Hello folks...... DW & I are seriously thinking of trading our 07 5th Wheel & Silverado Dulley toward the purchase of a 2015 Thor Challenger 37KT with the Ford V10 Gasser. A motor coach has always been my dream & I think that at this point in our lives the fact that you can just jump into it at a whims notice & go without the hassle of hooking up to the truck is attractive. It would also make life easier for my 94 year old father in law since he wouldn't have to climb up the stairs to gain access to to bath located in the bedroom. That aside, I have researched this motorcoach but haven't found much info. on the Ford V10 as far as reliability & sufficient power. I realize this isn't a diesel pusher, but it something close enough to a pusher in our price range with most of the amenities. Those of you who have a Thor Challenger or something similar with the Ford V10 gasser care to comment ?? Oh one other question ...... Instead of towing a toad, we would probably just simply have a rental car company drop off a rental car to the RV park.........any comments on this ? Thanks again

Every new gasser is on the ford F53 chassis. PLENTY of power and that chassis and motor will outlast the house provided it's taken care of. It's designed to rev high so it can be loud climbing grades but does not hurt anything. It's got an engine brake for descents which is very handy. In Summary, no worries at all with the Ford chassis and motor. The 37KT floor plan is one of the best IMHO. I love that floor plan. Thor owns Damon who makes the challenger and although they have a bit of a black eye with some slide issues on the Palazzo, the challenger is a sound choice. Thor customer service is awesome. Your choice on the TOAD. I've rented vehicles and now we tow. It wouldn't take long renting cars to add up to what you would spend towing your own car. And I like the fact I have a dinghy along in case of a breakdown, or you just need a car and have it whenever you want it. I am all about self sufficiency. Plus despite a rule of rental cars not being smoked in, I always seem to get the one that was. I like having my own stuff and it's cheaper in the short run (not even the long run on this one.) Provided you are in your tow capacity I doubt you'd see any perceptible decrease in MPG towing a car either. 4 down is preferred if you can tow your car that way, otherwise it's a dolly.

There is a ton of info already on here about the V10. Just type V10 into the search window and you will get enough material to read for a year! The consensus is that it is a good reliable engine that has an excellent service record and supplies enough power to keep those of us with gassers happy. I might be corrected but if you are looking at a gas engine the V10 may be your only option in the 2015 model year regardless of the brand of MH you buy. As far as renting vs towing, my vote is for towing. Rentals are ok but you will soon tire of $30.00 to $40.00 per day rental cost added on to every trip. Another problem I have with renting is it takes away your ability to be spontaneous.With the toad if we see an attraction we think we would like to visit we can unhook and go, even in between destinations.

The easiest way to tow is four wheels down. I can be hooked up and on my way in about ten minutes including a safety and light check. Roughly it will cost about $3,000+ to equip a vehicle for towing. This includes baseplate, towbar, umbilical cable, safety cables and a brake system for the car. The choice of tow vehicles is limited and weight is a major factor. We tow a Ford C-Max hybrid. Tows easily and averages 40 mpg when being driven. A toad will affect the gas mileage of the V-10 probably about 1/2 mile to the gallon less. Ford is the only manufacturer building a motorhome gas chassis so the V-10 is the only choice. The engine is very powerful but, as been said, can be very loud when climbing even a slight grade. It sometimes seems that the engine is about to explode but that is just SOP for the V-10. In normal cruise mode the engine is very quiet.

We have 2015 Challenger 37KT and LOVE it. Ford V10 seems more than adequate for us.

Hi,Most large towns with a airport will also have a rental car company. Most small towns, such as Springdale UT, just outside a National Park do not have any cars for rent. . . So you might have to rent a car and then follow the RV a long ways to get to the campground. I would suggest getting a tow car, and take it with you. The V10 is well proven in both pickup and motorhome duty. It is powerful and needs to spend some time in the 4000 RPM range while climbing hills. A lot more RPM than a Silverado diesel will have run, but that is OK as the pistons and stroke is much shorter than a diesel, and it is designed to stay together - even at it's maximum RPM. 4000 is normal speed to make enough HP to get over a hill. That said, I would not recommend much beyond 4,400 RPM, as the transmission internal gears are spinning sometimes twice as fast as the engine RPM. I have a 97 Ford 460" V8 (7.5L) that is less power (225 factory HP) and slightly larger. I have 16" rims rated at 3000 pounds each, while the 19.5" rims that came out in 1999 are rated about 600 - 1,000 pounds higher. You will have no problems going over the mountains. I towed a Ford Windstar on a tow dolly all over PA, and around the United States. Now I have a Ford Edge, rated to tow 4 wheels down. Have a great time camping! Yes it is handy to have leveling jacks, and can move the RV from one location to another in about 45 seconds! Much faster than moving the fifth wheel. Fred.

2015 Thor Challenger with Ford V10 | Good Sam Community

Cecilt
Explorer
Nov 07, 2014
JimM68 wrote:
I don't recall, either forest river or thor, at $158k msrp brand new. Similar floorplan in a Tuscany at over $250k...

I searched and searched, and found the same layout in a Monaco, and found one I could buy 2 years old for that same $158k...
WAY better deal. Way better coach. Fabulous quality, great chassis, top of the line for sure...

