Why should I NOT buy a Pleasure Way Ascent

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Generators should be run and exercised, it's right in the owners manual...
Do decades of direct experience by multiple users mean ANYTHING to you? If not, why are you here?

Well, well, well...... aren't we the confident one?????
You think you're smarter than the manufacturer?

Cummins is a world wide Fortune 500 company?

Where in the world do you come off making a statement like that? Really????

[Manx]

We love our 2017 Ascent. We love our 4 cylinder engine, but if you are planning on towing a lot, you may want to limit your search for 2018 or newer. Those have the 6 cylinder engine with more power to spare. Probably come in handy for towing.

[Ray B]

You probably can't do much better in a Class B than a Pleasure-Way.

We have had two. A Prestige on a Ford chassis (cutaway) and a Plateau on a Sprinter. Quality is very high!

WHY SHOULD YOU NOT BUY AN ASCENT? Only 1 reason that I can think of - the 3.0L engine. It gets great fuel mileage (15mpg). Good power towing uphill (3,000 lbs). However, it drives me crazy that it is limited to only #2 Diesel and B5 Biodiesel. The manual warns that in case of emergency you can use B20 but it also tells you about all the bad things that can happen. Although salesman and even MB engineers will tell you that it can be done no problem, if you read the manual you find another story. (AND THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT FIXED ON THE NEW CHASSIS!) In reality around cities (unless you live in Minnesota) this is not a problem - B2 or B5 are easy to find. On the road, it can be another problem, especially in the aforementioned state. In fact, I would now be hesitant to buy another diesel with it being targeted by the environmental community. If/when I buy again, I will target the Lexor!

[Luke Warmwater]

Originally Posted by Knit

Luke-the Ascent is a nicely done class B and it sounds like you have experience towing.

Whether or not a Sprinter 2500 can tow 5000 lb or not depends on the details of how the Sprinter and the trailer is loaded. A whole bunch of the capacity of the Sprinter is taken up by the weight of the conversion and the other stuff one might carry. When I was looking to purchase my class B this is what made me look for a Sprinter 3500 chassis so I was sure to have the capability to tow my boat safely.

You might want to get more info from Pleasureway on the Ascent’s actual weights and capacities as delivered and do the math using a calculator like Travel Trailer Weight Calculator

I contacted Pleasure Way by email a couple of days ago. They got back to me within 24 hrs to confirm that the Ascent will tow 5,000 lbs. According to Pleasure Way, the towing capacity is not affected by the weight of the occupants, fluids or cargo inside the coach. Tongue weight of the trailer will count towards towing capacity as well as the weight of the trailer and it's contents.

[Luke Warmwater]

Originally Posted by CGAZ Paul

Hi! Responding to your original post. I looked at that Pleasureway and was very impressed. It does all the wonderful things my 1999 Rialta HD does only newer, and better. If you want the versatility (believe me you will like it) of the 3-way fridge, (motor-assited hot water - the one I looked at had it) and the Generator, this is the rig to get. So many companies are changing things in these newer rigs that make "boondocking" and other joys of travel impossible. An electric fridge? The Rialta has the 3-way and I use ALL 3 all the time. The "motoraid" water heater (brand I have) is indespensible. Of course, when at a campground you can make use of all these things electrically. I have peace of mind knowing that I can run anything I want any which way I can. The LP Gen (the Onan is a good one) is a bit of a drawback because it uses up LP pretty fast. But, if you plan and use things right you won't have to rely on it for hours on end. I am not so keen on running the LP heater at night. I never thought I would do this, but I have a tiny Lasko space heater that runs on electric. Very small, oscillates, and has a timer AND remote. At a campground you can use this (unless your rig has a heat strip in the ceiling AC?) and you use no propane. It is quieter and I feel safer for overnight use. "Always leave a roof vent cracked open to let the carbon dioxide and humidity breathe out". Good luck and I think you will like the Pleasureway. This would be my choice when the time comes to replace the Rialta.

Thanks for the input. I have used an electric space heater in other pull trailers I have owned over the years.

[Luke Warmwater]

Hi Rok.

Thanks for taking the time to respond in such a thoughtful manner. I do worry a little about the size of the bathroom. I can see us using it for # 1 only and utilizing campground bathrooms/showers when ever possible. I share your concerns about public showers at RV parks, having come down with athlete's foot more than once over the years. I learned the hard way to always wear shower sandals when using campground shower facilities.

My other concern with the Ascent is the length of the bed (72"). I am 6 feet tall, so that pretty much puts my feet right at the end of the bed and maybe hanging over a little.

Having said that... we really want to stay with a smaller unit due to ferries, parking, maneuverability, towing and travelling on the narrow roads in Europe. Parking can be a real challenge in towns and villages over there. A smaller unit will help with that.

Life is full of compromises.

We have toured in Europe twice on motorcycles. Diesel is very common over there, in fact, some gas stations sell only diesel.

[Luke Warmwater]

Originally Posted by Ray B

You probably can't do much better in a Class B than a Pleasure-Way.

We have had two. A Prestige on a Ford chassis (cutaway) and a Plateau on a Sprinter. Quality is very high!

WHY SHOULD YOU NOT BUY AN ASCENT? Only 1 reason that I can think of - the 3.0L engine. It gets great fuel mileage (15mpg). Good power towing uphill (3,000 lbs). However, it drives me crazy that it is limited to only #2 Diesel and B5 Biodiesel. The manual warns that in case of emergency you can use B20 but it also tells you about all the bad things that can happen. Although salesman and even MB engineers will tell you that it can be done no problem, if you read the manual you find another story. (AND THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT FIXED ON THE NEW CHASSIS!) In reality around cities (unless you live in Minnesota) this is not a problem - B2 or B5 are easy to find. On the road, it can be another problem, especially in the aforementioned state. In fact, I would now be hesitant to buy another diesel with it being targeted by the environmental community. If/when I buy again, I will target the Lexor!

I would buy a Lexor hands down except for the limited towing capacity. I need to tow a cargo trailer containing two motorcycles. The weight of the loaded trailer is 3,000 lbs which puts it over the towing capacity of the ProMaster chasis.

[Luke Warmwater]

Originally Posted by Deputydawg45

Luke, you SHOULD purchase a Pleasure Way RV. Period. We own a 2019 PW Lexor FL on a ram promaster chassis and it is awesome. The only thing I can’t speak to is your towing capacity requirement on the Ascent sprinter chassis because our Pro-master tow limit is 2200 lbs.
The workmanship of the camper, fridge, leather, Onan generator, smart tv, etc are all terrific and our Lexor is equipped with a microwave/convection oven and has standard solar and lithium batteries.
The 5 year warranty on these campers are tops in the industry.
Don’t look at any other brands. No need. PW is tops and their customer service center at the factory are knowledgeable and always available.

Thanks for the advice "Deputy Dawg" I was a cop for 32 years. Retired from the RCMP in 2013.

[Knit]

Originally Posted by Luke Warmwater

I contacted Pleasure Way by email a couple of days ago. They got back to me within 24 hrs to confirm that the Ascent will tow 5,000 lbs. According to Pleasure Way, the towing capacity is not affected by the weight of the occupants, fluids or cargo inside the coach. Tongue weight of the trailer will count towards towing capacity as well as the weight of the trailer and it's contents.

The tongue weight of whatever you are towing counts as cargo. And a fairly common statement about Sprinter based campers is that there isn’t much cargo carrying capacity left over after the conversion. Did PW tell you the OCCC?