Itasca Navion IQ 24G review: Class C vs. small trailer

We currently own an 18' Eclipse Milan 18CKG TT, which has served us well, but we are interested in trying all the different types of RV's that are out there for an eventual upgrade.

Last weekend we rented a 2009 Itasca Navion IQ 24G, which is a diesel sprinter chassis with a rear slideout and queen bed. We headed down to Pismo Beach, which we do every November. We specifically wanted to try something that gets good fuel mileage because that's one of our requirements for the next RV. Right now we get 14.5 average towing our trailer with our VW Touareg TDI and we were hoping for about the same with the Itasca. We were not disappointed. On the way down (downwind), we averaged almost 17MPG (hand calculated)! The way back into the wind was not quite as good at 14.5, but the average being 15.75 was excellent and above our expectations.

Of course the tradeoff for good fuel mileage is less power. Going up the grade out of SLO was quite a bit slower than we are used to in the Touareg, which has way more HP and torque. Still the power was acceptable and never caused a problem.

The thing we were not prepared for in the Class C was the noise. Everything rattles, shakes, and generally makes a racket. I didn't feel like even listening to the radio because of it. We have 2 dogs and they were quite agitated when we were on poor pavement.

On the good side, I wouldn't hesitate to pull into just about any parking lot with the Navion. At only 25'6", it is over 12' shorter than our TV + TT combination. The sense of freedom this gave us on the road was awesome.

Some of the accommodations were a bit lacking compared to the TT. The queen bed is great, but underway it's mostly useless with the slide in because the mattress folds over asymmetrically. The dinette in this version only seats 2 people -- both on the same side which is inconvenient. The kitchen is too small and those glass covers over the sink and stove would be the first thing I would get rid of if I owned one. We missed our double sink. The tanks are smaller than we are used to. There are lots of cabinets, but no place to put larger items. The reduced floor space was definitely a problem with 2 dogs. It's only 6" narrower than our TT, but that 6" makes a big difference! I'm not a fan of onboard generators because of the noise and vibration. All that glass and the big skylight results in poor insulation, so it got hot and cold much faster than we are used to. Leveling is more difficult because there is no pitch control as there is with a TT front jack.

So the bottom line for us is that the Itasca was an awesome vehicle to drive around, being much less stressful on the road, but I don't think we can go smaller on the accommodation side. That means that truck campers are probably out also.

This was a great experiment and we had a lot of fun. I can definitely see the advantages of having a small class C. It was a bit expensive, but well worth the expense to find out what we like and don't like. I always recommend renting before buying. The place we rented from in San Jose also rents 5th wheels (with truck) out, so that is probably the next thing we will try.

Class C

sky_free
Explorer
Nov 18, 2013
RobertRyan wrote:
Sky-Free wrote:
This was a great experiment and we had a lot of fun. I can definitely see the advantages of having a small class C. It was a bit expensive, but well worth the expense to find out what we like and don't like. I always recommend renting before buying.

That is the only way to go, bit difficult with a towable though.

Usually, yes. We are lucky that the place we rent from has a lot of variety. We rented the exact model TT from them that we eventually bought new. The fact that they had the Navion for rent was a surprise and we couldn't resist trying it out because we had seriously looked at them a couple years back. They also rent 5th wheels with the tow vehicle, which is what we will be trying next. I have never seen another place that rents out 5th wheels.
richardwise
Explorer
Nov 17, 2013
We have used a travel trailer and got an older class c this summer. We took more trips in the MH this year than we ever did with the TT. It was much less stressful driving even with a toad. Wife loves traveling in the MH. And neither of us miss the work involved with a TT setting up and getting ready to move on.
We just traded our TT (2012 31' with slide) and the MH (2001 28' no slide) for a new class c- sunseeker 32' with 2 slides. Neither of us will look back and wonder if it was a mistake. This is what works for us.
RobertRyan
Explorer
Nov 17, 2013
Sky-Free wrote:
This was a great experiment and we had a lot of fun. I can definitely see the advantages of having a small class C. It was a bit expensive, but well worth the expense to find out what we like and don't like. I always recommend renting before buying.

That is the only way to go, bit difficult with a towable though.
wbwood
Explorer
Nov 17, 2013
And the bigger they are, the more they squeak. Lol

That nation got excellent mileage. We are lucky to see 9mpg.
Just_Lee
Explorer
Nov 17, 2013
We down sized from a 38ft pusher to the View 24G Profile and LOVE it. Our rattle noise level depends on road condition....... We tow a 96 Tracker and get average 13.3 MPG and that should go up the more miles we acquire. We are less then 7000 right now....
Snowman9000
Explorer
Nov 09, 2013
I was also going to comment on the packing, squeaks, and rattles. Ours only has 24K miles, so maybe squeaks and rattles will increase. But for now, they are not bad at all. We have figured out our packing so that the contents are pretty quiet. We have no problem listening to the radio while on the road.

