Countdown to new Travato GL

[wincrasher]

Well I have a delivery date now for my GL. July 20 barring any disruptions. Ships on the 16th.

I learned production on these takes a little longer than the regular G. There is a step in there they are calling "lithium check". Have no idea if this is just some kind of test, or they have someone from Volta look it over.

Getting excited now that it's becoming real.

[Oliver2017]

Excited for you and can't wait to read your thoughts on the Volta system. I'm impressed with your toys...2017 Tiffin Allegro 32SA, 2019 Travato GL (on order)...

[warpig]

That's very exciting! The Volta system paired with the Travato makes for an incredible rig. For boondockers, it's probably the best van for the money.

[angelmroman]

Congrats wincrasher.

Keep us updated on “Real World” use of the System and Performance.

[gk&hc]

Good luck with your new Travato. Let us know how well the battery system works. I’m also looking forward to additional Travato improvements in your blog, although I suppose now that you have the G version on order they won’t be as useful to those of us that have the 59K. (Your shower curtain track upgrade for the 59K bathroom has been great!).

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by warpig

That's very exciting! The Volta system paired with the Travato makes for an incredible rig. For boondockers, it's probably the best van for the money.

Why is it that Promaster, Ford and Chevy vans are still not equipped with the advanced safety features provided on the Sprinter?

[avanti]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

Why is it that Promaster, Ford and Chevy vans are still not equipped with the advanced safety features provided on the Sprinter?

We now own two vehicles with modern safety features: our 2014 Sprinter has the active safety assist package. Our 2018 Volvo XC60 is pretty much the state of the art, i.e., its abilities make my head spin.

With this experience under my belt, I would never, EVER buy another vehicle without this stuff. It is going to save countless lives, and I don't care how good a driver you think you are.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by avanti

We now own two vehicles with modern safety features: our 2014 Sprinter has the active safety assist package. Our 2018 Volvo XC60 is pretty much the state of the art, i.e., its abilities make my head spin.

With this experience under my belt, I would never, EVER buy another vehicle without this stuff. It is going to save countless lives, and I don't care how good a driver you think you are.

I couldn't agree with you more. The absence of this feature is a constant source of irritation with the 210 we drive.

What perplexes me is this: This stuff is uniformly available on most passenger cars now. What's with the vans? Since most of these vans are used for commercial purposes, as the owner of a business using a fleet of them, wouldn't you want to have every safety device you could possibly employ to reduce the possibility of one of your bleary eyed drivers having a costly injury involved collision?

[Davydd]

Do any of the other vans have active safety features to the extent the Sprinter has and will have more in 2019?

[wincrasher]

Promaster has ESC and antilock brakes. It doesn't really need stability controls like Transit or Sprinter because the chassis design is alot more stable - especially with the wheels push out to the corners of the chassis. Add to that the lower height and lower center of gravity, it just drives much like your average family minivan.

If you are talking about all the bells and whistles like lane departure warning and blind spot assist, I guess some folks like that. I find it an annoyance on my other cars. Thankfully you can turn most of that crap off if it annoys you.

What I do wish the Promaster had was adaptive cruise control. I find that really useful on a few of my cars - but in city expressways. On country highways it doesn't make much of a difference.

Of course all this stuff comes at a price. Much of it is optional on Sprinter. Promaster is MUCH less costly than Transit or Sprinter.

[Davydd]

Lane keeping assist quickly trains you to obey the law and use your turn signal to move over a lane. After that you hardly ever encounter an annoyance and the most useful thing is the warning (a red light on the rear view mirror) of the idiot that tries to speed around you on the exit ramp in your blind spot even with your turn signal on. I don't know why people are possessed to do that other than I think they don't want a tall vehicle ahead of them on the ramp.

For the Sprinter in 2019 I am looking forward to Active Brake Assist and Active Distance Assist which will work with cruise control on or off I think. The 360 deg. parking camera will be standard. Advanced RV has been installing them for over three years. I would have had one but didn't know about it and the next ARV going out the door after mine had one.

Benefits of Cross Wind Assist is hard to judge on a dually that has VB Air Suspension.

There is another braking feature assist I only encountered once going into a hairpin turn too fast (so the Sprinter electronics detected) and slammed on my brakes before I did.

