Best B Class for tall folks!

[lillious]

I'm 5'11" and my husband is 6"4". We tried the Travato on a Ram Chassis-not enough leg room. Too bad-was a beautiful re-sale from a very helpful seller.
So any others out there with this problem? The seller recommended Mercedes or Ford to try. Anyone else have experience with this issue? Trying to narrow down choices before we spend time traveling to look. The re-sale was only an hour from our home. Can be new or used. We've been researching for awhile but few give such details. thank you all!

[themexicandoctor]

I don't know if there is a solution in the B Class outside of fabricating a unit to your own design?

Unless the Safari units woukd work.

It could be an untapped vertical market.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by lillious

I'm 5'11" and my husband is 6"4". We tried the Travato on a Ram Chassis-not enough leg room. Too bad-was a beautiful re-sale from a very helpful seller.
So any others out there with this problem? The seller recommended Mercedes or Ford to try. Anyone else have experience with this issue? Trying to narrow down choices before we spend time traveling to look. The re-sale was only an hour from our home. Can be new or used. We've been researching for awhile but few give such details. thank you all!

Welcome to the forum lillious!

Honestly, you probably need to look at a class b+ (actually a "c") which can have the required headroom. But still, finding a long enough bed may be a sticking point. You'll probably need a minimum 78" bed. I'm 6'2" and can just stretch out in our 76" bed without touching either end.

If your husband is willing to stoop a bit when walking inside, I have seen some 80" beds in the longer Sprinter floorplans.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

If your husband is willing to stoop a bit when walking inside, I have seen some 80" beds in the longer Sprinter floorplans.

I am 6'3". We have owned two B-vans. Our previous one had an ceiling of around 6'1". Our current one is about 3" higher. Trust me, those three inches made the difference between slow torture and a genuinely pleasant experience. My advice: DO NOT COMPROMISE on ceiling height.

[rowiebowie]

Good news. I'd heard the Transits were like that inside. I can only stand fully erect in my Chevy van if I'm directly under the Maxxfan.

For me, the bed is more important than standing height. But upon re-reading the original post, it may have been more directed at driving position.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

I can only stand fully erect in my Chevy van if I'm directly under the Maxxfan.

Yeah, I remember spending a lot of time directly under the fan. I seriously considered adding another skylight in order to have another place to stand.

[themexicandoctor]

Avanti,

So what you own would work?

[avanti]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

Avanti,

So what you own would work?

I am very happy with our GWV Legend as it pertains to height. Note, however, that I DID have the upfitter do custom cabinet work in order to give me 4 extra inches of bed length. I also find driving the Sprinter to be just fine, leg-room-wise. Emissions-reliability-wise, not so much.

[lillious]

Thank you everyone! The ceiling height he can usually manage. It's the driver's seat that may pose the biggest challenge. I think we'll try a few different chassis' and then work from there. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by lillious

Thank you everyone! The ceiling height he can usually manage. It's the driver's seat that may pose the biggest challenge. I think we'll try a few different chassis' and then work from there. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!

I have no direct knowledge as I've never sat in a Promaster driver's seat, but on this forum and other places I've read of several Promaster owner's with the same initial reaction. Not enough leg room, unusual driving postion, etc.

But after a little time, they came to like the "bus driver-like" driving high sitting position. Probably similar to my Chevy Express where the seat sits high on the swivel pedistal which allows my long legs to rest almost straight down. This is good because knee room is tight because of limited rear travel due to the enclosed wet bath immediately behind it.

[mtmdatlanta]

Try the PleasureWay Ontour 2.2. It's built on the Ford Transit chassis. It has 6'6" headroom, good driver's side legroom, and has a 79' bed, only one inch shorter than a standard queen bed. Further, the bath is relatively spacious, whether being used as a shower or otherwise. The 2.0 is 2 feet shorter and $6k less expensive, but the bed is 2 inches shorter, and the bath is considerably smaller, lacking any sink or any storage, as well as having a much smaller fridge, less overall storage, and less solar panels due to less roof space. The 2021 versions are on the improved 2020 Transit chassis, and critically have a revised dash with markedly greater space for the driver to access the coach from the driver's seat; the earlier models are extremely tight for the legs, and have no driver's seat swivel, either.

The 2021 Coachmen Beyond series may also be worth a look. They are also on the new Transit chassis. The bath is much smaller, which could be an issue, but there is more space behind the driver, allowing more of a lounge space and feel when the seats are swiveled. The beds are also shorter, and much less padding than the PleasureWays, but they do offer more current tech and better 4 season capability, as well as an even bigger two door compressor fridge with relatively large bottom freezer. They only have a one year warranty, however, compared to the FIVE YEAR (though non-transferable) warranty of the PleasureWay.

