Strange Narrow German Van

[wincrasher]

Are starting to be introduced in Europe!

Notice the breakout feature in this one - power sliding side door! First I've ever seen!

The layout on this one is similar to the Shire Pheonix Studio XL, which is one of my favorites.

[youtube:820ocv2y]A2ffErtGnMY[/youtube:820ocv2y]

[mumkin]

Actually that power door kit is available here in the US from this company for the Promaster, Transit, and Sprinter:

http://powerdoorandstep.com/

The video on this site looks like the same one used on the British video.

[Davydd]

It looks much like the Coach House Arriva.

[wincrasher]

You should send Advanced the link - the door closer is probably something they'd be interested in using.

[eurovanman]

I wish the N. American companies would start putting gas ovens in the vans like they do in every british version. Living without an oven is a big downside for me. And since I hardly ever hookup, a microwave oven doesn't make sense.

[booster]

I had heard a couple of places that the manufacturers of the motorhomes had stayed away from power doors because the mechanism would wind up behind all the upfitting parts, which would have to be removed to fix the door if it failed. I know that on the minivans like Toyota, they have had to take the van half way apart to fix them to the tune of over $1000-2000, last I heard.

[wincrasher]

I suspect you'd want a layout where that mechanism was inside like the kitchen cabinet, so you could get to it. Otherwise it would be a bear to repair. Sure would be a nice thing to have. My Honda van had 3 of them - one on each side door and one on the rear hatch.

[Davydd]

Advanced RV is fully aware of the automatic sliding door. It's been discussed. However, I don't know why they don't offer it. They may have a reason. I believe Mercedes Benz offers it in Europe but not here. If so, I don't know the why of that either.

eurovanman, I have the microwave/convection oven combo and have use of it all the time whether plugged in or not. I don't have any propane and am capable of unlimited time and full use of our B without ever plugging in. In fact on our last 66 day trip we plugged in a total of 7 times which was 7 times we really didn't have to.

[Mike]

I like the oven, shower enclosure, and the removable propane tank. You could go gasless, in theory, for short periods of time, and, you wouldn't necessarily have to break camp (move the van) to refill the propane, if gas planning wasn't your strong suit. I could also live with the bed configuration, twins separate, or as a larger king/queen combo. User defined based mostly on itinerary, I'd guess. Power sliding door, nice to have, but a potential liability as booster suggested.
I probably wouldn't dig the price, since it's based on a Sprinter platform, but if it were on a Transit, it might be do-able. There are North American comparables, but they're mostly on small B+ or C- sized vans. This one appears to be a true class B.

[wincrasher]

There is alot to like in there.

The gas bottle thing I like too - would be very convenient. Not sure if there is some law against such an arrangement in the US. The downside is you give up a big interior cabinet to house it.

I wonder if we'll ever see a cooker with oven in a B in the US. Lot's of folks have agreed with me about wanting one, but I guess we are odd ducks on that front.

[bkroczak]

I think several class Bs have microwave/convection ovens...

[Mike]

Originally Posted by bkroczak

I think several class Bs have microwave/convection ovens...

Yes they do. I think some of us want the full oven like you find in many towables and class A and C motor homes. Just a frivolous desire to some, but useful nonetheless.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by bkroczak

I think several class Bs have microwave/convection ovens...

We have one. In fact it is our second B with a microwave/convection oven. For the first three years of ownership of our previous Great West Van Legend we pretty much ignored the convection oven side. Finally we took the time to figure it out and have been using the convection side way more than the microwave side. It is an oven. It bakes. It bakes hams, pies, cakes, pizzas and potatoes. What more do you need? It works. It is spatially economical. For us, microwaving usually consists of heating water for tea. Before using the baking side we were getting to consider the space as an expensive bread box, which, BTW, performed very well in that regard.

