How powerful is the V10?
PLENTY powerful enough for what you want to do. I've owned two V10s - one in the Ford Excursion we used to have that towed (very well) a 34' TT, and one in the 36' class A we have now. I've never had any problems going as fast as I want to. And, we do travel through the mountains quite often.
FYI, Ford boosted the power on the V10s long about 2006, with 3 valve-per-cylinder heads and a newer intake manifold. This boosted its output to 362 horsepower, and 457 foot-lbs of torque. Our Excursion we had previously had the older V10, the MH has the newer one. You can definitely tell a difference in power, the new V10 definitely has more 'throat' and throttle response than the old one did.
Does it struggle towing a car?
No. I've towed a 4600 lb minivan behind our 36' MH, and (now) a 3700 lb Ford Fusion. V10 handled both just fine. It gets a bit 'loud' when it kicks down a gear when pulling through the mountains, but the V10 is made to turn those high RPMs, and will run just fine that way.
What size cars are you towing behind it? See answer to last question. :)
What kind of MPG should one expect? Obviously a lot of factors enter into that, but I average around 7 mpg, towing or not. Same I got, I might add, when towing the 34' TT with a V10 powered Excursion.
Sounds like your use, camping style is about the same as ours - weekend trips and a couple week long trips a year. For us, a gasser MH fits much, much better for numerous reasons. I think it would work well for you, too, as long as everything else about the MH you chose is right (floorplan, price, etc).
One thing I just HAVE to say here, about one poster's comments:
From driving a V10 powered C class I couldn't imagine how that V10 would handle in anything bigger, I see your foot down all the time. 82 pounds per HP seams to be pushing it. Id try going with a diesel.
A V10 powered class C on an E450 (or E350) chassis) has a 'watered down' version of the V10, that only puts out around 305 horsepower. The v10 that goes in the F53 Class A chassis puts out 362 horsepower.
Sooo, its not really a good comparison, comparing a V10 powered Class C to a V10 Class A that has over 50 more horsepower. Not to mention the handling difference between an F53 class A chassis and an E450 the Class C is on.
I think a V10 gasser Class A would work great for the OP (original poster). Especially on the long trips to Florida. Its really, really nice having everything at your disposal on the road - bathroom, kitchen/refrigerator, etc.