Embassy RV also builds on the Transit chassis, with a lot of unique features. However, I have not found any measurements on their beds, except the Traveler Sport model where the bed is only 76" long. Any models they are building now would also be on the new chassis.

All Promaster based rigs will be limited to about 6'2" headroom and shorter beds, except the Travato G, but NO Promaster has adequate legroom for tall drivers. The Sprinter based coaches will accommodate taller drivers, and many have long enough beds, but are usually limited to 6'2" headroom, and being relatively narrow, can have very tight baths. The PleasureWay Plateau TS has a decent combination of bath space and a 76" bed, but it might be tight for the driver. The FL has a spacious driver's seat and lounge, but the bath is extremely small, and all Sprinters are limited in headroom unless it's a custom build on the extra-tall chassis.

Overall, the OnTour 2.2 should be the best fit for taller drivers/occupants. Good luck.

[TygerMark]

I am 6'4" and having my rig buit on the Transit platform. I can stand straight and comfortable.

[jkestabrooks]

We just went through this exact scenario. My husband is 6’4” and driving comfort was an issue. We narrowed choices to Mercedes and Ford chassis for this reason and finally settled on a Coachmen Beyond. We just spent 10 days in it and couldn’t be happier with driving, headroom and sleeping comfort.

[Windrat]

2008 LTV 210B I am 6'3" and have about an inch clearance standing in sock feet ....and it has the ducted AC

[Russ T]

I am 6’3” and I have a Crossfit (now known as Beyond). It is on a Transit Chassis. I don’t have any problem driving long distances per day.

[David King in SB]

If you are open to a 20' (awesome) van on a Transit chassis, with either mid roof or high roof, and want an 80" x 60" queen mattress on a hydraulic bed platform--check out the VanDOit-LIV. They're made in USA and have many, many options.

[Macodiva]

I believe he could stand in a Carado Banff (promaster) but would have to bend a little under the ac. He would just fit end to end on the bed or could stick his feet off the end in the middle.

[Billstrong]

Be cognizant that there are some 2021 Model Ontour 2.0’s and 2.2’s that are built on the 2019 Transit chassis. I have a 2021 Ontour 2.0 on a 2019 Transit chassis. My vehicle’s birth certificate was issued in May of 2020. I bought it on Ausust 1, 2020. All of this is confirmed on its MSRP and the origin papers. The only reason I have it is that the dealer had to close for several weeks for Covid and this previouly-ordered coach came in during that time. I bought it off the lot at their reopening. All of that being said, I am happy with it. Standing room is 6’ 6”. Driven 3,000 miles with 16-17 mpg on 93 octane over all terrains except real-deal mountains. Handles well. Goes straight down the road. Not overly sensitive to side winds and passing semi’s. It has way than more than adequate acceleration and lugging power with the Ecoboost 3.5 V6.

[eight]

My wife and I are newly retired and we're looking to join the Class B camper van family. So far, I'm not finding anything locally (Utah) that is tall enough for me - 6 feet 4 inches with shoes on (76 inches). Always standing with my head in the ceiling vent seems like no fun.

I've learned that Pleasure-Way Ontour and Regency RV National Traveler should work for tall guys like me but have not found any dealers in my part of the country so have never even seen one. I was really hoping to find something used; our budget would be stretched to accommodate the $135K price of the new Ontour. Seems hopeless.

I'm a bit intimidated by the members of this forum where you deep-dive into generator decibels and such. Nevertheless, I thought I would reach out to you anyway as you all seem super helpful.

[fated]

One (potentially cheaper) alternative to the Ontour 2.2 that's available now is the Canadream Plateau. It's made by Pleasureway exclusively for Canadream, and is essentially the Ontour with some tweaks for the rental fleet.

I'm 6'3 and rented one a few weeks ago. The bed was comfortable, and I had good headroom. The one major difference I noticed was the propane two burner stove instead of the induction on the Ontour. I think this comes at the price of a cutlery drawer that would normally be below the stove. Other than that, it seemed fully equipped with an inverter, lithium, truma aquago, etc.

They're on the Canadream website for $130K CAD, which is a little under $100K USD. The caveat is of course that these will have spent a summer as a rental. Expect there to be about 30K kms on the odometer, and some wear on the interior. Probably just a 1-year warranty from Canadream (not Pleasureway) as well. Not sure if the $20K CAD savings over a new Ontour is entirely worth it, but given the fact they're actually available now, I figured I throw it out there for anyone who can't wait.