[Mike]

The microwave convection oven option is, and has mostly always been, a space saving compromise in smaller class B vans. If the space were there, the conversion companies would probably add a conventional oven with their gas cook top options to create a kitchen environment more like that which we enjoy at home. If convection microwave options were really better than conventional ovens the larger motorhome builders would only include them, and not bother with the larger conventional gas ovens. There must be a demand, or they wouldn't bother. Ask yourself, what do you have at home?

[booster]

We can use our gas grille as a very decent oven, for the size things we do. If we were to get something combined with the microwave, it would be a toaster oven.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by Mike

The microwave convection oven option is, and has mostly always been, a space saving compromise in smaller class B vans. If the space were there, the conversion companies would probably add a conventional oven with their gas cook top options to create a kitchen environment more like that which we enjoy at home. If convection microwave options were really better than conventional ovens the larger motorhome builders would only include them, and not bother with the larger conventional gas ovens. There must be a demand, or they wouldn't bother. Ask yourself, what do you have at home?

If the space was there in a Class B they would all add luxurious bath tubs, walk in closets, walk around king size beds, 13 CF refrigerators, 4 burner stoves 55" TVs and full lazy boy recliner chairs like you can find in some Class As.

BTW, my home is 100% electric, no gas or oil whatsoever, and one large solar panel away from being a zero energy (from utility companies) home. I have a double electric oven with convection and broiling options. I don't think there is much advantage to gas ovens. People can argue cooktops easier but even there I am becoming a convert to electric induction cooktops. They are kind of amazing in what they can do with precise temperature and fast cooking that standard electric coils cannot equal.

[Viperml]

Originally Posted by Mike

The microwave convection oven option is, and has mostly always been, a space saving compromise in smaller class B vans. If the space were there, the conversion companies would probably add a conventional oven with their gas cook top options to create a kitchen environment more like that which we enjoy at home. If convection microwave options were really better than conventional ovens the larger motorhome builders would only include them, and not bother with the larger conventional gas ovens. There must be a demand, or they wouldn't bother. Ask yourself, what do you have at home?

At home I do not even use an oven. I use two items at home. I have a nuwave pro plus http://www.qvc.com/NuWave-Pro-Plus-8-in ... ?$uslarge$
and a Breville http://www.amazon.com/Breville-BOV800XL ... s=breville

I have not used an oven in several years at home. Once, i get my rig I will carry a Breville in it.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Davydd

If the space was there in a Class B they would all add luxurious bath tubs, walk in closets, walk around king size beds, 13 CF refrigerators, 4 burner stoves 55" TVs and full lazy boy recliner chairs like you can find in some Class As.

BTW, my home is 100% electric, no gas or oil whatsoever, and one large solar panel away from being a zero energy (from utility companies) home. I have a double electric oven with convection and broiling options. I don't think there is much advantage to gas ovens. People can argue cooktops easier but even there I am becoming a convert to electric induction cooktops. They are kind of amazing in what they can do with precise temperature and fast cooking that standard electric coils cannot equal.

My pont had nothing to do with gas versus electric as the oven's heat source. Nor was it about all the class A amenities which are typically excluded from class B builds. It was that at least one converter decided, probably based on customer demand, that a conventional oven would be a desirable feature, and found a way to include it as demonstrated earlier in the thread. Just because you don't want or have a particular feature or amenity, doesn't mean it's a bad option, or that others might not like something a little different.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Viperml

At home I do not even use an oven. I use two items at home. I have a nuwave pro plus http://www.qvc.com/NuWave-Pro-Plus-8-in ... ?$uslarge$
and a Breville http://www.amazon.com/Breville-BOV800XL ... s=breville

I have not used an oven in several years at home. Once, i get my rig I will carry a Breville in it.

As i suggested in my previous reply, each to his own. What doesn't work for some, does work for others. If you don't use an oven, that's fine. Others use them.

[Viperml]

Mike,

You asked a question at the end of your post. I gave you my answer.

Cheers.