You can get a better deal buying a couple years old. Lotsa people with more money than (you fill in the blank) find out they just aren't cut out for this, and 2-3 year old motorhomes are out there, like new, barely used, just waiting for you to write a check.

I agree with your post until you compared new MSRP pricing to a used unit. That coach with a new MSRP could have been bought for 30% less or a net $110,600 give or take a few thousand. Did you Monaco cost $110k or $158K?
Dale_Traveling
Explorer II
Nov 07, 2014
Thor product owner, 2006 Hurricane 31D. Excellent chassis and house built on it. No issues with engine noise but the interior engine cover, aka dog house, has been sound and heat insulated (prior owner who ever you are, thanks). I've owned my 2006 for four camping seasons and after 30,000+ miles and 150 nights in the coach it has not once needed professional service or forced us to change camping plans. It hasn't been 100% problem free but nothing I wasn't able to take care of in my driveway. I do recommend giving consideration toward a used coach at least two years old. Your initial costs will be much less in addition to the prior owners taking care of any post sale warranty problems. New is nice but sometimes not always better.

Concerning a tow vehicle, your best option is to use whatever is in the driveway even if that means going with a dolly, transmission pump or whatever. Spending a few thousand to make it road ready will be 10X less than renting or buying a vehicle that is four down towable. My tow vehicle is a 14 year old Honda Accord. Costs me maybe 1/2 gal per mile loss in fuel economy, no appreciable power loss and no bank note poking me every month.

Good luck with your search but take the time to educate yourself including the saving or costs concerning cutting ties with your current rig.
Rodz
Explorer
Nov 07, 2014
Effy wrote:
Never surprised any more on this forum that when someone finds exactly what they are looking for, asks questions about a specific model and then folks chime in that they should buy something completely different. Not a different model mind you but a total misdirect from the approach OP is going. Usually people trying to convince you that you should buy what they have... "don't buy that new model from x brand, you need to buy a completely different chassis that's 5 years old".....

:C yup
Effy
Explorer II
Nov 07, 2014
Never surprised any more on this forum that when someone finds exactly what they are looking for, asks questions about a specific model and then folks chime in that they should buy something completely different. Not a different model mind you but a total misdirect from the approach OP is going. Usually people trying to convince you that you should buy what they have... "don't buy that new model from x brand, you need to buy a completely different chassis that's 5 years old".....
JimM68
Explorer
Nov 07, 2014
I'd recommend towing something 4 down. I've done "no car" and it wasn't good. Our motorhome never leaves the driveway without one of the jeep's hooked up, not even to run to the corner for fuel.

Our first motorhome was a Fleetwood pace arrow, 36 foot on a 26,000 pound V10 F53 chassis. It worked just fine, tho kinda noisy pulling up a hill.

Not a thor (or anything else) basher, but...
(is this where I add "a 37' coach on a 22k chassis makes little sense to me?")

When we were shopping for our next coach, for 2 years... we went to a lot of shows, and looked at a lot of new motorhomes. We found a floorplan we liked in a sportscoach, another very similar from, I don't recall, either forest river or thor, at $158k msrp brand new. Similar floorplan in a Tuscany at over $250k...

I searched and searched, and found the same layout in a Monaco, and found one I could buy 2 years old for that same $158k...
WAY better deal. Way better coach. Fabulous quality, great chassis, top of the line for sure...

You can get a better deal buying a couple years old. Lotsa people with more money than (you fill in the blank) find out they just aren't cut out for this, and 2-3 year old motorhomes are out there, like new, barely used, just waiting for you to write a check.

Not bashing, speaking truth... Thor and Forest river are at the bottom of the food chain. Tiffin, Winnebago, Fleetwood are a step up. Monaco Newmar and some others are another step up. All make quality gas motorhomes, but you still get what you pay for.

And just to get everyone mad at me... diesel pushers are better. They ride better. They are quieter. They have all the cool fancy stuff. The money that will buy a new 37' gasser will also buy a 5 year old (or less) DP...
Something to think about.
TlovesBinaRV
Explorer
Nov 07, 2014
We just bought a challenger 37kt and we love it. Only thing we would have done different is not buy from camping world, but the Thor is as wonderful as you think. Good luck I hope you enjoy it
dieharder
Explorer
Nov 06, 2014
Relied on rentals for one trip and one trip only. Have towed since.

Despite reservations made months ahead of time, when we went to spend and tour around Orlando for 4 days, Enterprise had no car for us the first 2 days. Was quite angry and disappointed in this and will never go that route again.
carringb
Explorer
Nov 06, 2014
Have you considered a Newmar? They have a similar floor plan, and their build quality is miles ahead of Thor. They also use longer wheelbases so ride and drivability should be better. The Canyon Star 3913 has a 266" wheelbase:
jkcruzer1
Explorer
Nov 05, 2014
I don't regret trading the TT. Love the 37KT floor plan. Almost identical to the 371.
hanko
Explorer
Nov 05, 2014
Seriously, look at a few items alot of folks dont. Thats a big coach for a 22,000 lb chasis. its also a big coach for a 235 inch wheel base. My good friend got this same coach, and it was appalling the things wrong and the lack of quality control. It ended up going back to Elkhart for two months to be repainted. the paint was orange peeled completly. The list went on and on. I wonderd why he even drove it off the lot. sorry to say these things, but this is not somethng I heard, but facts I know.