and we had the queen size sleeping area over the cab inside the camper. During the day we could grab gear from the cab and the entire kitchen and dinette area was available for meals and for my wife and I to work on our laptops.

We now have the Navion 24D and it has a great dinette area as well and a full size Murphey bed and the space over the cab for storing gear out of the way and yet instantly available, as with our camera and astrophotography equipment. We have as much living space with the 24D as we did with the Lance camper and gained a dry bath and more food storage space and more counter space.

Cooking with the Ekko galley would be a pain with how it is set up. Not even close to the amount of drawers and cupboards as we have with the 24D.

What is better with the Ekko is its coming with 455W of solar panels and lithium phosphate batteries and especially like the two burner LP cooktop instead of the single LP burner with the 24D. If the fridge is a 3-way it will definitely be far better for boondocking than the Navion.

Winnebago also provides the option of either a gas Onan generator or an additional 320Ah lithium ion battery. Unfortunately it is the gasoline powered Onan and not the LP version and so it is going to compete with the Ford engine for the fuel from the single 31 gallon gas tank. If running the generator and getting 12 mpg as reported, the range with after filling up the tank is going to be roughly 270 miles for boondocking purposes.

I am surprised that Winnebago went with such a small gas tank on the Ekko. Other RV manufacturers provide up to 55 gallon fuel tanks with the models using the Ford E-450 cab chassis as with the Thor Four Winds 22E. The Four Winds 22E will tow more and has a higher OCC than the EKKO and sells for half as much.

The EKKO is much like the Compass AWD RV and after looking at it closely I chose to get the Navion 24D, despite its much higher price tag.