AllegroD wrote:
Let me first state that we have owned a 2013 Open Road 36LA and now a 2019 RED 37BA. Both have their advantages and IMO which is best is up to how you use it. The Open Road, with the V10 is a beast and gets 7 mpg. Great for the lower cost. The RED is a 360 so it gets up the mountain but some down to 50mph. It gets about 9 mpg. We went to the RED, as it is our retirement rig. We believe we should have gone to it earlier. Reason is, we will be traveling more and wanted the quieter front end. It is a much smoother ride and handles curves and corners better. It has air ride....
I won't argue that the diesel definitely has its advantages, not the least of which is how quiet it is being in the back. However, things changed a bit when Ford came out with the new F53 chassis and 7.3L big block V8 a year or so ago.
Before plunking down the $100k or more extra it costs for a diesel pusher.....One really owes it to themselves to test drive a gasser motorhome built on the newer F53 chassis with the 7.3 gas big block V8 and improved suspension setup.
It is a significant improvement over the old V10 chassis, and definitely closed the gap some with the diesel pushers. Engine is quieter, and body roll is noticeably less.
Having owned, driven a Georgetown built on a 2012 F53 V10 chassis for 9 years, and now own a 2021 Newmar built on the new F53 chassis....I'm here to tell you there is a huge difference, and Ford has come a long way.
