Picked up a Travato 59G

JKatfish · 10-21-2015, 12:27 AM

Picked her up 10 days ago and drove it home to SoCal with stops in several National Parks. It performed almost flawlessly, except couldn't get a DVD to play and the small cables holding rear door with bike rack broke. Got 14.8 mpg, with break in miles and cruising 60-80 mph over 3000 miles. Almost switched to 59k, but glad I didn't. We traveled with 2 dogs, so the dinette bed was left up except for the cushion by the door. They loved the room and being able to look out the window on either side. They were latched onto the seatbelt clips, so that worked out well. As a bonus, there is a lot of storage space under the dinette table and the bed. Dining in wasn't a problem, but may get 2 breakfast bed tables to use on the bed or just build a small tray to latch onto the horizontal mounting bar. Murphy bed worked out great. Able to put 2 sleeping bags and pillows, 2 sheets and a blanket and just flip the whole thing up....very easy and tidy.
Tom Tom was a pain, but works if all destinations are preloaded when stopped. Looking into getting a Garmin RV specific unit. Refrigerator was bigger than I needed, but used it as a pantry for most of the time. It would be nice to have an inverter for 120v when not plugged in, but is an easy fix. Truma worked great, tho thermostat seems off. Closet was small and short. Used facial wipes and handi wipes to save water and tank space.
Gas was more expensive than diesel in some states, but in a few, diesel was more. Quite happy with the power and ride. Made it through high winds, very high winds in South Dakota and Montana, and torrential downpours in Utah and Nevada. Visibility was great, with the big windshield and 2 windows on side.
It was airy enough, as not much time was spent inside except at bedtime.
Most cable stations were fuzzy. Maybe due to dirty corroded connectors on the site is my guess.
All in all, very satisfied with the Travato, and quite intuitive to use especially for a Newbie! Btw, the granite color does look dirty a bit, but it blends in well with all the side cutouts to make it look less obvious. Got about 3 comments a day when gassing up or park....all good!

Davydd · 10-21-2015, 01:06 AM

If your cable connections are fuzzy it is more likely you have a setting wrong. On my B I have a manual switch for antenna or cable. On previous Bs I had to turn off the antenna amplifier to get cable. That was a cover plate with a 12v outlet and a tiny push in button to power the antenna amplifier. If the button is pushed in and a tiny light is on the antenna amplifier is powered. Push the button again and it pops out and turns the amplifier off. I don't know how a Travato is set up but it will be something like the two I described.

eric1514 · 10-21-2015, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JKatfish

...the small cables holding rear door with bike rack broke...

Congrats!

Fix those door restraint cables ASAP. The bike rack will contact the side of the RV and put a dent in it if you're not careful. Mine broke right away, too and fortunately I caught it before any damage was done. I bought some thicker stainless wire and ferrules and made a new and stronger set.

Eric

JKatfish · 10-21-2015, 02:32 AM

Davydd: good suggestion. I'll turn off antenna and see if that helps!
Eric1514: haha, too late for me. I think Paintless dent repair can get to it. What size cable did you use? I was thinking of a nylon strap, but may not fit in between. Maybe get 4 cables made or from Winnebago. Probably remove racks til I get new cables attached.

eric1514 · 10-21-2015, 02:36 AM

I just took one of the Winnebago ones off and went to Home Depot and bought the next size up stainless wire and matching ferrules. I don't really know the size except to say it's slightly larger in diameter. Using the good one as a sample, I assembled the new one on the garage floor crimping the ferrules with a cold chisel.

Eric

booster · 10-21-2015, 02:55 AM

I think I would also be hitting up Winnie to pick up the paintless repair, especially since others also seem to have easy failure of the cables.

ClassB4Me · 10-21-2015, 03:15 AM

Congratulations fellow Californian. That was a heck of a drive. Are the drivers and passengers still speaking after that many miles in a class B?

How was the purchasing experience and was it better than buying local?

bobojay · 10-21-2015, 05:41 AM

Winnebago products require the antenna amp to be off when hooked to cable to get a clear pic. Also, some campgrounds cable setups aren't the best quality wiring

Scottbaldassari · 10-21-2015, 06:44 AM

Congratulations! I have a Travato in my radar, so I look forward to hearing about your experiences with it.

thefitrv · 10-21-2015, 02:47 PM

I'm just glad to hear that I'm not the only one getting 15ish miles per gallon!

