Opinions on Alto Safari Condo and Vehicle

Do yourself a favor, though in this case, weights are light...dry weight of 1683 with a loading capacity of another 1017#...so you could have weight at 2700#...again, still light, but I'd use a loaded weight as opposed to a "dry" or "empty" weight. I towed a pop up (weight approx. 3,000# with a Jeep Patriot fairly easily... Don't know how much "room" you would want with the two of you, but I'd opt for a 4 wheel drive SUV capable of towing in the 3500-5000# range just to make your trip more enjoyable and have room in the SUV to haul some "stuff" you might not be able to load into the rv, and have 4 wheel drive, "just in case":)


Jim

All who say this isn't a true teardrop- yer right....it's got the shape which is certainly as useful today as it was mid century:).Good question about whether the windows open...I believe they do but really need to double check...I'VE looked at sooo many lil trailers the specs get 'blobbed' in my head. As far as window treatments they are included in the purchase price which doesn't mean I can't make new ones if the style is not utilitarian enough.

As to price....did note that this is more expensive than many similar sized TTs yet feel some of the advantages justify the price. I live in a city where parking is at a premium and most bldgs don't have indoor parking.Getting a TT that can fit in a standard garage is important and the retractable roof helps a lot w/ that. As well this TT seems to do better than average re: depreciation and resale price. We may decide at the end of our cross country trip to just sell it. On the other hand if we decide to keep it it still needs to fit in an average parking area. I also looked into just renting one but for the cost might as well just buy it, LOL.

I've tent camped (alright glamped:D) for several years now and really only want to use the TT's shower if we are boondocking or the campground's bathroom facilities are undesirable. Same for the kitchen sink. Also wonder how much cooking I'll actually do on the kitchen stove; I like grilling and have learned how to make a Weber act like a basic oven. Time will tell on that end.

I'm reading your posts carefully regarding vehicle suggestions.

Forget about towing that Alto with a VW Golf, they aren't a good match. Moreover the Golf is a poor towing-anything vehicle, no matter who tries it. If your towing considerations revolve around getting good gas mileage like a passenger car delivers, you should do some more research before you finalize a decision.

That Alto is very cool but the price is too much for what it offers. A pop-up camper of even bigger size will be cheaper than the Alto.

Bumpyroad wrote:

bikendan wrote:
i've read that though these are very cool and unique, but very expensive for what it offers.

i've seen no one, on any of the RV forums i frequent, that actually bought and owns one.

where were the prices given? I would think that unless you can leave those curtains pulled over the windows when the top is down it would be a royal pain to have to shut them all the time. must be horrific heat gain in the summer/loss in the winter on those windows.
bumpy

Prices listed for each unit on the left hand side about midway down the page. I think the style I'm talking about is about 25K.

I notice that the tank capacities are given in Liters so calculate out what they are in real numbers. :)
I would compare it feature/price to a 17 ft Casita which would be similar to tow, but has a real bath shower.
can you get it with an air conditioner? if not I wouldn't want it. after magnifying the fine print 7 times I see it has an option of a floor mount heat pump.
I think I prefer the F series unless you absolutely need the lower profile. and I still can't find the prices but are they given in US or CA $$$?
bumpy

I think the prices came down. I think when I looked 3 yrs ago it was a lot more than $25K

Re: pricing.They just re-did the web site recently so pricing is no longer listed. I did speak with their US sales rep, Dennis, and I'm wrong about the 25K. That's the price for the fixed roof model which I no longer want. W/ double solar panels, heat pump plus optional furnace(still deciding whether I need the extra propane furnace), upgraded hitch package, a custom microwave convection oven to replace the standard microwave; plus 1-12V jack and 2 extra electrical outlets, additional roof height storage, COM upholstery fabric, the price will be approx 29.5K.

The heat pump functions as an a/c as well as 'timed' heater and the 3 speed roof exhaust fan are standard. O and the standard black out curtains can be seen in one of the thumbnail pics of the website.

