Forum Discussion

DmaxCC6spd's avatar
DmaxCC6spd
Explorer
Sep 02, 2013

Tiffin Allegro 36 LA or Jayco Seneca37 RB?

I am considering my first motorhome. I've recently looked at the units in the topic. I love the interior of the Tiffin, but prefer the chassis of the Seneca. The Seneca felt better driving, more natural seating position, much better power and better brake feel.

The Tiffin offers a superior interior and better quality. The braking seemed to be lacking. It also seemed to have far more body roll.

The Freightliner chassis would seem to be much easier to service with the tilt hood.

My biggest concern is pulling grades with a car in tow with the V10 versus the Cummins. The 6.7 Cummins offers about 200 ft/lbs more torque.

Can I get some opinions or thoughts to help with this decision?

Thanks.

19 Replies

  • It is all about what is right for you. The diesel is a nice option but you can get that in a class A too. We stand by Tiffin. Ours is 9 years old and have had very few problems. Our paint is like new and has only been waxed one time. Tiffin stands by their products. We have a diesel Tiffin in production right now. Good luck with your choice.
  • Before jumping into Tiffin check out the Tiffin RV Forum for the scoop on issues with Tiffins. Apparently there are still roof issues with even 2013 models.
  • Kiwi_too wrote:
    Brakes work great and no body roll.
    X2, no problem with brakes or roll here. We tow a 4800 lb horse trailer. No problems with that. Mountain grades can't be avoided where I live AND camp. No problems there either, towing or not.
  • We were set on a Seneca as well till we looked it over more thoroughly. Turned off by the no name TV's and cheaper tent camper style dining table, poor quality woodwork etc. Why does Jayco use the same parts from their tent trailers right up to a deisel bus?
    Found Tiffin and bought 36LA gas coach. Very happy campers and $75,000 in the bank
  • I'll disagree, was set to get the Tiffin, but the body roll and weak brakes during a 20 mile demo turned me off, just test drove the Palazzo, not as good as an interior finish but pretty darn good.

    Exterior paint is better, go to the tiffen forum and read how they wait 4-6 weeks for warranty no appointments.

    I'm not sitting in lot for weeks waiting for repairs.

    Also read how you may need to spend $$ beefing up the suspension on the F53 Fords

    Now the $$ going from V10 to a DP 300hp day and night, it is $30,000 more but the depreciation on a gas unit is much steeper.

    It rides like dream super quiet, stops on a dime.

    It's worth a look before you pull the trigger.

    Change my mind real quick, no gas
  • Look at my sig and you will see that I am prejudice. I prefer an A over a C. I also do not have kids and would not benefit from the space over the cab.

    We have had a Jayco Kiwi Too (guess where I got my username from) 28R TT and a Coachmen Aurora 3480DS Class A.

    My Angel and I have had the 36 LA for about 6 weeks. It handles and rides like a dream. There is plenty of power and it can tow 5000 very well. There is a "Dynamat" type of heat and noise shield from end to end. This makes it very quite, on the road or at a CG. This is an extremely well made coach. The floor plan is excellent. Water and electric are well positioned and setup is a breeze.

    We did a 2 week trip from WA to IL. It handled the mountains pretty well. Our Coachmen had a V10, 2 valve, with a Banks Powerpack. This one is the V10 with 3 valves. We are not planning on adding a Banks. On the steepest hill, in the Rockies, we did drop to 45 for a short while. It will cruise at any speed up to 75. All while towing a Saturn Outlook.

    The only thing we are missing is a pantry type cabinet. We are looking at making a small one in the cabinet to the right of the MW.

    For addons we have the Dometic 4 door fridge with ice maker, 7000KW gen, 15K AC with heatpump, bedroom TV, JVC dash nav/stereo/XM ready, fireplace, power seats, all seating is ultra leather, vacuum cleaner.

    True decadence. Solid construction from compartment doors that open side ways (reduces the stooping) to the steel fraiming, to the hida-air-bed, to the slide outs to the cabinetry. The tile floors make it very easy to clean.

    We were fortunate to find this one and absolutely recommend this coach to anyone. Go through everything and I doubt you will find an issue with the workmanship.

    We cannot compare it to the Seneca, as we know nothing about the Seneca.
  • If you want to tow, then go for the Seneca. I agree that the Tiffin probably has a better fit and finish, but Jayco can be good or sloppy. If you decide on the Seneca, go over it with a fine tooth comb and make sure everything works. have you considered a regular diesel pusher, even a few years older?
  • Tiffin hands down, I have owned a DP and a Ford V10 and towed 40,000 miles in the last 4 years. Both got me up any hill with no problems