Anyone considering the 2014 Minnie Winnie 25B on Chevy 3500?

carringb wrote:
Keep in mind the floor plan will affect cockpit room regardless of chassis.

Not so,the cockpit dimensions of the Ford and Chevy Cutaway are different,regardless of which floor plan is used.

As shown here.

The area from the Dog House to the kick panel,the floor board where your feet are.

The Chevy is 18 inches wide and mostly flat.

The Ford is 15 inches wide but has a 2 inch rise that is 5 inches wide leaving only 10 inches of flat floor.

With the seat pushed back as far as it goes,with the seat backs vertical, on both the Ford And Chevy. Both having Stock Factory seats

Foot well depth to front of seat. Chevy 31 inches Ford 27 inches

Seat back to steering wheel. Chevy 26 inches Ford 23 inches

Front of seat to Dash. Chevy 29 inches Ford 23 inches

Dog House width,measured at dash Chevy 15 inches Ford 23 inches

Dog House depth into cab from dash Chevy 8 inches Ford 11 inches

At 6'6'' I need as much leg room and headroom as possable. The Chevy Chassis provides that.

Keep in mind the floor plan will affect cockpit room regardless of chassis.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply.

We were hoping to buy a Chevy because my husband is 6' 4" and he has loved the extra leg room we have found in the 4500 Chevys we have toured while looking for a new RV.

However, he did not sit in the driver's seat of this Minnie Winnie because I assumed since it was a Chevy that it would have the same leg room. But, now I am wondering, after looking at the specifications on gowinnebago.com, if it does have the same leg room as the 4500 Chevys. According to the specifications chart the Chevy is only one inch longer than the Ford E350 model.

We have never had a toad before but we were planning to buy either a CRV or Equinox for that purpose. That is one of the reasons I was concerned about the 3500lb limit because both of those could not be considered.

Since this Minnie Winnie is 5 hours away we can't check out the leg room or the weight stickers but we will be sure to do that on the next one we see.

Thanks again for all of the comments and suggestions. :)

Winnebago lists these GVWR (chassis carrying capacity)for the 25B:
Chev 3500: 12,300
Ford E350: 11,500
Ford E450: N/A; only available on 27Q and larger models.

25B: 26'6" wheelbase 183" Towing 15,800-12,300= 3500 lbs.
27Q?QP: 27'11" wheelbase 220" Towing 22,000-14,500= >=5000 lbs.

My (E-450) 26.5' RV is ~11,000 empty. Add 350# water and 350# for two passengers, leaves you with ~600 lbs max for cargo. If you can live with that, the softer ride of the 3500 might be fine. Check the real OCCC or CCC sticker inside the cabinet door though, 25B might be lighter (3500 chassis) or heavier (fiberglass exterior) than my example. Chevy likely rides better and has more passenger legroom than Ford. Tow limit is 3,500.

The 27Q's built on the E-450 will give you more cargo capacity, more towing capacity, and a longer (more stable) wheelbase.

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Winnebago does not usually build on chassis that have GVWR way over the vehicle weight, so if you find that one on a Ford, it will likely be on the E-350 rather than the E-450. GVWR will usually be within 2000-3000 pounds of empty weight to handle empty vehicle plus expected load.

I don't know the current E-series specs, to know exactly what the GCWR for 2013 model year E-350 will be, but it will be lower than that rating for the E-450. Last model year for which I have a brochure (2011), E-450 GCWR was 22,000, E-350 was 18,500 with V-10, or 10,050 to 13,000 with V-8, depending on axle.

Building the smaller lighter C's on a "one-ton" Class 3 chassis rather than a Class 4, a manufacturer can offer a C that has a better ride (springs loaded to "normal" load) and geared for better gas mileage. To this end, rental companies have been buying their smaller motorhomes on Express 3500 or E-350 with V-8 rather than V-10. Of course, they don't allow their customers to tow, so they don't need excess towing capacity.

On a C that small, I would rather have the Chevy, with the 6.0 V-8. I would prefer the better gas mileage and cab ergonomics. But if I were buying new, that small, I think I would be looking for something on Sprinter, it's even better than the Chevy and will tow slightly more. But Sprinter C's are not likely a choice for you, if you are looking at entry level for the lower price.

Are you planning to tow something like 10,000 pounds, which is E-450 maximum tow rating? Or load 5000 pounds of cargo into a 9000 pound motorhome? I think there are a few smaller manufacturers who will custom build a small C on the E-450 chassis, or use a "one size fits all" approach to managing their chassis inventory.

Since you can get into that particular coach, check the weight sticker in the closet. See if the weight of coach, tanks, and people are where you want them to be, relative to the GVWR on the Express 3500. If you would like to have more carrying capacity, seek out a manufacturer who builds a similar floorplan on a heavier chassis.

Here is a lively discussion about Chevy Based Class C's.

It may answer some of your questions. It is long but if you can get through it there is some very good facts on the Chevy Based Class C.

Chevy Based Class C

You should also be able to find it on the Ford E-350 or E-450 which I think should give you 5000# towing. I agree about the back window, we have a 2006 Chalet 24VR, looks like they made the bathroom bigger, but to do that went from a queen to standard bed. Our 24VR has Ford V10 with the E-350 Super Duty chassis. We had another one about the same size on the E-450 chassis and I like the smother ride of the E-350. Regards, Dick

Just looked at Winnebago site and the 2013 Access and the Itasca Impluse are available still in 24V with the back window. You may need to do a dealer search to find these in stock new or used.