I saw at the Tampa RV supershow there is a new class of rv called an RUV,,,to me they are just mini motor homes which Winnebago made for many years called mini-winnie . so they are not really a new thing at all....

Someone mentioned them on the forum a couple months ago, I said the same thing, they're just short motorhomes .It's a marketing thing to help sales. To me it's the same as a SUV. They're just station wagons. :)

They are a little different in this respect, they are a small class A but on the Ford E 350 chassis. The cab that normally remains in a Class C is removed (or not delivered with) and the entire house is built on the chassis just like a class A. Thor branded the RUV term and they are about 6' longer than a standard SUV. Frankly I've never seen an SUV with a bed kitchen and bathroom and electric bunk but maybe I am not looking hard enough. Minnie Winnies were actually a Class C MH. The AXIS and Vegas RUV's are more like European Class A's than A U.S. Class C and nothing really like any SUV I've seen.

Effy wrote:They are a little different in this respect, they are a small class A but on the Ford E 350 chassis. The cab that normally remains in a Class C is removed (or not delivered with) and the entire house is built on the chassis just like a class A. Thor branded the RUV term and they are about 6' longer than a standard SUV. Frankly I've never seen an SUV with a bed kitchen and bathroom and electric bunk but maybe I am not looking hard enough. Minnie Winnies were actually a Class C MH. The AXIS and Vegas RUV's are more like European Class A's than A U.S. Class C and nothing really like any SUV I've seen.No one said a SUV has a bed, kitchen and bathroom. I did however compare a SUV to a station wagon, meaning it's a marketing thing for sales. :)

gbopp wrote:Effy wrote:They are a little different in this respect, they are a small class A but on the Ford E 350 chassis. The cab that normally remains in a Class C is removed (or not delivered with) and the entire house is built on the chassis just like a class A. Thor branded the RUV term and they are about 6' longer than a standard SUV. Frankly I've never seen an SUV with a bed kitchen and bathroom and electric bunk but maybe I am not looking hard enough. Minnie Winnies were actually a Class C MH. The AXIS and Vegas RUV's are more like European Class A's than A U.S. Class C and nothing really like any SUV I've seen.No one said a SUV has a bed, kitchen and bathroom. I did however compare a SUV to a station wagon, meaning it's a marketing thing for sales. :)Gotcha, I mis-interpreted your post. Sorry. :)

This segment is hot. As another poster said, the RUV term was coined by Thor to describe the Axis/Vegas But you have other small class A's like the Winnebago Brave and Vista, Forest River FR3, Thor ACE, Coachman Mirada and, to a lesser extent, the Tiffin Allegro Breeze as well as others. If I ever upgrade my class C, it will be to one of these RV's.

RUV's | Good Sam Community

2wheelluge
Explorer
Jan 22, 2016
I will throw my two cents in on this topic. My wife and I had a HR Augusta B213 that was much like a van in that you could park it almost anywhere but had a full sized bath, no fixed bed. There is a lot of discussion about this type of rig under the B+ forum. We loved it, but there was no place for our granddaughter or anyone else who wanted to travel with us. Last year we popped for a Winnebago Vista 26HE. It will fit in two parking spots and isn't as nimble to drive, but the amount of space inside and underneath is astonishing.

Last night we were watching a video on the Winne Fuse. Looks really neat, and if we were in the market this year, we probably would have seriously considered it. But knowing what we know now about the comforts of a slightly larger (couple of feet) vehicle on an F53 chassis, I still think we made the right choice. Plus, the Vista's are the loss leaders in the Winne line so you get a lot of value for not a whole lot of $$.

We did look at the Axis and really liked the layout, but we needed a floor tie down for a child seat which was standard on the Winne. There are lots of neat units coming online, it will make a trip to the RV show a blast!
jolooote
Explorer
Jan 22, 2016
We're on our 5th. Motorhome. First, A 30' Class'A', a 21' Class'C', a 31' Class'A', and finally we've down sized from a 34' Class'A' to a 25' Thor Vegas(RUV). Have put 10,000 miles on it so far. Its the best one we've had. Gotta get used to a bit less room, BUT I never worry about what gas stations or city streets I can use And it gets an honest 11 mpg. Drives and rides like a smooth car. Love it.
eheading
Explorer
Jan 23, 2016
As a point of interest, even putting a Class A motorhome on a Ford van chassis is not a new idea. Roughly 20 years ago, Fleetwood sold a model, the Flair, which was a Class A motorhome on a Ford E350 chassis. (the Flair has since grown, and later models have all been built on the Ford F53 chassis).

Ed Headington
J-Rooster
Explorer
Jan 23, 2016
Bob Vaughn wrote:
I saw at the Tampa RV supershow there is a new class of rv called an RUV,,,to me they are just mini motor homes which Winnebago made for many years called mini-winnie . so they are not really a new thing at all....
I agree the Tacoma RV Show (Washington State) is going on now and there's more smaller RV's there for show than larger units.

Forum Discussion

RUV's

About Motorhome Group

Related Content

RUV's

Thor RUV Question

How Do We Classify an RUV?

Thor Vegas vs Axis RUV

Thor AXIS or VEGAS ruv