Class A Technology Improvements

Well, as the saying goes: How many folks (fill in your own favourite here) does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Five, one to change the bulb and four to talk about how good the old one was.

I just changed from a 13 year old coach (upper mid-range diesel I suppose) that I bought new, to a new (sort of upper range diesel) that I bought new.

The engine is more efficient and more environmental, but much more complicated and I'm guessing much more of a PITA to keep running right over time. The tranny came with synthetic fluid as standard and that has some benefits both in the operation and life of the tranny...longer change cycles, but much more expensive when you have to do it.

New one has air disc brakes that I assume are better.

New one has air levelling instead of hydraulic. Simpler system with less additional components, less weight and complexity but much less "range of motion" for those uneven sites.

Cook top and fridge are more or less the same except the new fridge is a Norcold that I guess catch fire from time-to-time. Micro/Convection oven different brand but mostly the same as far as I can tell.

New air conditioners are "heat pumps" that do provide significant heat in moderately cool temps but with the same noise penalty that you get with normal air conditioner operation.

Full-body paint...much more common now and MUCH easier to clean and maintain. The old rig was about 2/3 paint and 1/3 gelcoat. The gelcoat part was getting harder and harder to maintain as the years piled up, despite the fact that I had kept it well cleaned and waxed.

MCD Blinds...yay..the death of the day/night shades! Functional when they worked but prone to string failure and a nightmare to keep clean over time.

Armless electric awnings...a mixed blessing. Easier to deploy and store but much less flexibility in changing the angle to provide more or less shade. Less support structure on the side of the rig...good for looks and much easier when cleaning/waxing etc. If everything is working, will put itself away if it gets windy. But, needs electricity to operate and is much more complex and potentially troublesome than the old "tried and true" A&E manual models. More or less useless if you have a curb side LR slide since they are so far above you, they provide no useful shade.

Curbside LR slides....good if you really need the room inside but makes almost all of your bay storage difficult to access and impinges on your patio space.

Side-hinged storage bay doors...good or essential if you have lots of slides, but they're in the way if you want to leave them open for some reason (like a basement TV).

The "flush-look" exterior windows....look good and much easier to clean and clean around...no ledges to collect debris and no exterior trim to maintain.

Better rear-view/side view cameras. Generally good I think but a potential distraction and no substitute for good "mirror discipline". Ya don't need colour...you just need a good picture.

Hard-surface floors in the main living area. Yes....carpet in an RV (except perhaps in the BR) was a really dumb idea.

Electronic dashboards etc.. Nice, but will be difficult to maintain/repair over time. Was difficult to find a part for my (discontinued) main display system on a 2012 rig.

My rig came with an electronic, cosmic, electric macerator toilet. Could be a good idea in theory...but needs electricity, seems to use water like a herd of thirsty camels and (I looked it up) would cost a stunning $1400 or so to replace. Sheesh...the old one performed its rather basic function just fine for 13 years without all the drama. So, on this one it's bling, not progress.

Overall quality of course depends on the builder, but I think, in keeping with the troubled times over the last few years, that some corners may have been cut. IMHO, a lot more lipstick and somewhat less pig.

My observations FWIW.

Hikerdogs wrote:
I find it interesting that almost to a person the responders feel that there haven't been many improvements since their coach was built. Those with the older ones say quality has suffered since their purchase. Those with the newer ones say very little has improved since they made a purchase.

It's hard to believe that all the new motorhome sales are to first time buyers. There must be some out there that believe the quality and value for the dollar are sufficient to warrant trading in the old motorhome for a new one

Some get new motor homes because they feel they have too many miles on the chassis. Some like to be under warranty and some move up to a different floor plan or larger unit and like to buy new.

I find it interesting that almost to a person the responders feel that there haven't been many improvements since their coach was built. Those with the older ones say quality has suffered since their purchase. Those with the newer ones say very little has improved since they made a purchase.

It's hard to believe that all the new motorhome sales are to first time buyers. There must be some out there that believe the quality and value for the dollar are sufficient to warrant trading in the old motorhome for a new one

Well you’d be hard pressed to find a coach with delam issues in the past 8 years. They started using new adhesives and it’s pretty much a thing of the past. From what I have seen is that the major changes are all flash. New TV’s, bigger TV’s and more of them, Satellite, radios, blue tooth, outside TV’s. Bath and a half, lots of slides, electric and electronic parts, hidden cubbies, better use of space Quality has gotten worse though. Materials have gotten cheaper, quality is horrible etc. Rv’s look a lot nicer now and have flashy bits but it’s all lipstick on a pig. People still keep buying them so they’ll keep making them that way. What should change ?: better R values (windows, insulation), waterproof sub floors, better material and above all, quality control..There is no reason that it’s common to have a punch list a yard long on EVERY single coach coming off the line. How much money is spent by manufacturers to fix things after the fact than if they just built them right in the first place? Like a bad girlfriend though, I still love em..Rv’s that is.

Is there any improvements on the fiberglass shells? Thermoplastic instead of polyester? Better adhesives to prevent delamination?

In my opinion, Comfort Drive (Newmar name for steering assistance and now adjustable) heads the list. Residential refers are a big hit with some. Right behind Comfort Drive would be Flat screen tv's.

Gjac,

Flat screens were just new 8 years ago. Now common.
All electric coaches that were rare 8 years ago now common. (our coach is a very high end one and has all electric, which we like, but expensive to maintain.)
Tire pressure monitoring systems not common 8 years ago common now.
Internet radio
Good GPS systems
Computer screens to monitor running gear functions common now. (we have it and would not be without it.)
Auto generator on is common now.
Unfortunately new diesel motors now have urea tanks to fill besides diesel fuel. Don't know what that has done to motor reliability. Or mileage. We were next to a trucker the other day filling up his urea tank, ugh, what a smell.

Several other posters have mentioned interiors that have gone downhill in the last 8 years. That would be my impression too. We were in a 450,000 new coach not long ago and the walls seemed paper thin. The interior walls on our coach when knocked sound like the ones in our home. Solid.

Full wall slides common now. That is a good addition.
Most coaches have floors and not carpet these days. I am not sold on that throughout the whole coach.

rgatijnet1 wrote:
A lot of improvements have been made to ALL of the electronics in the coaches. There have also been several advances in the diesel and gasoline engine electronics and mechanicals to run cleaner. Storage compartment access improvements as well as improvements in roofing materials are also welcome. As to whether these are important upgrades to a new buyer is debatable.

Ron, What were the improvements to gas eng's to make them run cleaner since 2006?

Use of Sprinter bare chassis to produce a more economical small A than you can build on the smallest gas-engine alternatives. But that is really just a fallback to 20 years ago, when small, economical front engine diesels were more common, using the 120-160 HP diesel engines of their day.

Look forward soon, to small A's on FWD chassis, built lighter, narrower, low to the ground. If any manufacturer here is willing to test the market.

A lot of improvements have been made to ALL of the electronics in the coaches. There have also been several advances in the diesel and gasoline engine electronics and mechanicals to run cleaner. Storage compartment access improvements as well as improvements in roofing materials are also welcome. As to whether these are important upgrades to a new buyer is debatable.