[avanti]

Yes. It really is quite silly to disparage these features as "annoying". I agree that if you are driving as well as you think you are, all of the current Sprinter safety features will be totally silent and unobtrusive. Among many other things, my Volvo will steer around pedestrians and large animals--picking the safest path before you even know there is a problem. It reads (literally) speed limit signs, keeps the information constantly available on the heads-up display, and optionally reminds you when you are going too fast. If you do get into an accident and lose control, the vehicle will attempt to continue to brake after a collision in order to bring you to a safe stop as rapidly as possible. I can go on and on. (and, I am not mentioning the wonderful semi-autonomous driving features, since at the current stage, they are more convenience than safety features).

These technologies save lives and (if you will forgive the repetition), I don't care how good a driver you think you are.

[wincrasher]

Well, I guess it depends on the quality of the system. The one in my Chevy gets confused if the lane widens or you go thru junctions where the lines are at angles, or disappear entirely. The system in my Honda just would constantly beep at you without trying to grab the wheel from you hands.

I really don't know what all this has to do with my GL thread, but thank you all for pissing all over my excitement. I'd expect nothing less.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

I really don't know what all this has to do with my GL thread, but thank you all for pissing all over my excitement. I'd expect nothing less.

You are right about this. Apologies. If you like, I can move that stuff to a new thread.

We are all excited about your acquisition.

[angelmroman]

SO tiresome...

He’s already boasting about his next Van that won’t be on the Road for 18 months....Really annoying....

[BBQ]

.

I don't see what's wrong with talking about an RV, and/or its features, real or imaginary. This is a discussion forum. Any and all discussions are good. There's always something to learn. There's always something to like, or dislike.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by angelmroman

SO tiresome...

He’s already boasting about his next Van that won’t be on the Road for 18 months....Really annoying....

I must have cut class that day. Who is boasting about what that's arriving when?

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

I really don't know what all this has to do with my GL thread, but thank you all for pissing all over my excitement. I'd expect nothing less.

When I started the segue regarding the absence of advanced safety features on all our domestic vans, the last thing I intended was to rain on your parade.

It's pretty clear from your posting and blog history is that when it comes to evaluating RVs, you don't take prisoners. which means that you'll ferret out every virtue and shortfall of the Travato which will be invaluable to prospective buyers. Thank you.

One thing I would personally appreciate is your evaluation of the suspension. There doesn't seem to be any consistent reports. Some users seem perfectly satisfied with the stock suspension. Some seem to feel the necessity for Sumo Spring additions and there are even others that opt for completely replacing he stock suspension with the VB suspension modification. Let us know what your conclusions are regarding this.

[wincrasher]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

One thing I would personally appreciate is your evaluation of the suspension. There doesn't seem to be any consistent reports. Some users seem perfectly satisfied with the stock suspension. Some seem to feel the necessity for Sumo Spring additions and there are even others that opt for completely replacing he stock suspension with the VB suspension modification. Let us know what your conclusions are regarding this.

I know of only one Promaster converted with the VB air suspension. I suspect they got that for free as is the norm for the more professional reviews and promotion. It comes at a steep price - around $7500. If you want the leveling system that works with it, it's another $7k or so. I like the idea, but I'd rather keep my money that get the modest benefit of these upgrades.

As is, the Promaster has excellent ride and handling characteristics. It drives like a big old minivan and is not very sensitive to the turbulence behind trucks or crosswinds - it's not immune though, just the behaviours aren't anything that would give you white knuckles.

Yes, many do Timbrens or Sumos. I've done both - they are about the same, so go with whatever is cheapest. There really are only a few benefits to this ~$300 upgrade. First, you eliminate joust when you go over uneven pavements like sloped entranceways or anything that will induce side-to-side motion of the van body. Second, you can take corners a little faster as body roll is reduced in that regard too. Third, since you are basically riding on these stops, it lifts the rear about 1 to 1.5 inches, giving more clearance on all but the rear axle. Theoretically, this device should have the potential to induce more vibration and harshness into the cabin. I've found that it does not. Probably due to the weight of a van with the conversion in it (~2,000 lbs).

[saxman48]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

Well I have a delivery date now for my GL. July 20 barring any disruptions. Ships on the 16th.



I learned production on these takes a little longer than the regular G. There is a step in there they are calling "lithium check". Have no idea if this is just some kind of test, or they have someone from Volta look it over.



Getting excited now that it's becoming real.

As a KL or GL wannabee (may pull the trigger this fall), l am excited for you, too, and also look forward to your assessment.