Opinions on diesel vs. gasoline
Asking advice/opinions: Considering getting a Class C motorhome. We have had diesel truck with fifth wheel for many years. Diesel=power/torque. We travel a lot in the mountains-especially Colorado...
Forum Discussion
Had 2 gas motorhomes prior to our MB Sprinter based Navion. The Roadtrek was a 2002 Chev 3500 Express van with a 5.7L V8, and it wasn't too bad except the engine was in the "doghouse" position between the front seats and dash, so noisy in the power band RPM range on uphills, and it threw some extra heat inside the cab in warmer weather. Fuel economy wasn't too bad, overall. Our Sunstar 26HE was on the F53 with the V10 3V 6SPD transmission. Same as the Roadtrek, only louder and hotter and harder to get to the seats around the doghouse. Fuel economy doesn't apply to the V10, because it's probably around 6-8 mpg average. That V10 screamed uphills when towing our Wrangler, again because the power band RPMs were at or above 4,000.
Our Navion on the Sprinter 3500 cab chassis with the 3.0L turbocharged V6 diesel is better than both the gassers, in our opinion, and we get 15 mpg average, and 13 mpg towing. It's power band is typical diesel, 1400 rpms for peak torque, and around 3800 rpms for peak HP. It's a nice handling motorhome for it's size and weight, and it pulls our 4500lb Wrangler effortlessly.
So, I'd stick with diesel, given the choice.
Our Navion on the Sprinter 3500 cab chassis with the 3.0L turbocharged V6 diesel is better than both the gassers, in our opinion, and we get 15 mpg average, and 13 mpg towing. It's power band is typical diesel, 1400 rpms for peak torque, and around 3800 rpms for peak HP. It's a nice handling motorhome for it's size and weight, and it pulls our 4500lb Wrangler effortlessly.
So, I'd stick with diesel, given the choice.