I hear some of these reports of "I got 18.7 mpg with my Travato," and I wonder how they can do it. Your drive sounds like a typical one for us - crazy winds, mountains, etc. Maybe it's just a western thing.

If you do facebook, there's a Travato Owner's group over there (my wife runs it).

In any case... Welcome!

BobB · 10-21-2015, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thefitrv

If you do facebook, there's a Travato Owner's group over there (my wife runs it).

What is name of FB group? Searched using Travato and could not find. I did find a Winnebago ERA Group, though.

wincrasher · 10-21-2015, 03:13 PM

Mileage varies by conditions of course. Going up to Maggie Valley, NC and up on the BRP I get 14 to 16 depending. The most I've ever gotten was 19 going to the Keys and back. Warm weather you get better MPG than in the cold. Headwinds hurt, tail winds help. Never drafted any semis, but I hear that is a good way to get high MPG. I like my paint too much to try that.

I've noticed a big drop from 65 to 70. Speed really hurts MPG when you are driving a big brick like a van. Finding the sweet spot is trial and error. I found it on my Silverado - 72 mph on my last trip from PA to SC - got 21.4 going thru rolling country side on cruise control. At 75 it drops to 18. At 68 and 70 it also drops a bit - 19 & 20.

thefitrv · 10-21-2015, 03:39 PM

https://www.facebook.com/groups/travatoowners/

JKatfish · 10-21-2015, 03:56 PM

I chose to buy out of state after looking at a red Travato on the lot in SD. It was a 2015, with 2400 miles with stains on the mattress. Could have had it for about $65k. But with the new features on the 2016 and the idea of getting one with almost no miles, I opted to order one. The experience was so so, lack of updates, and was delayed after we hit the road. We're both retired now, so we drove out with our dogs. I would probably do it again, but fly out instead. We wanted to get it before the cold weather hit this year, but as it was many campsites closed already. Kudos to FitRV for suggesting the Good Sam Directory. Saved us several times. Now that we are "experienced" we will try boon docking or Walmart for quick nights. We got up to 16.8 mpg when keeping it around 60. I could feel the engine loosening up and the acceleration was quicker. After 8 nights camping, gray tank still read empty, black tank 1/3 full and propane was about 1/2. We did replenish freaks water once and used city fill twice. Only issue was one of us did not like to conserve as much as the other....

bobojay · 10-21-2015, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JKatfish

We did replenish freaks water once and used city fill twice. Only issue was one of us did not like to conserve as much as the other....

Wow, "freaks" water. That must be something new!

BobB · 10-21-2015, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thefitrv

https://www.facebook.com/groups/travatoowners/

Thank you!

thefitrv · 10-21-2015, 06:08 PM

Tell my wife I said "Hi!". (I'm out of town today.)

B Eventually · 10-21-2015, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JKatfish

But with the new features on the 2016 and the idea of getting one with almost no miles, I opted to order one. The experience was so so, lack of updates, and was delayed after we hit the road.

Did you pick your Travato up at the factory? Could you elaborate on the experience? Accepting delivery at the factory appeals to us, but I do worry about discovering issues and then being stuck in Forest City 1900 miles away from home with the family!

Putting the first 2k miles on ourselves plus starting out two thirds of the way across the country is pretty appealing.

ClassB4Me · 10-21-2015, 09:35 PM

Can anyone describe what updates happen with the Travato K & G models from 2015 to 2016?

JKatfish · 10-21-2015, 10:48 PM

Overall, pick up at the dealer in Forest City went well. Originally it was scheduled for Tues so I can camp out on site and learn the ins and outs. Unfortunately it was delayed til Fri and opted not to stay the weekend. If the weather is moderate not knowing the Truma is not a big deal. Justin in service is very helpful. So schedule early in week and spend a day around Iowa and you should have no problems. After 10 days I think it is pretty straight forward knowing what uses 120, 12v or propane or combination of each. It was great taking delivery with only 50 miles on odometer. Would definitely do it again. Negotiated a decent price, about 22% off msrp.
2016 model has Froli bed system, Truma heater/water heater and solar panel and solar ready for 2 more roof panels if you find ones that fit. Also black tank flush and corian counters.
Very happy I ordered even tho it costs a bit more, the added ease and comfort was worth it to me. And knowing it wasn't abused in transit.

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