Is a B+ really just a C Class

Lkwilson · 01-31-2017, 03:29 AM

My take on Class C's are that they are a box on flatbed that rattles and leaks. In previous life I had a lovely (but ugly) GMC 26ft Class A that didn't rattle, didn't leak and was a dream to drive but can't find any class As that come close to engineering and size. Anyway, I digress

We won't be using our class B as alternate vehicle, only for travel. I'm not thrilled with the looks of the wider B+s, but they do give you a bunch more space. Is the only thing that makes it a B is that it's based on a van chassis? And if so, that seems like it could introduce the same quality issues that you get on C's. Also, looking at the used market they don't seem to hold their value like the true Bs. Speaking of which I'm amazed at the strength of the Roadtrek Populars.

SiennaGuy · 01-31-2017, 05:12 AM

In my book, a Class B+ is closer to a C-. That's not a grade of any kind, it just means that they're both built on a cutaway chassis, but one is minus the bed over the cab. Calling them a "B+" probably was some marketing person's decision. It sounds better than a "C-."

Like with everything else, quality and resale value varies among RV companies. Among the B+ companies, I personally like the look of the products from Leisure Travel Vans. They don't litter their RVs with swoopy-doopy paint jobs, their build quality seems good, and from what I've found so far, they seem to hold a lot of their resale value.

mumkin · 01-31-2017, 05:19 AM

Yes, they are really just a Class C.

If you want to look at a top quality rig in this class... take a look at Leisure Travel. They WILL keep their value better than most.

Leisure Travel Vans - Freedom to Explore

mumkin · 01-31-2017, 05:20 AM

Sienna Guy and I were synchronized posting... LOL

SiennaGuy · 01-31-2017, 06:12 AM

Leisure Travel Vans makes a model called the Unity Twin Bed. It has twin beds that can be converted to an 88" x 76" bed. That's larger than a California King bed! The system for doing that isn't perfect, but watch their video on the Twin Bed. Their one of a kind 6' 1" salesman, Dean, will probably have you in stitches. His height is good to use as a reference. Watch how he moves around inside.
Leisure Travel Vans - Unity - Videos

The first problem seems to be that the mattress inserts between the beds slip around and some folks complain that they can feel the gaps between the mattresses. Based upon some unsupervised time at an RV show*, it looks as though the sliding around can be lessened by placing a non-slip mattress gripper underneath the whole bed. My hunch is that having pieces just under the middle inserts wouldn't be as effective as having the weight of the twin mattresses on top of a larger gripper. This weight should keep the gripper stable, so the inserts should remain stable.
https://www.amazon.com/Original-Gori...ttress+gripper

A piece of foam on top would soften the gaps between the mattresses. You'd need to get it cut to fit the size and the shape of the entire bed. And get foam with a warranty. Some memory foams crack and split when folded. Over its lifetime, it's almost certain that at some point, you'll want to either roll it up or fold it up.

The second problem is that to get the 88" to be the length of the bed, you'd have to sleep east-west in the bed. And that would mean that one person would have to crawl over the other to get out of the bed. Of course, you can always sleep the other way.

The other thing that I like about Leisure Travel Vans is that they order all of their Sprinters with all of the safety packages that Mercedes offers. Some other RV companies don't. You can "build" one on the LTV site with your options to get an idea of the MSRP.

*A big thanks to all of the salesmen for various companies who went to dinner at the same time!

SiennaGuy · 01-31-2017, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mumkin

Sienna Guy and I were synchronized posting... LOL

Great minds think alike!

wincrasher · 02-01-2017, 12:47 AM

LTV has fallen a lot in the last few years. Their interiors are no where near as nice as they used to make, and the new Wonder is downright appalling - all vinyl coated particle board, cheap pressure clatches on their doors and lots of sharp edges.

Lkwilson · 02-01-2017, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wincrasher

LTV has fallen a lot in the last few years. Their interiors are no where near as nice as they used to make, and the new Wonder is downright appalling - all vinyl coated particle board, cheap pressure clatches on their doors and lots of sharp edges.

Oh dear, not for us then. We'd be in the market for a used one, I'll keep that in mind

mumkin · 02-01-2017, 04:37 PM

I suspect that this is one person's opinion. I recommend that you actually look at some of their new models and make your own judgement.

The reality is that LTV can't build their rigs fast enough for the demand... last I heard there was about a 10 month wait for a new one.

They are still head and shoulders over their competitors... both in quality of construction and creativity in their floor plans.

mtmdatlanta · 02-02-2017, 03:01 AM

The Wonder is their version of a budget rig. It starts at about $105k and maxes out at about $115k with all options, still well under a base Unity, and way under a Serenity. It actually maxes out at the starting price for a Paseo. At such pricing I wouldn't expect to have the same level of luxurious finish as their way more expensive models. Further, the Transit platform has lower capacity than the Sprinters, so the lighter cabinetry would preserve more load capacity than solid wood, and the Wonder has a lot of cabinetry and storage for sure. The Unity and Serenity models I saw last summer certainly had stellar build quality, at least on the surface, so I wouldn't be too concerned about the Wonder, though I guess time will tell.

