Rocky, I have been on the site for a few years. I had a 2006 Roadtrek RS Adventurous for 2 years and loved it. We put 32,000 miles on it during that time.
We met Davydd at the B rally in Missouri last spring and have become friends. He is a very talented person at looking at design and seeing how it fits into a given lifestyle. He also has many years, miles and nights in B's. We looked at his GW van while in Missouri and liked it. At the Tampa RV show we saw one and bought it on the spot. I sold the Roadtrek a week or so later.
What we like about the new Great West. Keep in mind that a lot of this is simply my opinion.
1. This is not unique to the GWV, but the new Sprinter on the 1 ton chasis is dramaticaly more refined than our 2006 on the 3/4 ton. Smoother, quiter more car like. We also have a much higher margin on the GVWR. In the Roadtrek, we took a 5,800 mile trip last summer out in your direction. We had the van weighed at a place with certified CAT scales. We were fully loaded, watered, fueled, etc. and we were within 150 pounds of the GVWR. If my calculations are correct we have about 3,000 pounds of water, gear etc. that we can add in the new van before, we reach the GVWR....hence..no worries.
2. The layout is vastly superior to the RT. We rarely used the rear captains chairs, other than to prop our feet up on when we swiveled the front seats. Without those we have added storage room. I really like having the galley facing the campground side. Davydd mentions that having the bathroom on the camping (passengers) side creates blind spots. That was not a major issue for me as I used my mirrors extensively and almost exclusively.
3. We now have a near full sized refrige with a real freezer. In the RT, the freezer was so small that its only function was to produce and hold ice for my 6pm martini. In the great west, we now carry several Stoufers or Marie Calendars frozen dinners as well as the ultimiate camping treet...ICE CREAM. We still have the required ice making capacity. The refrigerator is huge and easily holds full size boxes of wine as well as gallon jugs of drinking water. In addition, we do not have to get down on our knees to look in the refrigerator.
3. The Microwave is at face level. On the old RT the microwave was on the floor, so we were once again down on our knees. (sounds kinkd of like the lyrics to a Claption song) In addition, ours is equiped with a 2000 watt inverter so we can run the Microwave without having to turn on the geny.
4. The new GWV is equipped with Diesel hydronic heat. In the short time that we have had the van, we have used it for 2 nights and it operates very quietly.
5. The heat and air are controlled by a thermostat. On the old RT the air was constantly on and the temp was controlled by dial that simply change the frequency of the compressor, but did not turn off the unit and the fan. Much quieter while camping.
6. The screen door. I did not anticipate this, but having a screen door has substantially changed how we live at the campground. We frequently keep the slider door open and the screen door closed. It makes putting little items in the van much easier, and is an aid to communication with the person inside the van.
7. The rear stereo is integrated with the DVD and TV and run off of 12v. first, there is no need to run the inverter when watching TV or listening to music (has an IPOD usb) On the old RT, to listen to music in the rear, we had to turn on the dash stereo and fade the music to the rear speakers. Not a huge deal, but now we have no concerns that listening to music will drain the starting battery. Were we like to go AAA would be hard pressed to find us.
8. The storage space is tremendous compared to the old RT, especially in the rear under the folding couch bed.
9. Our new GWV has the kenwood in dash DVD/CD/MP3/IPOD/bluetooth/backup camera/nav system. It has Garmin software for the NAV so we do not need to have a seperate Garmin GPS which helps reduce dash clutter.
10. Dash and cockpit storage. This is a Mercedes issue and not a GWV issue. The new Sprinter cockpit has tons of storage. Maps, guide books, kindles all get swallowed up and organized with room to spare.
Complaints.
We have had a few dealer hassles. That is not a Great West issue but a dealer issue. Fortunately we have only had one warranty related issue and that was very minor. I bent strike plate that holds the inner doors tight in the bathroom. It amazes me that with the complexity of all of these systems that it all worked out the door.
Things I miss from the old RT.
1. We kept the bed down and had a thick gel foam mattress. The GWV has a nice folding sofa/bed but it is not a plush as our old setup. If we add a gel top mattress it would create a storage/setup issue.
2. The RT had a valve that while you were connected to city water, you could flip the valve and fill the fresh water tank. On the GWV that is not in place. To fill the fresh water you need to disconnect the hose and put it in the fill spout.
3. I have not drained the water tank for winterizing, but the RT had a very convenient drain valve behind the front passenger tire. With the GWV it appears that I will have to crawl under the van and remove a screw in plug.
4. 22mpg. I averaged over 12,000 miles that I kept track 22 MPG. It is beginning to look like I will be getting around 18 or a little better with the new unit.
And the price....the GWV was a lot more money than an 2006 Roadtrek, but of course you are well aware of that
Post your Favorite Florida areas and Campgrounds
Linear Mode
