Is the difference noticable?

I own a Sprinter van and just purchased a 24' E350 Ford RV and the difference between the two is small as far as I'm concerned. The 24' Phoenix Cruiser drives as well as the Sprinter, still parks in one parking spot albeit a little longer, but then so is my sprinter in one parking spot.

I wend with Ford because of the poor reliability with the Sprinter and lack of available service facilities across the USA.

I'd rather spend more on fuel and less on service, so for me it comes out the same in the long run between the two and saving money.

I just drove a HARD, HARD 5000 miles last moth and not one bit of trouble with the Ford. Power was exceptional, carry weight is unbelievable, room inside was great, no complaints.

Yes, definitely. Every little bit bigger limits you more in where you can go, spaces you will fit, where you can park. Once you get into urban areas, width starts to matter maybe more than length.

If your main concern is getting around, see how a van conversion (Type B motorhome in the RV industry) fits your space needs. You can have those built on vans ranging from 17 to 25 feet long, and all are under the 80-inch maximum width for a "standard" motor vehicle in North America.

A van conversion on 17 foot van gets around better than one on a 19 foot or a 23-25 foot van. Maneuverability, and parkability not the slight difference in price, is why many commercial and passenger van users chose the shorter model, if it will carry what they need to carry.

On the other hand, some people decide 34 feet, or 40 feet, or 45 feet, is the smallest thing they can live in, and compromise on getting around. Many will tow a second vehicle to get around in the tighter places, after they park the bigger one where there is space for it.

Which gets to the final point on motorhome maneuverability. If you are going to tow another vehicle, it doesn't matter so much whether the motorhome 22 or 25 feet, 28 or 32 feet, 40 or 45 feet. Attaching 18 to 24 feet of a tow that cannot be backed up without unhooking so compromises getting around that a few feet more or less on the motorhome does not make that much difference.

I find 30 feet is not too big for getting around in the rural middle U.S. and in the smaller cities where roads and parking are designed to accommodate the reality that most people are driving 18 to 24 foot trucks most of the time. But in areas more urban, that space goes away, so I don't take my motorhome into Chicago, St Louis, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, expecting to get around easily and find places to park.

But also, now alone for most of my travel, I don't need a 30 foot house on wheels, so I'm downsizing to a van that is no larger than a full-size SUV, and even that does not get around as well as my sub-compact hatchback, which can carry everything I need to set up camp, if what I want to do is just camp.

We have a Sprinter based C. We really enjoy it and I have no problems driving or parking. Of course we are newbies and this is our first rig owned. My only other experience was a rented 1976 Open Road, which was godawful huge, and our trip was with 10 people on board. I didn't have any real problems with that one, either.

Disclaimer: When I was in Uncle Sam's Canoe Club based at White Sands Missile Range in NM, I was licensed to drive every vehicle in the motor pool, including a bus, except I never had the opportunity to get checked out in the very large wrecker in the pool.

You need to spend some time driving and maneuvering a short (22-24 foot) Class C and a 27 foot (medium) or longer class C. There are some differences in turning and maneuvering a longer rig into RV park spaces, shopping malls, etc. Beginners are often overawed by the size and visibility limitations in driving an RV. You will quickly get used to driving and maneuvering a medium sized rig and will enjoy the rear bedroom with RV queen bed, increased cabinet space,increased cargo bay space without having to put bags and boxes of "stuff" in the shower stall and the aisles and falling out of the overhead "bed".
Most adults, with arthritis etc., do not enjoy sleeping in the overhead, climbing over partner in the middle of the night and climbing down the ladder to go to the restroom and then climbing back up and getting into bed without waking the partner. Think this over carefully and try the overhead bed with partner before you decide.

Wishin' and Hopin' wrote:
I think we're ready to make the buy decision. The floor plans we love are on the Sprinter chassis. The sprinter comes in around 25' long, 94-95" wide, 170" wheelbase. It appears 'nimble' - few lmitations due to size. The small size is very appealing and one of our objectives. But, the CCC capacity and service location limitations are going to keep us out of Sprinters. So, the next best unit with a size we like is 27' long and 99" wide, 176" wheelbase. The question - will that longer and wider unit 'feel' appreciably different in access and maneuverability? Thank you !

Based on your comments about the Sprinter, have you then ruled out the Winnebago Trend-Viva? We are enjoying our Viva.

The question - will that longer and wider unit 'feel' appreciably different in access and maneuverability? Thank you !

Yes I would think so. I made a similar compromise. I looked at the 24' Winnebago/Sprinters. They're trimmer and I thought they steered better. I went with the E450/Lazy Daze due to the local So. CA. brand having good quality factory service (and more) vs. a somewhat shady local Winnebago dealer. Plus the E450, with all its handling flaws, is a sturdy workhorse that has an extensive service newtwork.

If there is some way you can drive an example of each, you may find a decision easier.

Based on our experience, I think the width will bother you more than the length. We downsized from a large A to our Axis, which brought us down to 94" wide! Huge difference!!

Hope you find the perfect one for you!!

There are some manufacturers that make a unit in the 24-25 foot range, using an Ford E 450 cutaway chassis. This chassis usually provides for a generous OCCC in a 24 footer. Please be reminded that options like slideouts or leveling systems will subtract from the OCCC.

If on a Ford E350 or E450, the answer you will likely get is "Yes" for their turning radius is not as good as the Sprinter in the same wheel base, let alone in a longer one. But so it takes one more cycle to make a very tight turn in a parking lot or camp site. If you are in such a hurry, you'd better travel in a Corvette. :)

Our rig in my signature has a Ford E350 with 158" wheel base, 93" wide, and 23'-8" long. We get around fine. I would assume the dimensions you gave would impact our maneuverability. That size you provided would be a lot bigger for me to drive.

Are you sure you can't find an E-series version of the Sprinter you considered? Maybe from another RV company?