Thanks for all the good questions cause they are keeping me thinking and evaluating!:D

NYCgrrl wrote:
Re: pricing.They just re-did the web site recently so pricing is no longer listed. I did speak with their US sales rep, Dennis, and I'm wrong about the 25K. That's the price for the fixed roof model which I no longer want. W/ double solar panels, heat pump plus optional furnace(still deciding whether I need the extra propane furnace), upgraded hitch package, a custom microwave convection oven to replace the standard microwave; plus 1-12V jack and 2 extra electrical outlets, additional roof height storage, COM upholstery fabric, the price will be approx 29.5K.

The heat pump functions as an a/c as well as 'timed' heater and the 3 speed roof exhaust fan are standard. O and the standard black out curtains can be seen in one of the thumbnail pics of the website.

Thanks for all the good questions cause they are keeping me thinking and evaluating!:D

have you ever lived with only heat pump heating? I'd get the extra propane furnace. why did you decide against the hard roofed one? the hard roofed one seems nicer to me, but not as much eye candy. is that 29.5K for the moveable roofed one?
bumpy

just had a thought, the heat pump needs a back up heat system, like every other heat pump our there. can't be electric I would think based on current required so would have to be propane????

Bumpyroad wrote:

NYCgrrl wrote:
Re: pricing.They just re-did the web site recently so pricing is no longer listed. I did speak with their US sales rep, Dennis, and I'm wrong about the 25K. That's the price for the fixed roof model which I no longer want. W/ double solar panels, heat pump plus optional furnace(still deciding whether I need the extra propane furnace), upgraded hitch package, a custom microwave convection oven to replace the standard microwave; plus 1-12V jack and 2 extra electrical outlets, additional roof height storage, COM upholstery fabric, the price will be approx 29.5K.

The heat pump functions as an a/c as well as 'timed' heater and the 3 speed roof exhaust fan are standard. O and the standard black out curtains can be seen in one of the thumbnail pics of the website.

Thanks for all the good questions cause they are keeping me thinking and evaluating!:D

have you ever lived with only heat pump heating? I'd get the extra propane furnace. why did you decide against the hard roofed one? the hard roofed one seems nicer to me, but not as much eye candy. is that 29.5K for the moveable roofed one?
bumpy

just had a thought, the heat pump needs a back up heat system, like every other heat pump our there. can't be electric I would think based on current required so would have to be propane????

I like the electric roof because it's "eye candy cool" much like slideouts; the profile can be lowered thus less fuel consumption per gal. on the highway (this is up fer grabs; I plan to ask how much savings it produces over a specific time frame so I can do a cost analysis)and it'll fit in a standard garage if that option is needed.
Never lived with a heat pump...this is oil furnace country,LOL. Been reading the blog of a Canadian Alto owner who started out w/ only the heat pump and eventually retrofitted an additional furnace. You are right too- it's propane.

I first saw the Alto on the web about 5 years ago and wanted one. Too much money for my budget, however... and back then they would not sell in USA anyhow, but it sounds like that has changed. They are attractive, innovative, useful trailers. If that's what you want and you can afford it, follow your dream.

Any vehicle that comes with a 3500 lb tow rating (and 350 lb hitch weight rating) should handle this trailer just fine. Realistically the Alto will probably weigh 2500 lb or more when loaded, and likely the tongue will weigh 300 or even 350 depending on where the water tanks are and whether they are full or empty. For a long trip there is just no use skimping on tow vehicle. You want a little extra safety margin.

I don't know if there are many cars with that tow rating. The Toyota Camry, perhaps? But there are plenty of small SUVs and crossovers and minivans that will do the job. And really the fuel economy while towing will probably be very similar among most of them... I would suspect around 15 to 18 mpg for a low profile trailer like that. One exception would be a small diesel such as in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which might net you low 20s. Another type of vehicle that might save you gas would be something with a 4 cylinder and a manual transmission (Toyota Tacoma comes to mind, 3500 lb rating) but you certainly will be moving slowly up any long grades in mountain areas with something like that.

You might look at Ford Escape with the 2L Ecoboost, Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Highlander, Jeep Cherokee V6 or the Grand Cherokee, Mercedes ML series, or similar.