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why would ford be the most used ,getting to back difficult.

tom311
Explorer
Explorer
we looked for a motorhome last week.first we ruled out a class b.so into the c class and as much as I like the look of ford the chevy cockpit was actually easy to get up from seat and into back of coach.the ford was ridiculous to get feet around to the back .as we will be looking I am concerned not all small c class will be available with the chevy.also I am hearing the chevy does better on mileage?? we want a 22- 24 footer so what do some of you get for mileage on this size?? thanks all
17 REPLIES 17

Butch50
Explorer
Explorer
Are you dead set on either a Chevy or Ford chassis? If not you might want to look at the Sprinter chassis setup. We just purchased a 2015 Winnebago View Profile with a sofa slide.

The first tank of fuel produced 16.8MPG and the second going over the Boston Mountains in western Arkansas was 15.9MPG. Now I know the Boston Mtns are not the Rockies but there is a lot of up and downs in them and some pretty long pulls. I know the Rockies as I used to live in Colorado for 27 years.

We traveled at 60 to 65 MPH with a full tank of fresh water and then some of that became waste water as it was being used. I never felt I was lacking power in it. Now we were not pulling anything behind so I'm sure that it will feel different once we get our toad car and get it behind the rig. It is a very maneuverable rig and lots of people never tow anything behind as you can drive it almost anywhere.

It is very easy for me to get out of the drivers seat and get into the back and I'm 6'1" 250# with size 13 double EE shoes.

It is a smaller size as it is only 7'6" wide. Ours is 25.5" long.

This is not our first class C and we have had many other RVs including class A diesel pusher.

We feel for the 2 of us and our pooch it is just the right size.

This is IMO
Butch

I try to always leave doubt to my ignorance rather than prove it

2021 Winnebago View

OldRadios
Explorer
Explorer
The new 2015 Transit will go up against the Sprinter and be used in the B's and smaller C's. The longer C's will still use the E450/V10 for some time as the new Transit does not have the weight capacity for the bigger C's.

I saw and sat in the new larger Ford Transit. Nice roomy cab and easy to move around. Unfortunately it's still somewhat of a lightweight with less towing capacity like the Sprinter. Might make me want to go back to a smaller rig though. Should have great gas mileage and a better service network than the Sprinters.
2006 Fleetwood 26Q
2010 Harley Softail Toad
2015 Ford Focus Toad
Upstate (the other) New York

Teacher_s_Pet
Explorer
Explorer
We've had our 2004, 22', 6.0L, 3500 Express based B+, since April 2012 and have put about on about 18,500 miles including a 11,200 trip to Alaska. MPG is 11.01 on average. We chose the Chevrolet entirely based on comfort for the passenger. I'm 6'2" and scottiemom is 5'0". Scottiemom does 99% of the driving in our class A and we split the duties in the B+. Moving to the back is easy for her in the B+ and for me it takes kind of rolling of of the seat, but the foot well is much better for my size 11 4E feet than the Fords we looked at and test drove.
'06 Phaeton 40' QSH
'14 Ford Flex SEL AWD Toad
'04 R-Vision Trail-Lite 213
Scottiemom's Pet or husband to Dale
RV.net Rallies 13, Other Rallies 21, Escapades 7
Fulltimers since 2005, Where are we?
Our Travel Blog

RvBill3
Explorer
Explorer
We love our 25' MH on the Chevy 4500 chassis. It has plenty of power, lots of leg room in cab, and handles very well without modification. We get 10-11 mpg on interstates at 60 mph, with full water and propane and lots of stuff for two people.

Chevy chassis has a lower front axle weight than Ford E-450, so you will not find it used on the larger class C's. Chevy engine is forward compared to the Ford, resulting in a smaller doghouse inside and a slightly longer hood outside. We drove both before buying and selected the Chevy for passenger comfort. We have not been disappointed in any way. Not to say that there is anything wrong with the Ford--just different.
2012 Forest River Sunseeker 2300 Chevy

IAMICHABOD
Explorer II
Explorer II
hotbyte wrote:
Weren't Chevy chassis unavailable or in short supply for several years recently but are back in market more now?


Not really The MFGs of Class C and B+ RVs are going more and more to the Chevy Chassis.

They are offering more of their products on a Chevy Chassis than they previously offered in the last few years.

Like these.

Thor


Forest River

Roadtrek

Leisure

Just to name a few.

Contrary to what has been said, the plant in Wentzville MO. That has been in full production since 2007. That only MFGs the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans, and not SUVs. Added a second shift of 450 workers in January 2012 to meet market demand.
So there is no shortage of them.