This is our 3rd trip with our 23' B+. While we would love another 2 feet and a slideout, we are coming around to like this unit and type of travel a lot. We had plans to set up a toad, but more and more we are thinking we will keep going toadless for now. We have gotten used to keeping the interior clutter under control so it's only 5 minutes or so of putting things away when we want to go somewhere. In the overall scheme of things, 5 minutes is nothing. On the outside, we do not hook up a water hose; we just use our tank. We don't hook up a sewer hose either. So to go somewhere, we just unhook electric and cable, which is quick and easy.

We have really gotten spoiled by being able to pull into just about anywhere to shop or eat. Today we went into an old downtown with cramped streets. No problem, we are about the size of an UPS truck. Parked in the municipal lot in the shade, opened windows, turned on the Fantastic Fan, and let the dog sit comfortably while I pretended to be interested in the krap the DW was looking at in the stores. :)

Also, so far in the trip, 5 campsites, we've only had to get out the leveler blocks once. And the 1 was probably okay for most people anyway. Not that the sites are all level, but with the short rig and easy manuevering, we can jockey it around to find a level spot, much of the time.

We cannot see ourselves going back to a TT. I'm not saying never, but it's not likely.
Desert_Captain
Explorer III
Nov 09, 2013
We recently switched to a C from our 22' TT. Our Nexus Phantom 23P (24' 10"), Class C is huge inside. We have so much storage that probably 40% of the available space has yet to be used and we have put over 6,000 miles on in the last 3 months. Yep, we still have an intermittent rattle that comes and goes - I suspect some tools in the storage bay but have a cure planned.

With no slide there is nothing to move around or go wrong down the road. The full queen is always available and our princess of a pooch enjoys riding up there watching the world go by out the two large windows. As you noted with rigs this size driving is nothing but a pleasure and we can get in and out of any shopping center parking lot, down any road and into any site.

We have the E-350 6.8L V-10 Ford Chassis and love it. The MB diesels are good on gas but seriously lacking in power or so I have been told by several folks who own them. The V-10 is a beast and the serious mountains of AZ, UT, ID and WY were nothing but fun. I can tow up to 5,000# on the Reese Class IV hitch but have no plans (no need), to do so. We get 10 mpg but then it runs on regular which is a lot cheaper than diesel. Also we have a 55 gallon tank which gives me 500 miles of range with a 50 mile cushion.

The cost of a conventional C is far less than B, B+ or any of the MB diesel models and there are lots of great deals out there on lightly used units. As always.... Opinions and YMMV. :C
Dakzuki
Explorer
Nov 09, 2013
As far as the noise inside goes, you need to pack a motorhome differently than a trailer since you're in it while under way. Once you know the tricks it's just fine. The View/Navion are pretty squeak and rattle free compared to many others.
WoodGlue
Explorer
Nov 09, 2013
There was a rally of our Lance TT's and 1 TC there Friday-Monday in the south loops. You should have stopped by, I would have given you guys some cups!

WoodGlue
sky_free
Explorer
Nov 09, 2013
WoodGlue wrote:
Nice write-up sky_free.

Seems like the Travel Trailer is the way to go for you. Plus when you're destinated, you can unhitch and explore.

Are you thinking about trading in your small TT for another one?

The weather at Pismo Beach this past weekend was outstanding, wasn't it?

WoodGlue

Forgot to mention it, but we wished we could unhitch and go to the store when we realized that we didn't bring any cups the first night. We ended up just walking because the slide was out and everything was set up.

It was incredible weather for November. We met some really nice people there too. Maybe you were in the North Beach CG because we saw a nice Lance trailer on the south side of the CG?

No, not thinking of another (bigger) TT at this time. Don't want to go much longer than what we have now due to the small coastal campgrounds we find ourselves in frequently, like up at Gualala on the Sonoma coast for example. Seems like we can always just barely back into our spot. We are thinking about a short 5th wheel in the 26-foot range. With the overlap over the truck bed it wouldn't be that much longer. That's a few years away though.

Snowman9000 wrote:
For someone who is going to one destination for camping, a trailer makes perfect sense. Small class C's do have a lot of compromises, but we like ours for our type of RV-ing.

Yes agree. I'm torn because I love the ease of travel, economy, and ease of parking anywhere. It just doesn't work for us because of a few things that won't bother other people at all. I posted this because it seems like there are a lot of people out there spending a lot of money changing RV types until they find a perfect fit. We realized we may have already found it.