Opinions-reviews on a 2015-2016 Brave

[GrubMaster]

Looking for opinions-reviews on a 2015-2016 Brave. We love the look and floor plan. We will probably use it 4-6 weeks at a time for a 4-6 years.
Hoping for some input on durability, handling, ride and what upgrades owners recommend. We are 71 (where did the time go) and this will be our first MH. Hoping to find something we can use and be proud of for several years.
Thanks

 

[Eagle5]

Welcome GrubMaster,
Here are the brochures for 2015 & 2016.
The big improvement from 2015 to 2016 was the upgrade of the automatic transmission.

1. The 2015 has a 5-speed automatic, which is one-gear short of a Happy Meal. It will shift from its 5th Overdrive Gear to the 4th Direct Drive Gear to its 3rd Underdrive Gear in what seems to be a little too sudden. It will leave your V-10 screaming when going up a steep grade.
2. The 2016 has a 6-speed automatic. It has even spacing between the gears. Both 6th and 5th gears are Overdrives, and 4th gear is a mild Underdrive. It does not have a gear for Direct Drive. These changes are done in order to maintain even gear spacing. There is much less screaming from the V-10 when you climb up a steep grade. It will have P-N-O-4-2-1 on the gear selector.

Welcome to the forum.
Eagle5

 

[Morich]

I will leave the engine/trany thoughts to others a sit has never been so bad that we ever felt change was needed!
But that is often due to what we have each driven over the years and how fussy we are about ride and drive.
My experience has been farm trucks first as I learned to drive and then line trucks, often with poles on trailers behind. My standards for what drives okay are far broader than folks who find an RV the hardest thing they've had!
If you learned to drive a pickup with a 1000 pound steer in the back, RV are a piece of cake!
But if you want go tet down to looking at the details of an RV that don't show, this is a site that I find great as it is interactive and we can look at all the parts and where they put them without a lot of trouble. It also gives a parts list to get lots of detail on tank size and locations.
https://catalog3d.winnebagoind.com/menu/Parts.htm

Note that it is filed by year, model and then may also need to know if it is early or late year builds as small details are often changed mid-year. Serial number with 7th digits of 1 is early or 2 if later build. Not the vin, though! Serial numbers should show on label near drivers left side!

 

[Eagle5]

Hi Richard,
You make some wonderful points there. Also, as creativepart mentioned to me in a private message, 2016s can be produced on the 5-speed 2015 F53 Frame.
When I would rent E-450s with the 5-speed transmission, I just took it off cruise control when going-up a steep hill, and let it slow down a little. It worked-out just fine, and we always were having fun.
With either transmission, I love the styling of the Brave, and I wish Winnebago made more of them. They were (and are) a modern classic. A guy would not go wrong with either year of them.
Thanks, Eagle5