I think You will see more of them on the road as the market share increases and the Fords loose favor to the better handling and the more comfortable Chevy Based RV.
2006 TIOGA 26Q CHEVY 6.0 WORKHORSE VORTEC
Former El Monte RV Rental
Retired Teamster Local 692
Buying A Rental Class C

hotbyte
Explorer
Explorer
Weren't Chevy chassis unavailable or in short supply for several years recently but are back in market more now?
2018 Minnie Winnie 24M

Gene_in_NE
Explorer II
Explorer II
tom311 wrote:
I am sure I will buy new.not comfortable with used .am I hearing the 15 ford will be different interior and leg room? what about mileage,the nexus guys video he states,around 7.5 to 9.5 with the ford.i kind of expected on smaller c to be around 12??
I own a Chevy 22'- 5" and I have documented that I burned 3,420.8 gallons of gas in 42,220 miles. This is an overall average of 12.3 miles per gallon. Some of the tankfills were as low as 8.8 MPG and a high of 17.8 MPG. The variation usually is not that far away from the true average. The low was going uphill most of the tank (elevation 1,000 ft to elevation 5,300 feet) against a strong wind. The high was the reverse going downhill (from elevation 8,000 to elevation 2,000) with a tail wind. Every tankfill has been documented in a notebook showing date, odometer, price per gal, and gallons of gas. 🙂

The book is kept in the glove box and is also a place where oil changes, new tires, propane fills, and battery replacement occurred.
2002 Trail-Lite Model 211-S w/5.7 Chevy (click View Profile)
Gene

Desert_Captain
Explorer III
Explorer III
tom311 wrote:
I am sure I will buy new.not comfortable with used .am I hearing the 15 ford will be different interior and leg room? what about mileage,the nexus guys video he states,around 7.5 to 9.5 with the ford.i kind of expected on smaller c to be around 12??


We have had our 24' Nexus for 13 months and 20,000+ miles... it gets from 8 to 11 mpg depending on the road and weather but at the end of every trip it always averages out to 9.5.

:C

rvten
Explorer
Explorer
At 6'2" and 285. I find the E450 roomy enough.
No big deal going from driver seat to coach.
Tom & Bonnie
Crossville, TN.
Aspect 29H 2008 Type C
Ford Flex SEL 2010
There is NO B+

WyoTraveler
Explorer
Explorer
tom311 wrote:
I am sure I will buy new.not comfortable with used .am I hearing the 15 ford will be different interior and leg room? what about mileage,the nexus guys video he states,around 7.5 to 9.5 with the ford.i kind of expected on smaller c to be around 12??


My F250 V10 PU gets about 12 mpg with an empty PU bed. Doubt you could put a camper on it and still expect 12.

tom311
Explorer
Explorer
I am sure I will buy new.not comfortable with used .am I hearing the 15 ford will be different interior and leg room? what about mileage,the nexus guys video he states,around 7.5 to 9.5 with the ford.i kind of expected on smaller c to be around 12??

Desert_Captain
Explorer III
Explorer III
The Chevy "gets" slightly better mileage because it "gives" slightly less power, the difference on both issues is negligible. If you have any plans to pull a Toad get the V -10 but the Chevy 6.0 will suffice. Unless you are 6' or more the Ford will cause you no grief but as noted they all (Chevy/Ford), vary from year to year.

While my bride makes a lot of trips back into the coach from her navigators seat I rarely do. When we stop I just get out and walk around but can easily access the coach any time I need to (I am 5'9"). The biggest difference between Ford and Chevy are the number of choices available in a Class C. Ford has dominated the Class C market for years and thus there are far more choices that come with the "Blue Oval". Just find the floor plan that works the best without regard for the brand... but don't be surprised if it is a Ford.

:B

Rolin
Explorer
Explorer
We had a 23ft chev 3500 and now have E450 based Motorhome.

The Chev had a move comfortable cockpit..easier to move from front to back.

I have improved the Fords comfort level by raising the seat 2 inches and moving it back 1 inch. It made moving front to back much easier. We also added insulation to the floor area which reduced the radiated heat.

Not much you can do about the lack of leg room for the passenger.

I would buy the motorhome that best fits your needs. I found that I can adapt to the Ford cockpit limitations and make small modifications to improve comfort if the house part of the motorhome best fits our needs and price limitations.

Just need to balance the look, the feel, the features and the cost ;-).

carringb
Explorer
Explorer
Depending on what year you are looking at, there are changes in the shape of the center console. It's easy to swap out. The '09+ console is my favorite, however some of the older styles were even slimmer. The '09+ version is the best combo of usefulness and ease of egress IMO.
2000 Ford E450 V10 VAN! 450,000+ miles
2014 ORV really big trailer
2015 Ford Focus ST