Lkwilson · 02-02-2017, 03:42 PM

Great info. Thank you. They are on our list to look at.

mumkin · 02-02-2017, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtmdatlanta

The Unity and Serenity models I saw last summer certainly had stellar build quality, at least on the surface,

Based on my previous unit, a Libero, the quality is tops under the surface too... and their customer service is one of the very best.

The difference between looking under the surface between an LTV or my Roadtrek is glaring...

I haven't seen a Wonder in person as yet, but the floor plan is certainly attractive and unique.

cruising7388 · 02-03-2017, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mumkin

Based on my previous unit, a Libero, the quality is tops under the surface too... and their customer service is one of the very best.

What prompted you to give up the Libero?

mumkin · 02-03-2017, 06:05 AM

I needed something smaller. But it was a big step down in more than size...

Lkwilson · 02-22-2017, 05:23 AM

Saw the Pleasure Ways along with many others last weekend. For selection they had the best finish. However one thing that became clear (although we will rent all types) is that my 6'3" wide shouldered DH was much more comfortable in their plateau XL rather than the narrower B's.

Also we're not going for stealth and just turning sixty we're not going from tent camping to an RV. We're going from fairly nice hotel rooms to an RV. So embarrassingly so we loved the big bathroom. The finish was lovely and the extra external storage was a huge plus. However the bed was problematic because of having to crawl over but not the end of the world as at least it was long enough.

Which leads me to the dreaded leaking push outs. On another thread Leisure Travel was suggested. It looks like they tried to do some cover thing on the slide to protect from water but still could be a bit dodgy.

Thoughts?

SiennaGuy · 02-22-2017, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lkwilson

Which leads me to the dreaded leaking push outs. On another thread Leisure Travel was suggested. It looks like they tried to do some cover thing on the slide to protect from water but still could be a bit dodgy.

Thoughts?

Leisure Travel Vans has 5 different Unity floor plans, all on the Sprinter chassis. Three of those have slide outs (the Corner Bed, the Murphy Bed, and the Flex). The other two (the Twin Bed and the Island Bed) don't. They also make the Serenity (no slides), also on the Sprinter chassis, and the Wonder (also no slides), on the Ford Transit chassis. The company has an excellent reputation, so I would tend to trust them and PleasureWay over plenty of others. Still, a slide out adds to the complexity of a vehicle and, as some say, adds another thing that can go wrong.

To save your DH from bumping his head, here are some stats. All of the Unity models have 6'5" interior height. The interior height in the Serenity is 6'3 and the Wonder has a little over 6'2". Attached is a chart of their bed sizes. The Unity Twin Bed can be converted to a bed that's 76" x 88" or 88" x 76" depending on which direction you sleep. The system for doing that isn't perfect, however. For more information, read about the adventures of a 6'4" guy in his Unity Twin Bed:
http://crimdom.net/rv-upgrades-and-c...ns/#mattresses

A great place to ask questions about Leisure Travel Vans products is the Sprinter Forum. It's got a section dedicated just to LTV products (except the Wonder, because it's not a Sprinter). You should post your questions about slides there to get honest feedback from owners. Here's the link:
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=11

BBQ · 02-22-2017, 02:03 PM

.

If you don't plan to go into the city or town often,
then, by all means, get a ClassB+/C.
The ClassB+/C is only a few inches wider, but feels more spacious and comfortable inside.

If you are traveling to National Parks and taking the ferries,
a shorter ClassB+/C will save you some money.

Keyne · 02-22-2017, 04:22 PM

Per the standard definition yes a B+ is a C because its not build on/in a van.

mumkin · 02-22-2017, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lkwilson

Which leads me to the dreaded leaking push outs. On another thread Leisure Travel was suggested. It looks like they tried to do some cover thing on the slide to protect from water but still could be a bit dodgy.

Thoughts?

The reason that I bought the Libero was to avoid a slide-out, but I wasn't really thinking about leaks... but what to do if I can't get it to go in. LOL I recall seeing a C driving slowly down a highway with the slide-out hanging out over the ditch. As the non-mechanical type, I decided to avoid it. That said, all the Unity owners laughed at me. I encountered very few that had any issues... none with leaks... a couple that had a mechanical issue they were able to overcome and drive to get it fixed.

The slide covers have two jobs. One is to keep out most of the water, but also to keep out leaves and other trash that can end up in the mechanisms or littering the inside of the rig when you pull it in...

LTV Unity has a couple floor plans that should overcome the problem of the crossways bed...

Lkwilson · 02-22-2017, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mumkin

The reason that I bought the Libero was to avoid a slide-out, but I wasn't really thinking about leaks... but what to do if I can't get it to go in. LOL I recall seeing a C driving slowly down a highway with the slide-out hanging out over the ditch. As the non-mechanical type, I decided to avoid it. That said, all the Unity owners laughed at me. I encountered very few that had any issues... none with leaks... a couple that had a mechanical issue they were able to overcome and drive to get it fixed.

The slide covers have two jobs. One is to keep out most of the water, but also to keep out leaves and other trash that can end up in the mechanisms or littering the inside of the rig when you pull it in...

LTV Unity has a couple floor plans that should overcome the problem of the crossways bed...

Oh dear, hope you got a pic of that! Yes, did like several of the floorplans. Will have to find a few on the west coast that we can get into.

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